Would you mind telling me why you love where you live in the UK?

[Zerrin13]

Following on from the SW thread I was wondering if i could hear about other good places to live in the UK?
I'm in Hampshire. Its a lovely place to live in many ways but very expensive.

Shropshire. I've lived all over from Glasgow to North coast of Scotland and also in Wales and NE England. I'd choose Shropshire any day. It's quiet but not far from Birmingham. A day trip to London is entirely doable. It's clean, green, friendly people, beautiful scenery and very quiet. You get a lot of house for your money here compared to Cheshire or SE. We can walk miles from our house and not see another soul. Can you tell I like the peace?

I live in the Highlands. Stunning scenery, amazing surfing, beaches that stretch for miles. Actually doesn't rain as much as where I'm from in the central belt as it's more east. Cute little shops and an amazing community spirit. So many activities as we're so far away from everything we make our own fun.

Although wish it was a bit closer to Glasgow as it's one heck of a drive after work. Also no take aways except from your standard Chinese, chips or an Indian. I would just love some variety. Pros and cons haha.

Birmingham

Greenest city in the UK, youngest city in Europe. It’s developing and changing so quickly and there’s a real “buzz” in the city. Everything on my doorstep.

I meet people on a regular basis from all around the world who have chosen to come and live here and love the city, but for some reason the British love to shit on B’ham

Plymouth, nice quiet city, pre covid lots to do, lots of restaurants, cinema, boat trips. Nearby beaches, moorland and coastal walks, a short drive into Cornwall. I live overlooking the Plym estuary and its lovely the city is pretty much a city made up of villages as there are many different areas some with very much a village feel, i love it.

West Sussex: We can walk out of our front door and be on fantastic footpaths/bridleways within 30 seconds, we can be on top of the South Downs or walking along a river within half an hour (by foot), our nearest village feels friendly and safe whilst having good amenities, we can drive to the beach in 15 minutes, Brighton and all it has to offer is 20 minutes away, we can jump on a train and be in London in an hour.

I live in Gloucestershire, in a village close to Cheltenham and Gloucester. It's not the poshest (and somewhere people often say to avoid on here). I like it because it has a huge sense of community, if I posted on the local FB page I needed help with childcare/ picking up shopping/ mending a fence my inbox would be full of offers. There are lots of likeminded people, the cost of housing makes it full of teachers, nurses etc which are 'my kind of people'. The countryside is a short walk away, we're surrounded by hills. We are also very close to the motorway so easy access other places.

I have lived in many places, moved around a lot in my 20s but I love it here.

Tamworth- adopted home - green, very family friendly - history, a castle, a snowdome, a water park - good shops and less than 2 hours to most places (London is 1:20min by train)

I’m from Liverpool though and that is still my favourite place on earth

I'm Essex too and I love it here. There's so much variety. Beautiful countryside, which people don't expect. Near to the coast. The town I live in has lots of history, nice shops/cafes. Live in the quieter side of town, lots of places to walk on my door step which I was grateful for during lockdown. Easy access to the rest of the country too.

Like MsEllany I'm another southerner who headed to Liverpool and stayed, I'm a 2 minute walk from one of the most beautiful parks (Sefton) and have a great house with a tiny mortgage. 2 hours drive from the Lakes/North Wales/Peaks in each direction. North west beaches are the best!

Brighton - amazingly quirky and tolerant and arty. TONS of outdoor space - 5 miles of beachfront, it really is a privilege to get up and be able to see the water every day. Parks - it's very green for a city. The Downs surrounding us, lots of green everywhere. The outdoor space made lockdown bearable.
Community - very community minded, lots of amazing neighbourhoods with support groups, sports activities, we really do know all our neighbours.
The month long art festival, the kite festival, the music scene, the art scene.
Want to take up pottery, learn to paddleboard, become a yoga master, start your own gin distillery? Brighton's the place for you.
Under an hour to London - so still within reach of 'big' jobs, though you could do what most people seem to do here and go part-time.

I live in a suburb of Birmingham and if you’d asked me a decade ago I would have been incredulous that I would both live in Birmingham and actually love it. I’m from the SE and I wouldn’t want to live there anymore despite my hometown being very much a desirable place to live.
Our area of Birmingham is lovely - we live in a really attractive place, schools are excellent, neighbours are lovely, local amenities are great and the city centre (pre-Covid at least) was continually improving. Our Labour MP has a solid majority so on face value at least the local politics are aligned to my views. It’s such a great location for getting to Wales/Peaks/Cotswolds/SW etc so we are able to access beautiful countryside very easily. For the stage of our life we are at now, I couldn’t think of anywhere else I would rather live.

Also Hampshire - New Forest (moved here 2.5 years ago). Five minutes from the beach, five minutes from fabulous forest and heath walks. Good rail links to Bournemouth, Southampton and London. Spoilt for choice for excellent pubs and cosy cafes. Very friendly and welcoming. As it is a tourist area there's always lots going on. Free roaming ponies, cattle and pigs! My new hobby - paddleboarding! Community spirit. Best weather in the UK (to enjoy the beaches....).

I'm in a very expensive area. I dont own and never could offord to. Its in the green belt close to London via train.

Imo it's because it's expensive is partly what makes its lovely, low crime, amazing schools. I come from a very deprived area and it's just so much safer here. People genaraly want to do well. Back home it wasnt normal to want a better quality of life.

Both SE, both the same distance from London, my rental here would be 220k back home. Here its would be 750k.

