Honest question from someone considering moving back to the UK!

[Rainbunny]

Despite Brexit Armageddon etc!! My DH and I are actually considering moving back to the UK after years overseas. After all the serious issues have been debated between us, the last remaining (surprisingly serious) issue is... the weather! So I'm throwing this out there to get an MN sense of the general weather in the UK since I haven't lived here for twenty years. How often does it actually rain in general do you think? Every other day? (for example) We would be relocating to a city about an hour's north of London for reference. This is somewhat of a thing since my DH really does get SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and we've struggled through a previous environment due to this. Appreciate all thoughts on the matter!

Jesus if I lived in SoCal nothing on earth would bring me back to London. And I love London.

Don’t be insane OP.

Have you thought of the south east, one of the driest part of the country and we dodge the snow.

Go to Wicklow in Ireland- the sunny south east. If your DH can't cope with cold dark weather, I strongly advise against coming back.

Bill Bryson compared living in the UK to living in a Tupperware box where the sky was perpetually a pearlescent grey. Looking out of my window this summer morning I have to concede he had a point.

Not rtft but we moved back to UK 5 years ago after 20+ years overseas in super hot countries. It is bloody cold here for much of the time (apart from this year which has been unusual). We live in supposedly the driest area of the country but in winter it is still very very wet!

We actually adapted to the much colder temps faster than we expected, but we still struggle with the greyness, the drizzle, the dark mornings and dark evenings for half of the year.

Don't under estimate how the grey can make you feel. I struggle hugely in the winter.

One thing that has helped us with this huge life changing move is we realised that we can't, here in UK, have the lifestyle we had overseas, so we have created a lifestyle here that we couldn't have there. It was a case of finding a new happy and not looking back constantly to how fabulous it all was. That was harder than dealing with the weather tbh.

Loved my overseas life and miss the desert every single day. But I also love my new life here. I would think very very carefully about the move and why you are making it.

Good luck and keep us updated.

do you know OP I was thinking about this when I got up this morning

I notice you said "career opportunity". Those can be quite fragile, or misleading etc. Esp if it's dependent on a company than can change policy at the drop of a hat.

@TheDowagerCuntess - do lamps help - not those stupid SAD lamps that even doctors recommend. that's why I have filming lights, on stands, around the flat, after my techie friend suggested it.

but I'm in a small flat - if you had to light a big space that way it could be quite problematic and expensive.

I miss California, only visited twice, but what an extraordinary place to live. And the space and scenery.

I can only assume this is a stealth boast. I wouldn't want to live in the US - but somewhere with that climate sounds wonderful. You'd be barking mad to consider moving to the UK after that! Are there any other options on the cards?

I moved here 2 years ago from the states. It doesn't rain that much where we are. But what really gets to me (and would probably be an issue for your DH) is that it's overcast most of the time. So even if it's not raining, it's generally grey. I've gotten used to it for the most part, but I still get a bit down after several consecutive grey days.

I should add, I used to live in the Pacific Northwest, and find it worse here than I did there.

We moved somewhere with a more continental climate so hot summers and cold (but dry!) winters, and I could not go back to the damp winters. It's the dampness that gets me that creeps up your spine and bones

ONG don't come back here. It is shite (and not just the weather!) If it wasn't for family ties with kids I'd be off like a shot.

OMG I mean! Plus it is a rip off. Redeeming features???? Well it's not war torn I guess.

There are as many people who wold never live in California as would never leave so that's not helpful for people to say. I can't imagine ever living is the US.

I live near Cambridge and it is a fantastic city. I love It! It doesn't rain much but obviously it is grey and dark sometimes in the autumn/winter. In the east we tend to get colder, icier but brighter days than elsewhere in the UK. I lived in Birmingham once and my SAD was much worse there.

If you hate bad weather and everything else is equal then don't move here. No-one is going to tell you the weather is better than you remember, it isnt!

Depends OP - great career wise? I would move. I didbt like SoCal that much and I have a friend desperate to move back here (American but she’s lived here before) - for me - the education in this country is what we want for our kids - I’m not from her myself but I don’t want to be anywhere else.

depends where you are, obviously. The UK has microclimates and big hills.

the damp spots - Cornwall, Devon, Pennines (including the holy Hebden Bridge) and so on will be grey and nasty a lot of the time - basic science. As will some but not all of Wales and Scotland.

London is generally warmer - big concrete jungle. I live in the Midlands in an area with lots of sunshine and weather generally only a couple of degrees cooler than the SE. A lifesaver in the recent heatwave.

daylight hours related to both latitude and longitude. Don't buy a newbuild in a cramped estate if you want to stay out of shadows.

no earthquakes worth worrying about, of course.

needs some science and map reading. Not MN strong points.

OP has already said it's about a hour north of London I think

tbh I don't think microclimates in UK will make much difference. Everywhere is going to be shite compared to Southern California.

The only positive in the UK is lack of earthquakes.

I don’t think it’s grey here, think it’s green and lush!

Surely he just needs one of those fancy lights on his desk for use during part of the day or more frequently if needed.

Earthquakes - didn't they have some in the SE this year

No one would move to the UK for the weather, surely? So it is not about whether the weather is nicer or comparable here to where you are - frankly, it is worse.

But the question should be, given the weather, are there other reasons for coming to the UK that outweigh the negative of the weather? My dh is from Australia. No one we meet can understand why he chose to live in the UK, and why we continue to choose to live in the UK, when he (we) can move to Australia tomorrow if we choose. The answer? The job opportunities here, which are not open to anyone in Australia. From my point of view, the culture, the proximity of family, the proximity of exciting European travel, the simple fact that this is my home. Dh does get SAD each winter, though it is less than it used to be, I think. But he clearly feels the benefits outweigh the poor weather. You should be thinking if you feel the same way rather than brining it all down to the weather.

Yes. I believes someones cat was almost startled...

What a lot of people (who can afford it) in the PNW do in Jan/Feb when the dark and gloom is at it’s worst is take a holiday in Hawaii (5 hr flight away). Tank up on vitamin D and bask in the balmy climate and it usually sets them right for the rest of the winter.

Are there cheap breaks from the U.K.? Cyprus and Dubai spring to mind but are they pricey?

DH says he wouldn’t live in Calafornia because of the natural disasters risks! He is not normally a risk averse type, must’ve been watching too many apocolypse films.

Well he’s not wrong! The whole of the West Coast is on a fault line and are overdue (statistically) for a massive quake. The PNW also has live volcanos to keep you on your toes and don’t forget the Oregon Coast is prone to Tsunami’s!!! Yay! On the other hand these “young” areas geologically produce spectacular beauty so about 100 million people just carry on in denial!