# Returning to UK from Spain after 24 years.



## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Has any1 recently returned to UK from Spain, do u regret it, I'm looking at returning to UK . Bournemouth area, whats work economy like! I'm Spained out


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## ted111 (May 29, 2011)

agua642 said:


> Has any1 recently returned to UK from Spain, do u regret it, I'm looking at returning to UK . Bournemouth area, whats work economy like! I'm Spained out


I'm looking to go to Dorset after 10 years here. Like you I'm Spained out! 
Have you gone yet? What's it like? Are you happy or regretting your decision? 
Anything you have to say or any advice would be greatfully received. 
By the way, some friends of ours in Spain (he used to run a mobile home site in Bournemouth before he came here) have a friend who has left Spain after 24 years, moved to Bournemouth and now lives in a mobile home/park site and is as happy as Larry. This wouldn't be you would it? 
Thanks.


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## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

I'm still hanging on in Spain, can you believe it, always hoping an opportunity will come my way, England looks so depressing :-( , & expensive, I don't wanna live off benefits, work opportunities are bad every where. Maybe I should look at another country!! Malta sounds appealing!!
Bournemouth is lovely, expensive tho, I would go to Bournemouth in UK, no it's not me, sorry.


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## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Like the sound of mobile home site, in bournemouth, any recommendations on nice parks, I like area Ringwood tho it's expensive there, got expensive taste


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I've just come back to the UK (Worthing, west sussex, not far from Bournmouth) after only four years and as far as I'm concerned its hateful!! Its expensive, its grey, depressing, cold, damp, green, wet and, and, and...... I cant wait to return to Spain.

Its all very orderly here, no one looks up when they walk around in case they catch someone eye. Theres a sense of everyone being downtrodden, no one seems happy, like robots almost. Its very crowded, the roads are all busy, altho they're in a better condition than in Spain and none of those speed bumps. The shops are open on Sundays which is quite nice, but apart from that, theres nothing to do. Cos of the weather, peoples lives revolve round being indoors and simply hop in their cars, go to where they want to go and hop in their cars to go home again - and Tescos seems to have taken over here, corner shops, supermarkets, hypermarkets, superstores are all tescos

The UK or Bournmouth are not places I'd aspire to

Jo xxx


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## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Bournemouth & south England is beautiful, some of the beaches are blue flagged Sandbanks, Cornwall, lovely harbors, fresh fish, weymouth, Devon,Cornwall all lovely, clean, healthy places to return to in the UK, there is defiantly some worse places to go to, and it can be expensive!
England in general is a rich country, full of history & heritage. Though so is Spain.
I may retire to Spain when my retirement age creeps up!!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

agua642 said:


> Bournemouth & south England is beautiful, some of the beaches are blue flagged Sandbanks, Cornwall, lovely harbors, fresh fish, weymouth, Devon,Cornwall all lovely, clean, healthy places to return to in the UK, there is defiantly some worse places to go to, and it can be expensive!
> England in general is a rich country, full of history & heritage. Though so is Spain.
> I may retire to Spain when my retirement age creeps up!!


Horses for courses, I think the coastal regions of south of England are awful, its expensive, its being held back by those who are trying to preserve the so called history and culture. The seafronts from Dover, right along to Bournmouth are, in the main scummy and dirty. Full of pebbles, tar, seaweed, wooden groins, brown, foamy sea, rusty, decaying piers, dead fish, noisy seagulls... and those awful victorian green rusting balastrades! I walked along our local seafront yesterday, with a coat on and it was grim, the colour of the sea and the bubbles, foam and turds floating around were truly disturbing. Yes, things pick up at Bournmouth, and of course Sandbanks is millionaires row!

Cornwall is better, altho still very dirty and badly looked after (altho in fairness I havent been there for a few years). Thats the trouble with England, in a desperate bid to preserve the history and culture, not only do they leave it looking old and shabby, they neglect the now and future

Jo xxx


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## bunty16 (Sep 26, 2009)

It's hard to make a living in Cornwall outside of the holiday season, but there are many other beautiful places to live in the Southwest, and the people seem friendly. Yes, people are becoming more insular in the UK, but life is what you make it. If you make the effort to join in social activities you will meet other likemided people. I do not drive and catch buses etc., here whilst waiting for buses it is very sociable and I have met a lot of friends from my village that way. If religious, church is important re social interaction, there are night schools, night clubs, activities of most types in each village or town. Your library is a good source of information, or local paper. research your area well as I am sure you did when planning to move to spain, and don't be put off by negative views, there are plus and minus to Spain and UK.


