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.

Absolutely shocking that moving to Wales means they want you to learn the language.
Every one whatever their nationality should speak English where ever in the world they happen to be.
Would never have happened in the days of empire.

Cardiff is fine, anywhere else in Wales is just too quiet for me.

How about your DH commutes - stays in cardiff during the week and home on weekends to give you a chance to visit and stay with him/ spend alternative weekends until you get the lay of the land? At the very least you need to go and spend some time there before moving permanently and judge for yourself.

Depending on your children’s ages they might get a pass on learning Welsh in school as they’ll be too far behind if they’re already teenagers.

My current attitude is just an expression of shock. If we do the move I will throw myself into it whole heartedly. My youngest is five so I think through him I’d hopefully meet school gate mums and stuff. I’d work from home two days a week, London one day a week and maybe volunteer another day to make friends.

I asked about Bristol because I do have friends there. How long is the commute? Awful but doable or just too awful to contemplate?

Lakeside/Cyncoed/Penylan also lovely.

Cardiff has world class theatre, galleries etc. Did you do any research before you had a meltdown about those insular narrow minded Welsh people?

I think you would find the move to Bristol a better one, if your DH was prepared to do the commute. It’s popular with London relocators, and with the money released from your London house you could live in a nice area (though you may be surprised at the property prices).

I don’t know Bristol well enough to be helpful but put a call out and you’ll get loads of advice.

Bath is lovely but you might find it a bit staid depending on where in London you live.

I don’t see the point in moving to Bristol. People do commute but it’s stressful. Not so bad if it’s Bristol to Newport but Cardiff traffic is a pain.

There are big houses to rent in nice areas!
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-57837024.html

We did it a year ago OP and love it!! We live an hour outside and commute in, but Cardiff is so cosmopolitan now, and just feels so much safer! Although of course I miss some of the variety London has to offer, it's more that that is what I was used to if that makes sense? Such a nicer standard of living now, I honestly don't know why we didnt do it sooner! People are fine, to be honest I've never experienced any racism, in fact the complete opposite! I think a lot of the success in a move like this is your own attitude, and whether you can embrace the change rather than berating the differences!

The only way I’d contemplate the Bristol commute would be by train. Driving it would frequently be horrendous. Cardiff is a nicer place to live than Bristol anyway.

Cardiff is nicer than Bristol imo. I wouldn't move to the countryside if you are used to London - too much of a shock esp for the kids. I'd stick to Cardiff suburbs.
I moved from London to South Wales when I was 14 - I'm glad my parents moved. I received a good education here, my older 2 dc aged dc have had subsidised university education, which is a big plus. If you are ill, prescriptions are free in Wales. I won't say it's perfect, but there is a lot which is really good. I feel my dc are safer going out here than in London.
I really like the city - it's small but there is everything you need.
Life is what you make it. If you come with a negative attitude, you will only see the flaws and not all the fab stuff.

No offence meant with mygallery comment. What I meant is that obviously Cardiff doesn’t have the sheer range of exhibitions etc simply due to its size.

And no I haven’t researched much at all because the job offer only just came through and DH didn’t tell me he was applying as he didn’t want to have the embarrassment of not getting the job.

Obviously DO NOT SELL YOUR LONDON HOME UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES

Do you really need to spend £2750 to rent in Cardiff? Bet it's even cheaper than that

Last time I rented in Cardiff it was £600 for a 4 bed house

Can you move to a cheaper area of London? You could rent out your house and rent something smaller. I would not recommend this move, especially with teenagers. You will definitely regret it.

I've not experienced anything like lizzie1970a. Been here a while now and love it. Yes there's not so nice areas but generally it's a nice city, lots to see & do. Everyone I've met has been friendly, the odd one I don't get on with but you get that anywhere.

Cardiff does not have world class museums! It has one main museum! I don't even know if you could call it world class. You can't compare it to London. Or galleries. What galleries? There are some small ones dotted about. Again not comparable to London. Or theatre.

Yes, you can get from one side of the city to the other relatively quickly apart from times that count. There was a programme recently about bus transport into Cardiff from Danescourt taking an hour during the rush hour. There are very few bike lanes although the Taff Trail is great to cycle into the centre if you live Radyr, Danescourt, Whitchurch, Llandaff North or Llandaff areas.

I would say crime rates are lower and I'd also say people in general of polite if you bump into them, noticeably so they'll say sorry whereas not so much in London. Friendlier in general is debateable though.

I have lived in London and Cardiff. Both completely different of course. I miss London and agree Cardiff is more parochial but more multi cultural and cosmopolitan these days.

Seriously, don’t do it! Move to Bristol if you have to. Though schools are not that great, unless you are thinking of going private.

Just a rental suggestion www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/75836810.

My grandson grew up just outside London (Crawley/East Grinstead ) with easy access to London. He is at university in Cardiff and absolutely loves it. He only comes back for part of the holidays and says he will look for a job there when he graduates.
However the language thing will be very difficult for your children. In your situation I’d want to live over the border until they finish school even if it makes a long commute for your dh.

Your rental figures are astronomical. I'm struggling to see how you could spend that much on rent in Cardiff if you tried...

I live in rural Wales so cheaper than Cardiff but pay £770 a month for a four bedroom detached house.

Ok, you sound richer than I am...but even doubling what I spend, you'd be at the most expensive end of the rental market here. Unless you want a manor house. Which won't cone up for rent very often.

Absolutely not meaning to be snarky but if you wanted to stay in London and work fewer hours, would reducing your expenses be an option?

I'd also look at Llantwit Major if nothing in Cowbridge, used to love it there (although moved about 10 years ago so could have changed, but friends all seem happy)
Your kids will pick up Welsh quick enough. There are loads of English language schools in Vale of Glam so Welsh taught as a second language. Children I know who have arrived there at secondary age have done fine in picking it up. (And it isn't as hard as people make out really)

If you really cannot stand the thought of living in Cardiff how about Chepstow? Commutable I would have thought. Although property prices there are currently rocketing, apparently, now that the Severn Bridge toll is being got rid of.

Having one’s own distinctive culture and being proud of it equals parochial, it seems.