UK a great place for Americans to retire.....if you can get in

[Texas Proud]

Are you remembering this nostalgically? The weather report today for London is 42F high and 29F low. The 10 day forecast shows low to mid 40's highs most days. But it does get up to 50F further out ... with rain.

I admit I am just looking at this from a Mediterranean climate perspective. It's at least 10F lower then where we live.

Caveat: I really like the UK, admire the people and culture, and am a bit of an Anglophile. Just not crazy about the weather.

But.... the high is in the 40s!!! That is not freezing...

Kinda the same as Chicago or NYC right now... but compare it to Berlin where the high is 30 and low is 20ish.... or Zurich, high 23 low 14....


I am not saying the winters are not cold.... just not freezing...

BTW, what are the highs in the summer where you live And do you have AC? The highs here are always in the high 90s and there are even long spells in the 100s... pretty bad to go outside...

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Plan B (moving to UK till 65) looks doable as far as the $$ are concerned. I'm de-cluttering just in case I have to hop the pond.

We're decluttering as well in case we need to move. It feels good getting rid of the clutter no matter what happens with the ACA. As I write this I have 9 bags of books in the entry way ready to be donated.

 

[nun]

We're decluttering as well in case we need to move. It feel good getting rid of the clutter no matter what happens with the ACA. As I write this I have 9 bags of books in the entry way ready to be donated.

I'm decluttering too. I will eventually downsize and then might move to the UK depending on the political winds. I have also thought about doing some RVing....Ford F150 Quad cab with 2.7L V6 Ecoboost and a Airstream 23 foot Flying Cloud. I was comparing the F150 2.7L v 3.5L v 5L V8 and I realized that next I'd be laughing at Jeff Foxworthy jokes. RVing in the UK in a European Airstream (designed in Germany built in OH) would be good.

One thing I'd love to try if I ever living in the UK and old enough to get the free local bus pass would be to travel from the tip of Scotland (John O'Groat's) to the tip of Cornwall (Land's End) using only local buses and paying nothing. it would probably take a few weeks.

 

[theOAP]

But.... the high is in the 40s!!! That is not freezing...

Just as the States recently had an 'Artic Inversion' (or what ever that cold front was called) Southern England is now subject to a Siberian cold wave. It's coming from the EU via France (Yes, it had to be from the EU, and especially France!). Check out the highs from Scotland today. 10C (50F).

 

[theOAP]

The academic side of research has become heavily dependent on EU grants. Of course the UK pays in and the EU distributes that money, but the uncertainty in annual budgets and visas is making a lot of talented people think that the UK is not the place to be doing research. It's a crying shame........literally, my friend has cried about this.

Have a look at Bill Bryson's last book The Road to Little Dribbling. He has a real rant about the number of highly placed researchers in the UK from all over the world and what happens after Brexit. I'm aware of a number of foreign nationals with ILR status who have recently taken out UK citizenship. Oops, come to think of it, those new UKCs includes me as well!

 

[nun]

Have a look at Bill Bryson's last book The Road to Little Dribbling. He has a real rant about the number of highly placed researchers in the UK from all over the world and what happens after Brexit. I'm aware of a number of foreign nationals with ILR status who have recently taken out UK citizenship. Oops, come to think of it, those new UKCs includes me as well!

I read his "Notes from a Small Island"........I'll get that one too.

FYI the english bus pas does not work in Scotland so I'd have to stop in Berwick.

 

[nun]

I'm aware of a number of foreign nationals with ILR status who have recently taken out UK citizenship. Oops, come to think of it, those new UKCs includes me as well!

So you filled out 60 pages and chronicled every time you left the UK back to the dark ages? Can renunciation be far off?

 

[theOAP]

FYI the english bus pas does not work in Scotland so I'd have to stop in Berwick.

Or, you could make it a real experience by taking a friend and stopping in Gretna Green.

 

[nun]

Or, you could make it a real experience by taking a friend and stopping in Gretna Green.

