Where's a good place to retire to in North west England or North Wales?

russpm

Plenty of villages around Southport are nice. Kendal is a good spot for the lakes as is Silverdale and Arnside. Cracking villages such as Wheelton, Withnell, Brinscall, Brindle, Heapey, Whiitle-Le-Woods etc in my area.

ToneControl

russpm said:

Plenty of villages around Southport are nice. Kendal is a good spot for the lakes as is Silverdale and Arnside. Cracking villages such as Wheelton, Withnell, Brinscall, Brindle, Heapey, Whiitle-Le-Woods etc in my area.

my mate from back home moved to Southport a few years back, and I was amazed by the prices, I always thought the town centre was quite pleasant, I will check those out thanks

ronnyb

ToneControl said:

ronnyb said:

Even if tourists return rather than go abroad because of covid, there's nothing (particularly for young families) to do entertainment wise. In the 60s and 70s there were 2 fairgrounds an open air swimming stadium, 2 piers and about half a dozen cinemas. All that's left is Happy Mount park which has a small splash park, a minature ride on railway and a few swings. It's ok for people my age who are happy with a walk on the prom and a meal and a few drinks but kids would be bored shitless.

Last time I went, Frontier land was open, with 55 year old blokes walking around dressed as cowboys on the main road, with wives dressed in 19th century USA dresses. It looked like a creepy League of gentlemen version of Westworld

Frontierland and the Ranch house  bar have been demolished the landlords took over the Imperial pub on Regent road and renamed it 'The Exchange'. There's some decent live music on there (or was before covid)

GuyR

rlw said:

North West 3 is rather nice.

Sagely observed, and North West one is tolerable in parts too. The weather in both tends towards agreeable.

Moominpapa

If I were you I'd avoid the Fylde (I lived there for many years so I know whereof I speak). Flat and not particularly interesting farmland. But go just outside the Fylde and you start to get into some much more attractive areas. To the east is the Trough of Bowland, which is lovely. Just a little bit north as @russpm has said you get places like Silverdale. Indeed lots of the areas around Lancaster are really pretty. It's been a long time since I went to Carlisle so I don't know what it is like now but it used to be a decent place. You probably wouldn't be looking at the Preston-Blackburn-Burnley corridor, but to the north is the Clitheroe / Waddington / Chatburn area which is another place I lived for quite a while and it's really nice around there.

PudWud

Moominpapa said:

If I were you I'd avoid the Fylde (I lived there for many years so I know whereof I speak). Flat and not particularly interesting farmland. But go just outside the Fylde and you start to get into some much more attractive areas. To the east is the Trough of Bowland, which is lovely. Just a little bit north as @russpm has said you get places like Silverdale. Indeed lots of the areas around Lancaster are really pretty. It's been a long time since I went to Carlisle so I don't know what it is like now but it used to be a decent place. You probably wouldn't be looking at the Preston-Blackburn-Burnley corridor, but to the north is the Clitheroe / Waddington / Chatburn area which is another place I lived for quite a while and it's really nice around there.

Have to agree here that the Bowland/Ribble valley area is really nice. Clitheroe etc. I live in a village called Ramsbottom about 25 minutes from Clitheroe so often go there (before Covid). 

I always found Lytham to be pleasant, although may be too close to Blackpool for you. I wouldn’t recommend Southport though. 

russpm

Bowland/Ribble is gorgeous but houses are very expensive £££

dano

ToneControl said:

Keiko said:

Wirral? Anglesey?

Are the locals friendly?
Wirral is pricey now I think?

West Wirral is the better bit to live (that's where I live !). Yes it is pricey but plenty of good amenities, pubs, food places, countryside, on the coast. If you look at places likes Hoylake and West Kirby you've also got the Merseyrail every 15mins into Liverpool.

77ric

Morcambe sea front looks nice but it’s superficial, the rest of Morecambe isn’t. It’s a slightly less scummy Blackpool. At least Blackpool has more to do, barely. 

Trough of Bowland is nice as is Lytham but i suspect property prices are through the roof. 

Whoever said whittle-le-woods can bugger off, if it was 50 miles from Chorley and 100 from Preston it might and only might be nice, although the locals are friendly enough. 

I love north Wales but you need to look around, Port Maddog is nice and the locals are friendly but possibly not much to do depending on what you like. 

How remote do you mind being? I’d consider looking around south east Scotland, avoid the bigger towns and you may find decent property prices where the incomer southerners haven’t already priced out the locals with young families from buying homes. 

That’s the other thing to consider if your thinking cheaper property prices and cashing in on the value of a southern home. Your just causing more issues for the locals who can barely afford homes in their own towns. 

gubble

A few people have mentioned Arnside and Silverdale. I grew up in that area and it really is lovely.

There's lots of villages like Milnthorpe, Burton in Kendal, Holme, Kirkby Lonsdale that sit between Kendal and Lancaster that are really nice.

Going across the bay you've got Grange over Sands which is lovely too. A former seaside town which has kept it's quaint charm and hasn't been the victim of social and economic depression. The sea however left and never came back.......

