If you left London, do you regret it?

[Hareyy]

Both DP and I are Cornish. We’ve spent almost a decade of our lives living in London. Live in a small flat in Z1 and walk everywhere. Do a lot of cultural things. But feels like we’re starting to yearn for space. We can’t afford anything more than a one bed here, and the thought of living in suburbia gives me the creeps.

So we’re thinking of leaving London for somewhere more affordable. Back to Falmouth? To Edinburgh? To Bristol?

If you left London, do you regret it?

I'm sometimes tempted when I see what my flat would buy outside London. But a couple of friends who sold up really regret it. One has move back to London, but couldn't afford to buy in her old neighbourhood.

I’m in z4 now & live 8mins walk from the station & high street which is closer than my flat in z3. What I like most about it is the fact that all the stuff for my dc is on the doorstep so extracurriculars are much easier. In my previous area it was great for babies & toddlers but we would have to travel to other places as they got older for certain things. If we didn’t have dc that would obviously not be important. Although my flat had a garden I do really appreciate the extra house & garden space with the hot summers we have had in recent years.

I have worked locally for the last 8 years which I love, got sick of the same commute (which got worse every yr) since I was 17!

Yes, I regret leaving.

We have more space and it's been best for he DC, but I really, really miss it. I've made my peace with it now, but if I could go back in time, I would make different choices.

I would suggest you try to get over your snobbery about the "suburbs" and look at different places, further out from the centre in London that have more space.

There are loads of places in London that are vibrant, fabulous places to live that give easy access to the centre that are hardly the suburbs, but where you'll get a lot more space for the price of your Z1 flat.

And it's not just about space. There are so many more job opportunities in London and the salaries are much better. Moving out has made me poorer.

Having said that, I'd seriously consider Edinburgh, but only if you can cope with the weather. There is a huge difference.

No! We didn't move to another city though. We moved to a village in Oxfordshire and then eventually to Cumbria! I enjoyed my 20s in London but was glad to move away and would never live in a big city again.

How much do you think your budget would be? If you share it, people could give suggestions of areas - in London and outside - which might work for you.

We had a similar experience to this. After having DC, we made far less use of all the London benefits e.g. restaurants, shows, events.

We moved out to the suburbs (30 min train to a Central station). We do enjoy museums etc but it's more of a 'once a month' thing. I socialise after work, again once a month or so. The rest of the time we are more local. I do miss the range of restaurants we had. I appreciate suburbs aren't for you though.

Do you have DC?

That's the one thing that keeps me from being full of regret, although I miss London myself.

My DC love the town we live in and I can see it's been good for them.

I loved living in London but once I moved home to start my family I was so happy I did. No regrets at all.

Left London for Kent village. No regrets at all. Wish we’d done it sooner. So much peace

I lived in zone 2/3 for 8 years. Absolutely loved it and made the most of London while I was there. Then I moved to a small town half an hour outside London and commuted in. I gave up that job in 2017 and now only go into London a handful of times a year. Although there are elements I miss, I don’t miss living there over all and I wouldn’t move back even if someone gave me a flat there!

I wouldn’t want to live in any other city though. I much prefer countryside.

I did consider moving to the coast and sometimes regret it, ultimately we decided to stay for family as DH is also a Londoner.

no but i love to visit it

Left London for Yorkshire.

Absolutely zero regrets at all.

I love visiting London, but would hate to live there. The only thing I miss is the excellent public transport.

Nope- not one bit. I love London to visit for the day but I found living there to be really stressful and polluted.

I now live in Brighton and have the best of both worlds - London is only 50 mins away by train if I want to visit for the day, I have the beach right on my doorstep and stunning fields right behind me. There is also loads to do here and community spirit is wonderful.

I miss the buzz of London and being anonymous in a crowd. Hopping on the tube and being somewhere different in five minutes is great.

I live in a seaside town now but find it dull.

my sister left London for Scotland she's happier than ever and buying her first home

Edinburgh affordable 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Left London (zone 2) for zone 6 suburban hell due to a combination of family needs and work. Then moved again to a tiny town in the south west. I hated the suburb / the worst of everything and so boring but loving the tiny town. Lots going on and the sea on our doorstep. Space inside and out and a lovely community. We did our research carefully and chose somewhere without lots of holiday homes which has a younger population than somewhere right on the coast.

I lived there for 10 years and left nearly 40 years ago. I never regretted it and don't even go back to visit.

I find it funny when people talk about the pace of life in London. I live in zone 2 and honestly my life is pretty quiet and boring 😄 I mean, I know I can get to the West End or a Tate in 40 minutes, choose from a million parks to walk in, go to whatever shop or market I can imagine etc, but most of the time I’m in my neighbourhood just ambling up the road to get a sandwich or going grocery shopping.

No dont miss it one bit. Lived London for ten yrs, moved to bristol ten years ago.

Great city, decent house, countryside close by, London easy to get go.

London has so much going on: career opportunities, diversity, food, nightlife, and that constant energy

London is not the only place that has so much going on though! I dont know why people assume that London is the only place in the UK with multiple things to do. Where I live there are loads of places of interest and things to do.

I suppose everyone’s normal is different, though. I was hardly ever at home when I lived in zone 2, and I was only out in my neighbourhood if I needed groceries.

Because there’s usually no comparison in terms of choice and quality.

Yes, that's my point: being in London doesn't automatically mean you have a fast-paced or glamorous existence.