After a long, hard lifetime of work, we all want a relaxing retirement. Some choose to settle down near family, others to escape gloomy British weather by fleeing the country – but if you’re still shopping around for the perfect place to enjoy your golden years, we’ve got some info that might be helpful.
Pension and asset management company Legal & General (L&G) has done some research into where the best places in the country to retire are based on six ‘pillars’: housing, health, social and community, financial, nature, and amenities. The firm evaluated how 632 areas stack up to each of those pillars, giving them an overall rating and thereby creating a national ranking.
As you might expect, leafy suburbs in the south of England tended to score exceptionally well, with the seven of the top 10 best areas for retirees being in Surrey or Buckinghamshire. In fact, it isn’t until 15th that Cheshire, the first place not in the south of England, makes an appearance. Scotland and Wales don’t get a look into the top 20, despite both having more affordable housing.
The best places to retire in the UK
According to L&G’s research, the best place to move to for retirees in Britain is Chesham and Amersham, a gorgeous Buckinghamshire authority with excellent transport links and loads of nature. It excelled in the ‘health’ category, where it got a very impressive 93/100 due to a high number of its 65+ population remaining in good health, and good access to GPs and hospitals. Overall, the towns got 74/100, topping the list, and you can find out more about why they’re so good here.
Next was Beaconsfield, also in Buckinghamshire and only a 15-minute drive from Chesham. It was a close second, even beating Chesham and Amersham when it came to availability of senior housing, and ended up just two points behind its neighbour at 72 overall.
For third place it was over to Surrey for the market towns of Dorking and Horley, which received 71, just narrowly missing out on being first runner up. Here’s the top 10 places to retire in the UK right now, according to L&G.
- Chesham and Amersham, Buckinghamshire: 74
- Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire: 72
- Dorking and Horley, Surrey: 71
- Godalming and Ash, Surrey: 71
- Mid Sussex, West Sussex: 70
- Woking, Surrey: 70
- Farnham and Bordon, Surrey: 70
- Esher and Walton, Surrey: 69
- Suffolk Coastal, Suffolk: 69
- East Grinstead and Uckfield, Surrey: 68
The only London area to make the list was Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, down in 14th place.
If you want to see the full list, including how each place did in each individual category, you can have a look at it here.
The best places to retire in Scotland
If you’d prefer to stay north of the border, L&G recommends Mid Dunbartonshire, which scored 55. It has loads of social and community opportunities for older people, which helped it make its way to the top of the Scottish leaderboard.
Here are the top five best places to retire in Scotland:
- Mid Dunbartonshire, East Dunbartonshire: 55
- Stirling and Strathallan, Stirling: 52
- East Renfrewshire: 51
- West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Aberdeenshire: 51
- Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Na h-Eileanan Siar: 50
The best places to retire in Wales
In Wales, Monmouthshire was named the best place to live as an older person. Thanks to its great amenities – access to shops and culture which are accessible to the elderly – Monmouthshire ended up with an overall rating of 53. In general, Wales’ top scorers were the lowest of the three nations, but each of these places has something unique that makes it worth checking out if you’re planning your retirement outside of England.
- Monmouthshire, Gwent: 53
- Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Gwynedd: 49
- Vale of Glamorgan, South Glamorgan: 48
- Ynys Mon, Gwynedd: 48
- Mid and South Pembrokeshire, Dyfed: 47
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