Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To move away from london but where to?

129 replies

Hotmad · 28/02/2014 20:02

I've got a little baby girl now and I don't want to bring her up in london, I love london but I feel she would have a better childhood out of london.... Do you think this is fair to say?
Where In UK is nice to live for young family life that doesn't get affected by flooding or near an airport.
Is it reasonable to think I could find somewhere affordable with the requirements above?

OP posts:
JupiterGentlefly · 01/03/2014 23:18

@ - mistype!

Townandcunty · 01/03/2014 23:23

I agree with Cardiff, however I live in Ipswich and have lived all over the country and this is where I have settled. You could get a 3 bed semi for the top of that budget. It's only an hour on the train to London. Close to the coast and countryside. A fairly reasonable town centre and a new John Lewis and Waitrose. Lots of lovely big parks.
It has it's not so good bits, but so does everywhere.

Living in the countryside is great as an adult and a small child, but it sucks as a teenager.

NC due to lots of personal info.

sixlive · 01/03/2014 23:30

With that budget don't do Home Counties but further afield, north or wales, lincolnshire, Norfolk, County Durham. Laughed at the suggestion of guildford people drive cars worth £100k, doubt you could anything for that maybe a studio in the worst part of town.

Pipbin · 01/03/2014 23:37

I lived in Guildford for a while. Full of cunts. Except anyone from Guildford who is on mumsnet of course.

SeaSickSal · 01/03/2014 23:38

When I was six my parents moved from the north to London. I found it a horrible place to grow up, the kids are much more hard faced than elsewhere. Judgement is made an awful lot more on money and possessions. There is a big divide between haves and have nots. The focus for teenagers was very much on superficial stuff, wearing the right clothes and going to the right places. There was also a lot more danger and you had to be very streetwise.

The only time it was good was my early 20s. But whether you would consider a very druggy club based social life good thing for your child is a different matter.

I moved to Yorkshire before I started my family and I do not regret it at all. I would never bring up a child in London unless there was no other option.

Townandcunty · 01/03/2014 23:55

I would suggest a weekend visit to a couple of places before you decide to move.
That's what I did.

LetTheRiverAnswer · 02/03/2014 00:20

Lancaster! Its not somewhere people tend to think of but its somewhere people tend to get stuck. In a good way. Its got lots going on for a small city, it has diversity through the university, its got the coast, its near the Dales and the Lakes. And its cheap.

Chunderella · 02/03/2014 08:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

williaminajetfighter · 02/03/2014 09:14

Glasgow. A proper city with great amenities. Very walkable, super close to the coast and countryside. Cheap to live and great housing - beautiful big flats! Grin

2rebecca · 02/03/2014 09:21

What does your husband/ partner want to do? I'm not convinced you should move. You say you love London and only want to move for your daughter who's too young to have an opinion yet and may love London too as she grows up.
I've only moved when I had a concrete reason to move somewhere eg job, parter, house cost. I haven't moved when I've been happy where I am due to a vague feeling that somewhere else might be better for my kids unless there were actual problems where I was.
If you only have 150k how can you afford to live in London anyway or are you renting and mainly want to move out so you can buy somewhere (which would be a sensible reason to move).
Moving is stressful, I wouldn't move unless you had a strong reason to go if you're happy where you are.

ConferencePear · 02/03/2014 13:13

As others have said there are loads of small town and villages all over the country where live is pleasant.
Take a look, for example, at Tutbury in Staffordshire on the Derbyshire border. You could afford a three bedroomed semi with parking for two cars. Plenty going on in the village, decent schools, low crime and surrounded by lovely open countryside. There must be many others.

Mintyy · 02/03/2014 13:19

I don't understand what it is about London that makes people think it isn't a great place to have a family?

If you want to move for a bigger house then absolutely, fair enough. But if it is for the sake of the children then I do wonder if it's a bit of a fantasy? My dh grew up in the middle of nowhere and was utterly reliant on his parents to drive him around if he wanted a social life in his teens.

