A list of the best ‘perfect’ retirement locations in Britain has been revealed – and there are some surprising names on the list.
The stereotypical retirement destination according to most people is a seaside resort like Bournemouth.
But instead, a new ranking system has calculated that regions such as the Outer Hebrides, Exeter and Kirklees are the top places for pensions when all pensioners’ needs are taken into account.
Consumer group Which one? has used retirees’ wish lists for their later life locations to come up with its own grouping of the 12 best places to spend your golden years.
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The 1,000 people surveyed said access to healthcare was the most important factor in what they wanted in a retirement location, with 88 percent prioritizing it.
Healthcare was followed by access to green space (75 percent) and local leisure activities (31 percent) as priorities, along with low crime, affordable housing and how happy local residents are.
The consumer group then created this list, detailing the main local authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as the hotspots for each of England’s nine regions.
Twelve locations, one for each region, were identified as the best areas to retire.
The top scores were awarded to Broxbourne, Elmbridge, Exeter, High Peak, Kirklees, Merton, Mid and East Antrim, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Outer Hebrides, South Tyneside, Stockport and Wrexham.
Which? found that more than a third (36 percent) of people nearing retirement age want to move or have already done so.
Newcastle-under-Lyme was one of the highest scoring English local authorities for green space, with a score of 9.6 out of 10.
The area is home to 7.4 parks and playing fields within an average radius of 1 kilometer from a given plot.
It was also rated as the happiest English local authority, based on data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), tying in with High Peak in the East Midlands.
Average house prices in the area are also at the cheaper end of the spectrum, at £180,000. Popular nearby attractions include the New Vic Theatre, Brampton Museum and Apedale Heritage Centre.
Another popular area in England was Merton, South West London. It scored highly for both healthcare (9.4/10) and abundance of green spaces (9.6/10). Pensioners in this area only have to travel 600 meters to their nearest GP or pharmacy.
Attractive green spaces in the area include Wimbledon Park and the National Trust site Morden Hall Park.
The area hosts the Wimbledon tennis tournament every year and has numerous high quality shops and restaurants. However, the average house price in Merton is expensive: £560,000.
In Wales, Wrexham council came out on top.
The region scored highly for its green spaces (9.1/10), with an average of 4.8 within a radius of 1 kilometer. It also boasts areas of natural beauty such as parts of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley, an extensive area of woodland, open fields and moorland, plus Chirk Castle.
Those looking to buy in the area will be pleased to know that the average house price is £180,000.
In Northern Ireland, Central and East Antrim came top and received the highest score for healthcare, with a score of 10 out of 10. The area provides a good safety net for pensioners as it has 81 operations per 100,000 registered patients. Furthermore, the average house price is relatively low at £139,000.
The Outer Hebrides, famous for their beautiful coastlines, topped the list of retirement locations in Scotland, scoring some of the highest marks for healthcare (9.7/10) and happiness (8/10).
Which? found that the Outer Hebrides had five GP practices per 10,000 residents, as well as impressive health and wellbeing scores, according to ONS data.
It also has the cheapest average house price of all the top twelve locations, at £137,000.
For those looking for a place to retire in mainland Scotland, Which? that the Highlands was another good option, scoring 8.8 out of 10 for healthcare and 7.8 out of 10 for happiness.
Which? money editor Jenny Ross said: ‘Whether you’ve always dreamed of escaping to the countryside or the coast, deciding where to retire can be just as important as deciding when to retire – and our latest research has uncovered gemstones all over the world. Britain would be a great place for retirees to consider.”
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