to ask if it's grim moving up north

[Eugenekrabs1]

I am from the south (England) and have lived here for most of my life. DH is from the north but has lived in the south for many years. We have children who are school age.

Circumstances have changed for us recently and because of this, we are considering a move to H's northern homeland. I'm wondering what other people's experiences of moving their family have been like.

H has friends and family there whereas I (although being welcomed by them) will not have any friends and will need to find a new job. Our kids are not keen to move.

In short, we don't have to move but there are lots of pros to us taking the leap. At the moment I have a list of pros and cons which I will proceed to bore you with....

Pros
Bigger house with little mortgage
Job change for me (something I want)
DH is close to friends and family - lovely for him
Can get a dog (all want one, current house small)

Cons
Taking kids out of schools they are happy in. They will have to make new friends.
Once we sell in the south it is unlikely we will be able to afford to return
No friends/family close to me
Leaving an area I like (but a house that's too small and expensive to extend)
Rain up north

I'd be grateful to hear any tales of similar moves. Is it grim up north or should I just stop being risk averse and make the move?

i lived in the Midlands and loved it but never felt I belonged. I think the accent marked me out straight away and I felt self consciously posh

PLus i missed the southern English countryside, thatched pubs etc that you didnt get in Birmingham - even the countryside there seemed very urban.

The people were LOVELY though and customer service in shops etc markedly better

also missed the coast here and the WARMTH

Manchester well known for having high rainfall, I thought

It ain't really north unless you're sitting on the borders admiring all the drizzle, so don't let all these southern northerners tell you any different

The north is truly beautiful country, OP. The people are the friendliest you'll ever meet, house prices are actually reasonable, there will always be hills and greenery within a short drive no matter where you stay, there is loads of space, the cost of living is cheaper and the tap water tastes fresher the further up you go

We live in Scotland and I wouldn't trade what I have here for anything. I have a lot of family in the south (M4 corridor) and I feel claustrophobic after a few days of being there. There are just so many people - I can't stand it. I genuinely feel very lucky to live where we do, and I've been lucky enough to live on the English/Scottish borders before too - absolutely stunning!

I was born down south, we moved up to Yorkshire when I was almost seven. I lived in Wales for Uni, and then Worcestershire and London, so have lived all over the show. I live back in Yorkshire now, mainly because I fell in love with a boy I went to school with who still lived in my hometown, and am now here to stay! I bloody love it here

Pros in my opinion: The countryside on your doorstep is just amazing (Hampstead Heath just doesn't compare to the dales!), house prices aren't outrageous (we bought a 3 bedroom semi in a lovely town for £166k last year), the people are generally very friendly and towns are more like communities.

I don't know how old your children are, I was really negative when my parents moved me up north, but children are so adaptable. I made friends quickly, a lot of whom I'm still friends with today (because house prices are not too insane here people don't have to move away to buy, so a lot of us still live in the same town). In retrospect I'm glad they made the move, my childhood was completely different as a result.

It really doesn't rain that much (though it rains less east of the pennines, so I can't really speak for Manchester!).

The friends/family might be a dealbreaker for me, but only you can judge that one.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

It's definitely a couple of degrees colder Oop North.

We live in the South and when we visit my daughter, who lives in near Manchester, we find it freezing, even in the middle of summer!

They must get used to it

I am amazed that Manchester is considered " North."

The UK is 700 miles long. Manchester is 200 miles North of London.

I agree with confused. Don't come. You wouldn't like it.
We are very uncivilised, listen to almost no opera, no internet, we spend the day laying out rocks saying "RESCUE US" for passing aircraft- but there are none obviously, as we have no airports. The best fun we have is ploughing up sodden fields with the arse bone of a giraffe.

There is a prize for who knows where the phrase "ploughing with arsebone of a giraffe" is plundered from.

Albeit a small prize.

goblin - would the prize be a trip to Greece

maybe with my Liverpudlian friend Shirley

I live near Manchester. It can be a bit grimmer weather wise but nothing major. It was worse in lancashire/yorkshire. Im not near my family for the most part but I love it here. We moved a few years back and I paniced as my dd doesnt socialise well and had to change schools. However all dcs are thriving in the school they are in now and we can afford to live in a nice area in a decent sized house which can last us as long as it needs.

Also....what rain???? We've had hardly any in our area this year, while you lot down South have had storms and everything! It is a total fallacy that it rains all the time in the North. It gets a bit colder in Winter, and summers are a little bit cooler, but I much prefer that to the scorchiness (is that a word?) of a London area summer.

