Moving further north from south - did you miss anything?

[bibbedy]

We’re thinking about leaving London for maybe midlands, Birmingham etc.
We absolutely love love London. Can’t imagine being anywhere else, whenever we go to cities abroad we are always thinking ahhh but it’s not London.
Anyway London definitely does not love our budget! We were born and raised in the south but I lived in Birmingham for a year ten years ago. Back then I thought not very highly of it and really didn’t like that lack of integration in some areas, I was constantly being pushed into ‘belonging’ to a certain area (I’m mixed race but born raised here, dh white English) I’ve heard things have changed though?!

But on top of that I really really missed the weather. It rained all the time and really badly I had to forget wearing all the dainty shoes I wore down south and trade in for some better soles as I walk pretty much everywhere. I also felt myself getting very depressed at it tbh.
When I look at job prospects we could both get good salaries in say Birmingham but not sure if there’s less long term prospects moving up than there would be in London ie wider job market in London etc and basically as much as we think about it it’s a big deal to love away from London and wondered if anyone can give us an insight of anyone that’s moved out of London (whenever doesn’t have to be Birmingham but that’s where we’ve looked due to property prices) be that positive or negative!

I moved from the North to London and missed the North. I recently escaped London to be a long way away (albeit not north) and barring the extensive job opportunities there's really nothing I miss about the city itself.

I moved from London to a job in Birmingham more than 10 years ago and have never looked back!
I loved London too but can afford so much more here. I don't live in Brum but commute in from near Warwick and it's still a shorter time than commuting in London. Excellent schools too. So can't really say what living in the city itself is like. But lots of my colleagues live in areas like Harborne, Moseley etc.
I guess it depends what you're into on whether you will miss things. The only thing I miss is decent art galleries (am on train to London now for arty day out, only just over 1 hour).
In my youth London was the right place for me, but not any more, I definitely don't want to go back.

When I worked in the north for a few years, the main thing I disliked was it getting darker earlier than the south at this time of year.

For us it was the transport structure, esp. on Sundays, and the ease of access to theatres, museum exhibitions etc. but we did go from London to much smaller, think big town rather than city. I'd move back if we won the lottery but we couldn't otherwise move back now.

@LupinsNotBluebells that does concern me re the transport as I have a car but definitely try not to use it. I take the train. Or walk wherever I can.
@AvocadosBeforeMortgages I get missing home for the sake of missing where you’re from but I am really looking for people who have done this move because I’m sure if I was raised in the north I’d be a lot more used to the different English weather the further north you go and probably be the same the other way round.

I actually lived with a welsh farmer in Birmingham and when it started to pour I would despair and think oh god I wish I’d gone out earlier now, he’d be jumping about saying oh the farm would love all this rainy weather so each to their own!

@BuggertheTabloids so do you think it’s better to commute from an area such as Warwick, I hadn’t actually considered that and I like that area (from my limited visits!) have a nice day out!

I moved from London to Liverpool and don’t miss London at all, well the only thing I miss is the fact that Hamilton is only on in London!

Liverpool has everything I need, shops, amazing restaurants and bars, it’s 20 minutes to work on the train, £10 in a cab home after a night out, my local shopping street is all independent shops, and I can walk to the beach in ten minutes.

London is only just over 2 hours on the train and I often go down for meetings but I love getting back on the train at Euston at the end of the day.

I used to think London was the only place worth living in, now I know that’s not true.

"When I worked in the north for a few years, the main thing I disliked was it getting darker earlier than the south at this time of year."

Is there a pay off of wonderfully late light evenings in the summer? I know that doesn't necessarily equate, but overall do you get the same amount of daylight in a year, where ever you are?

If you didn't like Birmingham before I wouldn't think it's a good idea to move there now!

What do you like about London in particular that you don't get in other cities? There's not much to be done about the weather!

Anywhere north of the m25 is perpetually dark and wet, it is racist, there is no culture and no tarmac on roads or pavements so you have to wear hobnailed boots at all times rather than the dainty footwear of Londoners.

Everincreasingfrequency not really, as most of the benefit seems to be getting lighter in the mornings a bit earlier, which you seldom get much benefit from. Daylight to 10pm v 930pm does not seem much, whereas 3.30pm v 4pm in the winter seems a lot.

@PlayingForKittens 😂 laughing out loud at your post!
London is nice enough, but I’d choose Liverpool or Manchester over it any day!

The trains in from Warwick area are pretty good though I don't use them much (I drive). I did yesterday though and it was just over 20mins from Warwick parkway to central Brum. Also trains from coventry area are fast too

I would probably miss being near the sea the most as I've lived in the Midlands most of me life despite my best efforts not to. Have you considered Coventry as I think it's on some ways better connected than Birmingham. There are direct train s to London and it is small enough that you aren't far from the countryside. It is also nearer Warwick, Stratford and Oxford for other places to visit

I’m sure if I was raised in the north I’d be a lot more used to the different English weather the further north you go and probably be the same the other way round.

Nope, I don't think it works this way.

I write that as someone who grew up in the North but now lives in London. The difference in weather between London and the North never fails to shock me (like the soft Southern jessie I have become). I miss where I grew up but OMG it is just so damp! And cold! It gets me every time. There's a reason why everything's so bloody green.

I realise part of my problem when I go back up North is that I am completely inappropriately dressed. What works for skipping around in central London does NOT work for up North. There's a reason why everyone north of Milton Keynes all seem to wear anoraks and boots as I have found out several times to my cost. It seems a beige cashmere overcoat and limited edition handmade shoes from a Shoreditch designer don't work so well in horizontal rain and mud. (Yes, I should have known better but 'southerness' appears to have seeped into my bones and removed all considerations of practicality when dressing).

So what time does it get dark in the amazing London than?

Yes its just called called and dark up north all year round the amazing London by contrast is bathed in sunlight all year round

Cold and dark*

Yes, the trains from Leamington and Warwick are about 40 minutes into Brum.

Solihull is another good option for you. Schools are good, and train is about 30 minutes and they're very frequent too, every 15 minutes or so at peak times.

Your other option might be Kidderminster out towards Worcester, again it's 40 minutes train into Brum. I adore Worcester, it's a great little city.

Wondered when you’d turn up @AamdC

Love a good London bash you do.

Only whem people sttart saying ridiculous nonsense about the North PaulHollywood....

I live in Scotland. Yes it rains more (you can get all four seasons in the same day) and is darker in wintertime, but we don't suffer the same extremes of heatwaves and the air quality is much better.

It isn’t all wet north of London. Check out this map of average rainfall - there are lots of drier places, mostly on the east side of the country.

We're not called 'hardened northerners' for nowt.

But I agree with maybe Solihull or Warwick areas. Both within easy reach of Brum and direct to London. Still lots to do, just different.

I am not a true Northerner and would move back down in an instance but it isn't all bad. We can get Amazon deliveries and all-sorts.

24 hour public transport. That's all I miss. Love it up north after living in London for 15 years.

I need to find an FE college for my difficult teenager though she would say I am a difficult mother I have to jump to her whim like now gotta go to the shops aggg she is calling cant say no either as she is hungry and has a li
mited palet however I need to rent our property and move if possible have lived in Stockport and its a no go she has bad memories of the town and what happened so anywhere else there may be a good college and I can find busniess opportunites I am a therapist. Any ideas mums