to be freaking out about moving from London to Wales?

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Long story short: lived in London for twenty years, married a Londoner, have Londerner kids, love London, have great London friends. Now DH has been offered a job in Cardiff and its a great job. So we have to move. But Gosh I’m scared.

I know nothing of Wales. I went to Cardiff once with work and I didn’t love it. I’m thinking if we have to move maybe we should go the whole hog and live in the countryside but I can’t even work out what is commutable to Cardiff.

Are we going to hate it? Is it ever right to leave a place you love just for career reasons?

And if you are Welsh where would you live that is commutable to Cardiff and lovely and friendly and beautiful? We will also need good schools, maybe private but I’m open minded to state as well.

@Charltonlido I went to stanwell school in Penarth. They may get good results but certainly when I went there their pastoral care was appalling and their attitude towards students with disabilities and learning difficulties was awful.

May have changed now but I'm not sure.

I'm amused by some of the horrified posts about how 'parochial' and insular Cardiff is. And this is coming from someone who has lived in various cities and countries.

I like Cardiff. Of course it's different to London but it's still a great city.

I don't drive and I've never had an issue getting around, but of course that depends on exactly where you're based. I work in the centre of Cardiff and live about 25 minutes away by train.

@cwtchm8 if we're thinking of the same specialist school then it is indeed fantastic (the one with a welsh name?)

I can't read the whole thread as so annoyed by people calling Cardiff kids bullies and the whole city a dump. Keep your London money in London if you don't want to move.

Where DH works, he has to answer the phone in Welsh first, yet if someone replies back in Welsh, he has to say that he can't speak it (he's Welsh). It's ridiculous.

Not such a big deal as you’re making it sound. Just saying “Bore da/Good morning Smith and Company” gives someone the option of using Welsh or of speaking to someone else who does, if the person answering the phone does not. Just courtesy Welsh.

hardly anyone here speaks Welsh

How wrong you are.

Also, the Welsh on the phone is incidental Welsh. The more we use it, the more people get used to it. It's what we do in every English or dual medium state primary school in the country. It becomes second nature.

I can count on one hand the number of people I've heard speaking Welsh since moving here (Powys)15 years ago. I work on statistics for Wales and in Cardiff, 11% of people can speak Welsh. The majority of people born in Wales don't actually speak it, but for those who do, of course keeping it alive is really important.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/Cardiff-County-of.html

I like the farm house on this list and a few other interesting options amongst the student set ups.

Not such a big deal as you’re making it sound. Just saying “Bore da/Good morning Smith and Company” gives someone the option of using Welsh or of speaking to someone else who does, if the person answering the phone does not.

Except nobody in the office actually speaks Welsh, so it's a bit pointless, as they wouldn't be able to speak to anyone in Welsh.

The majority of people born in Wales don't actually speak it

Have you ever been to North Wales? West Wales? South West Wales? Just because a higher percentage of people are born in South East/East Wales and they may not speak as much Welsh, doesn't mean that nowhere speaks it.

It's the predominant language for many, if not most areas of Wales. In Anglesey and Gwynedd, well over half the adult population speaks Welsh and in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire it's coming up to half. Plus there aren't many English medium schools in these areas, so the majority of children will be Welsh speakers too, which will greatly change the stats.

The reason only 11% of adults speak Welsh in Cardiff is because the majority of adults living in Cardiff either didn't learn Welsh in school, as it wasn't compulsory then, or aren't Welsh. Cardiff and its surrounding areas are hugely multicultural compared to other areas, with a high percentage of EAL, never mind Welsh. Compared to my rural Welsh village over West, where the population of ethnic minority is 0.01%.

There are many, MANY Welsh speakers in Cardiff, and they get pretty pissed off when people say its a dying language, or that Welsh people couldn't care less about using it. They'd be wrong on both counts.

Well, my husband had compulsory Welsh, (and husband was born here too), but he only remembers some bits. He couldn't have a conversation.

Having said that, I know it's mainly the south east of Wales that's English speaking. I expect the people who don't complain about having to use Welsh, are the ones who speak it anyway.

How did it go OP?

I was thinking of you whilst watching the BBC weather this morning. She said it would be a lovely sunny day in most places - the wetter weather was, of course, in South Wales!

North west Wales at 52% is the ONLY region where the majority speak Welsh. As I said, the MAJORITY do not across Wales. Just a factual statement as I am involved in official data on this, as well as recording attitudes/experiences of people throughout Wales to the Welsh language. Thought it might be helpful for the OP maybe, that's all.

Moving from years of living in London to anywhere else in the country does involve a lifestyle change that may be difficult for many people. So I would not belittle the OP or underestimate what a change it may be.

Good luck to the OP and her DH.

Forallthesaints I completely agree with you. It is a huge change for sure. The pure bashing of Wales on here is really very sad to see though. It's sad that people are so against our language.

Odd, the "official data" says its higher than that.

Well, it's actually not been too bad today, weatherwise. The sun did make an appearance, and I've often found that Cardiff has better weather than my bit of Wales, so hopefully OP had a good day.

Look up National Survey for Wales 2017/18,if you're interested; it's on there

@Slimtimeagain I totally agree regarding dissing the language and I'm English. Maybe it's because I have embraced all Cardiff and Wales has to offer that we are so happy living there. Kids are in welsh language schools, me and dh learning. Dh is from London and I am from the SE. We never ever plan to move back and I think the mindset of London being so 'special' does bug me. What about Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow. Life and culture does not end at the M25.

@Slimtimeagain I agree. But I'm not surprised in a way. I have always found that there is an undercurrent from some English people who see our country and culture as inferior, a view which has deep roots in history, of course. Many who go on about how Welsh isn't the first language of many have no idea of the history behind that.

I experienced prejudice (in the form of "jokes" and "amusing comments") when I lived in London and it was only ever from English people. Sad but true.

Have only skimmed the thread so apologies if this has already been mentioned - but remember that the income from renting your current house is taxable so you this reduces how much you can spend on renting in Wales.

WildImaginings, your experience of Stanwell school sounds identical to my DC's more recent experience of the comp in Cowbridge.
The OP and others shouldn't take league tables and local reputation as gospel - our experience and those of others I know paints a very different picture.

disappointedyetagain please point me to any actual concrete evidence that bilingual road signs cause a "frightening" amount of accidents here in Wales. If you can't cope with road signage of any sort, then you shouldn't drive.

I have always found that there is an undercurrent from some English people who see our country and culture as inferior, a view which has deep roots in history, of course. Many who go on about how Welsh isn't the first language of many have no idea of the history behind that.

This. I've experienced so much hostility because I speak Welsh. I've been told it's rude to speak Welsh in a shop, even if that conversation was private and between me and my child. I've been told my mother tongue is pointless. I've been told (literally hundreds of times) that my language is a waste of money and that I shouldn't be allowed to access services in Welsh. I've been told to fuck off home, to shut the fuck up, to just speak English like everyone else.
I gather the same thing happens in Ireland, Scotland and Cornwall. It seems xenophobia is fair game as long as we're from the British Isles.

I've lived in both. I'm Welsh. I wouldn't live in Cardiff again if you paid me.

That's not very helpful for the OP though. At least give reasons.