To feel all squashed in London/the South-East?

[janelikesjam]

And want to move somewhere green, or by the sea, where not many people, but hopefully pleasant ones .

Any nice suggestions?

• Bloody phone. I meant you can live anywhere from a sleepy village to a nice town.

East Yorkshire Coast...I moved here from Hertfordshire 9 and a half years ago.
Nothing would induce me to go back.
I was thinking to myself,only the other day, how I would miss living near the sea now. It makes me quite claustrophobic to think about it. I spent the first 38 years of my life in Herts. Should've moved sooner!

...and we've got Hull,York,Leeds all nearby,if you like the city! There is LOADS to do up here!

I know what you mean - started to feel really hemmed in in London, so moved out to Herts. but it's not enough. I hanker after the Yorkshire moors where I grew up!

i live in se london and have dulwich common, brockwell park, sydenham woods and crystal palace very close to me i think it is lovely and green :)

epsom is not too far is very green

South West Wales is great. Learning the language is a challenge, but as long as you are trying people are delighted with you. It is a loooong way to anything approaching a big town, never mind a city, but I find I go more often than when I lived near Birmingham because I plan to, rather than thinking I can go anytime therefore not going at all, IFYSWIM.

A house in Hull for £75k? really wow!

Moved from Dulwich to the West Coast of Scotland. Hardly any people. Amazing sea views. Cheap property and schools with tiny classes, great pupils and a really welcoming community. We have the cinema in the back of a lorry and have had amazing weather this summer while the rest of the UK has been drowning.

You didn't say the UK in the OP. I would suggest New Zealand . Very very green, lots of sea. It's the size of the UK but with only 4million people. Makes Scotland looks overcrowded.

I'm not keen on the midlands having lived in various locations there on and off. Matlock in the Peak District is quite nice though and quite central.

North Yorkshire is lovely - Hebden Bridge, Whitby. Also further up North Alnwick is great. Then there's Buttermere in the Lake district but I'm not sure how busy it gets in the summer. Chalford in Gloucestershire is attractive and has good London links. Lot's of places in Scotland of course.

I am bang on the border between west and east midlands (literally about 500 yards away!) and its fantastic. 15 by train or 40 minutes by car from the centre of birmingham and I am surrounded by green. Whichever direction you go from where I live you are in the countryside within 5 minutes, but you can do the big city thing if you want to.

Perfect imo :)

That is, I live 15/40 minutes from the centre of Birmingham but where I live I am surrounded by green.

Really must proofread so my posts make sense!

North Yorkshire is lovely - "Hebden Bridge"

I love Hebden Brisge as well. It is in West Yorkshire.

About the airports nearby...

since I moved to the country, and have a big garden and the river nearby, and woods and fields, I no longer feel the desire be be jetting off all the time.

because now it is actually relaxing to be at home, in my lovely house, rather than in a two bed flat, desperate to take the children out somewhere. Now they just play with the kids across the road. much nicer.

I used to LOVE London, but once my kids were getting bigger I found it hard work.

Another East Midlander here and I love it! I moved, a couple of years ago, from a city a few miles out into a nice little village. Got countryside on my doorstep, a little village school with only 20 or so per class, yet easy access to the M1 and other big roads. It's 20 minutes into Derby one way and Nottingham the other, so I don't feel cut off, yet I can see fields of horses out of my window :)

I've only ever visited London twice, but it was just too busy and crowded for me!

I'm going to bang the drum for Shropshire, which inspired a poet to write about the lovely landscape 'blue remembered hills' etc!

I grew up there and miss it terribly. Moved to London for 10years then to herts to the 'countryside' (ahem) where I am now. It's terribly claustrophobic down in this south east corner, and so urban. Not to mention the ££££'s for even the most hideous 1950's semi. When I compare with what the same money can get in Shropshire it makes me cry a little bit!

I long for rolling hills and real countryside. Good luck with your move if you can make it. Only a teensy bit

That's another reason we moved from Herts. House prices. our 2 bed flat was £140,000 9 years ago, (50% shared ownership - so we got half that).

Our 3 bed house in an East Yorks seaside town was £49,000. It is still possible to get similar houses in our area for around £90,000.

Well I'm in the South East which is more country than city and a 10 minute drive from the sea - there are some lovely villages round here - maybe look closer to home!

True you could move down to Lewes or somewhere.....just don't offend anyone or they will make a giant effigy of you and burn it on November 5th with your next door neighbour banging the drum.
On the other hand you could just stay in lovely normal civilised London and have days out to the coast.

so many great places mentioned here, makes me want to jump on a train and try them all - what about the isle of wight....sounds good to me....although all depends on work I guess. Good luck with the search.

yes, isle of wight, nice beaches too! I'll add that to my list. I will actually look at alot of these places, though I doubt I will manage all, and realistically Scotland and probably West Wales is probably too far. Northumberland sounds a bit far too, but would love to visit.

I grew up in Norfolk and while it's beautiful, it's overrun with bl**dy tourists all summer long, the roads are all single lane and congested and it's a total PITA to get anywhere else. My family still live there and we go up every 2-3 months to visit and every time I swear about the awful roads! In the winter you get stuck behind a sugar beet lorry or a tractor and in the summer it's a line of frigging caravans. Oh, and there are no jobs unless you go to Norwich (which is a lovely city, btw).

Can't believe no one has mentioned West Dorset. We moved here from Surrey two years ago and have never looked back. Absolutely lovely countryside, loads of space, great communities, excellent schools and public services. Shopping a bit thin and in this bit of Dorset, nearer the sea, property prices not that cheap compared to some. But completely living the dream. Only problem is finding somewhere to holiday that us nicer than where we live. Currently in Normandy, coming a very close second!

I live in Shropshire and it is lovely! Loads of beautiful countryside.