Yes a "close friend".

 

[Totoro]

My friend has a husband and two kids and is quietly looking for a new job, but the drug companies where she's applying aren't anxious to hire given the uncertainty......she's worried.

Same with financial services companies, and others. They are/were freezing new investments and expansion plans. Other cities would love to dethrone London.

Expats (high earning ones) are reconsidering their UK plans too.

It may work out in the end, but uncertainty in the meantime is not good. In that sense today's speech gave back some stability (clarity of direction). Let's see what Scotland does next.

 

[nun]

Same with financial services companies, and others. They are/were freezing new investments and expansion plans. Other cities would love to dethrone London.

Expats (high earning ones) are reconsidering their UK plans too.

It may work out in the end, but uncertainty in the meantime is not good. In that sense today's speech gave back some stability (clarity of direction). Let's see what Scotland does next.

Yes, Scotland could end up as a very important piece of the puzzle. The UK has constitutional instability from both ends right now, pulling out of the EU and Scotland will be looking to pull out of the UK and join the EU if there's no single market or customs union membership for the UK.

 

[theOAP]

So you filled out 60 pages and chronicled every time you left the UK back to the dark ages? Can renunciation be far off?

Actually, it wasn't too bad. Meet with a charming lady in Oxford with the Home Office, and Bobs your uncle.

As of right now, there is no reason to renounce UK citizenship, even if I were to move abroad. Let's leave it at that.

 

[theOAP]

Let's see what Scotland does next.

And, the political situation in Northern Ireland is back in the news as well (and the solution to a soft border with the South).

 

[MichaelB]

And, the political situation in Northern Ireland is back in the news as well (and the solution to a soft border with the South).

How about we leave that sort of stuff in the news and not bring it here, eh?

 

[Lsbcal]

...
I am not saying the winters are not cold.... just not freezing...

BTW, what are the highs in the summer where you live And do you have AC? The highs here are always in the high 90s and there are even long spells in the 100s... pretty bad to go outside...

We all love where we live for different reasons. Weather is just one facet and the emphases probably depends a lot on one's interests (outdoor activities versus indoor).

You asked about our weather and it's one of the strong points of the area we live in. There are a lot of wineries in our area that benefit from the Mediterranean weather. Our summers are quite variable because of the nearness to the ocean. Sometimes there is a string of 90's days, then followed by morning fogs and milder days. Occasionally we will have a multi-day hot spell hitting 100 or so. We don't use AC during the day generally, but do turn on the upstairs AC at night because our upper level doesn't get the night coolness for some reason i.e. maybe not the best air flow design. That AC is a minor cost as it doesn't run that much.

 

[Alan]

But.... the high is in the 40s!!! That is not freezing...

Kinda the same as Chicago or NYC right now... but compare it to Berlin where the high is 30 and low is 20ish.... or Zurich, high 23 low 14....


I am not saying the winters are not cold.... just not freezing...

BTW, what are the highs in the summer where you live And do you have AC? The highs here are always in the high 90s and there are even long spells in the 100s... pretty bad to go outside...

This last summer was typical of the last few long stays we've had up north. Highs in the 70's, just occasionally in the low 80's. No AC in the houses because it is almost never needed. We did spend 2 weeks in Belgium this last summer, mostly in Ypres with a long weekend in Liege when we went to the Belgian Grand Prix. For a few days it got too warm with temperatures into the high 80's so AC would have been nice in the big house we were renting with 5 other relatives.

PS
Now waiting at IAH for our flight to Manchester, new route on Singapore Airlines.

 

[Meadbh]

Now waiting at IAH for our flight to Manchester, new route on Singapore Airlines.

Is this IT? The big move across the pond? They say "you can't go home again". I hope that will not apply in your case. You have done a lot of prep work. Must be a bit emotional after all.....

 

[brett]

We enjoy the UK and we could easily spend a few month a year there.

