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!

Why don’t you try somewhere like Bristol instead? Or Southampton?

the only things are really the slightly drier weather (although I was pleased to be in the North during the summer's heatwave), properly integrated public transport, and cheap Turkish cafes. I have to make my own lahmacun .

Hmmm maybe I’m still a little fair weathered for up north (ie north of the M25 )
All this talk of damp and cold has made me go turn my heating up. I think I will have a visit of some of the areas mentioned on here as I’ve never been to some of them.

@something2say Dorset coast is supposed to be beautiful but I don’t think we’ll find jobs down that way

Just stay east of the Pennines and you'll be fine. It barely rains where I live. Like ever.

Danglingmod

We live just East of the Pennines and get loads of rain. Maybe we would need to be further East.

"My budget with London salaries and London school fees is £800k"

Do your children have to go to private schools? Are the state schools in your catchment area that bad?

I miss my parents and wider family.

I think I'm 40 miles more east than you, Lonicera. We've had some rain this week...

OP your budget puts you in line with Dorridge to buy a good 5 bed in that area. Walkable to train and catchment for one of best comprehensive schools in England.

Or there's a choice of private in Solihull, and Kind Edward foundation grammar schools in Birmingham.

I think it'd be ideal in terms of meeting lots of requirements. Dorridge is very "naice". Cricket clubs etc....lots of celeb types live in the area too.

£800K! I'm pretty sure you could find a nice house in zone 4 plus have £300k left over for school fees. Or somewhere like Bromley/Bexley / choice of independent schools or grammars.

Cupboards? Are you on glue?

You can get something lovely for 800k in zone 2/3/4

This is in a lovely road right next to manor park, ten minutes from Blackheath/Greenwich and 8 minutes walk from hither green train station - 14 minutes to Charing Cross

And this ones even better as you can walk in ten minutes to Blackheath station - direct trains to Charing Cross, Victoria, Cannon Street (and it's firmly into Blackheath which is 'posho')

Not on glue @LaurieFairyCake but I see your point and thanks for the links. It’s more that we were thinking a bigger house and less London pressures as well such as every job we’ve had in London expects you to work 24/7 7 days a week even if you’re assigned 9-5 min to fri and when I worked in Birmingham the attitude wasn’t the same but in a good way.

The cupboards we speak of are based in West London... tbh I honestly think we are voluntarily ‘trapped’ in the category of thinking there’s nowhere else quite like London so perhaps we’ll stay wrapped up in our dainty shoes and ownership of one household umbrella for now...

Yes, West London is pricy. Really try visiting other areas before you make such a big move. Greenwich, Blackheath, hither green, dulwich, forest hill - they're all pretty nice now. I'm sure other Mumsnetters would recommend their areas too.

I've no knowledge of east London but on these threads there's always folks saying Walthamstow is lovely.

If you're looking to work in Brum but not live in Brum, as an alternative to Solihull and Warwick, Lichfield is a really pretty town 30 minutes north of the city by train. Trains run into Brum every 15 minutes or so.

God you'd get a mansion for that budget where I live and have money left over for school fees and I live in an expensive area in the north.

My budget with London salaries and London school fees is £800k but when I’m looking at the cupboards we might be able to afford in London

For the first time on a “London vs Elsewhere” thread I’m dumbfounded.

That’s total BS! You could get a three bed in Kingston/Surbiton and a four bed a bit further out in Weybridge for that.

We are in the “just under” category, stalled at £600K meaning we can’t make the leap to a 3 bed where we are that’s close enough to town to feel connected and not stuck out in the suburbs.

You need to start looking further afield than Holland Park/Hampstead if you want to come back to London 😂

Birmingham isn't in the North?! I know it's obviously north if London but it's in the Midlands!

These threads about North/South are always hilarious. Some people need to have a good look at a map!