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## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Life is what u make of it, however I do love Spain as a country, but then again UK is lovely as a country,there are beautiful parts( Bath, Cambridge, Salisbury, Exeter and so on, I just want a simple at peace-life, with a few opportunities for myself & daughter , tho she'll likely return to Spain when 18,


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## ted111 (May 29, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your honest opinions, more would be welcome.
I moved to Spain from Richmond, obviously very nice. I loved Richmond park with my dogs, going boating to the riverside pubs in Twickenham. It has a very countryside feel even though in London. Having moved to Spain I love the beach walks with my dog and the not so hectic London traffic. Even though I have never been to Dorset, I have researched it as best I can and feel it's where I'd like to be. A mixture of beaches and forests all around. Little villages to visit, with the dog of course and signs I can understand! 
It is 'horses for courses' definitely. I know there will be crappy areas but you get that everywhere. Here in Mijas Costa are truly some of the most disgusting beaches I have ever seen. Sewage, condoms, tampax, bottles, fish hooks, tins, crap and male gang bangs (yes I'm serious) are regular on a certain beach- DAILY. 
Anyway, it's been an adventure, but I'm glad I'm going 'home'. 
Dorset here I come!


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## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Good luck with your new found destination, funnily enough I was talking on Friday about Richmond, Even though I have never been but researched, another lovely zone, but v. Expensive.


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## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Opps hadn't quiet finished...
but yes there are good & bad zones every where, no where is perfect, and us humans need something to grumble about from time -time.
Hope u & dogs settle back into UK.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

I have a son who lives in the west country, he doesn't paint a good picture of life. It is very expensive, wages are at a minimum, unemployment is high. Nights out are scarce, holidays are long forgotten and cannot be afforded these days.

He would gladly move north if it was possible.


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## shazm.69 (Nov 6, 2012)

I moved back to uk last year with my 3 daughters 2 are teenagers they have settled really well and would hate to go back to spain. Its like getting back to normality for me. I was not living a healthy lifestyle in spain drinking far too much ive totally changed since being back. Its very hard to live in spain the wages are half of what you get here. And i dont think its too expensive to live here. The only good thing about spain for me was the weather and you soon take that for granted. Winters in spain are awful as there is no central heating at least here in winter you are warm in your home and not huddled round a table with a fire under and a blanket round your legs. I have no regrets though apart from buying a property there big mistake. It was an experience and made me appreciate good old faithful blighty. good luck


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## bella2 (Nov 6, 2012)

How was it like living in spain? I really want to move there. Why are you moving back?


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## shazm.69 (Nov 6, 2012)

Its fine living in spain if you are not planning on looking for work say if your retired. Then you will get free healthcare. I lived inland and near the coast living near the coast is better but the winter months are a bit depressing. And be very careful if your buying a property we made that mistake and lost everything. If i were retired i would still be there as its cheaper to live on a uk pension.


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## pwoodger (Jul 21, 2012)

agua642 said:


> Like the sound of mobile home site, in bournemouth, any recommendations on nice parks, I like area Ringwood tho it's expensive there, got expensive taste


Have to agree Ringwood and area is expensive. I am buying there and thinking of moving back after 33 years away. Little worried about moving back to the UK, but I do like the area.


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## Lulu2013 (May 9, 2013)

I have been in the south west of FRance - right on the coast - for six years, and not only is there more than the fair share of used needles, condoms, discarded bottles, nappies, etc - and yes, even dead fish! but they have actually fenced off the beach. Also, it has to be said, the med is a lake, essentially - and for beauty, not half as awesome as Cornwall. Unlikethe beaches of my native westcountry, too, the beaches here are not wild or unspoilt - they are lined with hideous cheap and tatty apartment blocks (empty and creepy in the winter, packed and smelly in the summer) which, when the sun isn't blazing, look like a particularly tatty estate in Krakow. I will miss the sun - but I will not miss the howling wind, and rain I can't walk in; and to be frank, I am not so old that all I want to do is waddle through the basics of life until about 10am when it gets too hot to move, then sit around getting age spots, then lounge around getting drunk from noon to 3pm, then start preparing dinner. The lifestyle here is rather like groundhog day, and so much time is wasted pussy-footing around the local tendency to get up in the morning thinking "Hmm! How can I get out of doing anything today?" I want to walk on a beach which has waves and a big sky, and be able to move around without dying of heatstroke. I am going home!


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