AIBU to not know where the hell in the south of England we should live for the next couple of years?

[crazycatlady]

OK, so we have recently sold our London house (couldn't afford to keep it) and are currently staying with family in Woking. Ultimately we will end up in Cornwall but we don't think we are 100% ready to make the move immediately so want to rent somewhere in the meantime. We thought we would rent in Woking to be close to family but we absolutely hate it here (both grew up here).

I spend hours on Rightmove scouting out rental properties in random parts of the country. I feel lost and cross about the whole bloody thing right now tbh. Staying with family can only be a short term thing (for obvious reasons).

This is more of a WWYD I guess. I need help with the options. So WWYD?

• rent in Woking and just suck it up until we're all ready to move to Cornwall in 2-3 years?
• go to Cornwall anyway and rent there as a 'trial' run? (I am worried about being far away from London as DS is currently being tested for genetic disorders)
• rent somewhere nicer in Surrey, e.g. Reigate, Tadworth
• rent somewhere inbetween, e.g. near Exeter
• something else we haven't thought of

My work is sporadic and locationless (run my own consultancy) and DH is officicially a home worker but travels a lot. Mostly one nighters. If we moved away from Surrey he would be away Tues am to Thurs pm every week.

We have an almost 3 year old and an 8 month old. I want to be settled somewhere well before we need to think about school applications.

HELP!

No votes for Woking yet then. .
Was that two so far for Cornwall? I've seen a place in Wadebridge I'd love to buy. Very little to rent. But then it is December...

And lots of other ideas in between to mull over. Hmm.

Would any of you be perturbed at your DH being away from 5am Tuesday to 10pm Thursday every week, with two small children to think of, and living in an unfamiliar place away from friends and family?

I'd make an effort to get to know people quickly wherever we go, but I have moments of panic imagining myself holed up alone on dark nights with a plate of noodles

Well, in your circumstances,I would not live in a remote farmhouse but otherwise I think you'd be fine.

What area of London does he need to commute to?

Amother vote for Dorset.

Would any of you be perturbed at your DH being away from 5am Tuesday to 10pm Thursday every week, with two small children to think of, and living in an unfamiliar place away from friends and family?

Did it, and have done sporadically for twenty years. You do need to make friends quickly, just in case you have an emergency but in all that time I think I've only called on a friend once to help me out.

I have lived for 6 years in the middle of nowhere ...from 2pm -12am I have no car and know few people.

You would be OK OP :)

I say Dorset also...actually moving there ourselves in Feb!

I live half way between Dorking and Leatherhead in Surrey, in a village called Mickleham. It's beautiful, has great schools and a lovely nurseries and day care centres. Trains into Waterloo and Victoria so commutable. Not necessarily the cheapest, but there are lots of villages nearby and prices are quite variable.

Where we are (Christchurch, Dorset) is lovely. Mainline London train station, easy road access, beaches, New Forest, good schools etc.

OK maybe we need to take a deep breath and just do it. DH doesn't commute really but goes all over - Slough a couple of times a week, Leeds twice a month, Madrid or Munich once a month or so, Frimley, Bedford and occasionally Bracknell. He can consolidate his travel so it falls over the mid part of the week, then work from home Monday and Friday, apart from exceptional circumstances.

We used to live in Little Petherick, which is near Wadebridge and lovely, and made friends easily and quickly despite the warnings from others that we'd always be outsiders (maybe we were, but we were outsiders who were accepted and included from day one).

I was wondering why you arent considering Guildford, given it is the next town over, you will still be near family and it is a darn sight prettier and not tht much more expensive than Woking?

i would stay in woking or move to the place where you want to be. that is my suggestion!

I have to vote for Sussex as I love it and miss it and we are currently waiting to hear if our offer has been accepted on a house there so we can escape London. I think it has everything - good commuter links, beautiful countryside, nice towns and villages that aren't too, erm, provincial (for want of a better word) and I would agree that it's more friendly than Surrey.

However, I can see why you are nervous about putting yourself somewhere where you won't see your dh for part of the week, so I would seriously consider the nicer place in Surrey option. Guildford is a good suggestion.

smallwhitecat I totally get what you mean about the people here in Surrey. It's so weird. Everyone says Londoners are rude but having made the move from Streatham (lovely, friendly, fun people) back to Woking, everyone here seems darned miserable and stuck up (gross generalisation but you know what I mean).

We were invited to a party last weekend (4th birthday party, one of DD's new nursery friends) and there wasn't one parent in the room (out of 25 or so families) who I felt comfortable talking to. And I TRIED SO HARD.

Guildford property seems either mega expensive or a bit scrappy/studenty. It is a more pleasant town than Woking though, for sure...

odaco are you still in Cornwall?

adverse I love your description of Woking. It really is dire isn't it?

I was going to say Portishead or near there. My PILs live there and I love it. I'd love to move there. Close to Bristol for travel and also close to Cornwall for visits until you move there.

Why not either just stay where you are until you're ready to move down to the south-west or take the plunge and do it now? TBH, I don't really see the point in making yourself do the whole moving house & making new friends thing more often than you really need to... and we're quite a friendly bunch down here, you know!

I live in Bristol and love it - however school places are a nightmare and destined to get worse over the next few years. Somewhere within reach of Bristol though is kind of half way to Cornwall but still with easy access to London.

With your description of where the commuting is, I would suggest West Berkshire again - not Reading Borough though. The town of Reading can offer speedy routes to Paddington, Leeds, Bracknell, and Heathrow and the other places named. Countryside is also on the doorstep eg the Ridgeway and Chiltern Hills.

Another vote for Dorset. Our town has a station, with main line to London. There's loads of property for sale and rent here. You could pretty much take your pick. And the schools, and preschools are all excellent.

crazycatlady-where very very close to wear you want to live!its a fantastic place to bring up children(i know im bias) and very beatiful part of the country.employment is pants and you have to travel to do anything but its worth it