Lancaster or brighton?

[BrightonOrLancaster]

For a woman in her 30s moving alone with her cat!
Brighton: very good friends, warmer sea, more fun, livelier, but all family in north and expensive, closer to London and handy for getting away
Lancaster: very close family, much cheaper, less bullshitty, but no friends to start with, more isolated

No need to talk to me about schools etc as irrelevant to me! I work freelance in something creative. I'm really torn!

Vote:
YABU: Brighton
YANBU: Lancaster

It's currently dark but I can vouch for the scenery on the train to grange. We had some lovely sunrises last week.

A close friend of mine lives in Brighton and I wouldn’t hesitate to move there if I could!

@KaycePollard

Also, where the North has this Booths, the South has Wholefoods surely?

You've clearly not lived near a Booths. I used to shop at Wholefoods (Wholepaycheck) in its original Austin TX (USA) location, and subsequently in its big shops in the USA. It's OK, but not a patch on Booths for a proper day to day excellent supermarket.

UK Wholefoods are rubbish compared to the big USA ones. Even the Kensington 'flagship' is a poor effort. I do love a 'proper' USA Wholefoods though.

So Booths wins hands down.

I was at the Booths (dont know if theres a bigger one? The one I was at was quite small, near a pub with something to do with shoes or boots in the name) and it was indeed nice.

But brighton has a WAITROSE!!!

Throwing another town into the mix in the South - how about Southsea? Its part of Portsmouth and has a bohemian, Brighton-ish vibe but is smaller and cheaper - you could easily live a 5 minute walk from sea in good accommodation, it has lots of bars, theatres and stuff and is only an hour on the train from Brighton or less time from Chichester, Southampton, Guildford and other places, plus London is 1 hour 30 away.

(And it has a Waitrose!)

The Boot and Shoe

@Iamnotminterested

WTF is bungaroush?

its a mix of crap....old stones...bits of old brick, anything really...once it starts to crumble the whole house can collapse...!!...its a victorian super bodge building material.

I'm really quite torn. The fact that the split is so even is comforting though, it feels like I cant really make a "wrong" decision. Brighton is quite a heavily charged place for me as I have great memories there, it was a very...colourful period in my life. I would slip right back into a community. But theres something about Lancaster that really appeals. However, I googled writing groups in Lancaster and couldn't find a single one :( Brighton is awash with that sort of thing.

I do know what PP mean about this weird liberal vibe you can get down there though. Lots of people "working" on themselves, lots of forced soul searching but then simultaneously not living with enough quietness or non-distraction to actually get anywhere. When I was in brighton it felt like a lot of people I met were on this intense quest for meaning but almost as if that could be bought. I include myself in there by the way. It feels like Lancaster could be more grounding. On the other hand less stimulating maybe?

Also as a single woman am I going to meet many eligible men there? Or will all the eligible men have fucked off to Liverpool or Manchester? 🤔

I dont like either place really...lancaster is too small for me..used to visit friends there....used to want to live in brighton but its lost the appeal....teens stumbling all over clutching cheap bottles of wine...vomitting everywhere....awful traffic and parking....nearly bought there over 30 years ago when super cheap but dont regret not going ahead etc

I think we can all agree that if this thread has taught us anything it's that bungaroush is a word, and a great one. Seems ripe for incorporating into everyday parlance as a synonym for mish mash or shit show.

Or will all the eligible men have fucked off to Liverpool or Manchester?
Yes hth

Creative = Brighton

@Ihopeyourcakeisshit
Damn. At least that would minimise my chances of shitting on my own doorstep...

Yeah the dating pool in Lancaster is a tiny puddle!

I'm imagining lots of post-divorce depressed academics...

Lancaster has Booths. Brighton does not. Decision made surely?

As someone who grew up half an hour from Lancaster I wouldn't move to either of those places. But I yearn for a Booths in Wiltshire!

I've never been to Lancaster, but I'd still vote for it over Brighton.

I live in a beautiful village not far from Lancaster, right on the sea. I walk my dog on the shore and on one side I have views of the bay and on the other the hills of the Lakes. It’s is beautiful, I would never move.
It’s cheaper than Brighton prices and you have family near. Great access to the Lakes and Yorkshire.If you live in Lancaster itself than the train links are good if you don’t I would say you need a car. Last bus home from Lancaster to my village is 8.55!
However, if you were thinking of Liverpool……my daughter, a real shy, country bumpkin has just started at the University of Liverpool and is loving life, she says she loves the city vibe which ‘isn’t too much’ and the diversity the city offers. Just chucking that in there!

I live in brighton. It is unbelievably expensive To rent a flat with a garden- maybe three tubes more than Lancaster. I thought Lancaster was rather pretty when I visited. My vote would be liverpool though!

Brighton is a bit overrated imo. Its nice enough. Lots of nice independent shops etc, but in itself its not particularly special. Do you have to make a permanent decision? Could you rent in lancaster for a year to see if you can get a social circle, with a view to moving to brighton if you dont settle?

@BrightonOrLancaster

I was at the Booths (dont know if theres a bigger one? The one I was at was quite small, near a pub with something to do with shoes or boots in the name) and it was indeed nice.

But brighton has a WAITROSE!!!

Waitrose isn't as good as Booths. Despite this, Waitrose has spread to Lancashire (although not as far north as Lancaster) so you don't have to choose. You can have both.

I'm originally from Lancashire (but living in London / South East for many years) and the only reservation I'd have about moving to Lancaster is the weather. Despite being raised up North, I forget how damp Lancashire is.....until I'm back visiting friends and family and I realise what a soft Southerner I've become. But you get used to it. A good coat and a good umbrella and you'll be sorted.

You can't use an umbrella in Lancaster, it gets blown to fuckery by the wind.
You never get used to it. You have to wear anoraks and waterproof things rather than a nice wool coat.

Ha ha that is so true about umbrella use in Lancaster. Hoods you can
tie are a necessity.

@BringMeTea and @Ihopeyourcakeisshit see also issues with wearing nice shoes. I didn’t have a car when I lived in Lancaster and my standard footwear went from pretty heels to hiking boots!