HalleLouja · 02/03/2014 13:24

Move to Chester. Its lovely and near country and coast. You could probably find a house in your price range too. I loved living there and would move again if my family weren't in London. I love Herts but not very affordable.

notoneforselfies · 02/03/2014 13:31

I lived in London for 13 years and made the transition to Bristol 4 years ago as we were priced out of London (and starting to think about kids, who I didn't want to send to school in the areas we might have been able to stretch to a bedsit in!) Bristol is an incredible place to live and have kids in. It's a very popular choice for folk in this situation and there are a lot of young families, hence there being a lot of free/affordable stuff available for children. Secondary schools aren't great but but primary's are excellent. It's just a very easy city to transition I from London. Great shops, bars etc and fabulous countryside on your doorstep. We were able to buy a small house on the park a 15 minute walk from the harbourside when we couldn't even rent in London outskirts. I'm also able to get to London lots to see my circle of friends there as it's not far and cheap to get to by coach (£10 return)

GreenLandsOfHome · 02/03/2014 13:37

Personally living in the centre of London (or any huge city) is my idea of hell. My kids would hate it (now...aged 6 and 4). I'm pretty sure that given the type of upbringing they're having they'd hate living there even more by the time they're teens.

I live in Swansea. A 10 minute drive from the city but have a view of the mountains. We have the Gower a 20 minute drive away, the Brecon Beacons half an hour away. 5 minutes from the coast, 45 minutes to Cardiff.

We spend out weekends and holidays being active and out doorsy mainly. So far this week (half term here) we've been up to Brecon to play in the snow and visited Henrhyd Waterfall near Aberdare. We've been on a 4 hour walk in Penllergaer Valley Wood and had a barbeque on the beach in Oxwich.

The thought of being surrounded by buildings all the time would be awful tbh, no matter how 'diverse' the society is.

Focusingkingqueen · 02/03/2014 13:55

I can't think of anywhere better to raise children than London. Parks, museums, shops, schools, Theatre, exhibitions, loads of free public transport for kids, every cuisine under the sun. Yes it's expensive, but I think it's the most incredible experience. I should add that I am biased and come out in a cold sweat at the thought of the country or living in a small town. If not london then I would probably go to Leeds or Manchester.

GreenLandsOfHome · 02/03/2014 14:09

Parks, museums, shops, schools, Theatre, exhibitions, loads of free public transport for kids, every cuisine under the sun

What I never understand is how some people seem to think that outside of London the World stops.

Do you imagine that we have no shops, schools, museums etc elsewhere? Lol

I enjoy all of those things with my children...but what would be missing from London for me would be beaches, countryside, space and clean air.

WillSingForCake · 02/03/2014 14:17

Parks, museums, shops, schools, Theatre, exhibitions, loads of free public transport for kids, every cuisine under the sun

These are things you get in every town/city in the UK! We moved from London to just north of Bath, and it's fantastic. Close to Bath & Bristol so access to all the things listed above, but loads of space, countryside & clean air too. I can't stand the pollution in London, the difference it's made to my family's health has been very noticeable.

grownoutofglitter · 02/03/2014 14:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ThisSummerBetterBeDarnGood · 02/03/2014 14:24

What about communtible distance from London? 20mile radius all round

Pipbin · 02/03/2014 15:28

When you say diversity op, do you mean that you need to fulfil a need? For example, do you need access to a local mosque?
As said by pps, so many people seem to think that outside London is just white people living in small villages or on farms.

Original poster
Hotmad · 02/03/2014 16:54

Ok so I want to buy a house and I'm never going to afford that in london where I currently rent. By diversity I meant somewhere hopefully with a good mix of all types of people, eg. Different races, different ages

OP posts:
JupiterGentlefly · 02/03/2014 17:07

Cardiff Grin very diverse! Once the busiest coal port in the world. The merchant navy seamen from all over the globe settled here last century. !

missymayhemsmum · 02/03/2014 17:10

How far away do you want to be from grandparents? I love living in South Wales (town 10 minutes walk 1 way, mountain 10 minutes walk in the other, sea 45 minute drive, I know at least half the people in the park) but am too far away from ageing parents in Berkshire and will never be able to afford to move back.

Mintyy · 02/03/2014 17:12

If I had to move away from London and being close to friends/family wasn't a consideration I think I'd go to Sheffield.

Swipe left for the next trending thread