To wonder why people struggle to live in London.

[m1nniedriver]

Just honestly wondering what it is about London that makes people on, as I see it, huge salaries want to live in tiny flats just because it's london? The cost of living there seems riduculous. Some of the posts on here about the cost of housing just beggars belief! A tiny 1 bedroom flat for 300k?? If that's what you want then power to you but I do see posts with people say they are struggling and stressing every day to get by. Why would you not move to another part of the country that would enable a much better quality of life?

I'm not great at putting things across on posts so I hope this doesn't offend anyone its is meant as a genuine question, not having a go.

Also the op was about struggling families in London. They are hardly likely to be able to afford the expensive opportunities rich Londoners exploit

Seriously? Huge numbers of free museums that cater brilliantly to kids, both the big name ones and little niche weird ones, giant amounts of outside space, some truly amazing free playgrounds, zoos, city farms, parks, lots of free activities to cater to almost any interest. What do you think we're all spending vast sums of money on? The only thing I ever really pay for for DS is the annual ticket to the transport museum, and the odd bit of kids theatre.

Year-round, I'd find it difficult to think of another city that offers free to kids the variety of things London does. It's not offensive to say so - it's a national capital, 8 million people live in quite a small area, it's not really a surprise that we've got concentration of these sorts of things.

And I know Edinburgh well, and adore it, especially in August.

London is brilliant, I love London.

Museums, things to do an see, it is all great. But, when you have an everyday life, you hardly ever go and do/see attractions. You get caught up in school run, homework, activities, playdates, and seeing friends. Everyday life is pretty much the same where-ever you live, the point is the "backdrop" or the frame around it.

Some people cant really be happy, regardless of where they life. It is then them, rather than the place.

Dh and I currently live apart, I cant handle London. I wish I could, it would make things easier. But my allergies and asthma has become so bad, and my health is suffering.

I see millions of people walking along, or living alongside heavyily trafficked roads, coping just fine. I wonder why it is that I am so sensitive, my respiratory system so sensitive, that living there is not feasible anymore.

The kids have coped brilliantly with moving. Ds1 who has struggled before, is happier than he has ever been. And for that, it is worth it. Along with me not needing to be on medication. I wish things were different though.

You are not so bothered about free museums, free playgrounds and free activities when you are not paying 60% of your income on the rent for a minuscule flat.

Live an hour away from London and you don't need a free playground (well TBH I have never known one that charged, anywhere) because your DC can play in your garden and you have spare money for days at Legoland etc.

And, for the tube driver cracking jokes, we can exchange a bus driver telling us all about the aircraft the various enthusiasts in lay-bys along the A66 were photographing. Lovely human things like that can happen anywhere and don't need the buzz of a capital city.

Yes, Balloon, but think of all the extra cash we'd spend on season tickets and childcare, and an extra hour plus a day away from the kids. It's all a trade off.

But then, the PP wasn't talking about being an hour out of London, they were talking about what other cities could offer that London apparently can't unless you're prepared to pay vast sums.

I only mentioned free playgrounds as London has some truly awesome ones that I'm often surprised don't charge, as I've experienced in other cities (not all in the UK).

We're very lucky to be closeish to countryside as well as within easy reach on London. Last Sunday DH and DS went into central London on a whim after lunch, wandered about, popped into some museums and churches (St Bride's was one) for a quick look, and were home in time for dinner. It's a pretty usual way for us to spend weekend days, and the variety of what's available is pretty cool. And then Box Hill and the North Downs are a short drive, and we spend plenty of time getting extremely muddy.

I've lived in the same London suburb all my life. We'd thought in the past about moving somewhere cheaper and prettier but, now my parents are elderly, I'm so glad we didn't. To be fair, we live in a 4 bed house, not a tiny flat and we are about an hour from central London by tube. We were fortunate to have got onto the property ladder during the 1990s slump. I love living so close to London, there's so much to entertain and educate the DCS and we go into town frequently. It's the best City in the world!! And I don't have to worry about the DC'S moving away to find work.......

