Where would you move to?

[snoozylulu]

NC for this as it’s all extremely outing!

My mum is Australian, as am I, but I now live in London with my partner and have no intention of moving (am a UK citizen via my dad, as are all of my siblings).

Mum is in her mid-50s and is almost through her divorce. She is keen to move out of our small, semi-rural Australian community and live somewhere a bit closer to me, bringing my teenage siblings with her. I’m 31, the oldest by some margin, and intend on having children in the next few years.

London is a bit expensive and she’d like somewhere a bit less busy. I think she has around £400k to play with for a mortgage free house, she’s an artist by training but now works in education. Siblings very into nature and one wants to be a farmer. Up until now she has lived near the sea, too. Dad is not keen to move but is happy for her to move with kids.

Where in the UK would you move to if you were starting afresh? Any and all suggestions appreciated! (As well as any tips from someone who has been through the visa process as the parents of a British child…)

Where in London are you? Which mainline station is closest?

How many bedrooms does she need for her £400k?

Herefordshire.
Love the terrain and everything about that county.

@MintJulia three bedrooms I think (two siblings). I’m in SW London but anything on the Victoria line is close for me so mainline stations not really an issue, plus we have a car

Anywhere in particular in Herefordshire? What’s it like for educational jobs? She’s not a teacher, currently a librarian so could look at something similar

Can she move here? I thought she'd need a visa unless one of her parents were from the UK and it's quite an involved process.

I ❤️ Yorkshire. Moved here from London and never looked back. Hands down best place to live. If someone told me to move, I would choose Scotland, but I intend to live where I am.

£400 doesn't go that far in SE England (depending on how many bedrooms etc). My first thoughts when you described her were Totnes (arty little town in Devon - quite vibrant, with a train station and near the sea)

Or somewhere around Cirencester for your sibling who wants to be a farmer. Cirencester Agricultural College is famous

Norfolk or Suffolk spring immediately to mind.

Herefordshire is the most rural county in England and it's not exactly close to London (it's on the border with Wales).

OP if your DM wants to live near or by the sea again and you live in SW London the most obvious places to look are East and West Sussex or Hampshire. The South Downs NP is really beautiful. A quick look at Zoopla and there are houses under £400k with three (or sometimes more) bedrooms in quite a few of the coastal towns. I don't know the area particularly well, but I'm sure there are MNers from that area who could provide some local info about schools, areas to avoid, etc.

@mondaytosunday yes I believe so. It’s complicated but siblings are under 18 and British so I believe she can if they move too

Thanks all for the suggestions!

Bristol would tick a few boxes, she could get a three bedroom apartment in a nice area, or a house in a not so nice area.