Mumsnet Talk

Hurricanes hardly ever happen

Fairylea, agree they are nice, I have visited both but they are too small and don't really appeal. We are a mixed race family so don't want to be somewhere with very few Asian or black people or somewhere too far away from a big city.

Diss and banham are very nice areas as I said and houses are generally around the £130-140k mark. Plenty for children, zoos, parks, countryside etc. The most crime we ever get is a duck being run over.

Thanks blanksquit. I am going to make a shortlist and plan some shortbreaks to thoseno aces on the list next year.

Yes, I know that there are some lovely places in E Anglia but they are also the expensive places (Cambridge, Ely). We have no need to stay in E Anglia so I am open to any recommendations. Houses on our street are worth £130000, we couldn't get anywhere near this sized property in a decent town for that money. Not that I know of anyway.....

What about Shrewsbury? Cheap rents, cheap to buy, reasonable schools, quite pleasant. Not much work though but really pretty.

So, come on op, what is your budget and where would you like to live? Mumsnet is great at finding places.

Oh I know, I have a certain wonky old fondness for Basingstoke! Ddad (rip) lived near Basingstoke for many years, in a couple of beautiful villages.

Minty- even Basingstoke has some nice areas!

Our part of North Dorset is lovely, with affordable properties, good schools (both primary and secondary). But everywhere has its poorer, run down areas - you can't avoid them and it would be wrong to think that you could move away to a better place because there probably isn't one.

its raccey ;)

Wisbech? Come on, give us a clue.

i am from one of the towns mentioned on the first page..

i drink energy drinks.. some times on the school run... i find people are less judgy of that then when i take the vodka bottle.

ALL towns. have a "rough" area. and a nicey part.

Basingstoke is in Hampshire, right?

Diablo banham zoo is amazing isn't it!

Worth living there for that alone!

Fairylea I LOVE Banham Zoo - when DS was little I used to practically live there.

So, have I got this right? Despite your superior aspirations, you cannot afford to live in an area more expensive than the one you live in now? Along with the people drinking Moutain Dew?

You want to try East Sussex. It's Camomile tea all the way. Mind you we pay a fortune to live here.

I had a daft idea I could maybe get a flat in Winchester (for the schools) and we would suck it up and use parks instead of having a garden.

Even the flats were out of my price range.

Nice areas in south Norfolk that are not too expensive... diss, bungay, roydon, lopham, banham... we have a 3 bed semi detached house in one of those areas for £140k which after London prices is a bargain.

Mmmmn, or Aldershot.

Totton sounds like Trumpton.

If you are serious OP, what is your budget and what are you requirements for a home?

Totton makes Shirley look classy!

I do beroccas every morning.

It's a right buzz.