We lived in London - Greenwich - for years and moved out in what I can only describe as a fit of temporary madness 5 years ago. I've regretted it every day since. London is amazing. I moved there as a (paid!) intern ruddy ages ago, and also did my first degree there years before that. Nowhere else has captured my soul like London. I'd move back in a heartbeat. But our 3 bed semi halfway between London and Brighton is worth about £300k. We'd be lucky to get a shoebox for that in Greenwich. We can't uproot the kids now. I'll pine for London forever, I think.

I've lived in the 2 other largest cities in the UK - Birmingham did nothing for me and I lived Manchester, but it's not London. I grew up in the countryside - rural Shropshire. I've experienced a good range of living experiences in my 41 years, and London's the only one want I want to go back to.

To poster who asked me not to tar a region with same brush, I said Midlands because I didn't want to reveal the city where I am from

It's pretty offensive to people raising families in other uk cities to say that London offers more to do with dcs at the weekend

Offensive ?

Just a different POV, surely?

It's pretty offensive to people raising families in other uk cities to say that London offers more to do with dcs at the weekend

I wouldn't say it was offensive, just pretty narrow minded.

There are many more jobs. I would be much more highly paid if I lived in London and if I bought a house there I would probably benefit from the fact that house prices seem to increase at a higher rate there than the rest of the country (at least they have in the last few years).

Mary the house prices in most areas in Scotland have continued to rise too. I bought a flat 10 years ago, Central in a big vibrant city there are a lot in the UK it is now valued about 4 times more than I bought it for. No where near what it would be in central London but neither is the cost of living. It's all relative I guess. Not every city has turned into the ghost towns described in some posts.

I can't say I find it offensive I would say more amusing tbh.

We have buses in London. And restaurants. And museums and galleries and zoos and parks.

Well fuck me, coming from outside London, I always thought those things were myths until now.

I'm not offended, blu. Should I be?

It's not the individual things that are worth focussing on, it's the size and energy of a big city. If you don't like it then great. But if you do it can be a brilliant place to live.

Clearly not addressing ire at blu and should really get to bed, in my somewhat lacking, non-London time zone.

The thing about living in small flats in London though, is that it probably forces you out to go to all the parks/ museums/ city farms etc.

It doesn't mean there aren't comparable experiences/ great things to do in other cities, might just mean you have to structure your life a bit differently.

Tbh if people want to rave about where they live go for it, I'd just think nice for you. Wouldn't bother me at all.

Well fuck me, coming from outside London, I always thought those things were myths until now.

Worth pointing out (again) that those things were only raised in response to the suggestion that the only things there are to do with kids in London are expensive and out of reach of the majority.

Which is a bit of a bonkers suggestion. Hadn't thought it needed saying but bugger me, apparently it did.

It is fascinating seeing how different people view their 'ideal' life.

Living in the centre of London, surrounded by concrete and traffic, sounds like hell on a stick to me.

But then I need to get the dc to chase away stray sheep that wander into our garden every so often. I imagine there are many that would be none too keen on that

To all those recommending living out of London and commuting into work are gloriously ignorant to the cost of the additional 2/3 or perhaps even 4 hours childcare and extortionate travel costs required.

So not only will you be living somewhere you don't want to, you will see significantly less of your children Mon-Fri and pay huge amounts for the privilege, have virtually no evenings/family time and spend each and every weekend playing catch-up, trying to see family and getting ready to do it all over again come Sunday.

No thanks.....

House prices are ridiculous undoubtedly (Our old 2 bed flat in a Victorian Conversion sold for £475K )..... but at least I can be home to feed and bathe my kids....

But then I need to get the dc to chase away stray sheep that wander into our garden every so often. I imagine there are many that would be none too keen on that

Yep. Having grown up on a farm, I've had my fill of farming

Yep we had stray cows, was quite exciting at the time

I don't like stray cows and the buggers don't move anyway, no matter how fast you run at them

I don't like stray cows and the buggers don't move anyway, no matter how fast you run at them

Phlegmatic fuckers. You need a booming voice, ime.