To leave this rural idyll for the Big Smoke.?

[QueeferSutherland]

Am I?

I live in a wee village in Hampshire, minutes walk from an "excellent/outstanding" school, a short drive from friends & family, but DH & I are thinking of moving to London.

Neither of us have lived there, but it would be good for DH's job, and I'd like to be, well, nearer stuff.

Are we mad?

Mumi, I live between Winchester, Pompey & S'ton.

I hear nice things about Greenwich & Stoke Newington too?

Stoke Newington is very nice - it strikes a great balance between being very slightly Bodeny and near nice parks, but still being Hackney, so it's quite trendy and 'real' (by real, I mean you'll get the most amazing food really cheap, including at a Turkish place where Gilbert & George eat every night, and great music venues, etc.). If you're looking at Hackney you should also consider the Victoria Park area - it's very sought after, very beautiful (the Park is immense and a huge local community meeting-point, and beloved by everyone), and rarely for Hackney is near a tube (Bethnal Green).

Also - one other thing - now that I've lived here for so long (coming up for 10 years) I can't imagine what life must be like to have to travel and make real efforts to get to world class art/museums/music/events etc. Of course, there is plenty going on all over the UK, and I wouldn't say for a minute that all culture outside London is worthless, but there's something incredibly special about being a bus ride away from, say, the British Museum, or the Barbican, or Borough Market.

I've also noticed the difference between kids brought up in London and those brought up in small towns - I have lots of nieces and nephews that come and visit, and they tend to be a bit alarmed by the Tube, the hustle and bustle etc., whereas kids brought up here wouldn't be fazed by anything (except possibly a herd of cows).

Greenwich? I thought you wanted to live in London?

Just wondering though - how much could you bear down-sizing on your home or would it not be that much of a problem for you?

We're in SW London - it's lovely, not busy, very very green and living by the river is great. Lots of things to do locally (parks, museums, etc) and central london 20 minutes away (not on a sweaty tube but a very easy to use overground train). Lots of friends and family close by or passing through and tons of activities etc for the kids.

But...don't move here if you want to avoid conversations about house extensions/Boden sale/school places - i would swap my right arm not to have another chat about schools.

There are fab primary (difficult but not impossible to get into) schools but secondaries are another matter so be very careful where you choose to live (Fulham isn't great for state schools). Oh, and house prices are astronomical and big gardens are rare

Stoke Newington is nice and more down to earth than SW London but it's too land-locked for my liking.

We're moving out.

I love London but we're moving. The only friends who have reasonable sized houses in nice areas have paid £2m for them. If you don't have that kind of cash, then you're looking at a flat or a house in a not so nice area or being quite far out. I think Wimbledon is miles from anywhere and you probably don't bother coming into town much - to me if you're going to live here, you need to be in zone 2 or you just get all the crap and none of the benefits. But it's very personal obviously. And schools are an issue - there are reasonable primary schools where I am (Camden) but the secondary school near me is horrible.

I like Stoke Newington a lot (used to live there) but I think it may be slightly alarming doe a non-Londoner

I moved from a tiny village in the north of Scotland where I grew up, to Barcelona. I loved it for a while, but it just wasn't home (if you get what I mean?). The different country thing wasn't an issue, but the city was... I'm just not a city girl!

Why not give it a try and if it's not for you, you can always move out again. There's no shame in coming back. And if you do settle in, which I'm sure you would, then great!

I lived in Wimbledon for years and went into london weekly,I do think greenwich and dulwich are lovely and not too scary!

Totally agree about Zone 2 LB. We were in Zone 3, NE London for a bit, and it was Hell on Earth.

I sometimes have the 'ooh I'd like a bigger home' debate, but finally conclude that the size of a living room (or whatever) can't compete with the pace, the brilliant people (can't move without falling over actors, eccentric defence lawyers, composers, bonkers artists etc.), the culture...all that.

Might well change my mind in years to come, mind (am comparatively young).

If your DH is working 14+ hour days then he needs a new job. What's important in his life? His family or work?

I think you're off your trolley to consider moving from what sounds like a lovely village to London. We occasionaly jump on the train to London and are always pleased to come back to rural Sussex. The air is clean, people are more friendly, it's safer, it's quieter. The quality of life is much better.

I used to work those kind of hours MisterW - serious money but no life.

