A love of life on two wheels
Maria Fitzpatrick searches out the best bike-friendly places to retire
Tim Organ has had a long love affair with cycling. In his teens, growing up in Somerset, he competed in national road racing and divisional championships, and he has taken part in competitive events all his life. Today Tim, now in his seventies, can nudge his handlebars out of his driveway in Llanigon, Herefordshire, where he lives with his wife, Sue, and wheel straight into some of Britain’s most spectacular cycling countryside. He rides every week in Mid Wales or the Brecon Beacons, enjoying the more mountainous climbs. “They’re different landscapes, but both spectacular,” he says. “I go out mostly by myself, because I really enjoy the beautiful isolation.” He’s far from alone. Cycling has become a national obsession, thanks to the rush of last year’s Olympic triumphs, and our consecutive Tour de France victories. According to Sport England, 99,000 more of us are cycling now than in 2008, with 25,000 people taking part in competitive events and thousands more casual cyclists just enjoying the ride. Many of the converts in the over-fifties age group will be beginning to understand how a love of life on two wheels could become a factor in where you choose to live. Tim and Sue lived in France for years, where he raced regularly. “When we came back we settled here, where cycling is a big factor in the overall quality of life.” While Sue explores on foot, Tim, who has an architecture practice, indulges his passion for buildings on his bike, with scenic tours of old chapels in the area: “It’s marvellous escapism,” he says. In the coming years, he hopes to spend more time on community projects and with his grandchildren. When the time comes to retire, this is where he wants to be. “Riding a bike is not just a leisure activity, it’s a way of thinking,” he says. “The adrenalin it produces raises your spirits and your ideas about life.” Cyclists looking for a bikefriendly place to retire to have plenty to inspire them this week. The Tour of Britain race, which begins today, passes through our finest “cycling country”, from the Scottish Borders down to its finish in London on September 22. It takes in the Brecon Beacons, and a spot in the middle of Machynlleth and Caerphilly (leg five of the tour), where a three-bedroom, ecoand retiree-friendly barn converted by Tim’s family is for sale at £319,500 (Chesterton Humberts, 01432 278278). Cycling country, be it on road, track, mountain or cycle path, tends to occur in already desirable areas – unspoilt, scenic locations with a high standard of living. Which means property doesn’t often come cheap, says Graham Higgs, a managing partner of Fine & Country. The West Country that skirts Dartmoor National Park, from Haytor to Sidmouth (stage six of the tour) is a case in point. “Due to the surroundings – the granite tors, woodlands, streams, the clean air – property tends to command a higher value often only attainable for those retiring to the area,” he says. But its charms for cyclists are undeniable; it’s blessed with vast open space, undulating roads and off-road cycling opportunities. From three-bedroom Brock Way, a house with huge expanses of glass, set in elevated gardens in Ilsington, on the edge of the national park, you could practically plot out your weekend cycle route from beginning to end from the kitchen window (£945,000, Fine & Country, 01803 898321). A mile from the town of Moretonhampstead – which the tour passes through on its sixth stage – is a four-bedroom thatched 17th-century treasure with equally enticing views of the Dartmoor countryside and room for visiting grandchildren, for sale at £925,000 (01392 214222). In Kendal, Cumbria, where the Lake District “heat” arrives on Monday, there is “significant demand for a change to the outdoor lifestyle” from buyers coming from the south, according to Sarah Edmundson of Fine & Country’s Country Lakes branch. “The Kentmere valley is renowned for its cycle routes; there are rides for all abilities, from the gentle ride up the western shore of Lake Windermere to the Fred Whitton cycle ride, known for being the most challenging road race in Britain.” High House, a 17th-century farmhouse in Longsleddale, just north of Kendal, would be a perfect base, whatever your level, at £675,000 (JacksonStops & Staff, 0161 928 8881). But the attraction isn’t just bricks, mortar and a place to ride – cycling creates a social network close to home, says Chris Boulton, 50, the author of new book, A 30-Year Cycle, who lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their two sons in Highclere, North Hampshire. Chris, the CEO of Yoo, a luxury homes developer, was a racing cyclist in his youth. He had heart surgery in 1998 but a decade later returned to the sport, taking part in the Magnificat cycling Sportive in Highclere with friends from the pub. Today he competes in time trials and covers 50-70 miles on Sundays, cycling between Newbury and Hampshire with the Newbury Road Club, which has many members in their sixties and seventies. “It’s exhilarating, lowimpact exercise, the camaraderie is great – you always have someone to share a drink with – and it gives you a strong connection to where you live. You can take it at your own pace; one venerable gentleman only packed it in last year, at 82,” says Chris, who wants to stay put when he retires. He may live in a quiet village with one pub and no shop, but it has easy access to the cyclers’ heaven of West Berkshire, Wiltshire, the Wayfarer’s Walk, and the Test and Bourne valleys. “This area is an appealing prospect for retirement,” he says. “Newbury is well connected to the major road network, so you don’t feel cutoff, but you’ve got all these quiet Hampshire villages, with lovely cycle paths, around you. Often it’s a case of picking decent places to eat cake in Stockbridge, Marlborough or Hungerford, and enjoying the scenery in between.” Winkworth has some perfect buys for cyclists in the Newbury area, including Thyme Cottage, a manageable four-bedroom property in a quiet lane in Highclere, for £450,000 (01635 552554). For others, there’s a simple pleasure to just getting back on a saddle. When Derek Moore and his wife, Valerie, downsized from Bletchingley to a flat in a retirement village in East Sussex countryside, the setting inspired them to give it another go. “We moved to St George’s Park because of its rural location,” says Derek, of the development which is between Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill, surrounded by 250 green acres. “I had not ridden since I was 20, and didn’t dream that I would be doing so again at 75. But when you find yourself living alongside quiet footpaths, fields and woodlands, it seems logical.” Although buzzing Brighton and Hove is just 12 miles down the road, St George’s Park (01444 259732) is a world away, in a tranquil environment safe for older cyclists. They relish having freedom without the need to drive, and being able to unwind, stay fit and enjoy nature at the same time. For the Tour of Britain route: tourofbritain.co.uk; find ‘A 30Year Cycle’ by Chris Boulton at amazon.co.uk