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Retiring/ Holiday Home in Europe

During the election period a number of people would come here as it was an "escape from the endless politics". Mixing politics and a discussion forum never ends well, and most of the time ends in arguements since people have different views and opinions.

This topic could equally have been approached by wording as follows :

I am weighing up going very rural in the UK like Northumberland versus the European equivalent.

Has anyone found a nice spot in Europe that seems a long term bet ??
  • Not mega money, not a fashionable spot. So not Switzerland (where I would go if I had the dough), not Paris, Milan, Nice, Barcelona type place
  • But sleepy/ bit below the radar/ decent value for money/ not tourist/ no need to find employment or schools
  • Not chav fest, union jack shorts, Full English Breakfast type of place

It certainly didnt need the rest - your reasons are your reasons.

We all know that times are hard, and parties/politicians arent most peoples cup of tea at the best of times, however i would respectfully request that we keep politics out of discussions on this forum.
I understand that some people are caught up with these things day to day, however there are no conspiracy theories on here (well, not that i know of!), and this isnt the place to vent.
I have always found Twitter/X a good place to vent your frustrations, and then find that a hundred other people tell you that you are wrong and put you in your place - which is why i dont partake there!

I encourage discussions wholehearedly, but sometimes things will be as things will be, and we just have to accept that.

TLDR; Please stop with the politics :)
 
@Asiapinball

That's very kind, thank you. My Dad's lot came from up there - he grew up in this remote hamlet called Ingoe which is about 14 miles NE of Hexham. Northumberland reminds me of how this country was [40] years ago, and I like that.
Northumberland is probably the closest you will get to England 40 years ago. I grew up on the outskirts of Leicester where it was pretty much open fields from where I lived all the way up to Loughborough 8 miles North. I spent my late teens and 20s in London, my thirties in Asia (Singapore Hong Kong and Penang Malaysia all 3 big bustling cities with loads of overseas business trips across Asia) and then 17 years in Northumberland but with twice monthly overnight business trips down.to London and the South until very recently. Northumberland is just a place where you can easily unwind and not have to be concerned with modern life and overpopulation.
 
A point if I may..

With the exception of the NHS, all of your other concerns could be alleviated by just not reading the news. Yes very "fingers in ears", but actually achieves precisely the same as moving away (ie nothing) without having to give up your home, community, settled status etc, and starting again.

Your village, house, garden, pinshack, pin collection is amazing. Maybe you don't see what you have already.

Offload your biggest stresses first? Holiday more. Hold more pin meets .. : ) Being a landlord sounds exhausting
 
Guessing a move to London isn’t really on the cards for you then? 😉

Actually ignoring the news isn’t bad advice. If you believe certain media outlets then everything is dreadful and the end of the world is rapidly approaching. Reality is often quite different.
 
@strobey ... you are very perceptive and those are great suggestions. I'm on with simplifying, downsizing getting rid of headaches etc.

There is an additional factor though wanderlust wife......
 
Having lived in Asia for 10 years living overseas isn't all its cracked up to be. There is a lot to miss about the UK and you just swap the problems you see here with a possibly different set of problems overseas that you have less control over.
Better to just simplify your life, take more holidays overseas to fulfil your wife's wandrlust and as @strobey says stop taking notice of the news as they just sensationalise it with the extremes in whatever is reported.
 
Northumberland’s not a bad shout. I’ve a pal, I got a HUO Black Rose, the result of some gangster reparations, from him.
He’s recently moved into a bungalow built from scratch that has every green innovation known to man. Even the solar panels fit directly onto the roof so crap and birds can’t get underneath.
Ground source heat pumps and insulated to the max. Only thing he’s missing is a windmill, he’d have got the highest rating available with one.
Cost him £250k BUT he owned the land.
The views are to die for.
Tried to upload a video of it but it’s too large and I don’t have the necessary skills to shrink it IMG_1490.webpIMG_1489.webpIMG_1488.webpIMG_1487.webp
 
We have an annual event in Alnwick, so we are familiar with Northumberland. It's a beautiful part of England with very friendly people, and our annual visit is always a highlight of the year.
 
Northumberland’s not a bad shout. I’ve a pal, I got a HUO Black Rose, the result of some gangster reparations, from him.
He’s recently moved into a bungalow built from scratch that has every green innovation known to man. Even the solar panels fit directly onto the roof so crap and birds can’t get underneath.
Ground source heat pumps and insulated to the max. Only thing he’s missing is a windmill, he’d have got the highest rating available with one.
Cost him £250k BUT he owned the land.
The views are to die for.
Tried to upload a video of it but it’s too large and I don’t have the necessary skills to shrink it View attachment 261209View attachment 261210View attachment 261211View attachment 261212
post some photos Alan if you have some?
i spent a lovely holiday in Northumberland a couple of years ago - loads of beaches, castles, puffins, friendly people and decent prices. if it wasn't for the weather i'd be looking to move there myself
 
post some photos Alan if you have some?
i spent a lovely holiday in Northumberland a couple of years ago - loads of beaches, castles, puffins, friendly people and decent prices. if it wasn't for the weather i'd be looking to move there myself
 
Try again.
post some photos Alan if you have some?
i spent a lovely holiday in Northumberland a couple of years ago - loads of beaches, castles, puffins, friendly people and decent prices. if it wasn't for the weather i'd be looking to move there myself

Photos of what Dan? The Black Rose? Sold it to Squires, he got a bargain. Northumberland? Druridge Bay, loads of castles the jewel being Bamburgh. Cragside, first house with electricity. Staithes, Whitby down the coast. Beamish Museum worth a few trips.
Talking of trips the missus was taking bedding downstairs to wash, got tangled up and fell down the last few steps. Drove her to A&E, drove back, half an hour later she rings to be picked up. Been x-rayed and assessed, don’t think that’d happen down south.
Weather wise OK it’s not as warm but being easterly not too much rain.
Think I’m bigging the place up too much, smacks of all the libs fleeing California for Texas and still voting Democrat when they get there. Stay where you are, I prefer it sparsely populated.
 
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