West Norfolk. The town centre is dying on its arse, the locals are somewhat insular and don’t welcome outsiders and there’s a significant drug problem.
It is however outstandingly beautiful. I can be at the beach in 15 minutes, we have loads of pubs around a 10 minute drive in any direction.
It was a good place for our daughter to spend her secondary years in.
I think it has the lowest rainfall in the UK

London have only lived here in U.K. after moving here over twenty years ago. Really love it. Always new things to get into. Great beautiful parks and people are friendly in local areas.

Cambridge. It's wonderful! You can cycle everywhere and it's really set up for cyclists so cycling feels very safe. You get all the facilities of a city but still keep a small intimate feel. You can get anywhere within half an hour on a bike. The buildings are absolutely beautiful and there are at least eight free museums in the city, as well as some great paid ones and the glorious botanic gardens. Lots of green space. In normal times lots of very interesting (often free) talks going on. Some good music venues too.

North London, absolutely love it and I doubt I’ll move out of my flat, nevermind the area I live in.

Lots of parks and free things to do in walking distance of our home. Good job opportunities in my field. Lots of paid activities for me and for my son, boredom is genuinely impossible. Very easy access to other areas of the country, be it road, rail or air. A good sense of community in the area we live in.

@MsEllany

I’m inner city Liverpool in a small terrace in a deprived area, but honestly I love it. Personally I’d like more space, but the actual area is great. Close to shops and schools with great public transport if needed, city centre in walking distance and a large park in sight. Our actual ‘neighbourhood’ is safe and friendly. I’ve actually lived here now longer than I lived at ‘home’ which was Hertfordshire. I like being close to stuff, I’m a city girl at heart but it’s nice to know the wilds are not far away!

My youngest boy used to live in Liverpool and I absolutely love it. I find the people so friendly and helpful. I know there’s a huge homeless problem, in the centre but that seems to be getting more common everywhere. Bold Street restaurants! Oh my good Gaia! The food choice and quality is amazing.

My lad now lives in a different city, which I won’t name, but my goodness the people really come across as cold and unwelcoming, though of course we met so many lovely people too. There’s just an air of coldness and standoffish behaviour.

He’s planning on living in London, so I’m loving all the posters taking about it. It’s one thing reading blurbs, but I’m much more interested in hearing real people’s perspectives.

Like a couple of PPs Birmingham! We live in south Birmingham, close to parks. Our area is really up and coming and has little independent shops bars and restaurants opening all the time. It's got a real community feel round here, friendly neighbours. And it's diverse and exciting. And brummies are very very friendly!

I'm in Twickenham
Lots of lovely pubs and restaurants nearby
Close enough to get into london easily
Kew gardens is gorgeous

A lovely village in the West Yorkshire Pennines. Stunning countryside, friendly people and lots of sheep

@RachelRosie

I'm Essex too and I love it here. There's so much variety. Beautiful countryside, which people don't expect. Near to the coast. The town I live in has lots of history, nice shops/cafes. Live in the quieter side of town, lots of places to walk on my door step which I was grateful for during lockdown. Easy access to the rest of the country too.

I think we may live in the same place and I agree with all this. Love the Essex countryside, coast and the wide estuaries and marshland, although my friend from hillier climes finds it eerie. Our town has history, three theatres (long may it last), music venues, cafes, lots going on. Easy to get to London which I also love.

Manchester.

I moved here almost 10 years ago from a small town in Fenland. The place we left was, well, Fenny. Racist, xenophobic, isolated, unpleasant. If you came from the town 10 minutes away you were an outsider, if your great grandparents weren't locals you were an outsider. It is and was an absolute shithole of a place. We moved here and everything is more to our preference. Everything. Diversity- you cannot imagine how wonderful it is to be in a city where 200 languages are spoken, where there are people and cultures and food and celebrations from all over the world when you have lived a long time in a place which has very little diversity and actively rejects it. Friendliness- people speak to us. I used to get on buses and people I had never met struck up conversations and didn't recoil in horror and disgust when I answered in a non local accent. The transport is not London but my god, compared to what I was used to it is amazing, I can get just about anywhere and knew I had become accustomed to how good we had it when I started whining that I had to wait a whole 20 minutes for a bus. Opportunities- there are other jobs than factory work and no feeling that aiming for them makes you an up yourself weirdo.

Plus, it's Manchester. There's something about it. I can't even describe it properly. This is the place and I love it.

Cardiff. Compact city with everything you could want culture wise. Cool waterfront area, great shopping, easy access to Brecon Beacons, Monmouthshire, the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, Vale of Glamorgan. Gower peninsula an hour away too.

North Ayrshire, 30 mins door-to-door to central Glasgow by car, 27 by train.

The county motto is 'A better life' and nothing could be truer for me. We've been here for 4 months (after 3 months in Glasgow where we temporarily rented just as lockdown came in, and moved here as soon as restrictions eased for house purchases). We're 15-20 mins train/drive to multiple long sandy beaches, 5 mins from waterfalls, 10 mins from the local Loch, RSPB reserve, 40 mins to Loch Lomond... we see deer when we're walking in the local woods, we are visited by so many different types of bird on a daily basis, our local rural community are so welcoming and friendly to us, and really we couldn't want anything more.

I'm originally from Essex and my husband is from Devon, and we've moved city 4 times now for study/work, but hopefully this is the last move and we're here to stay permanently!