I miss that area a lot.

jonnyburgo

As above Port Maddoc very nice, sea in one side and proper mountains less than an hours drive on the other, I've been there in the Summer and weather w as lovely weather is not guaranteed but the winters will be pretty dramatic on the coast. 

ToneControl

dano said:

ToneControl said:

Keiko said:

Wirral? Anglesey?

Are the locals friendly?
Wirral is pricey now I think?

West Wirral is the better bit to live (that's where I live !). Yes it is pricey but plenty of good amenities, pubs, food places, countryside, on the coast. If you look at places likes Hoylake and West Kirby you've also got the Merseyrail every 15mins into Liverpool.

I know, I had a boss who lived in Hoylake once, great rail links, I drove around there last summer on a convoluted route back from Birkenhead (motorway was closed), I had a look at a few places: Leasowe, Meols I think

Musicwolf

Anyone thinking to relocate should have a clear idea about what is important to them and what they can compromise on.

Maybe 80 to 90% of what makes a property or area attractive to you will also apply to the rest of the population, that increases demand and pushes up prices.  If you are downsizing or moving South to North then you need to think about what makes you different to the herd.

Clearly, if you are retiring, then employment opportunities and transport links into the cities are not on your list and therefore give you an advantage but, beware, if that means moving to an area of high unemployment then there may be other consequencies such as higher crime rates.

ToneControl

77ric said:

Morcambe sea front looks nice but it’s superficial, the rest of Morecambe isn’t. It’s a slightly less scummy Blackpool. At least Blackpool has more to do, barely. 

Trough of Bowland is nice as is Lytham but i suspect property prices are through the roof. 

Whoever said whittle-le-woods can bugger off, if it was 50 miles from Chorley and 100 from Preston it might and only might be nice, although the locals are friendly enough. 

I love north Wales but you need to look around, Port Maddog is nice and the locals are friendly but possibly not much to do depending on what you like. 

How remote do you mind being? I’d consider looking around south east Scotland, avoid the bigger towns and you may find decent property prices where the incomer southerners haven’t already priced out the locals with young families from buying homes. 

That’s the other thing to consider if your thinking cheaper property prices and cashing in on the value of a southern home. Your just causing more issues for the locals who can barely afford homes in their own towns. 

Sadly my house is not worth Southern prices, I live in Cheshire
We lived in Manchester before here, and spent years looking around Lancs and into W.Yorks. the weather looked awful in most of it, and lots of towns were very run down (e.g. Bacup), Rawtenstall looked the best of the bunch for nice old houses and commutability.

If I retired, needing to commute would no longer be an issue, not sure we'd relocate out of the Northwest unless there was a real game-changer opportunity

Good point about Morecambe, I remember the sharp difference in Blackpool as you walked inland from the seafront
Who lives there now? Does it have as much deprivation as Blackpool?
We saw a documentary about that couple with 22 kids the other week, they had a lovely big house in Morecambe, which is why it appeared on my radar. 

Our kids are 6th form and Uni age, so we don't want to do a runner on them, but nevertheless, we are not obliged to just stay in the same house indefinitely

Our current house is very nice, in a good location on the outskirts of an OK town, 2 rivers within 10 minutes walk with the dog, a very posh small town nearby to shop in (Knutsford), NHS services are great here, low crime, friendly people, so we have a lot here. So just evaluating other options really. We could downsize locally, but interesting to check if we could get a similar house for less cash somewhere else nice

Musicwolf

ToneControl said:

Our current house is very nice, in a good location on the outskirts of an OK town, 2 rivers within 10 minutes walk with the dog, a very posh small town nearby to shop in (Knutsford), NHS services are great here, low crime, friendly people, so we have a lot here. So just evaluating other options really. We could downsize locally, but interesting to check if we could get a similar house for less cash somewhere else nice

Sounds as though you are not far from where I grew up - in Thelwall.  Maybe a local move to a smaller house is all that is required?

ronnyb

The house where the couple, the Radfords, live used to be owned by a work colleague of mine. I’ve played guitar in there at a party.

Snap

I'm from Lancs, still have family there, and I go regularly. Moved cross pennines 30 years ago. The northwest is wet, that's just a fact. N Wales is worse. It's the main reason we never moved back despite the people being the best in the world and the landscape is lovely. If you want dry, head east, gets drier the further east you go, but the land is flat, and I'd miss hills.

So, places to think about.

The area north of Morecambe, but south of Cumbria is nice. Silverdale, Carnforth, Arnside etc.

Morecambe is depressing. Seriously so. There have long been rumours of the bridge across the bay, but tbh that would only connect two grim places together - Morecambe and Barrow. 

Ribble Valley is very nice. Not everywhere is daft money. Clitheroe is a nice town to base yourself near, or in, and the prices aren't daft. Villages like Whalley, Billington are v nice indeed. But Whalley is expensive.

Hurst Green is a pretty place, as is Mitton, Chaigley, Bashall Eaves. Longridge and Ribchester could be worth looking at. Big villages. 

