Would you move if you felt lonely?

[lking679]

Bit random, I’m a mum of 3… oldest is 5 years.
We have a house in London but I think I’m lonely. I have a few mum friends but I’m closest to my family really. They’re in the north west. With flexible working it’s possible I could move back and it be okay.

But it feels quite a thing to leave London and I worry about it. For my job, and my DD’s opportunities in future (they can make it down there themselves obviously but renting cost me a fortune in my 20’s so feel it would be better for them to have family home there).
There’s also loads to do in London especially when they’re older.

However the area we could afford in the north west is nice, lots of country and beach walks. Good schools. 30 minutes to Liverpool, Chester and 1hr to Manchester. Any my sister, brother and parents are there and we get on well. Especially me and my sister. I often feel a bit miserable in London and I see on NHS mental health page they list connection with people as #1 for happiness so I wonder if I would be happier moving? DH would be up for it and gets on well with my family but it’s a one way thing. Stamp duty costs and school places would rule out moving back. With my mortgage I can’t rent my house out or we might try it first by renting.

Ooh, that's a tough one, @lking679 !
I was all prepared to say loneliness is a state of mind & you can be lonely anywhere.. but you do seem to have really thought about this.
I moved back to my home city 3 yrs ago - no regrets, but I'm happy within myself so could live anywhere.
I think if you ARE going to do it, do it now before your kids are deeply entrenched in schools etc.. plus they should always have work in the future (and things to do) being near our major northern cities.
If DH is up for it, why not?
Do let us know what you decide! :-)

London is not the be all and end all. There are many cities in the UK where the opportunities are equally as good if not better. Why would you stay somewhere you're miserable?

I actually like London a lot and there are many more jobs there, even in my own field, than the North West. So I have to take that as fact.
And I’m worried about ‘you take yourself with you wherever you go.” Feels like it would be easier to get on with things where I am but… I do relax and have banter with family that I just don’t do with friends.
I was thinking of doing an air bnb over Easter and seeing how it goes. But that’s the closest I could get to renting.