Should we move from London to Stroud?

[CactusMactus]

My partner of 16 years wants us to move to Stroud... We currently live in London as do most of my family. A lot of our friends have left london over the years but we have a great community of neighbours.
I have never lived in the countryside neither have our kids 8 & 10! I'm sure it's lovely but I feel like life would be totally different and that there is no coming back... part of the reason would be to sell our spendy London house and buy something cheaper so we might, just be able to pay off our mortgage before we die!

Also, London secondary schools (near us) are a bit rough. I went to a London secondary school in a pretty decent area and it was chaos....
AIBU to be scared as hell?

I'm in the 'Christ no' camp. My dad hated Stroud with a passion all his life because it was so weirdly odd. Not as bad as Glastonbury but close....

I'd say Bristol - lots of alternative stuff but a city so less of a culture shock.

I was your husband - grew up rural Gloucestershire, moved away for uni then straight to London and came back to Bristol a few years ago. I deliberately moved less rurally when I came back (am very outskirts of Bris) because being a teen in the country is hard. My kids get a bit of rural as we are 5 mins away from countryside but can get a train or bus into the city centre very easily.

I would say Cheltenham/Bristol/Bath. London to Stroud would be a huge shock!!!

Rather like parts of London!

Stroud is really lovely. The market is devine. I'd move there tomorrow.