To uproot my family and move somewhere completely new?

[Lifesagambleisntit]

I'm so fed up where we live - tiny flat, no garden, really cramped etc. We are a same sex couple with 3 children, baby and two toddlers. I'm a SAHM and my wife works full time but has a career which means she can work from home a lot and / or find a job most places. I really want to move mainly for more space but haven't got any idea where. I guess apart from space it must be v gay friendly and ideally creative, any ideas? Would love to hear about where you live!

Don't live there, but know of those who do. Be damn careful to research flood issues (big flood last year and still they build on the flood plain) and I hope you don't mind the microclimate.

I saw the pictures of the flooding looked awful for the poor residents and businesses. We would prob go for just outside Hebden as we would like a bit of land so hopefully also avoid the flooding. I guess my worry is this will be a huge change from where we are now..... Hopefully we will be clearer after a visit whether it's for us.

There are so many surprisingly cheap places near the top place!

Not sure there would be many private schools on Hebden bridge itself, it's a pretty leftie sort of place...But if you can commit to driving somewhere every day then there would be some around Halifax. No idea if they would be any better than a normal state option though.

And yes, check flooding history, live higher up.

Trains are a fairly ancient brand of diesels so they aren't fast but you can go direct to Leeds or Manchester eventually.

It is very dark there in the winter, down at the bottom of the valley.

Ipswich, Norwich, Bury St Edmunds? None are super expensive (eg 2 or 3 bed terrace 120-130k in Ipswich, 150k ish Norwich and Bury). Norwich probably has a better rep for creativity than Bury or Ipswich, and it's a bit more left wing.

Wales - eg Machynlleth is lovely and arty and still reasonably priced.

Devon - Totnes also very nice.

There's a very large home education community in Hebden, not sure if this reflects what the schools are like.

Nearest private school to Hebden Bridge would be Rishworth in Ripponden I would think, very good school day/boarding. Only issue with it is that here are a lot of Russian boarders now who have ££££ which wasnt the case a few years ago.
You could also look at Sowerby Bridge, it's very up and coming and starting to get a bit more Hebden Bridgey.
How about HD3 area in Huddersfield? Good links to Manchester
Parts of Huddersfield aren't nice but HD3 is and it's a bit more " cosmopolitan " than other bits so likely to be gay friendly. Award winning restaurants etc
Very good state primaries ( over subscribed though) and 2 good Private schools nearby.
Happy to give any more info if needed

I was going to say hebden bridge too, it's lovely there. At a guess I'd say that the number of homeschoolers reflects more on the type of people who live there than the schools themselves.

Also, Huddersfield has a pink parade and picnic each year so I'm assuming we have a thriving LGBT community. I know one same sex couple with a baby who has had serious health issues and the community has been incredibly supportive.

Second Hebden Bridge and Todmorden.

HU5 in Hull, and you could get a beautiful victorian property with a large garden for what you pay for a damp box in brighton

As a general comment, do consider microclimate and valleys. I looked at places in wales in lovely valleys - but it was winter and clearly no sunlight for weeks in some places. Flooding is also an issue in many places - an estate is built above you and bingo, your house floods. There are very few controls against this.

Think about which way things face, wind exposure, road noise, planning applications rumoured. Health care, travel time to the hospital, distance to supermarkets, all that. Cutesy woo clothes and clutter shops are all very well but you can't eat the contents!

Doesn't matter in towns and the very south but does elsewhere.

Watching with interest as we re in an almost identical situation....
Can anyone tell me if commuting to Leeds from Hebden area is do-able
Also is it very rainy...sorry if that sounds rude...parents originally from that area and they mostly talk about rain n snow!

I came on to say Hebden Bridge or Todmorden. Esp if you're a same sex couple. it's the lesbian capital of the world. Or something like that.

Hebden is about 50 mins on the train from Leeds, lots of trains - about four or five an hour

I have friends in Hebden, they love it, but said that places you would never have expected to flood did last time with only the highest ground escaping. I know some people find the valley feels oppressive too.

How about Moseley in Birmingham? Arty, with all the advantages of a big city.