To relocate up north

[StonwEd]

From East Anglia? Has anyone done it? Am I mad?
I’ve just spent yet another lovely week in the Lake District, greater Manchester and Derbyshire. We do this often although not as often as I would like due to very low holiday allowance.
Daydreaming a bit but also not really.
Kids all moved out, own my house outright, prob will sell for around £375k.
Enjoy my job but it’s crap money and hasn’t really got prospects but it is a field I’m sure I can get another job in and I’ve seen plenty of remote working jobs that are related (and better paid 🙄)
Husband is on board with this fantasy, he has a small business so can work anywhere.
I had kids very young so have lived in my home town all my life. Never left but always wanted to.
I’m 45 and I’m finally thinking it might be time. Financially as long as I get a job, we’ll be fine, and I’m so poorly paid as it is, shop or bar work will be fine to start with.
I’ve got a fair bit of savings and I’m thinking of travelling round the north for a couple of months, stay in local b&bs and to know some areas better before we take the plunge. I’d have to quit my job obvs but it’s a risk I’m starting to think is worth it…

And most importantly, where should we be looking? Want nature on our doorstep, but easy access to a town.

What's access to NHS dentistry like in London? Surrey? Likewise school places?

What are the buses like in Barnstaple?

Hi OP, I've lived in a few places both north and south, and I'd definitely recommend the north. The difference in the weather can be vast. The north west is definitely wetter than anywhere else. The north east, down to the Peak District and Derbyshire can have deep snow, sometimes for extended periods, but it hasn't happened for the last 10 years. I'd suggest if you possibly can, to rent out your current home and once you've done a few long weekends in a few places then rent for 6 months somewhere over the winter or peak tourist season whichever would affect your choice the most. Visiting somewhere like the lakes for a short time is very different to living with the crowded roads every day. But definitely go for it! "The North" has so many wonderful places, from Derbyshire and South Yorkshire up to County Durham and Northumberland and of course the whole of Scotland! For insurance though give it a trial run to be sure you are happy being so far from your family etc.

🤣🤣🤣

This is a really good post, thank you.

I’ve seen more anti-social behaviour in London than I have anywhere else in the North.

But yes, we do have a lower life expectancy because we have to go down the coal mines and get coal with our bare hands. As well as hunting for our food and navigating via candlelight at night time since we don’t have electricity yet. Very dangerous indeed 🙄

This thread is brilliant 😂🤣

😂

I'm about to move north as DP lives there. But the differences in logistics, services and general modernity are vast. The trans-Pennine train service is horrific.
He says the North is dingle land.
Plus again it rains and is significantly colder than my southern-based home.

NHS dentist, we use private down here as does DP up there. Dp area has quite a few grammars but the rest are just in his words full of chavs.

Hi,
I did this 2yrs ago and have absolutely no regrets. Happy to talk to you about my experiences if you want to PM me.

😂😂 love how I've pissed off so many people with a single comment, whatever you do op avoid County Durham.

Go more northumberland or district peaks way.

You only live once.

At 45 I'd imagine I'd give it a go and then decide nearer retirement to if I needed to be more urban depending on my health.

I'm 10 ten years younger than you and have lived in various parts of the country (west midlands, east midlands and south coast). I honestly haven't minded moving around and have found it nice exploring new places and urban vs rural. I'd recommend it but then I find it odd when people have spent their entire lifetimes in one town/county when there is so much more out there.

My only consideration would be to how easy it would be to see family particularly elders or your children. When we were 2 1/2 hours from my family it made things quite hard logistically.

Depends which part of CD. We are rural and it is beautiful, wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

Lovely Lanchester. Relocating frim.West Midlands

Ooo yes Lanchester is lovely. Great Italian and Greek restaurants 😋. Fab pub too in Crinions.

That is something of a generalisation to describe 50% of the country!
And certainly not th case with the areas she has referenced.

As I explained I had my children very young. I was still technically a child when I had my first. I stayed in the same home and gave them a very stable childhood in a nice safe area. I could never have moved them, what with school and friends. Sadly I’ve since lost my mum and my dad is in a secure now long term relationship and is as fit and healthy as you can be at 75. My kids have now moved out. This is literally the first time in my life this has become an option.

Lancashire and the Ribble valley are beautiful. Close to Manchester, Liverpool, the lakes, coast. Beautiful countryside and nice towns.

Crinnions has closed I think. Must have known I was coming😂

I live in the northwest, by car: 90 mins away from the lakes & north wales, 15 minutes away from the coast , 40 mins away from Manchester and Liverpool, perfect location. People friendly too.

If you hate the north and so does your DP why are you moving there? If the south is so bloody wonderful why isn't he joining you there?

“The areas” 😆

It sounds like the specific area your DP lives in is a shit hole. If you're moving from the south, presumably you have a budget of well over a million to spend on property so make sure you choose more wisely than they did. Plenty of options on this thread to consider.

This is nonsense. Not every area in the North is poor and many people have a better quality of life and more disposable income than people in the south. Some people would prefer to live in a million pound 1 bedroom flat in London than a one million pound mansion in a lovely leafy area in the North. That's ok but doesn't mean the North is bad.
Op, you could get a fairly decent house in South Manchester (Didsbury, Sale, Altrincham), not far from the scenic Lakes, Peak District and Yorkshire. The only thing I would say is that the weather is noticeably worse in the North.

I did something similar, at a much younger age. We thought "What's the worst that could happen?" We could have sold up and moved back if we wanted to.

If you have lived in your home town all your life you may find that you miss seeing familiar faces more than you expect but that's not a reason not to try.