Obviously when I said 'doe a non-Londoner, I meant to

I have lived in zone 3 but really didn't 'use' London. I've been here over 25 years and I am sort of over it I have to say. If I were younger and didn't have kids, I'd definitely stay

We are moving up from Dorset, I will miss the beach and the forest terribly, but like you DPs job is non commutable and we only see him a couple of times a week.

We are moving to Northfields so its not even London really. But it's near to work for DP, the schools are great and we have friends there. We will be renting though, I am a student and expecting another baby so the house prices are pie in the sky for us at the moment.

Hello
We moved from London to Surrey last year for family reasons. We were very near to Liverpool Street. I miss it terribly and if we could we would move back tomorrow. We have rented our house out and have now put it up for sale. DS who is 8, burst into tears when I told him the house is being sold .
It's a big thing to do, but go for I say go for it!

Ps Fulham's a bit poncey!!!!

Oh, I can guess whereabouts you'd be. It can be pretty in some of those parts of Hampshire, but not pretty enough for how isolated it is in comparison to the rest, so I'd probably be thinking about moving to London too

We're in Ealing, which has amazing transport links into Central London and the City, but has the perks of lovely green spaces, good schools and nice houses, all at good value prices (for London that is).

DP and I both work in London, so obviously spend time in the centre at work, but often I avoid going into central London apart from work, since the general business and stress of it all is something I'm keen to avoid. I'm not a massive museum or gallery lover, so am not really bothered that all the amazing galleries etc are only up the road (though DP adores all the cultural stuff and laps it up!)

I have friends in ealing and acton Its great

No, you're not mad, and it depends what you're used to in Hampshire - ie. do you spend a lot of time in the New Forest, or sailing etc, so will you feel claustrophobic in the city or miss outdoor life? It sounds like you quite fancy a bit of city action really. We have done the opposite and I could never go back, will always live by the sea now, but that was my dream.

We're in Muswell Hill and contrary to a previous post, we are not all Boden-wearing alpha-mummies wittering on about extensions. Most people around here are Guardian reading, creative types, albeit affluent Guardian reading creative types!

Admittedly, Muswell Hill is not "edgy" which probably makes it v. uncool to more hardened urbanites. What it does have, however, is masses of accesible and varied green space, outstanding primary schools and state secondary schools which people chew off their right arm to get into. Transport links into the City & the West End are surprisingly good given that it is not on the tube. The overground station at Alexandra Palace takes you into Moorgate or you can change at Finsbury Park/ Highbury to get into the West End.

We have toyed with leaving London, but have decided that we have the best of both worlds here. My children can climb trees, explore woodland and walk to school, but they also have world class museums & galleries on their doorstep.

Thank you all for your replies!
Keep 'em coming!

It's the being near the museums etc that appeals, and not having to get into the blasted car all the time.

I have a cousin in Ealing, so that way might be a go-er.

Mister, DH's hours are par for the course in his line of work.

Same for us RE: work hours QS , but DPs job also makes him incredibly happy &payswell

If you go for outer reaches, make sure there is overground as well as underground or you're looking at 45 mins+ to get into town and I promise you, that is no better than living in Hampshire really. My criterion is 20 mins max by tube because you will actually go to the museums/parks/exhibitions and, if it all gets too much, you can get a cab home for about £15.

"We live in Hampshire and dh commutes every day. It's a pain (and not what we originally intended - long story involving job loss etc) BUT the quality of life for the dcs is undoubtedly better".

I disagree with this.

Oh don't talk rubbish with your £2million houses LadyBiscuit!

I'm talking about lovely 5 bedroom houses in very nice bits of North London. You can't get a nice house for under about 800k in most nice parts of London. I don't want to live in Crystal Palace personally

Queefer - how big does the house need to be?

Your DH may earn more money, but buying a house will cost a lot of money too. I am from London and miss it a lot (esp when I have to travel just to go to the cinema) but I really wouldn't want to bring up my children there (unless I suddenly became rich and could move to Knightsbridge).

I think you need to take a seious look at the kind of house you could afford and the area you could afford to live in. Factor in the cost of school fees if you can't get your DCs into good state schools. Think about how you will feel when they are teens and roaming around London on their own. If you are okay with all this then great, but don't do it just because it would be nice to get to the museums easily. When I lived there, my parents were often too poor to do all the things that London offers because it was expensive to be there.

3 beds min, namey.

The thing is, I rent from the HA, so I could theoretically exchange with another HA tenant. And there are some vair nice HA houses in London that we could never ever afford.
So as far as affording somewhere to live goes, we are in a very very lucky position.

So it comes down to crime and crowds.
And watching the seasons change.