new forest

[TAPSHOES]

Hey Guys were thinking of moving to the New Forest... We're 31 with 2 kids.

Can you advice me on the following..

Other than Brockenhurst where else is good for families in the New Forest that would avoid the silly traffic but still have the Forest feel.. our children will most likely go to Walhampton school so dont want to be too far from there.

What have property prices done over the last 3-5 years? Is the growth decent?

Ethnic diversity - we're of mixed heritage husband is Caribbean sounds like a silly question but is cultural diversity evident at all?

What have been the biggest adjustments to leaving London?

Schools -looking at Walhampton anyone heard anything about it good or bad?

Anyone's hubby commute into Canary Wharf? are seats available??

Any help to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated

[Fragglewump]

The new forest is very pretty but will be a massive culture shock from London. We moved to a little village with a population of a few thousand and it had a fantastic primary school, a pub and a shop. Over the years the pub ranged from dire to okay. It is a beautiful place to love and my soul sings every time I drive past ponies and pigs but it is a bit dull after a while. We found the isolation a bit testing as the kids grew up - no takeaways would deliver to us, the buses are shocking so the kids rely on you for lifts and in the summer everywhere is busy. Brockenhurst is an especially busy place so be prepared to be gridlocked all summer. Property prices have just started to recover recently back to levels pre 2008 crash. We love it here but after 8 years have just moved half an hour away to be nearer restaurants, pubs etc and so the kids can get buses into bournemouth etc. As far as cultural diversity goes - not really. I think there was one mixed heritage family in our village who then moved to America. I don't know walhampton school but the new forest has lots of outstanding state schools which are worth a look. A commute to Canary Wharf is quite a trek and if you need the train then Brockenhurst is pretty much your only option. It's beautiful here but a lot less going on.

[TAPSHOES]

Soooo helpful thanks very much for taking the time to respond fragglehump :)
Yes I can imagine it will be a massive culture shock. We're mainly going for Walhampton school to be honest but will definitely explore the local states. Think I've just had enough of London-we are holding onto or London house just in case we need to back pedal. I think after primary school for the LO's we'd probably move on again.

Question do you think you would have moved back to London if you could have?

What areas do you think have a bit more going on for families and a takeaway service lol. Lymington for example?

Did you consider Winchester by any chance?

I think you're right about the commute. Trying to convince hubby to quit and work with me from home lol

[Fragglewump]

We made the right choice but I'm a bit of a home bird and a culture vulture so although I love baking, jam making and chickens in the garden I miss the excitement of london and shows, museums and hustle and bustle on tap. It depends what sort of people you are and how self aware you are I think. Lymington is nice but gets swamped by tourists and is mainly old farts - big waitrose though! We didn't consider Winchester as we wanted to move further down the m3 but have heard good things about it and they have gin factory tours! To be honest you get out what you put in and it can be great. Sometimes the small nature of it can feel a bit claustrophobic especially in a little village where anything unusual becomes local gossip and everyone knows each other and is related. But with small kids that small village feels very safe and it's great that they can walk to the local shop or meet friends at the park. Our social life took a real hammering though as we had to drive everywhere and taxis cost a fortune. I really wouldn't want to do that commute although my husband drives for hours every day to work in London, kent, bath etc. We almost moved to brockenhurst and it is lovely - we found out that the house we were going to buy was subject to flooding so we pulled out. I would just spend a weekend driving around all the different areas and see which feel nicest. Have a drink in the local pubs and see what you think. Good luck!

[chicaguapa]

Could you compromise with somewhere in the north of the New Forest like Fordingbrige and then your DH could commute into London from Salisbury?

[Fragglewump]

Good point chicaguapa - the train from Salisbury is a much better/quicker option! In fact Salisbury itself is nice - arts stuff going on and some good restaurants.

[SugarPlumTree]

I don't want to put you off but live in a market town close to the New Forest and have been really shocked at the level of racist comments I hear. Depressingly it's filtering down to their children too in some cases.

[TAPSHOES]

Thanks guys.
Will look into Salisbury thank you hadn't considered it.

In terms of the type of family we are we're pretty laid back i work on my business from home in the week in the mornings then tend to go for a walk /coffee then the school run and do it again every day... So I could pretty much be anywhere. Weekend we would cycle but too dangerous in London/walk go out for lunch... We do like the cinema /go to the theatre once/twice a year and that's about it. The simple things make us happy. We do travel a lot Far East maybe that's made me crave the slower pace of life.

Sad to hear about the racism this is life I guess my children will be coming back and forth to London to see family so will understand how narrow minded some people are and would be exposed to cultural diversity regularly. Wouldn't let it put me off moving somewhere to be honest.

If I were to travel from Salisbury to Lymington for the school would the journey be a nightmare?

Thanks again everyone!

[Fragglewump]

I think that journey would really hack you off to be honest. In my experience the older they get the more trips to school you end up doing for clubs/events etc. There are some good independent schools in and around Salisbury though.

[Ant13665]

Hi Tapshoes, did you send your kids to Walhampton in the end? If so, did it prove to be a good choice? Thank you.

[TAPSHOES]

This is a really late response so sorry. But as I keep getting lots of private messages asking if we took the leap, esp from lots of people especially mixed heritage families, I’m pleased to say we did. Best decision ever, the kids are thriving and we are loving living in the New Forest. ;)