To want to move up North in my situation?

[Barefootsummers]

We have 2 children and would love a bigger family. We currently live in the south east in our own home which is a small 2/3 bed flat with no garden. Up North we could afford a detached house with small amount of land (550k). Thinking West Yorkshire. I love the countryside and this lifestyle rather than fancy restaurants / boutiques etc. We could work in similar jobs up North. It's a no brainer for me but my DH is not convinced. His reasons against are that the housing market is always secure in the south east, schooling is better and it affords more opportunity. I guess I'm not looking for anyone to tell me what I should or shouldn't do but just need some perspective on this. Anyone? Thanks in advance!

Wow, some of the views on this thread have been 'interesting'. I live in Northumberland near a market town north of Newcastle. We bought a new house 3 years ago. Five bedroom sitting in around half an acre. It was £560,000. Now I'm under no illusions that it would probably have been twice that in the London/SE areas, you may want to adjust your expectations about what you can buy with your budget.
We had a choice of three schools, two of which were rated outstanding or good.
We live 20 minutes from the most beautiful beaches and the coastline is to die for. Another 30 minutes were in the cheviots and 90 minutes to the Lake District or Edinburgh. My commute into work is 20 minutes. My children step out of their front door onto green fields, woodland, bridal paths. I have (touch wood) to date, never been burglars, mugged, abused by strangers, had my car vandalised or broken into. This is despite the view that the north is rough 😂
Your property will never reach the prices of the south so if you rely on equity to return south then previous posters are correct. You won't be able to. However, I predict you won't want to. The quality of life up here is just much better

Almost all cities/towns and a lot of villages are extremely depressing. You may also want to think about schools. Generally speaking state schools in less affluent areas are going to ruin your child's life

What utter rubbish....

There are many, many beautiful, thriving places in Yorkshire. The area between York, Leeds and Harrogate isn't called the golden triangle for no reason and Yorkshire "gods own county".

Yes - like any county in England there are less desirable areas than others, but the notion of a poor, depressed, blighted North is simply not true.

There are many excellent state schools, picturesque villages, beautiful towns and vibrant cities.

We've actually had Harvey Nichols up here for quite some time along with a whole load of other high brow and designer shops, entertainment, opera, theatre, art galleries etc etc

Businesses like Sky, major accounting and tech firms are (or already have) relocating to Leeds/Manchester. Job opportunities in those sectors are booming.

It's a wonderful place to live and as much as I love London I wouldn't trade my life in Yorkshire for anything.

You could get an amazing house in a lovely area for that up north. And guess what? Even in some areas the housing market is secure! Come try it out. God I could not live in a flat all my life

I won tickets to a show. In that London. The thought of going is keeping me awake at night.

It might be grim up north. But it beats the South hands down.

Be really sure, I agree with what pringlecat said - it's really hard if not impossible to move back as the London property market has outrun everywhere else 5 fold.

Consider the weather I'm from Scotland and lived all over the north and the sole reason preventing me moving back is the weather (although I love London now too)

I've driven to Leeds one fine summers 30 degree day and it's been 12 when I get there - don't underestimate the weather differences. Did you know that the East side of the Lake District is 3 times less rainy than the West (I may have that the wrong way round ) - but it's 600ml in London rainfall and 600ml in (either) the west or east - and 1800ml in (either) the west or east Lake District.

Huge differences.

I presumed the poster urging caution was taking the piss. Though they were right on one thing: OP should choose very carefully. The north is hardly a monolith, as other posters have pointed out. There's more diversity to be found here than there is within London, hardly surprising since it's a whole region with everything from packed noisy urban areas to full on rural. So for example, OP seems to like the idea of a quasi-pile near Hebden Bridge. She's therefore unlikely to find that a town house in Chorlton appeals, even though they're both close to thriving gay communities.

I'm from Manchester and even though I may get flamed I will say it anyway- I love my city and if anyone thinks they are too good then stay away! Manchester is a friendly city and heaven forbid it ends up like London- full of grumpy selfish people!

Schooling is West Yorkshire is v good around the Wetherby/ Harrogate area ...

This sort of thread tends to attract people who have done it and liked it.

I was brought up up north, and most of my family live up north now.
There are some things I like about here, some things I'd like about being there. But the biggest thing I'd like is being near family if I was up there. The next thing would be the housing, but after that most of the things I've been told for years are better up north, I disagree.

My dsis lives in a small town similar in size to ours, both of us in an estate off to one side.
We're actually closer to the countryside than they are-can be away from all traffic etc in 10 minute walk, walking along off road paths almost the entire way. They wouldn't walk out into the country as the country roads are too dangerous to walk along with children and there's no pathway out.
My dsis complains her dc don't get the opportunities mine do. There just isn't the variety of things to do that mine have done. And I'm not travelling far, often walkable.
I find the attitude very insular. They really can't understand people not wanting to live there. Either that or they don't realise that asking (often more than once when you've just met them) "don't you wish you lived here?" Is actually getting rude.
I find my town more friendly than theirs. If I'm out on the estate most people say hello. I've got chatting yo people people offer things they have spare (at one point I'd been offered 4 TVs, some from people I don't do more than a quick hello, in a month)
She ended up having to pay someone to come and help manoeuvre a sofa into the house. I could ask any of my neighbours and several other people.
And your southern accent will be branded "posh" by adults and children alike. I have a slight northern accent and the most I get down here is "that's not a local accent, where do you come from", but dsis, who has a slight southern pronunciation when she's not thinking often has people saying "you speak posh"
And don't ask dsis about hanging the washing outside. One summer she kept a note from May through to September. They had in that time 4 days she it didn't rain at all. And they still had a hosepipe ban.

