AIBU to ask you to tell me where to live?

[rainwindsunsnow]

Because I cannot decide

DH and I are mid-late 20s. No children yet but hoping to start trying next year. We both work from home so can live anywhere. The budget is around 600k and we are looking for 2-3 beds. We are not too fussy about flat vs. house, we are more concerned about choosing the right area.

We currently live in Edinburgh after moving up here for DH's job some years ago. We both love the city. We are very lucky to live in a pretty flat with a 20-minute walk to the city centre. We have ample access to museums, galleries, shops, parks, historic buildings, etc. We have easy access to some great countryside, the coast, and the airport. DH's family lives close by and we see them a fair bit. I particularly love how walkable the city is; I can walk for hours through pretty, quirky suburbs and countryside before hitting any main roads or industrial estates.

However ...

We are a long way from my family. I have parents on the south coast and two siblings in London. We would like to be back closer to my family when we have children. DH is happy with this as he went to university in Oxford and has lots of friends in the south.

However, we cannot settle on an area. I've yet to find anywhere that appeals as much as Edinburgh and house prices are scarily high.

We've been looking at:

• Winchester (beautiful but too expensive? too quiet?)
• Oxford (unsure what it is like to actually live here?)
• Cambridge (similar to Winchester?)
• London (destined to be out of our price range?)
• Brighton and Chichester (unsure what it is like to actually live here?)
• Southampton and Portsmouth (these were always the 'big' cities we visited in my childhood and my memories are not overwhelmingly positive but I may be missing out )

So AIBU to ask...

• Is there anywhere I have missed that is effectively an Edinburgh in the south
• Where would you live with our stipulations?
• Are we ridiculous to even consider leaving Edinburgh?

Thanks in advance!

I think you need to start doing lots of weekends away!

I love the coast, so I personally wouldn’t go to Oxford or Cambridge - too rammed full of tourists and students for me, too.

In fact, coming back to the weekends away… do you own your current place? If so, would you be up for living from a suitcase for a few months? AirBnB your place and do a grand tour, staying for 2 weeks at a time in multiple locations. For some it would feel horrible disrupting, but I’d love it! And it would certainly help you get a feel for places!

Richmond-upon-Thames? You would be looking at a flat (2 bed max) probably, but it has lovely Georgian and character buildings, the river is beautiful, Richmond Park has its deer and parakeets, great restaurants / cafes and good access into London. Plus a much milder climate than Edinburgh!

Tbh, I think you'd be crazy to leave Edinburgh, it's a fantastic city with so much going in the way of facilities and activities. Maybe OTT when the festival is on, I've never been at that time.

Chichester is nice, but so much more limited. Pallant House, a tiny museum and the Festival Theatre. Once you've walked round the walls once on a rainy Sunday you might not want to do it again. The cinema is a McDonalds and the swimming pool long gone.

Plus points are that as asmall town everywhere is within walking distance, there's good sailing fairly near and stunning countryside. Chichester has a direct trainline to London which is convenient..

My father was born in Edinburgh and I've spent a lot of time in Chi. Does my bias show?

Most importantly for me though is the fact that Scotland looks after her citizens.

Good healthcare with free prescriptions. Free University education and currently renegotiating to be part of Erasmus again, despite Johnson throwing it out even when offered it when leaving the EU.

Longer term, there's the prospect of Independence and future EU membership.

All of which are well worth hanging onto, in my opinion.

Bath, or Bristol, or just stay put. It sounds like you love it.

I live in Nottingham, but would move to Liverpool in a heartbeat if I could.

Bath

It sounds like you're settled and happy and he's near his family.

So the real reason for moving would be to be close to your family. Where do your parents live?

I'd go for Bristol, if it's not too far away. Lovely city, and you could get something reasonable in your budget.

Edinburgh is a big city. In the south Bristol might be comparable but that's it really. The other places you mention are lovely but will have less going on. Like pp I think you need to visit lots of places and narrow down what's important. In moving, you will gain some things and lose others, so you can't expect to have all the advantages of your current situation. If being near your family is important, you could just prioritise moving to the same town as your parents.

Depending on whether it's the SE you want, you could also consider Exeter and Norwich. :)

I second Bath! Absolutely beautiful location, historic buildings, close to Salisbury / Bristol and 1h 23 mins on the train to London.

Personally not Portsmouth, very busy and not that nice. Southampton slightly better but not great.

Stay in Edinburgh 😂

Winchester. Loads of bars and fab Michelin restaurants.

V cosmopolitan and lots of people down from London so a young vibe and not stuff

Stuffy

But won't you end up with the opposite problem if you move to the south and be too far from DH's family in Edinburgh?

Newcastle is lovely and a bit further south, I live in London and would move to the North East in a heartbeat if I could I love Northumberland.

Canterbury might work? It's a really pretty city with good transport links and in the right sort of area. No idea about house prices and such though sorry!

If being down south isn't a Must, then how about Newcastle or Durham?

If you are planning to start a family I personally think you will want to be near your parents and siblings.

For 600k you could find something nice in Hove or Shoreham on Sea.

@actiongirl1978

Winchester. Loads of bars and fab Michelin restaurants.

V cosmopolitan and lots of people down from London so a young vibe and not stuff

Agree, Winchester is lovely.

Detached, even!
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/112811504#/?channel=RES_BUY

3 bedroomed flat in Wimbledon for £550K

Close to Wimbledon Park and Wimbledon Common; easy journey into central London. Easy to get to Brighton from Wimbledon too.

Naice!
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/115658639#/?channel=RES_BUY

Oh wow, thank you for all the replies

iloverainydays the reason for moving is mainly family, yes. I am much closer to my family than DH is and his parents spend a lot of time abroad anyway (when COVID is not an issue!) We also both have a lot more friends in the south. My parents are on the Hampshire coast, close to Winchester, Southampton, and Portsmouth.

actiongirl1978 and Mangozesty I have always adored Winchester! Just wondering if it is a little quiet. To be honest I have been totally spoilt by Edinburgh as I definitely considered Winchester a big city when I was growing up in a village

I Will have to check out Bristol, I don't really know it at all...

Yeah if it's for family/childcare then move actually close to your where your family are - if they're an hour/1.5 away it really isn't the same, esp where small children are concerned. They need to be close by, 45 mins max I'd say. Otherwise stay put.

[quote Taoneusa]Naice!
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/115658639#/?channel=RES_BUY[/quote]
Wow! I always assumed Hove would be out of our price range... I do love the sea

I'm surprised you weren't looking at a more mid-way point, so you'll be equidistant from both sets of parents.

If you were to go somewhere like Harrogate you're really close to lovely countryside, can easily get to Leeds and York, and trains to London are good as well.

And your budget will go a lot further! 4 bedroomed house here for £400K