Alton in Hampshire - a good place for pensioners to move to?

There is only one way to find out and that is to visit the town and do a lot of internet searching on were surgeries, dentists, shops, services are. Ais there a station where do the trains go, whatabout buses. Thenw what interests do you have are they catered for.

We moved 70 miles last year to a town we were not familiar with, but was nearer our children. We made three or four visits to the area, located services, walked round the town centre. We are in our early 80s.

We surveyed about half a dozen towns in the area we wanted to move to. Towns got rejected for all kinds of reasons, from a lack of town centre parking, poor train service, didn't cater for our interests or limited food shops.

We have been in our new house for nearly six months and are really happy with our decision. there are several doctor surgeries, dental surgeries, opticians and podiatrists within 300 yards of our home. Also 4 supermarkets that cover the market from Waitrose and M&S at one end to Iceland and Lidl at the other There is a Cine Center, lots of cafes and friendly people everywhere.

Rent an Airbnb for a few days?

Goodness MOnica, you are fortunate to have so many facilities within such a short distance from your new home.

We are lucky to have one doctor’s or dentists in the space of several miles.

Lots of positive comments here:-

www.facebook.com/groups/ALTONNEWS/posts/7364113213646189/

I have a friend who used to live in Four Marks, four miles from Alton. She found it to be quite a pleasant area and had no particular problems with the infrastructure.

Calendargirl

Goodness MOnica, you are fortunate to have so many facilities within such a short distance from your new home.

We are lucky to have one doctor’s or dentists in the space of several miles.

Our house is in the centre of town, just behind the market place and opposite the church.

In recent years a lot of land at the top of the High Street has become available for building and without exception retirement homes have been built there. A large maindealer garage has just been demolished and Churchill are building there. I would say there are several hundred retirement homes there.

This means there is plenty of demand for all the town centre facilities. We do not have a retirement flat, but it does mean we benefit from all the shops and services this housing brings in. We still have an open and thriving Bon Marche.

Make sure it's fairly flat, but not prone to flooding.
Steep hills become a problem as you get older.

Check out all the facilities, public services, find out about the local hospital.
Have a look online at the U3A etc if there is one if you want to join interest groups.

I frequently take a trip out to Petersfield which is about 10 miles from Alton . It would be my choice for a move if I ever considered leaving London .
Lots of lovely shops , restaurants and pubs . Petersfield Ponds is gorgeous. It's a lovely town . Just thought I'd throw it in the mix . Might be worth a look .

We had a holiday in that area a few years ago. We loved it. The small towns, including Alton, seemed thriving and had some lovely independent shops. The countryside was clean and pretty. We actually went back again as we enjoyed it very much.