Leaving London - is there a promised land?

[ilkleymoorbartat]

With the mass exodus from London at the moment, aibu to ask whether there is some promised land that people go when they have kids (whatever the location).

Ie, are those of us in London missing out on a life that is lovely and idyllic which if you're in the London bubble it's impossible to imagine?

Do we have Stockholm syndrome basically?!

Hampshire for us. I grew up on the south coast anyway and want to bring DC up nearer my family. It’s been ramped up by Covid, but it’s always been happening.

My DPs met in London and left when I was 6 months. I never envisaged staying with DC of my own in London as I love being close to the countryside and having a quieter pace of life. When city working returns DH and I can do commuting 2/3 days a week each up in town.

Friends and acquaintances of ours have gone to Kent, Gloucestershire, Essex, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Portsmouth, Derbyshire and Ireland and I suspect more will follow in the years ahead.

London is great if, like a PP, you can afford a nice house and garden in a pleasant part of the city, but we can’t.

We are in suffolk and can't even buy locally at all now. Every house has gone to people moving out of London.

Many of whom will be moving out because they can't afford to live in their home city... because people from Suffolk (and everywhere else) has been moving to London to many years.

Sheffield feels like a really overlooked option. I was born and raised in London and left very reluctantly when I turned 30. Almost immediately I felt like a calmer person. The people are laid back, a good mix of countryside and city, and you can travel so easily to London and other cities.

The only problem is if I fancy a specific cuisine it might not be readily available. Please make the most of that in London (or Manchester. Or Liverpool. Etc)

Most people I know have moved closer to family. The two who didn't both moved to St Albans!

I think schools is often a big driver for people. There seem to be excellent primaries all over London but the secondaries are a bit patchy, especially in areas where there are a lot of independent schools.

North Leicestershire. We moved prior to submitting places for primary schools. It was great living in London in our 20’s but in 30’s we found we were paying the extortionate nursery fees, house prices and general cost of living but not being able to make the most of what London has to offer at that time and just racing around to drop and collect for childcare. Also to move in catchment to a good school can literally add £100k and above to a house price or you go with private. So a no brainer for us to move - although I never thought I would! Much better work/life balance - and to be honest was the difference in us being able to have more kids. Also only takes just over an hour on the fast train to London when I need to travel for work (about twice a month). Best of both worlds. 6 out of 8 of my NCT group have moved out of London now.

I visited my home town in Lincolnshire last week and met a lady who has moved up from London with her young family. She has taken a 5 year career break and they have been able to buy a house outright. So that all seems lovely but for me that town has very limited appeal. I had a lovely week but really couldn’t see what would entertain me beyond that time. I’m no longer a country dweller and the prospect of rural living does not appeal. The local city that I used to live in and love also looked a bit down at heel so maybe hadn’t fared so well. The town I live in now is a similar size to my home town but on the London borders. It’s not super exciting but offers a great deal more in terms of shops / restaurants etc. I can also be in Central London in 40 minutes. Tonight I went to a virtual reality event at the Royal Opera House. I certainly don’t think London is the be all or end all but it certainly has a lot to offer.

My home town is only an hour out of London on the train but apparently a rail card is over £800 a month.

My DD has moved out of london to Leeds. She loves it but she hasn't got children yet so I can't comment on that.

If you are looking in England - The Cotswolds and the villages on Cotswolds borders. Lovely weather, great villages, stunning scenery and lots of towns/cities in reasonable commute.

I agree with @BrimfulOfBaba don’t overlook Sheffield.
It’s fab, but I’m biased! 😂

I totally regret leaving London. I loved living there (nearly 30 years) and miss the people, the buildings, the art & culture, food…everything.
Currently surrounded by trees, trees and more trees.

Sheffield is not fantastic unless you mean s10 or s11 anyways

I moved from Lincolnshire to London less than a year ago and when living up north noticed loads of people from London and surrounding areas moved to lincolnshire, I can see why I want to move back as soon as my higher degree is finished

Sheffield has a really poor city centre for a place that size.

Cotswolds, Sandbanks/Poole, Rutland or Edinburgh is tempting but if distance is no object Lugano Switzerland would be ideal or Bondi Sydney Australia most ideal! Currently in central London but worked globally prior to parenthood.

I moved from Notting Hill to the Surrey countryside, absolutely love it here! I have the best of both worlds as I’m still close enough to London to work there three days a week but I wake to bird song and peace instead of sirens and traffic noise. Every weekend is like a weekend away. One of the best decisions I have ever made.

Depends on whether you have a nice life in London or not.

We stayed - the exodus typically happens at the end of primary school - and are so glad we did. We live in a really nice area, in a nice house, and have lots of friends. We also love the culture - museums, galleries, theatres - and our DC go to fantastic schools.

If you don't have all that I can see why you'd move.

@ResIpsaLoquiturInterAlia

Cotswolds, Sandbanks/Poole, Rutland or Edinburgh is tempting but if distance is no object Lugano Switzerland would be ideal or Bondi Sydney Australia most ideal! Currently in central London but worked globally prior to parenthood.

Definitely not choices for the priced out.

I'd problem pick Auckland over Sydney. Just personal preference though.

*probably

I’m keeping it to myself until I’ve upgraded one more rung here.

We’re looking to move back TO London. We’re outside the UK at the moment and looking at jobs etc it seems hard to find things at the appropriate level outside London and the south east. London housing costs are obviously off putting but it seems the opportunities are limited elsewhere if you are looking for work.

I moved to Oxfordshire from London.
Some lovely markets town with great schools.

This is all a bit exaggerated Guardian article.

People have always moved from London especially if they have children, need more space, can’t afford a larger home or aren’t from London originally and want to be closer to family to help with childcare.

I don’t see that many ‘for sale’ signs around so it may be flat renters who want to buy a house with a garden whilst stamp duty holiday is still in place.

They’re not exactly being chased across the desert in their hundreds of thousands by Ramses.

I moved from London to Bristol in my early 20s for a new job opportunity and haven't left. I've settled down (married with 2 kids) and can't see myself ever moving back to London, as we wouldn't be able to replicate what we currently have if we moved to where I grew up.

@Macncheeseballs

Bad stuff happens in the countryside too

In terms of crime like gang culture and knife crime, the rates are far higher in London and other large cities. The statistics are widely available.