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!

Personally I'd stay in Woking or just get a move on to Cornwall. And I say that as someone that lives in Woking. With such large phallic Christmas decorations up in the Peacocks and the lovely new Morrisons, how could you bear moving?

Surrey is a horrible county. It's part country (hardly) and part suburbia. So people pretend they're living all sorts of lives without living any of them properly. Yuk.

smallwhitecat!! you cant say 'dont want to generalise' then come out with that!is this the whole of surrey that fit into your certain type thang?

I expect a flaming from the smug Surreyites.

I haven't even been into the town centre Crotch. I can't bring myself to do it. If I need to shop I go to Guildford, or back into London. Woking Town Centre would send me into a spiral of despair, instantly.

I mean <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=%22woking+town+centre%22&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&tbnid=4nx3cMMX0zaELM:&imgrefurl=www.surreyproperty.com/photo.html%3Fc%3D1364%26photo_referer%3D/photosearch.html%26width%3D805%26height%3D809&docid=1nfsakd4LtFStM&imgurl=www.surreyproperty.com/photos2/Large/005DSC_0452.jpg&w=760&h=508&ei=q4nWTvfQO5K38QPUoeD9AQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=958&vpy=194&dur=264&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=148&ty=93&sig=107943843401582430354&page=1&tbnh=140&tbnw=179&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0&biw=1272&bih=673" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LOOK

Oh and have you seen the cage that now surrounds the Toys R Us car park? Probably a sensible idea. During my youth I knew two lads who topped themselves jumping from that thing.

When we first moved out of London DH was working in Paris 3 days a week, and I had a baby DS1. Now he will tend to be away one night a week. My friend is about to move here with 3 DC and her DH will be away Tues - Thurs. You'll soon meet lots of lovely people, and build a support network, babysitters, babysitting circle, etc.

So it's really OK then having DH's away 2-3 nights every week? Honestly?

Go to Cornwall now. You can spend the next few years putting roots down there rather than doing it in Woking which you hate or somewhere else that will only be for a couple of years.

crazycat
re your DH away
if you KNOW he'll be away, and plan and organise for it and set routines you'll be like any forces wife / equivalent
and if you go for Cornwall then your DCs will only have one relocation

mine used to work away all week,you soon get in a routine.

another vote for Dorset, easy access to London and the North, i'm in Bournemouth, tis truly fab here

although am very at ninky for being in Christchurch, I love it there :)

We've actually moved from Cornwall to London! Luckily we still have family there so go down as often as we can.

Which bits of Dorset do people recommend? Seems a good middle-ground for us too but Poole seems a bit far from London and is the only bit I've heard of

goring stones throw from playground, large green, seafront. nice cafes in worthing.

good primary schools.

worthing, close to station

worthing is a mainline station, though inland there is, say..

haywards heath which is a shorter commute to just about everywhere.

Brighton is more expensive than much of Surrey.

Cornwall any day for me. Padstow, newquay, port Isaac, all beautiful. It will take time to settle in Cornwall as its so rural. I'd go now but then I'd move back to old Penzance in a heartbeat :-(

I live in Newbury and love it. We moved here 2 years ago from Reading because the schools in central Reading are pretty grim. It's a well trodden migration path we found. We live within 10 mins of town, station etc. and within catchment of popular church schools. As it's a bit further from London than Reading you get more for your money in terms of housing.

It's also just had a smart new shopping complex open. Moving was the best thing we did.

I agree with several others that you should move to Cornwall soon. It is time to start thinking about schools for your eldest and if you're intending to move there in a few years, why uproot twice in a short time?
We moved to the North East from Bristol just over 2 years ago, but my DH took a temporary contract job in London 6 months ago, having been made redundant from the job we made such a big move for 2 months prior to that. He is away all week and has been coming back every other weekend, which has been quite stressful, so he is going to come back every weekend from now on. There is just me and DS, who's 9, and we haven't got any family or very close friends here. I've only really started to make casual friends with other mums in the last few months. There is one I go for coffee with every couple of weeks.
I think it will be a lot easier for you to make friends when your children are younger and preferably before they start school than when they're over.
Good luck whatever you decide!

Dont go near Reading its a shit hole.

Bath or Newbury (Woking may not be great but for those who scorn Surrey it is officially the most wooded county in England, and no, I don't live in Surrey).

Well I live in Surrey and I like it
Schools are good and so are the travel links.

But do agree that once you settle in and start schools you might found if hard to move again.

I agree with moving to Cornwall now as soon as you find a nice rental property. No need to uproot more than once and you'll start to meet people and put down roots now. That gets more difficult as your kids get older and there'll be less disruption for your dcs with less moving. My dh is away quite a lot and you get used to it. I think it would be fine - go for it!

I live near Woking - wouldn't be my first choice to stay around here

I'd go and rent in Cornwall now, if you hate it better to find out whilst the dc are young and they aren't both settled in primary school.