An energetic 58-year-old and 61-year-old partner are preparing to move to a two-hectare estate in north-east Poland after selling a house near Hartlepool. They are one of the thousands of retirees leaving the UK to start a new life in the country.

Marianne Goodman and her partner Glenn decided to sell their ‘cul-de-sac house’ in the UK and buy a detached property in Poland.  „We found a lovely detached property for £130,000 with a pond, stables and an orchard.” – Marianne said. The house is located in a village not far from a Teutonic Knights castle.

„I’ve always wanted to live in the countryside and grow my own vegetables. So, this will be a bit like The Good Life, I guess”– Marianne says, referring to the 1970’s British sitcom.

Meanwhile, we have a 73-year-old John, a former British public health service employee, who moved to Poland permanently in 2015 and bought a detached house in a village in north-western Poland for £52,000.

 „I’ve lived in Spain and in London, and Poland is better than both.” – he says.

Living in his detached home with a beautiful sprawling view of lakes and forests, integrating into the small local community, he is spending his days with his Polish partner sipping wine in a cosy local restaurant and chatting with friends and neighbours, John is living his life.

„Simply put, my life is wonderful.” – he says.

„I used to live in a small apartment in London. Now I have everything I could never afford in the UK. In the UK, eating out is also expensive. Polish food is delicious, with great meats and cheeses. You can also get fantastic wine, and a good bottle costs around PLN 40, which is £7” – he adds.

„My partner is Polish, and we initially bought this place as a holiday home, but when I got to 65 we decided to come here permanently. It was the obvious destination, and we’ve never looked back.”

Another fan of living in Poland is Johnny Craiggs, 66-years-old, a former coach driver from Newcastle, who first moved to Poznan in 2014, because of his wife, Grażyna. For several years he lived between Great Britain and Poland, but in 2019 he decided to stay permanently in Poland. They opened and ran the English Johnny cafe in Poznan.

„I’m proud to be British, but of course life is much better here than in the UK. I have friends, a wife, health, and Poznan is beautiful. There’s not much I miss about the UK, to be honest, other than real fish and chips.” – he says.

While most Brits choose to flock to sunny spots like Spain, Portugal, or the south of France, there are now other countries getting on the list. And Poland may not be everyone’s first choice for a retirement location, but it is definitely growing in popularity.

Author: Patrycja Bodzek-Kurzyńska

Photos: Private archiwum / Alexandra – Unsplash

Main photo: Johnny holding a bottle of his own brew named 303 in memory of the Polish RAF Squadron that had most ‘kills’ during Battle of Britain