Lincolnshire folks - where to live?

goldtop · May 3

My sister wants to move from Essex to Lincs - somewhere in the band from Scartho to Alford. And between the coast and wolds. She's looking for a "retirement bungalow" around the £250k mark.

Can any locals shed any light on recommendations of places that are great (or not so great)? She's looking for the usual quality-of-life/peace/quiet compared to noisy urban Essex. But not so rural that broadband/gas/sewage are tricky.

Ideas?

breakstuff · May 3

I live on the outskirts of Grimsby and only about five miles from Scartho. Round here we're surrounded by loads of tiny villages that are perfect for what she's after. 250k will go a long way round here, though not sure what sort of premium you'd pay to live in one of the more desirable villages. Ashby cum Fenby is particularly nice, amongst others. The wife and I did a walk called the four churches which takes you around Waltham, Brigsley Ashby cum Fenby and Barnoldby le Beck (a church in each, hence the name and only seven miles between all four) and you can't believe Grimsby is only about five miles away the contrast is so stark. It's obviously quite flat but some of the scenery is stunning.

Nitefly · May 3

She's spelt it wrong - she means Lancs, not Lincs

breakstuff · May 3

Nitefly said:

She's spelt it wrong - she means Lancs, not Lincs

Cheeky

strumjoughlamps · May 3

Alford and surrounding is great area and you have Sutton on Sea and Anderby Creek as the nearest places to dip in the sea, Anderby Creek is a very quiet and popular area to retire to. Willoughby just south of Alford also nice.

It’s well worth a look.

guitars4you · May 3

All my mum's family are from Grimsby/Louth - My gran had 31 gran kids so no shortage of family in the area - My auntie lived in Scartho - My Gran lived in Holten Le Clay

To be honest I don't know enough about the town/area as my visits are in/out and one day - But I know there are places to avoid, like where my mum/gran lived for years - Lord St/Arthur Street area - But equally plenty of areas that are quite nice - Louth always looked a decent market town,but years since I last went there

Lodious · May 3

Woodhall Spa is really nice, great outdoor pool during the summer and a really nice bakery.

randella · May 3

Nitefly said:

She's spelt it wrong - she means Lancs, not Lincs

Talking to a friend from Chorley recently, I reckon that £250k will go a fair bit further on the Lincs coast.

Well played though!

DavidR · May 3

I lived and worked in Boston for 35y and moved to Essex 3y ago so maybe I should contribute!

Lincolnshire is a little world of it's own. At this time if year it's lovely. It's intensely, and I mean industrially, agricultural - a low wage area with very little else in the way of employment in comparison with other counties. There is a big difference between south Lincs (flat, Boston, mainly agricultural, the Fens down to Ely and as far as the Wash) and north Lincs (still agricultural but the truly beautiful Wolds, Lincoln, the coastal strip with all the resorts - Skeg, Mablethorpe etc). The very north of the county (Lincolnshire is big!) becomes a bit more grim again towards Grimsby and, across the Humber, the Hull area in Yorks.

There are virtually no motorways in Lincolnshire. The plan to join the M11 from Cambridge to the Humber Bridge never happened. You are very often stuck behind a tractor. People in Lincolnshire are generally pleasant and friendly and call a spade a spade. Not so dour as Yorkshire folk, more gentle. There is true poverty in some of the Lincs market towns. Lincs still has the 11+ believe it or not. Those who pass usually end up leaving the county for Uni and never go back.

So pluses. Rurality, beauty, cheap property, low cost of living, nice people. Negatives. Low wages, poor transport links, education not brilliant, bright youngsters usually leave for better jobs. Some people find the very flat south of the county uninteresting but it has its charm.

If I was moving to Lincolnshire now I would live in the Louth/Alford/Horncastle area I think. My sister still lives near Lincoln and describes it as having become very busy in the last few years. She used to live in the city but moved out to Waddington. Avoid Boston/Sleaford/Spalding/Grantham. Stamford is nice, next to A1 and a very pretty town slightly nearer the centre of the Universe. I have never understood why the Lincolnshire Wolds have never developed as a tourist area. Like, say, North Norfolk has. They are just as pretty/prettier. Many people have never even heard of the Wolds. We used to go for some lovely walks there in the Spring and Summer usually involving a fine old pub! Glorious.

Personal views obviously. Happy to have a go at answering more specific questions @goldtop ;

randella · May 3

guitars4you said:

Louth always looked a decent market town,but years since I last went there

Again, a long time since I've been but there used to be a bloody good curry house in Louth if that's of any bearing.

randella · May 3

@DavidR - about on the money there.

Even if I do (as an East Yorkshireman) take issue at one of the points you raised

DavidR · May 3

P.S. for £250K your sister should find a great bungalow mid-county. We sold our large 5 bedroomed family home in Boston for £350K 3y ago. Nice 3 bedroom semis in Boston still go for £150K. The rest of the county isn't that different apart perhaps from Lincoln and those towns like Stamford nearer the A1. House prices can be a nice surprise for people coming from the South East!

VimFuego · May 3

before we settled on Devon, mrs F and I looked seriously at Lincs. We were really taken by the area (already mentioned) Louth/ Horncastle/ Alford way. If you don't need to work, or can work for yourself, it's a great spot.

goldtop · May 3

Thanks all.

Useful suggestions to help focus the Rightmove searching.

She's remote working, so the poor transport links don't matter so much. As long as there's broadband with mobile data as backup, she'll be fine. She doesn't want the bother of oil heating - the only tricky thing for some villages it seems.

DavidR · May 3

Actually, just read other thread entries again and @Lodius is spot on about Woodhall Spa. Forgot about that. Large village/ small town size. Golf. Has a rep as a retirement place. Nice restaurants. Kinema in the Woods. Petwood Lodge. Open-air Lido for the Summer. Great walks. Pretty. Nice shops. Isolated but self-contained. We used to go there for training days.

Definitely worth a look. Property might be a tad more expensive.

DavidR · May 3

Have Your Say - Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service

The Wolds :-) (AONB stands for Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.)

hollywoodrox · May 3

strumjoughlamps said:

Alford and surrounding is great area and you have Sutton on Sea and Anderby Creek as the nearest places to dip in the sea, Anderby Creek is a very quiet and popular area to retire to. Willoughby just south of Alford also nice.

It’s well worth a look.

A derby creek is a bit dead , how about burgh rd in Skegness , we lived in a place called the meadows and it was country one way but you could walk to town & you get to see the donkeys go by

hollywoodrox · May 3

Chapel St Leonard’s , ingoldmells ,winthorpe areas in Skegness
Humberston in cleethorpes
Torquay in Devon beats them all though

RandallFlagg · May 4

Don't do it, Lincolnshire is awful.

I live in Norfolk and have to cross the border into Lincolnshire every day for work in Spalding, as I have for the last 21 years. I have found nothing good in Lincolnshire in that time, weird, leathery faced people, with weird accents and bad breath, they put sheep in fields of rotting crops over winter and the whole place stinks or rotting vegetables. Avoid. The houses are cheap for a reason, your neighbours will probably be kiddy fiddling witches or trolls.

I breathe a sigh of relief every time I get back across the river Nene into the clean air of Nelson's County on my commute.

When I retire next year I see no reason to ever return to the Godforsaken hell hole.

Bod · May 4

I grew up in Boston, and left as soon as I could. Insular, intolerant and racist is how I'd describe a large proportion of its population. Avoid.

Open_G · May 4

My family went on holiday to Woodall Spa when I was 10. We have returned a dozen times over the years. I think, of all the places I’ve ever visited, it would be the one I’d choose to live in.

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Lincolnshire folks - where to live?

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