Do you know any villages or small towns I could live in as an ethnic minority?

[amidreaming]

I hope my title doesn't offend anyone.

Due to personal circumstances, I really want/need to move. I dream of living in a village, or perhaps a market town, but I don't know where would be ok given I'm an ethnic minority and I'm also a Muslim woman who wears a headscarf. I do get stared at when visiting the countryside, and have been yelled at and even almost attacked once. So, I'm aware there will be some places I can't consider, but would love to find somewhere that would accept me. I dream of buying a home I can escape to, somewhere I can go on country walks, or perhaps somewhere near the coast. I imagine a little cottage somewhere like Grantchester, with a view of the local church from my garden!! I know! I'm asking for a lot! I did see somewhere just like this on rightmove, but it was out of my price range, which is another issue. If I could get somewhere for £150k, that would be perfect, otherwise I could stretch to perhaps £300k with a loan.

I don't need to be near schools, but would like to be within a two/three-hour drive of London, if possible.

Would welcome any suggestions.

[changedmynameforlockdown]

As you are on mumsnet presumably you are on other social media, i would try and connect online with other hijab wearing ladies and see if you could ask your question there....towns near universities can be more diverse I find...

[changedmynameforlockdown]

I think your limiting factor us wanting to be within 3 hours of London, look north..the Midlands could be in budget if you would settle for a small cottage

[Chicchicchicchiclana]

Looking forward to seeing links for a cottage in a village like Grantchester, with a view of the church, within 2-3 hours drive of London (so that's no further north than Ipswich, no further west than Bath) for £150k! Bring it on!

[Itisbetter]

Devon, but probably too far.

[Thisisworsethananticpated]

I also agree to cast a wider net than MN
In my humble opinion .... it’s not the best place to ask on such a matter
I a would be happy to be proven wrong
Happy hunting

[cologne4711]

You might get a few ideas from this thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3751011-are-there-any-diverse-market-towns

[nevernotstruggling]

Leicestershire is what you want

[Cheeseycheeseycheesecheese]

Leicestershire or Cambridgeshire would be good options for you
Also Lincolnshire/Cambridgeshire border, so somewhere like Market Deeping would possibly be a good choice, it's more towny than village, but you've got places like Tallington and Barham, however they would be in your loan budget.

Happy hunting!!

[Chicchicchicchiclana]

Is Devon friendly to non-white people? That is absolutely not my experience of living there.

[nevernotstruggling]

@Chicchicchicchiclana Devon is not tolerant I live there too!

[madcatladyforever]

I live in a village in Somerset that is quite diverse, it's popular with Londeners for 2nd homes and the two shops are both run by Indian families and they seem quite happy here when I've spoken to them.
My half siblings and stepfather are Indian. One looks european, the other one is very dark skinned. They feel perfectly comfortable here.
Other places like Bridgwater, Tauton, Yeovil I would avoid.
It's a two/three hour drive or a shorter train ride from Castle Cary which is also very popular with the London crowd and when I've been shopping there I've seen loads of different nationalities.
I work for the local NHS in Glastonbury and we have lots of muslim staff.
The house prices are very cheap, I bought a three bedroom house for £210,000.
Villages around the midlands are pretty good too, I was brought up around there and Northamptonshire is very diverse with lots of lovely affordable village homes.
My cousin commutes to London easily from there and it would probably be my first choice if I was you.

[amidreaming]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions and the link. I shall do a little more exploring!

I would consider places farther from London. Two-three hours away would have been great, but not absolutely essential.

@Chicchicchicchiclana £150k would mean I wouldn't need a mortgage. I would be willing to go up to £300k. It's not much, I know, but I only need something small.

Devon is beautiful, but it's also where we were called 'darkies'...

[Standupthisisnotateaparty]

This thread is quite heartbreaking.

[amidreaming]

@madcatladyforever That sounds interesting. If you don't mind saying which village, could you PM me the name? I hadn't considered Somerset but will look into it. Which villages in the Midlands/Northamptonshire were you thinking of?

[Bubblebee7]

Hi. The thing is with villiage a they do tend to be ethnic minority and they are known to be cliquey. As they are small everybody tends to know each other which can be a positive. Do you just like the look of a villiage or can you actually imagine living in one?
Would you consider Manchester?

[Ivycrescent]

£300k is loads outside of London.

[amidreaming]

Standupthisisnotateaparty - I used to get down about the difficulties I face as an ethnic minority and as a Muslim, but it is what it is, unfortunately. I just can't do everything I would want to because it might not be safe for me on my own or I may not be welcome.

[GrumpyHoonMain]

Leicestershire is good - some of the villages near southern Leicester are really close to mosques too. But you might not get a traditional village vibe as the villages closest to the city tend to be cityslicker, London commuter types. A positive is that there are a lot of professional Muslims (Pakistani and Indian mostly) so you wouldn’t get a lot of the racism.

[PlanDeRaccordement]

Newmarket in Suffolk has a large Muslim population due to the Sheiks and their racing horses. Snailwell and Exning are two pretty villages right by Newmarket.

[amidreaming]

Bubblebee - I'm not really a city person, but I guess it's more that I'd love to be somewhere closer to nature, in the countryside. I also love horse-riding and would love to be able to do that more often. Perhaps a small town with all that on the doorstep?

[PlanDeRaccordement]

Oh, commuting is 2hrs by train via Cambridge to London.

[IchWill]

I'm in Milton Keynes. We have villages and little towns dotted on the border of MK and I've seen good ethnic mixes in them.

Stony Stratford, Hanslope, Silverstone, Towcester, Woburn Sands are some examples.

We also have lovely villages INSIDE of MK. Such as Simpson, Bradwell, MK Village, Loughton. They are like the rest of the MK and are very diverse. I live in one of them, we have a lovely established community and people of all races and religions. One of the reasons I like living here.

Wolverton is a small cornerstone town in MK with a very strong Asian community, mainly Muslim, there's a couple of mosques and the Victorian houses are large. Although parking can be difficult if you don't have a drive round the back.

Plus the bonus of MK is its location. Just 30 minutes by train to London, an hour to Birmingham. Oxford and Cambridge are not too far either.

Despite its joke reputation, MK is lovely. We've tons of green space, lakes, canals, rivers, woods etc.

Feel free to DM me of you want any information.

[Destroyedpeople]

Aberystwyth. Hell of a journey though...

[ToastyFingers]

I'm in South Wales, on the coast. We're futher from London but definitely a friendly bunch and you'd find plenty in your budget.

[inthethickofit19]

Come to Edinburgh! Beautiful place. 1 hour plane ride from London