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Popular Destinations for Retiring Abroad
Retiring abroad is a popular choice for thousands of people from the UK. Many go overseas to be close to family or friends, or to a town or city where there is already a thriving British expat community. Others may be looking for somewhere warmer or cheaper to live.
Hamiltons Removals is expert in organising UK overseas removals. Here we look at some of the most popular destinations for people to retire to, and why they have been attracting such large numbers of people from the UK.
Australia and New Zealand
Official statistics say there are just over a million UK expats in Australia, of which at least a quarter of a million are believed to be of pensionable age, while New Zealand is home to around 250,000 people from the UK.
Both countries attract such large numbers of UK residents because of their warm climates, their attractive coastal communities, and the fact that both are English-speaking countries.
Those people retiring to New Zealand, which has now brought in special retirement visas, will be able to enjoy an excellent quality of life, with a low crime rate. Australia, and particularly the cities of Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne, enjoys a comparatively low cost of living.
USA and Canada
The USA is behind only Australia as the most popular international retirement destination for UK residents. More than 800,000 people originally from the UK live in the States, and 140,000 of these are retired. The USA is a vast country and with such a cosmopolitan culture you should be able to find a type of retirement community that suits you.
Canada has more than 600,000 UK expats, and around a quarter of these are retired. People are attracted by the lower living costs and lower property prices, spectacular scenery and quality healthcare, although the visa requirements are becoming more stringent. As with Australia and the US, many people move here to be closer to friends or family. Others, known as ‘part-time expats’, live here for part of the year to avoid the cold winters.
South Africa
This country is home to more than 200,000 British expats, and around 40,000 of these draw a pension here. Cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg are the most popular places to retire to, but countryside destinations which enjoy spectacular scenery are proving attractive too. The day-to-day cost of living is quite low compared to the UK, and English is widely spoken.
European Destinations
Many countries in Europe are popular places to move to, even if English is not the main language. Spain is the most popular destination on the continent to retire to, with many Britons attracted by the warm climate and thriving expat communities. Neighbouring Portugal is also noted for its cuisine and friendly locals, and has plenty of golf courses and beaches to enjoy.
France has upwards of 250,000 UK expats, and around one in five of these are pensioners. Low house prices make having a second home abroad, and living there for part of the year, a very attractive and affordable option for many.
Other destinations are growing in popularity. Malta, for example, enjoys more than 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, and English is the most widely spoken language. Asian destinations like Malaysia and Thailand are now home to increasing numbers of Britons looking for somewhere off the beaten track and they have a comparatively low cost of living.
Suffolk removal company Hamiltons Removals can organise UK overseas removals to a wide variety of destinations in Europe and across the globe. Our European section offers a weekly service to most EU destinations, including France and Portugal.
Our international department organises UK overseas removals to a range of worldwide destinations, including South Africa, Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. These can be shipped as full container loads, grouped together with other loads, while smaller items can be sent airfreight. Whatever your needs, we will tailor our service to fit your individual requirements. Follow the link if you would like to receive an online quote.
Unusual Facts About Norfolk
Norfolk is one of the most popular counties in the UK to move to, with plenty of hidden gems and little-known attractions to attract people.
Hamiltons Removals have been offering top-quality commercial domestic and specialist moving services for people moving to Norfolk for more than two decades. We also have high quality self storage facilities at two sites in south Norfolk, in Harleston and at nearby Aldeby. As we know the area well, we have compiled these interesting facts about the county.
It’s A Big County
Norfolk is the fifth largest county in England, covering an area of 5,371sq km. It was also one of the more heavily populated, according to the Domesday Book, until around 1600. However, it was badly affected by the Black Death and the various outbreaks of the Plague, with thousands of people failing to survive. This, coupled with Norfolk’s relatively isolated location, means that it is one of the few counties where the current population is lower than it was in the early 14th century.
A Centre for Churches
Norfolk has 659 mediaeval churches, which is believed to be the highest concentration in the world. It also has 125 churches with round towers, which is a record number in the UK.
And the county can also lay claim to a third church record. St Nicholas’ Church in Great Yarmouth, also known as the Minster Church, is the largest parish church in the country. This is due to its floor surface area, which covers 23,000 square feet.
Modern Postcodes Started in Norwich
The Post Office wanted to make the sorting of mail less labour intensive, so it came up with a machine-readable code which people put on addresses at the end of letters. The first trials began in Norfolk’s county town in 1959. The success of this pilot scheme persuaded the Post Office to roll out postcodes across the rest of the country.
The whole programme finished in 1974 back in Norwich, which was given a fresh code. This date is recorded on a blue plaque on the site of the old Post Office in Gentleman’s Walk in the city, now the site of a bank.
A Famous Forest
Thetford Forest, on the county’s border with Suffolk, is the largest lowland pine forest in England, covering an area of about 18,730 hectares. The first trees were planted there in the 1920s to replace the nation’s supplies of timber after the First World War. Today part of the forest, known as the Stanford Training Area, is reserved for military exercises and is closed to the public.
Much of the forest is, however, open to visitors and it attracts around 1.5million people every year. It is a haven for wildlife and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Many people go there for special events such as concerts at the High Lodge Visitor Centre. Ed Sheeran, Simply Red and Blondie have all played there in recent years.
A Poetic Tribute to Diss
The south Norfolk town of Diss was immortalised in a famous poem by Sir John Betjeman, who was the Poet Laureate until 1984. He first went to Diss while filming a series on British market towns for the BBC and quickly fell in love with the town.
The poem, entitled A Mind’s Journey to Diss, was written to Mary Wilson. She was the daughter of a Congregationalist Minister and was born in the town. Later she married Labour politician Harold Wilson, who went on to become Prime Minister. The poem’s opening lines are: “Dear Mary/Yes it will be bliss/To go with you by train to Diss.” Betjeman also made a famous film, Something About Diss, which also saw him travel from London to the town, alighting at the station.
Hamiltons Removals provides a friendly, professional service for domestic, commercial and specialist removals to customers in Suffolk, Norfolk and across East Anglia.
We also offer state of the art self storage at our Safe N Stored sites in Harleston and Aldeby in south Norfolk. Both are ideal for people moving to the Diss, Dickleburgh, Bungay and Stradbroke areas who might need somewhere to store their belongings while they complete a house move, or for residents who already live there but need to store some possessions away during the winter months.
The Harleston site offers rooms from 25sq ft to 200sq ft, and a shop which has sells a comprehensive range of packing materials, while Aldeby has storage containers from 5ft to 20ft in size. Both sites are easily accessible and are protected by CCTV around the clock, so you can be sure your items will be kept safe and secure. Follow the link above if you would like to know more about our self storage facilities.