Nestled in leafy Buckinghamshire, Chesham and Amersham have taken the top spot in an index of Britain’s best places to retire.
The area – popular for its transport links to London, its charming and historic streets, and for being gateway for walkers and cyclists to the picturesque Chilterns – was ranked the highest in an index compiled by L&G.
L&G said the area performed “exceptionally well” on its health measure, reflecting a strong proportion of over-65s in good physical and mental health.
It also scored highly on financial security and in other areas, such as access to nature and community, making it a well-rounded environment for later life, according to the index.
The study scored areas across a range of factors that make up a happier later life, including access to healthcare, opportunities to build social connections, access to nature, local amenities and financial security.
Mid Dunbartonshire and Monmouthshire took the top spots as the best places to retire in Scotland and Wales respectively.
The index was compiled by scoring areas against six “pillars” – housing, health, social and community, financial, nature, and amenities.
This was based on analysis of a wide range of existing data including Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, census data and housing and house price reports.
Opinium survey findings from research among 3,000 UK retirees in April 2024 were also analysed. The happiest retirees were defined as those with a life satisfaction score greater than the sample median average.
Lorna Shah, managing director – retail retirement, L&G, said: “This research gives us a more complete picture of what shapes a happy later life. It’s not just about one factor – it’s the combination of health, social connections, environment, and financial security that all play a part in retirement wellbeing.
“Financial security in particular, is an enabler for many of the other measures, giving people the freedom to choose where and how they want to live in later life.”
L&G said the south west of England performed well in its index in relation to housing, which considered factors such as access to residential care homes and the availability of suitable senior housing in the region.
Bristol Central in Bristol, Gloucester in Gloucestershire, and Bournemouth East in Dorset all performed well for suitable housing for those in retirement.
Meanwhile, Lancashire’s Fylde area was the top performer in terms of social and community connection, followed by Lowestoft in Suffolk and Dorking and Horley in Surrey.
This pillar considered the number of adults in the area aged 65 and over, life satisfaction levels, reported levels of happiness, and distance to the nearest station.
The East of England scored well when ranked according to the nature pillar with Castle Point, Essex, South Holland and The Deepings, Lincolnshire, and South Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire, making the top three.
This pillar involved looking at air quality, reported summer days, the percentage of addresses with private outdoor space, and the average size of private outdoor space.
London constituencies claimed the top spots when assessed against the amenities pillar with Cities of London and Westminster, Holborn and St Pancras, and Islington South and Finsbury, all making the top three.
Wales and Scotland also made the top five with Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Wales, Gwynedd) and Glasgow East taking fourth and fifth spots respectively.
This pillar considered access to chemists, supermarkets, post offices, banks, libraries, and theatres, among other amenities.
Here are the best places to retire, according to L&G’s index:
1. Chesham and Amersham, Buckinghamshire
2. Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
3. Dorking and Horley, Surrey
4. Godalming and Ash, Surrey
5. Mid Sussex
6. Woking, Surrey
7. Farnham and Bordon, Surrey
8. Esher and Walton, Surrey
9. Suffolk Coastal, Suffolk
10. East Grinstead and Uckfield, West Sussex
11. Henley and Thame, Oxfordshire
12. Sevenoaks, Kent
13. New Forest West, Hampshire
14. Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, Outer London
15. Tatton, Cheshire
16. West Dorset
17. Surrey Heath, Surrey
18. Maidenhead, Berkshire
19. Windsor, Berkshire
20. Guildford, Surrey
