to want culture and safety for my children?

[lalaworld]

We live in the French Alps but will move back to the UK in 18 months. The question is where to?

Dh currently does a weekly commute so part of the motivation is changing that but also to give the kids an English secondary education.

We love the idea of moving back to London but worry about moving these rural Alpine kids (ages 8-9) into the heart of the city. That said, we'll still spend school holidays in the Alps so they will get their mountain fix.

We're lucky enough to have freedom to live in many places, and would love thoughts on our options or any other ideas. Basically, do we try to replicate our Alpine life in the UK or go the polar opposite and have Dh around every day in a tiny city maisonette.

So...

Tiny place, very central London - Holland Park, Pimlico

3 bed flat, Zone 2 London - Highgate, Hackney, Dulwich

Bath (with daily London commute for DH)

Brighton (with daily London commute for DH)

Further afield with a weekly commute still (considering Yorkshire, North Devon or Cornwall)

Thoughts?!!

Herne Hill? Great place to live for families with lots of green spaces around and it's 10mins to Victoria or around 20 to Kings Cross/St. Pancras, or 20 mins to London Bridge. My OH has a door to door commute into central London of around 30mins (if timed correctly). There are really great schools nearby too and loads of local activities for kids. We love the Lido in the summer, it's fab!

The Bath to London line is due to speed up soon due to electrification. Would be doable for a job in the west end, though preferably not everyday IMO.

You only seem to be looking at the extremes! I'd have thought there was plenty of attractive middle ground between flats in central London and very long daily or even weekly commutes. If you value rural life, why not consider villages/small towns rather than just cities? Depending on their location and how well connected they are, you can still have fairly easy access to culture and a fairly cultured atmosphere.

We live in a village on the trainline between Oxford/Reading/London. On the Thames and in the Chilterns. Lots of people commute to London from here. It is very lovely and family friendly.

There is life outside London/Brighton/Bath/Oxford you know!

Though Oxford seems like a better bet than Bath for commuting if you really want to live in a city.

If it was me I would move to Brighton, I go there regularly to visit my friends who all love it there, long evenings with kids playing on the beach, BBQs etc unfortunately we moved away and are now priced out.

Do you know where your DH will be working. You/We need to know which part of London he needs to get too. It makes a big difference! Then decide how far he is happy to commute on a daily basis (can he work at home sometimes) and work out along the trainline, checking for good schools along the way.

East Sheen, SW14. Pricey, safe but great family community, great primary schools. 15 minutes train to Waterloo. Loads of parks. Richmond Park is largest of the royal parks 2,360 acres with heard of deer.

London Zone 2. I spent my childhood partly in the French Alos and partly in a provincial city, and I wouldn't bother trying to find an Alpine equivalent in the UK when London has so much to offer. If you can afford to live comfortably in London, which seems to be the case, I think that it would offer the best for the family as a whole - less travelling, more time together, easy access to interesting things to do, good transport links for when you do want to go somewhere rural, good schools and so on. London commuter towns and villages would be my least favourite option.

Chichester?

I would avoid Surrey unless you like to talk about home improvements and house prices when you socialise

Cambridge is also very well-connected to London (King's Cross St Pancras, London Liverpool Street) as well as to airports etc. And it does well on both culture and schools.

London really is great though!

Has anyone said Cambridge? You can still get a nice Victorian terrace for the price of a 3 bed flat in Highgate. Great schools, lovely vibrant city with lots of culture & interesting stuff going on, plus green on your doorstep. 45 mins to KGX, an hour to Liverpool Street.

We now live in the centre of central London, and I love it, but would go back to Cambridge in a heartbeat. It really is a lovely lovely place to bring up children.

Ha! Great minds penguin!

Winchester is supposed to be the best place to live in the U.K. and can commute to London.

Also what about a nice market town in Hampshire or Surrey like Godalming, Petersfield or Farnham?

Windsor would give you a reasonable commute, culture and lovely walks at weekend plus good schools and easy to get to Heathrow for your mountain trips

And can confirm that I live in Surrey and never talk about home improvements

I currently live on the borders or Surrey and London ( have I mentioned how much my house is worth 😆) and it's fine... greats schools, green spaces etc but it's not the most exciting place in the world. I would be tempted by Bath and that will definitely be do able commuting wise once the upgrade of the line is done ( I used to commute 2 hours to N London so I know how important decent links can be). It would also offer easy access to Wales and the South west if you want some rural escapes. Brighton is also fun - liberal / bohemian feel to me but very busy in the summer months. There is only one train line and it's a nightmare with rail strikes at the moment - and I don't know if there end in sight for that.
at the moment.

Look at small commuter villages in bucks, there are lots of beautiful idyllic villages with cpuntryside, big towns a short drive away and a 30 min commute to London. Best of both worlds

Can he work from home at all?

Don't move to Bath. I lived there for a year - it's ridiculously expensive, busy with tourists for 6 months of the year to the point where you're battling your way through just to get to a (too small) Sainsbury's, all the buildings are listed so have mouldy wooden windows, and it's not particularly friendly.

The trainline through is also really unreliable!

id stay in the french alps and have dh do a weekly commute on the plane

All of the Dulwichs are hell. Go north of the river

Agree with pp to steer clear of Southern Trains for the commute.

As well as Bath or Brighton there are many towns and villages within an easy commute (1hr) of London. Have you looked at Winchester? Frequently voted best place to live in the UK. Or Petersfield - which has quick access to beautiful South Downs countryside. Oxford is also a great city with easy access to countryside (although far from the coast if this is a consideration). All of these are surrounded by delightful villages, with easy access to the train to London.

I would write a list of the things you really want in terms of house type/recreational activities/schools/local environment etc then fit to a place afterwards - otherwise it's a bewildering choice!

Where are you in the Alps?

Just realised I wrote exactly the same as Stumbly - should have read the full thread before responding!