Schools. Dsis is in a grammar area. We're not. I don't know what the percentage they take to the grammar, but it doesn't do brilliantly. If you compare the top half results from the dc's comprehensive, it does better than the grammar. And of course the non-grammars do worse. We have a choice of 3 comprehensives all of whom were similar-ours is the middle by reputation.

There are great things about up north, but go into it with your eyes open. Look at it properly rather than hearing people who have done it and stayed saying it's good.
You could end up in a village like the one my grandparents were in, that still referred to one of their neighbours as "the newcomer from " 25 years after she'd moved there. Probably still do.

And with £550k you could get an incredible house

Also I've never met a Londoner who disliked my Yorkshire accent .... rude

Oh and Leeds has an incredible gay scene !

“London is amazing”
For a visit, yes. I wouldn’t want to live there. I worked in the City and then the West End when I left school. I much prefer working in Sheffield

“Almost all cities/towns and a lot of villages are extremely depressing.”

“Generally speaking state schools in less affluent areas are going to ruin your child's life”

But that is true of wherever you live – in London or Manchester. D’oh! We live in an area with outstanding and good schools.

Hubby works in a very small industry based in the south.

Otherwise I'd be back up north like a shot

We are in Bradford, and whilst the area has it's problems (the MP is one, deprivation is another), we have bought a house (ex council but still), with a huge garden that backs on to rough ground/woods where a herd of deer live. You can look out of your window in the early morning and there are deer standing by your garden looking at the plum tree with interest...with in half an hour you are in Leeds if you travel one direction and on the moors in the other.

Our house cost less than £100 000 and there's no sign of the schools ruining DDs life yet. Although we should probably give it a few more years to be sure. My life certainly wasn't ruined by going to a state school in a less affluent area...

And don't ask dsis about hanging the washing outside. One summer she kept a note from May through to September. They had in that time 4 days she it didn't rain at all. And they still had a hosepipe ban.

Where on earth does she live? I'm west of the Pennines and still get loads of mine dry outside!

I've never been north east but always imagine it to be grey and run down with lots of rain so it's very interesting to read here how nice it is.

If I were relocating with 550k I'd pick Shropshire, a quick search within 15 miles of Shrewsbury bought up some lovely houses with tons of land.

I've never been north east but always imagine it to be grey and run down with lots of rain so it's very interesting to read here how nice it is

Parts of the north east are extremely grey and run down, there's no denying that! But other parts are beautiful. The North Yorkshire moors area if you like rural, the Northumberland coastline if you like the sea, Newcastle has some lovely leafy suburbs if you'd prefer to be more urban. And we don't get nearly as much rain as the north west - parts of the north east are some of the driest in the country in terms of rainfall.

I'm Yorkshire born and bread. My ddad was from Kent way my dm from south yorks. They met in London and moved back here. My dad who is a bit of a snob lol wasn't a fan of moving but 30years later they are still here.

Because of the different accents everyone commented on my dad sounding posh, and somehow me and my sister have a strange southern/northern accent.

Were about 45mins outside Sheffield, and like other posters have said there is always a train to take you anywhere, 2 shopping centres, one I can do in 7mins other about 25mins.

There are good and bad in any area, you could have the perfect house but have shitty neighbours.
Live a far distance from any civilization.

But like anything don't knock it until you've tried it.

And to add we have just moved to a 'essh' village yet I have spoken to more of my neighbours in the past 2 years than I did when I lived in a city for 6 years.

I think its personal preference at the end of the day.

I'm from West Yorkshire and say go for it, however second what pp have said about choosing your area carefully depending on age of dcs etc. For example there are some lovely houses in Wakefield (walton/sandal) but unless you go private schools aren't great. Huddersfield however has some great schools (hd8 and holmfirth) and calderdale has two outstanding grammars

Oh, Shropshire is lovely. We had a wonderful holiday there a few years ago and visited so many places.

Northumberland is very pretty and very underestimated by people who have never been there.

Quiet roads (only the A1 is always busy), beautiful countryside, fantastic beaches, loads of history and places of interest to visit, lovely market towns. Just wonderful.

We did it recently, west London to the north west and we are making it work but we wish we would have stayed put. Our home and garden are way bigger and nicer, but our wages are lower too, there is dog dirt literally everywhere and my children have experienced a lot of prejudice about everything ranging from their "posh accents" to their father being foreign. We have met some lovely people but then there were lovely people down south too.

@Dogsmom genuine question, why did you imagine the North East in that way? I have always lived in the North East but have travelled extensively around the UK and can honestly say I wouldn't live anywhere else. It's genuinely beautiful up here and people are warm and welcoming on the whole. It's pretty cold a lot of the time but we don't get much rain; bright, crisp and windy weather is more the norm but we love it! To the OP, definitely don't discount Northumberland as the lifestyle you could have here is second to none. Best of luck with making your decision!

Nothing wrong with the north east. I'm in the arse end of nowhere in the dales and it really is beautiful.

The accent thing is true. I have a distict hint of London in my accent, despite never having lived there. I was called Posh Girl all the way through school. (My parents moved up shortly before I was born).