Where do move to?

Herefordshire? - reasonable house prices; fabulous countryside; easy access to Birmingham, Cardiff; near Forest of Dean, Black Mountains, Shropshire Hills etc.

Around Kendal in Cumbria, shouldnt be too far,it is "central" to many other places in the Lakes. Good Luck with your search.

We have just moved to Heckington in Lincolnshire from London suburbs and it is wondeful! Lovely, large village with very sctive community, every convenience, surrounded by beautiful countryside and lotsof other local, pretty villages in the area, plus good shopping at Grantham, Sleaford, Boston and Spalding all local and the cities of Lincoln and Nottingham not that far away for even greater choice and theatres etc. We also have the added bonus of now being so much nearer family, who are all in this area xx. Not an easy choice at our ages, 89 and 75, but so worth it.

Good luck with your move Katycrunch, definitely look into flood risk information, I lived in Sunbury on Thames & our property was designated as being in a flood risk area, we lived about a mile from the River Thames & unless water could run up hill it was never going to affect us, there were odd properties right on the river that flooded but that was all. Hope you find what you're looking for, I moved 2 years ago to Devon, about 10 miles from DD, I love it. I am originally from West Riding (now North Yorkshire) & have lived in Surrey & Somerset. Scary & exciting moving

North Norfolk? Some lovely towns and villages, people are delightful and so friendly, it's a bit like stepping back in time as the pace of life is so much more relaxed.
This was part of our grand plan but family problems intervened.

What really is highlighted here is that UK has some very beautiful places to go and visit!

Cannot beat Cumbria for thatched cottages! Also, does anyone know where Midsummer murders is filmed? There are some lovely thatched roofs in that programme.

Fab ideas, thank you everyone and great food for thought. Funnily we had looked at the Wharfedale Estate at Filey, real 'retirement' estate...oh and the pesky seagulls.
Oooooo Lilyflower...not good, very sorry!
And well done Bluesmum....we are but spring chickens lol.
We might set off early tomorrow and tour around Saltburn area and back thro Whitby, Scarborough areas. Then next week spend a couple of days 'up North' to see a few areas.
I am feeling a bit unsettled about it now as I might pick somehwere that looks lovely on the day, but who's to know if it would be 'right' long term.

You probably realise this already but do ensure your new location has a good doctor's surgery (you can check the rating on the CQC website), a chemist, supermarket and good transport links.

After that, check out the social side: U3A/bridge/WI etc. Is there something for you?

Finally check sites such as Zoopla which will show house prices in each road of an area and also give a breakdown of the socio-economic make-up of the population, including education. These sites are also helpful for giving an overview of a town or village.

Good luck with your hunting!

Just another thought... if you like a house in the rain/snow/sleet/gloom, you'll love it in the sunshine!

We love visiting our DD in their pretty village of Navenby, Lincs. 'Cliff village' - so no flood risk, lots of walks, surgery, chemist, supermarket and the residents are so friendly (have to remember we can greet everyone we pass - unlike city life in Devon).

Whitby, Lythe, Saltburn, I could live happily on the Yorkshire coast but make sure there are good public transport links. And a hospital with an A&E department nearby.

I would definitely move nearer to your family. As you get older you may need their help and support.

I agree. Good doctor; Great scenery; reasonable council tax; house prices; and don't forget the wifi connection! :-)

Not sure if it is a good idea to judge something in the winter. My garden looks a mess in the winter. All the shrubs need cutting back and new plants need to go in. All gloom and cold here at the moment and rain of course...UK isn't it.

We always thought we would retire to our favourite holiday spot....West Wales.
But it's a good thing that we didn't. Here in Worcestershire we have access to many good hospitals and poor Pembrokeshire is well lacking in that area.
So we just spend as much time as we need to here, and hope to visit our fave holiday spot as often as our health will allow. It's been lovely reading about your other Fave Spots !! THANKS ONE AND ALL

Beautiful Yarm ,Teesside,not coastal, however, the people are warm & friendly . It was once voted the best place to live. Lovely cobbled high street with lots of independent shops, cafes and diners. Beautiful riverside walks. I loved living there and if I didn't have my family in Scotland, then I would retire there in a shop.

I realise you have to be aware of flood risk but beware of anywhere too hilly.

We are finding our hills a bit of a trial now we're older.

Well found the perfect property (well on line so far!). Saltburn on the Sea, village nearby called Loftus. Any Grans with relevant knowledge of this area, your input would be appreciated, thanks in anticipation.

None at all, sorry, but I did read a book recently about Saltburn and thought it sounded lovely.
It was a chick-lit by Freya North called Secrets.

Feel that the area isnt really for us, but I can't get the actual property out of my head, it was a perfect layout, price and position. So, still exploring!

So, not only do you have to take into account flood risk, theres flipping fracking and HS2 as well. DH seen a beautiful cottage in Hartlepool, looks fabulous on line, but I bet the view is not good! Might be staying put at this rate!

Think we will stay more local, explored some coastal areas last week. Found a lovely small town, lovely bungalow, right price, just read the local paper and of course, it flooded very badly recently destroying 'some homes'!! I think we may be staying put! But I so fancied a lovely bungalow (too pricey here).

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Nice round here on the n somerset coast. I'm above tsunami level looking across the Bristol Channel to west wales. Lovely sunsets!

I give up!! Just found another possible and look whats in the particulars....
"This property is located in an area which may be affected by the proposed Phase Two of the high speed rail network link known as HS2. A map showing the proposed route is available from our Normanton office. Full details are available online by visiting the HS2 portal"

Luckygirl, a year or so ago, do you remember me mentioning about where to move?
I moved into this bungalaw some months ago which was a mistake. I went up nearly every week to see it before buying, when it seemed alright.
However at night I just cannot sleep with the noise from a chicken farm. I did ask the agent but of course they are there to sell and the one chap who lives here also seemed happy, but he lives further away from the noise. The only chap who did mention it was noisy was a student of law, who was working during the summer months at our local supermarket and used to live on this road. It is so quiet during the day that the learner drivers are brought around here.
So I am going to have to decide what to do.