Being pressured to move house to an are that is not suitable.

Jude57

400ixl said:

Jude57 said:

My niece lives in Norfolk and the main thing she hates is the transport infrastructure. Everything is miles apart and the roads are virtually all country roads with low speed limits. Another thing is that it's very difficult to get tradesmen and many will charge for travelling time because of the time it takes to get anywhere. My niece lives in a large village with reasonable facilities nearby such as one supermarket, one GP, one petrol station. It's the lack of choice that I wouldn't want now. My niece is fortunate to work at home but once a month has to attend a group meeting in a village 25 miles away as the crow flies. It takes her between an hour and ten minutes and an hour and forty minutes to drive there, because of the roads. 

As a Norfolk resident, I don't know where your Niece lives or what she has told you, but much of it is total rubbish. 
Driving for an hour in Norfolk from pretty much anywhere would get you right across the whole county, not 25 miles. It is not full of only C class country lanes with 30 mile an hour speed limits as you claim. It doesn't have motorways, but Norwich to London is dual carriage way all the way and there are other Trunk A roads.

Most of the towns are well connected by buses or trains. Many villages not so, but that is a choice you make when. deciding where to live. The county is far from all fields and small hamlets. It is no different to being in other counties such as Hertfordshire, Surrey, Kent etc.

If you want city life then live in / near Norwich (its not London nightlife, but doesn't sound like the OP would want that anyway). If you want good facilities and popular retirement locations then the coastal towns like Cromer or Sheringham may appeal which have lots of facilities including train services. If you want other town then you have Wymondham, North Walsham, Dereham etc all with good facilities and bus / train services.

Not saying the OP should move to Norfolk, but just wanted to correct the perception of the county that people are incorrectly putting out there. There are many locations which do not need a car at all.

I agree with others that the OP should do what is right for them.

No, you don't know where my niece lives, you don't know what the roads in her part of the county are like so I resent being told that her lived experience is 'total rubbish'. My niece is not prone to exaggeration (I choose not to believe you were in fact calling either her or me a liar) so we're left with the possibility, which you seem unable to consider, that your experience and hers, though you live in the same county, are very different.

sheramber

Jude57 said:

400ixl said:

Jude57 said:

My niece lives in Norfolk and the main thing she hates is the transport infrastructure. Everything is miles apart and the roads are virtually all country roads with low speed limits. Another thing is that it's very difficult to get tradesmen and many will charge for travelling time because of the time it takes to get anywhere. My niece lives in a large village with reasonable facilities nearby such as one supermarket, one GP, one petrol station. It's the lack of choice that I wouldn't want now. My niece is fortunate to work at home but once a month has to attend a group meeting in a village 25 miles away as the crow flies. It takes her between an hour and ten minutes and an hour and forty minutes to drive there, because of the roads. 

As a Norfolk resident, I don't know where your Niece lives or what she has told you, but much of it is total rubbish. 
Driving for an hour in Norfolk from pretty much anywhere would get you right across the whole county, not 25 miles. It is not full of only C class country lanes with 30 mile an hour speed limits as you claim. It doesn't have motorways, but Norwich to London is dual carriage way all the way and there are other Trunk A roads.

Most of the towns are well connected by buses or trains. Many villages not so, but that is a choice you make when. deciding where to live. The county is far from all fields and small hamlets. It is no different to being in other counties such as Hertfordshire, Surrey, Kent etc.

If you want city life then live in / near Norwich (its not London nightlife, but doesn't sound like the OP would want that anyway). If you want good facilities and popular retirement locations then the coastal towns like Cromer or Sheringham may appeal which have lots of facilities including train services. If you want other town then you have Wymondham, North Walsham, Dereham etc all with good facilities and bus / train services.

Not saying the OP should move to Norfolk, but just wanted to correct the perception of the county that people are incorrectly putting out there. There are many locations which do not need a car at all.

I agree with others that the OP should do what is right for them.

No, you don't know where my niece lives, you don't know what the roads in her part of the county are like so I resent being told that her lived experience is 'total rubbish'. My niece is not prone to exaggeration (I choose not to believe you were in fact calling either her or me a liar) so we're left with the possibility, which you seem unable to consider, that your experience and hers, though you live in the same county, are very different.

But your post implies that it applied to all of Norfolk.
You didn’t clarify that it only applied to a limited area where your niece lived. 

My niece lives in Norfolk and the main thing she hates is the transport infrastructure. Everything is miles apart and the roads are virtually all country roads with low speed limits. Another thing is that it's very difficult to get tradesmen and many will charge for travelling time because of the time it takes to get anywhere

chubsta

Transport links are essential - my father is 89 and knows his days of driving are very limited. He lives in a lovely house with fantastic views of countryside but the nearest bus stop is nearly a mile away at the bottom of a very steep hill. When he is unable to drive he will certainly not be able to carry even small amounts of shopping up there and days out- he goes out every day after lunch to the seaside or shopping - will be a luxury.

He has also many medical issues and drs are a couple of miles away and the nearest emergency hospital is 20 miles away - all doable with a car but not without.

i personally think you should put your own needs first and not be railroaded by people who sound like they are just planning ahead for when you are no longer around.

Procrastinator2

You are so very correct. Many people do not really perceive that one day thet may not be able to drive and think that everyone else will be able to carry on driving. Most people  dont' realise how difficult it is to get around witout a car these days until they try it.

pinkshoes

Procrastinator2 said:

You are so very correct. Many people do not really perceive that one day thet may not be able to drive and think that everyone else will be able to carry on driving. Most people  dont' realise how difficult it is to get around witout a car these days until they try it.

This is EXACTLY why we persuaded my in-laws to move to somewhere with better facilities and public transport links; at some point the driving will need to stop. They had a character house in a very small village, and although they loved the house, there was no shop, no library. Just a tearoom and church, and a sporadic bus service.

And it's not just a case of "take a taxi" either, because in rural areas it can be much harder to get taxis and becomes very expensive. £20+ for just a 6 mile journey!!

They now live in a small town with bus links to several other bigger towns, but also library, doctors surgery, shops, grocery store etc... all within walking distance. 

My own parents have also done the same - living on the edge of a big town with really good public transport., but rural enough so the houses aren't crammed in. My mum has chosen not to drive any more as the buses are so good, or she cycles. They've also bought a house where they could live in just the downstairs bit if they needed to.

I think lots of people don't appreciate how difficult it is when you can't drive.