Rumbled too soon.

Other women share my love of trash lightweight.

I love how Manchester is acceptable if it's the South Manchester/Cheshire border. Even 'the North' in Manchester gets a bad rep. Is South Manc seen as 'Surrey Lite' on here?
I know North Mcr well through family, yes it has it's grim parts (doesn't everywhere?), but there are some really nice bits too, and the houses are half the price of Chorlton/Dids/Stockport etc.

Don't come though, amongst many things the North doesn't have are -
Houmous
Olives
Brown bread
Quinoa
Running water
Electricity (this posting is powered by smoke signals)
Culture
Organic vegetables
Braincells
Books (we all read Take a Break for our GCSE syllabus)
BODEN (thank fuck)
Museums
Shops
Tarmacced roads
Street lighting

Don't risk it, it is a lawless and cold place, like Mad Max, but cold (must be the giant Iceland and Farmfoods)... Am I over egging it now?

sorry I was so quick goblin

Regarding the rain I've just watered my garden as its been so dry here.

at Rescue Us in rocks.

Oh if I only had a rock Goblin. Even then my small northern brain wouldn't allow me to arrange them into a message.

I am amazed that Manchester is considered " North."

To us lot Darn Sarf, anywhere north of Birmingham is Up North.

metallic- overegging- but hilarious.

We also have grammar schools
Opera
Theatre
Ballet
Halle Orchestra
although we are prepared to give you Jeremy Kyle back

One thing that we do have in the "Celtic Fringe" is decent music. No Hey nonny no or morris men.

I have spent half my life North and half my life South. My family are northerners still living there, dh's family are southerners still living South.

I find the following:
People are friendly wherever you are if you are friendly to them.

House prices are higher or lower wherever you are depending on which bit you live in.

The weather is wet, sunny, windy, snowy, wherever you are on different days.

There are nice places and shit places both North, Middle and South.

There is nothing you can't get on the Internet wherever you live.

There are good and bad schools all over the country.

In short - it doesn't matter where you live as long as it is right for you as a family.

Amen Nokids

*House prices are higher or lower wherever you are depending on which bit you live in.

The weather is wet, sunny, windy, snowy, wherever you are on different days.*
Disagree.

Average house price in London is £400K. In Scotland it is £167K.

SCotland is much colder than London- all year round.

We moved to East York's as we could not afford to buy outright in Hertfordshire ( we were in 50% shared ownership flat). We were 35 miles from my mum and stepdad up here, so although we had family nearby we were not on their doorstep. We gradually built up acquaintances, but having children in primary school helped in that respect, not to mention getting jobs. Not high powered jobs, just ’ordinary ' ones.

OP, I was scared to do this at first, but we had been on holidays up here to see my mum, and liked the area that we decided to buy in. I won't lie that it is a bit of a culture shock at first...so much better than I imagined!

But now I talk to complete strangers in shops like the rest of them!!!

The weirdest thing is, that out of my three children, my daughter (18) now has a strong Yorkshire accent, whereas my eldest (23) and youngest sons (15) still have southern accents?!?

I wasn't talking averages though!

I'm pretty sure you can buy somewhere to live in London for 200k and somewhere in Scotland for £1m+

It might be colder in Scotland but you still have sun, wind, rain and snow - I've walked in the Cairngorms when it was 85 degrees and on a beach in Devon in the snow!

Whatever suits your family!

I was prompted to reply because a few years ago I advertised a bungalow for rent near the coast in Whitley Bay. A family from Milton Keynes took it without seeing it, on the recommendation of their daughter who was already up here. They have stayed in it for 7 years and loved the house, the community and the area, better than anywhere they have lived before. They have only now left because I need to sell it, so I'm hoping to find a buyer who will be equally appreciative of everything the area has to offer.

I hope by now, having received so many replies, that you will have a good impression of the northern humour and a better geographical knowledge of what is actually North. Too many people including international tourists visit London only; some get on a train and go to Scotland but sadly few visit anywhere in between.When they do -and we have a lot of tourism in Newcastle, -they say they are astonished at how beautiful the area is. Have you ever travelled the North-East Coast or been to York and the Dales for instance?
Moving with a family has its worries obviously, but it immediately gives you contacts via local groups. You would undoubtedly find the northern friendliness invaluable in enabling you all to integrate; we do have a history of many clans settling here!