Looking for the ideal place to live

[Ahundredthousandmiles]

NC for this. I moved back to Edinburgh nearly a year ago and regret it. I wanted countryside, wildlife, dawn chorus etc. However, we need to be near a town for our adult son who lives with us. I just can't settle. I am not happy in the house - chosen more for practical and financial reasons than love. Missing peace and quiet and absence of heavy traffic, struggling with the weather.
I am looking for a friendly community with lots to do, good transport links and access to culture but beautiful countryside. I have thought of Stroud, Corsham, Frome places like that. Considering Derbyshire but I don't know it very well. I'd like to be by the sea, but Cornwall is quite cut off , mobbed by tourists and rains a lot. Dorset though lovely has never really done much for me.

If we move in a year or so we will not recoup our buying costs, but I cannot see myself living here beyond another year or two. There is lots to do here, but I feel lonely and don't feel settled. We are retired so no worries about jobs or schools. This just isn't my dream.

Can you expand on why your adult son's needs have trumped yours?

I suggest that you consider Chester. It's close to North Wales and in Cheshire. Both of which have some of the most stunning countryside.

Chester is a beautiful and historical city...small but cultured...close to Liverpool and Manchester for when you want the "bigger" city experience.

It’s complex. He has severe depression and can’t find a job. He not in a position to live on his own.

I travel a fair bit for work, Windsor is very nice. Lovely town centre, restaurants, shops etc, bustle of a market town, but also surrounded by beautiful countryside. I live by the sea but in a commuter town so it's very expensive and busier than you'd like I think. What about the Kent coast? New Romney, Hythe, Dimchurch etc or Canterbury is lovely there and cost to countryside and coast. Why not plan lots of mini breaks over the next 18 months, it gives you things to plan and look forward to and you might find somewhere you'd like to be longer term.

What about Northumberland? Wonderful scenery and coastline and not too many tourists. If you do consider Derbyshire, obviously you are a long way from the coast and many of the centres are rammed with tourists on a sunny day and in the school holidays. Lots of lovely villages, but make sure that your access routes aren't the same as tourists otherwise you'll struggle to get anywhere (speaking from experience!).

If he needs a job a place with a depressed economy such as Cornwall is not the answer.

How about a nice thriving market town?

Stamford
Marlborough

Or bigger eg Bristol or Bath?

I lived in Edinburgh once and hated it. Grey and bleak and rainy - couldn't wait to get away!

Stafford. Good and easy transport links to Birmingham and Manchester, but plenty of beautiful countryside.

Edinburgh is surrounded by beautiful countryside in every direction. Have you looked at East Lothian? Lots of lovely towns and villages alongside glorious beaches. Also has good transport links to the city. Some lovely little villages in Midlothian too and still fairly close to the coast.

Stamford / Rutland.

Another vote for Northumberland.

Easy train access to Edinburgh and Newcastle

Some good ideas here. I was near Stafford recently and was amazed how beautiful it is.

Hebden Bridge?

Another for Northumberland or North Tyneside. It has countryside, coastline, wildlife, not too many people, etc. but is also within easy reach of Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and Edinburgh, can also be in York or Leeds in 60-90 minutes, London is an hour away if you fly or 4 hours by train. Getting around the region is fairly easy with buses and there is a Metro system for many areas with trains every few minutes, you can get from Newcastle City Centre to the coast within 30 minutes using the Metro. Plenty of culture to be had with theaters, art galleries, award winning museums (Beamish is amazing), music, etc.

Bristol/Bath?

Does your son drive? If so, a village or town in Norfolk within driving distance of Norwich might suit. Good countryside, lovely coast and jobs and culture in Norwich.