Mellor and Mellor Brook are nice, right on the border of the Ribble Valley that edges on Blackburn (a dive btw).
Talking Blackburn, Pleasington is a well heeled place, but likely expensive.

The area between Blackburn & Bolton, the rural bit is not bad, and not pricey. But both towns are a bit grim, but then you don't have to go there.

There are some more affordable places on the edge of the Ribble Valley, towards Burnley and Padiham. Still rural, but the proximity to Burnley brings the prices down.

North Lancs that borders North & W Yorks and Cumbria is very nice too.

Rural areas towards W Lancs may be worth a look. 

All depends what you want really. For me, the Ribble Valley has it all though, and you don't necessarily have to pay through the nose to live there. I suppose it depends what you mean by expensive really. 

At the other end of the county, Ramsbottom is always rated highly. West Pennine Moors area has some nice villages, as does the area north of Rochdale - but it gets a bit remote in some parts.

Generally speaking, when it comes to Lancashire, the main towns are all a bit gritty, and some are very run down, but the rural areas and places in between then are very nice. 

Just thought, the area around Skipton, and Skipton is worth a look. Lovely round there.

And another thought - what about the northern end of the Peak District? Tideswell, Eyam? Or a bit further up, Whaley Bridge? Even Buxton perhaps? Not too far from where you are now really, but very cool to retire to. 

chillidoggy

Mrs. Chillidoggy is from Anglesey, I know it only too well:-

Howling wind, horizontal rain, grey rocky landscape dotted with grubby, woolly, blobs, unintelligible locals who do their best not to speak English if you're in earshot, and shit beer.

Right, that's the good points out of the way............................

ToneControl

Musicwolf said:

ToneControl said:

Our current house is very nice, in a good location on the outskirts of an OK town, 2 rivers within 10 minutes walk with the dog, a very posh small town nearby to shop in (Knutsford), NHS services are great here, low crime, friendly people, so we have a lot here. So just evaluating other options really. We could downsize locally, but interesting to check if we could get a similar house for less cash somewhere else nice

Sounds as though you are not far from where I grew up - in Thelwall.  Maybe a local move to a smaller house is all that is required?

I had lunch in the pub in Thelwall a few times around 2000, very nice

it's definitely plan B to move locally (plan A would be to not move, but I'm not yet clear on if I can afford to not downsize
Plan C is a wildcard: is there anything elsewhere worth a look in other areas

I'd score where we are as 80% ideal, 

Ossyrocks

ToneControl said:

CountryDave said:

Morecambe has had a nice facelift recently. And it’s got a half decent guitar shop too.

I noticed that too!

perhaps @Ossyrocks can advise

We moved here last March, the week before lockdown. We came because of my wife’s parents who were getting a bit old and frail and needed us closer. In the end, my wife’s mum died a couple of weeks before we arrived, but now her Dad is alone in his flat aged 94, so he needs us here more than ever. So whilst the decision was not made in the way you are making the decision, I do not regret the move at all. In fact, this is the best place I’ve lived in my life, and I’ve moved house 17 times. 

In terms of your criteria in your original post, I think this place ticks all the boxes. Even the weather is better. It doesn’t rain here like it does further inland and the sea air is markedly better to breathe.

I’m about four houses up from where @ronnyb used to live. We’re on the very outskirts of Morecambe in a place called Bare Village. We have a nice local village centre with a couple of pubs (one does live bands), butchers, bakers, chemist, newsagent, flower shops, cafes, even a real ale micropub. And there’s a wine bar opening soon on the Crescent too. 

 From my chair as I type I’m looking across the bay to Black Combe over Ulverston. I can see Helvelyn and the Old Man of Coniston from the garden. We have big skies and fabulous sunsets. I’m ten minutes walk from the sea, but also ten minutes walk to the Lancaster Canal which runs from Kendal down to Lancaster. A walk into Lancaster along the canal is only five miles.

Morecambe is ideally placed to get to mostly anywhere you want to go. The M6 is five minutes, Lancaster is ten minutes, Silverdale is twenty minutes and even Lake Windermere is only half an hour away. If you like the outdoors and walking or cycling, there’s nowhere better. 

There’s been a lot of investment in the town over recent years. The West End, which was very run down, is being massively improved, and the Victorian houses are getting facelifts, but there is some way to go yet. The Eden Project North is on the brink of being funded, with a lot of investment going in already. If that comes off, then Morecambe is going to get some serious investment which in turn will bring more prosperity to the area.

In terms of house prices, they are going up rapidly. Our house has probably gone up 10% in the last year, but houses are still quite affordable compared with places like the Ribble Valley. We did look at the Ribble Valley a couple of years ago and the prices were just daft. Silverdale & Arnside are also very expensive.

There are many Morecambe naysayers, as indicated previously, but I disagree, I really like the place. People are very friendly and indeed kind to each other where we are. There's a lot of community sprit, and we have a community association.

Overall, I would say don't rule it out.

Rob