Where do move to?

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.

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

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

There are some very nice villages around York. DS lives in one. Well served by public transport and good shops, and of course, handy for York itself.

Filey is a beautiful Edwardian town on the coast between Bridlington and Scarborough. There is an estate of bungalows there called Wharfedale, very suitable for retired people. Hope all goes well.

Sorry I spelt it wrong: Heptonstall

www.google.co.uk/search?q=Heptonstall&biw=1426&bih=762&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi92dKm7v3RAhUKKcAKHX6DDLcQsAQITw&dpr=1

Hawes: www.fairview-hawes.co.uk/local-attractions/

Windermere:

www.google.co.uk/search?q=windermere+lake+district&biw=1426&bih=762&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwict5_U7f3RAhXjAsAKHaoNBQAQ_AUIBygC

Whitby on the East coast is lovely, We stayed at the White House Hotel. Really nice beach.

www.google.co.uk/search?q=whitby&biw=1426&bih=762&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigs9u_6v3RAhVWFMAKHWVfBBgQ_AUIBygC

Hawes in Wensleydale is beautiful if you want to be away from beaches.

My son lives in Hebdenstall. Proper Yorkshire near the moors.

Then there's the Lakes? We had a holiday in Windermere. So beautiful! Hills and Lakes....but expensive.

If you are considering Humberside be picky. My in-laws moved to Haxey from lovely East Grinstead and it killed them. Pick somewhere beautiful.

I'm in a similar position but my criteria are somewhat different in that I want a luxury apartment within easy walking distance of convenience shops and VERY close to a bus stop. That sort of area tends to lend to social activities automatically. I've had the rural joy and comparative solitude for many years now but I'm ready for 'convenience' lifestyle methinks. Still takes courage nonetheless.

I was going to suggest Peak District as well, as well as Chesterfield area there are some lovely villages, and many are convenient for Sheffield. Son lives near Matlock which has many attractions for living in the area.

The east Midlands is a hidden gem in terms of lovely villages and market towns and good house prices... the climate is mild too. Market Harborough is very nice indeed.

What about somewhere near the Peak District/Chesterfield area? Chesterfield has lots of shops and a good transport system plus good hospitals nearby. It's just off the M1 and there are lots of pretty villages just on the edge of the Peak District.

My older sister retired to a 3 bed bungalow nearby and she loves it there.

I've recently moved to the west of Ireland and wished I'd done it years ago but I suspect that's a bit too far.

We moved to a town in the Lake District when we retired two years ago. It has been a great move. Loads to do, very friendly people,LOVE the landscape, very active U3A group. Probably further than you wanted to move Kateykrunch.

Any place you think of going to check that the leisure opportunities and services you are want are a available. DPs had a very happy retirement because they checked every area out for suitable leisure activities, for them congenial church, local NT group and flower arranging for DM, plus easy access to some shops. When an area ticked the boxes, they looked at the houses. As a result they had a very long and happy retirement with lots of friends and social activities.

DH spent many happy week ends at Saltburn, staying with his great Aunt when he was a child. It's a great location for seaside and getting to historic towns and the moors.

Ana we found the on line searches totally unheloful, lots of refusal to quote. The Broker pulled up quotes from the self same insurers, apparently Brokers have access to policies we mere mortals don't. We just let him get on with it now, charges us £4 a year. Bargain! Good luck with the house sale, it might be helpful to just have a couple of quotes to hand to show people, just in case, if they do an on line search they may be deterred unnecessarily. Good luck kateyk, hope you find your ideal home very soon.

I take your points on board about the flood risk, thank you. So back in the running is Leven Carrs (Humberside), Hunmanby and Salturn on the Sea. Seems prices are a little more affordable as well, keep your input coming, all very interesting, thank you all.

The whole of the Thames Valley is a flood risk!
It does need checking out of course, but commom sense has to prevail or we would only be living on tops of hills.
how about villages in Notts, or Rutland?

No, I've just put it back on the market this year cornergran as illness intervened.

You are absolutely right and I'm glad that you weren't put off buying your present home because of the wretched flood maps - as you say, nowhere in the UK is absolutely guaranteed flood-free forever and that's good advice about getting quotes from insurers. Will bear that in mind if any queries are raised - thanks!

We had the same issue when buying our current home. Initially we panicked but then asked a local, High Street, insurance broker to get us quotes for insurance. He laughed and produced a dozen quotes from reputable insurers at very reasonable prices. There is a small river literally a stones throw (or certainly a slugs throw!) from our garden and the sea is about four miles away, all the area between the sea and our home, other than the hill to one side, is designated as a flood risk area as are the surrounding villages and the new build homes currently under construction. As Ana says talk to local residents, talk to an insurance broker and see what the concensus is. Conversations with the Environment Agency and the local Council also gave us some confidence. We were reassured sufficiently to buy our home bearing in mind nowhere is guaranteed flood free, particularly from surface water flooding. Did you sell your home in the end Ana? Apologies if you have posted about it before, the memory isn't what it was . I think as long as you do your homework and assess the level of risk you personally are happy to accept the flood maps can be viewed simply as a useful guide.

Kateykrunch there are some beautiful areas in the Lincolnshire Wolds and not extortionate prices .

Kateykrunch, please do take the 'flood risk' information with a pinch of salt unless it's a wel-known regular occurrence in that area - talk to local residents.

I say this as someone whose house sale fell through last year because the local search said my property was in a flood-prone area, although there's never been any such problem in the 20 years I've lived here!

Hi HJJ, we are in South Yorkshire, bordering West Yorkshire, but we are flexible where we will go....East or North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, probably need to be within 80 miles of kids and grandkids who are all in South Yorkshire. But we did think if we were Coastal they may come for extended stays as it would be a holiday/break for them and make up for us being further away. Look forward to hearing all your lovely suggestions, thanks

Isle of Wight? Don't know where you're currently situated but many people seem to up sticks and retire to the IW - sunshine [most of the time], sea [surrounded by the stuff] and sandy beaches [many dog friendly]. And then there are the Downs. The only problem is the cost of getting there.