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If You Could Live Anywhere in England, Where Would it Be?


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5 hours ago, Chindie said:

I don't think it's possible for me to answer this. I've not seen all of the country, but I've been to most corners of it.

A part of me loves mid Wales. I've spent a lot of time in Aberystwyth in my life. I have wonderful, and terrible, memories of the place and the surrounding areas. It's beautiful. There are images burned in my mind of the place - the town glowing golden in the late afternoon walking along the promenade with the Victorian town house frontages ethereal in the light of the sun setting over the sea; a raging storm turning the sky into an alien battle, the sea into a broiling cavalry charge, all the world an ominous stony grey, lighting hitting monuments on the coast and all around a cacophony of thunderous rain turning the streets to rivers and conquering the drains; endless rolling farmland without a human in sight cut up by road clinging to the edges of valleys with right blind corners. It's a part of the world with that curious feeling that the land isn't trying to kill you, but it's not going to be nice to you either, bits of ragged stone jutting out of random grass hillocks, rampant forest, weather that changes on a coin flip. And pubs. Pubs on pubs on pubs. 

You forgot chip box #4 😁

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6 hours ago, Chindie said:

I don't think it's possible for me to answer this. I've not seen all of the country, but I've been to most corners of it.

A part of me loves mid Wales. I've spent a lot of time in Aberystwyth in my life. I have wonderful, and terrible, memories of the place and the surrounding areas. It's beautiful. There are images burned in my mind of the place - the town glowing golden in the late afternoon walking along the promenade with the Victorian town house frontages ethereal in the light of the sun setting over the sea; a raging storm turning the sky into an alien battle, the sea into a broiling cavalry charge, all the world an ominous stony grey, lighting hitting monuments on the coast and all around a cacophony of thunderous rain turning the streets to rivers and conquering the drains; endless rolling farmland without a human in sight cut up by road clinging to the edges of valleys with right blind corners. It's a part of the world with that curious feeling that the land isn't trying to kill you, but it's not going to be nice to you either, bits of ragged stone jutting out of random grass hillocks, rampant forest, weather that changes on a coin flip. And pubs. Pubs on pubs on pubs.

The other place I've spent a lot of time is Cornwall. Cornwall is wonderful, it has most of the things mid Wales has, but with the edges knocked off a bit, and with the distinct feeling there's a bit of money about. I have family down there and have been there in every season - I've seen blazing summers burn the farmland and winter strife drench a house at the centre of a usually quiet bay. My relatives had a house on the outskirts of a popular seaside town, and it was glorious. A Georgian house on a hill, their garden wall basically topping the cliffs, the garden itself quite big and isolated with a conservatory with apple trees. When I was kid if you said I could live anywhere, it would be that house. When I was a bit older another relative rebuilt a house that was away from the coast down there, in one of the scenic mazes of farmland. It was the kind of place you needed specific directions to find, it was down various lanes with high hedges and had a driveway you couldn't see the house from. But when you found it it was incredible. Didn't really have much land, it's garden was small for where it was, but the house was stunning. An old stone farm building that they had renovated themselves. It was gorgeous. If you were a true hermit you could die happy on that house. You were truly isolated. But that's also the problem with Cornwall. Infrastructure is grim, everything is an hour away from everything else even if it's looking like it's next door on the map, and you can be really alone. Famously when I was kid on holiday down there a woman was murdered out in one of the farmland lanes and they didn't have a single lead on it. It's the kind of thing that plays on your mind in those isolated narrow lanes. On the other hand I can remember being driven along those dark lanes at night and being able to see the stars and the sky in the way you'd never see around Birmingham. 

Tbc

Going to spend pretty much all of March to October based in Devils Bridge next year venturing into Aberystwyth, Borth etc. Have a real connection with the place. Weather can be brutal at times but that’s the point 

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38 minutes ago, Follyfoot said:

Going to spend pretty much all of March to October based in Devils Bridge next year venturing into Aberystwyth, Borth etc. Have a real connection with the place. Weather can be brutal at times but that’s the point 

What kind of things do you do round there? Hiking? Climbing? Cycling? I love that bit of Wales… not sure if I could live there though tbf. Have thought about it!

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24 minutes ago, KentVillan said:

What kind of things do you do round there? Hiking? Climbing? Cycling? I love that bit of Wales… not sure if I could live there though tbf. Have thought about it!

Long walks, fresh air, long lunches, rest, staring at the sea. When you have crammed as much rich living and debauchery as I have in my fifty something years it’s a perfect fit. Scratched every itch and more tenfold. Friends say I should really put it all to print 

Edited by Follyfoot
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Thinking about it there are some really lovely places round Shropshire/Worcestershire and plenty within reach of a railway station that will get you into Brum in a jiffy. 

Edited by sidcow
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3 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Some friends of mine retired to mid Wales but soon retreated back to Shropshire/Worcestershire near Bewdley. 

I can really understand why it all depends what you’re looking for

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8 hours ago, sidcow said:

I say Cornwall. It's probably great in Summer (traffic and tourists aside) but probably not so great in the winter. 

I used to live there. I'd go back to live there too. Winter is less bad than most places. Windier, maybe wetter, quieter, but looking at the sea from a clifftop pub window, or braving a beach walk can be a joy.

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8 hours ago, mjmooney said:

Has the same problem as Wales, though - grumpy locals who resent the English. Also, the villages aren't as pretty as the Devon ones, as it tends to have that rather stark Celtic fringe style architecture. 

I disagree on all counts really, except maybe inland villages where you have a point. Coastal villages and Harbours, Cornwall wins. Resenting the English, no. There's some annoyance of Emmets (ants, tourists) from some residents, but not based on nationality.

Maybe that's all changed in the last 30 years, but I doubt it.

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15 minutes ago, tinker said:

Great going to remote places while you are fit and healthy but once illness and old age kicks in you are in a right mess. Mid Wales is not the place to retire and neither is Scotland.

I think for the next ten years at least,  God willing spending roughly six months in mid Wales and six months at the gaff in the canaries is a perfect balance, reassess mid late 60’s maybe 🤔 but certainly part of the retirement plan we have 

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8 minutes ago, Follyfoot said:

I think for the next ten years at least,  God willing spending roughly six months in mid Wales and six months at the gaff in the canaries is a perfect balance, reassess mid late 60’s maybe 🤔 but certainly part of the retirement plan we have 

Sounds like a decent plan, Brexit has sort of torpedoed my plans for spending time abroad in retirement. Are you going for a Spanish visa? 

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6 minutes ago, sheepyvillian said:

I'd love a cottage in a Hound of the Baskerville kind of setting.

Sounds woof. 

Edited by Xela
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4 minutes ago, tinker said:

Sounds like a decent plan, Brexit has sort of torpedoed my plans for spending time abroad in retirement. Are you going for a Spanish visa? 

Yes, funnily enough one of my mates owns a firm who specialise in getting them sorted, my Mrs does a bit of work for him getting the ACROS, police reports and translations done and packs ready for the consulate appointment  

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I met a guy a few years ago who had a small acting part in The Hound of The Baskervilles. Gets a payment of about £10 everytime it's shown on TV except for The BBC because some deal was done where he got a lump sum of around £200 so they show it for free forevermore............ Reading back maybe this was one for The Boring thread. 

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