Even though we have no legal restrictions to retire there, or even work, it would never be our choice of location as a home base in retirement.

 

[Alan]

Is this IT? The big move across the pond? They say "you can't go home again". I hope that will not apply in your case. You have done a lot of prep work. Must be a bit emotional after all.....

Yes, this is IT

It felt wonderful getting home this afternoon. The flight landed in Manchester from Houston close to on time at 09:35, we were through border control, collected our bags and out into the terminal without speaking to a single official. (Love those electronic booths, and all 3 of our bags arrived side by side in double quick time).

We then walked to the train station, bought our tickets and were sitting on the train by 10:15 for a 10:35 departure direct to the east coast, Middlesbrough. Our lawyer called us while on the train to confirm that the house completion had happened

Short cab ride from the train station in Middlesbrough and we were back in our rental house by 1:45pm. Shower and shave, walk a mile into town, picked up the house keys, flat white at our favourite coffee shop, then walk a half mile to the new house for a good look around.

Feeling really good at 19:30 following a steak pie made by our local butcher and ready for an early night.

Even the weather cooperated - high cloud, some blue patches, no wind and quite mild for the time of year. Even now it is still 41F about 3 hours after sunset.

Life is good....

 

[Meadbh]

Yes, this is IT

It felt wonderful getting home this afternoon. The flight landed in Manchester from Houston close to on time at 09:35, we were through border control, collected our bags and out into the terminal without speaking to a single official. (Love those electronic booths, and all 3 of our bags arrived side by side in double quick time).

We then walked to the train station, bought our tickets and were sitting on the train by 10:15 for a 10:35 departure direct to the east coast, Middlesbrough. Our lawyer called us while on the train to confirm that the house completion had happened

Short cab ride from the train station in Middlesbrough and we were back in our rental house by 1:45pm. Shower and shave, walk a mile into town, picked up the house keys, flat white at our favourite coffee shop, then walk a half mile to the new house for a good look around.

Feeling really good at 19:30 following a steak pie made by our local butcher and ready for an early night.

Even the weather cooperated - high cloud, some blue patches, no wind and quite mild for the time of year. Even now it is still 41F about 3 hours after sunset.

Life is good....

Congratulations!

 

[REWahoo]

Life is good....

Sounds like you won the non-financial lottery.

Congratulations!

 

[Accidental Retiree]

Yes, this is IT



It felt wonderful getting home this afternoon. The flight landed in Manchester from Houston close to on time at 09:35, we were through border control, collected our bags and out into the terminal without speaking to a single official. (Love those electronic booths, and all 3 of our bags arrived side by side in double quick time).



We then walked to the train station, bought our tickets and were sitting on the train by 10:15 for a 10:35 departure direct to the east coast, Middlesbrough. Our lawyer called us while on the train to confirm that the house completion had happened



Short cab ride from the train station in Middlesbrough and we were back in our rental house by 1:45pm. Shower and shave, walk a mile into town, picked up the house keys, flat white at our favourite coffee shop, then walk a half mile to the new house for a good look around.



Feeling really good at 19:30 following a steak pie made by our local butcher and ready for an early night.



Even the weather cooperated - high cloud, some blue patches, no wind and quite mild for the time of year. Even now it is still 41F about 3 hours after sunset.



Life is good....

That sounds pretty wonderful. Congrats to you and Mrs. Alan for making this dream come true. I've enjoyed reading about the process.

 

[braumeister]

a steak pie made by our local butcher, a pint or two at the local, and ready for an early night.

Fixed it for ya.

Congrats!

 

[Just_Steve]

What did I learn from this thread?
1) A flat white is like a latte but different.
2) Steak Pie sounds like something I would like to eat.

Had to look them both up.

 

[nun]

Feeling really good at 19:30 following a steak pie made by our local butcher and ready for an early night.

Are you in walking distance of Westgate?

So are you planning an early morning trip to Petches to get some pork pies? FYI their black pudding is great too.