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.

If I relocated "up North", it would be a very long drive south from where I currently live.

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.

Your husband sounds delightful 🙄

I would look at towns and villages around the national parks. That way you have rural on your doorstep and they're pretty decent prices, without the cost of living in a city. And it helps you narrow the field down so you're not just looking at the whole of the north.

I agree but also you're not getting a decently sized house in any of those areas for £375k any more (especially after legal fees and hopping around the country for a few months).

It depends where he is specifically.

Plenty of the south west of the country is far more behind the times than anywhere in the north, especially for public transport and food options. And good internet.

Also it's not significantly colder until you get to Scotland. It's a couple of degrees.

I am planning to relocate from my million-pound home in the South. Thank you.
Land and garden space are noticeably smaller in West Yorkshire where he lives.
No, he doesn't live in a dump he lives in a desirable village where plenty of wealthy hop over the border to buy a barn and escape Manchester.

However, based on governmental policy research and personal experience, it's evident that transportation links are worse in some areas of the North. The M1, M62, M6, and M56 can be gridlocked once you hit certain areas. On the other hand, the A1 and A64 are relatively better-paced if you wish to reside in York. But, Harrogate is consistently slow with gridlock around the Skipton road area.
Public transport is shit. My 10-mile commute takes me 15 min where I am right now. A drive to Leeds from his can (15-miles) take up to 90 minutes in rush hr.
Depends on whether one wishes to sit in endless jams or needs to commute for work. Semi-retirement with time to bumble about then people will love the countryside.

I don't know why posters are getting so het up about the descriptions of the North.

@Missamyp I think they're more concerned with your husband's statement that the north is full of chavs. He sounds like a twat.

The edges of Sheffield or Greater Manchester bordering the Peak District are well worth looking at. You great a great mix of city amenities and quick access to the hills

No, what he said was when describing the school's, great grammars the rest are comps full of chavs.
https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/poor-transport-connectivity-costs-the-north-16bn-a-year-in-productivity-losses-23-03-2022/

I'll pass on the message.

It isn’t until you see a thread about property/lifestyles in ‘the north’ vs ‘the south’ that you realise how truly and completely stupid so many people are.

I think if its your absolute dream and DH is on board, then go for it. But go expecting a change in the climate - we’re southerners (South West) and could not cope with it any colder - just had 6 months of rain/cold so very much looking forward to sunny weather soon. As much as I love snow and think its beautiful (on the very rare occasion we get it), I can imagine it gets annoying trying to live your daily life with it. But you’ve only got one life so go for it if its your dream.

I don't know why posters are getting so het up about the descriptions of the North

Because they're nowhere near universally true and many would equally apply to the south.

I live in West Yorkshire. We have a huge garden and back onto green belt. There's land for miles.

DM also lives in West Yorkshire and has buses that pass her door every 10 minutes to the two nearest cities in about 15 minutes.

There's plenty of places in the south where you'd think you were doing well to drive 15 miles in 90 minutes. The M25 is at least as gridlocked as the M60.

But it's snowed on one day here this winter. Its been quite warm and sunny all Easter weekend apart from this morning

Friend lives in the south west and they get plenty of wet windy weather.

Well as a northern lass OP I say go for it!

I know that was abit of a generalisation but the south does typically get sunnier weather. If that doesn’t bother the OP, then i’d say go for it.

I live in the south in a market town. We are 9 miles from the nearest train station and I'm more likely to see a unicorn than a bus after 8pm but obviously it's grim ooop north.

Crikey I didn’t mean to start the north south debate. I’m well traveled, aware of the differences between north and south here and have many friends in both. Driving to Cornwall from where we live now can take 10 hours and I swore after holidaying in Dorset I’d never go down there again because of the traffic. It took 9 hours to get to the Lake District the other day, we were so unlucky with traffic but we’ve got back from Stockport in just over 4 today so it’s hit and miss isn’t it.
I’m not considering moving because I’m under any illusion I can buy a mansion for a tenner, I just like the countryside and hills and every time we visit, I feel a bit more of a pull.
What I did like was getting 3 pints in a pub for £12! Can’t even get 2 in my local for that 🫣

MeMycatsandmybooks Some of the south is as well! Parts of Portsmouth Southampton and Poole are very deprived areas! Honestly rich and poor are everywhere in UK!

Really? 😅😂

Unfortunately in time you get old. Think about which child is likely to want to be in contact with you and where they live now. Being close to a hospital with a bus or train is a big plus

Tis awful, some of us don't know where our next jug of Bisto for our chips is coming from.

OP - go for it, you sound like you've approached a good time in life without ties, financially ok and young enough to adapt to a new life or even move back again if it does work out as you'd like.

The place was packed full of high quality activities. Not to mention having 3 Waitroses within a couple of miles. 😆

Meh! Forget Waitrose. It's not all that. One of the real benefits of the North is having access to a Booths. My nearest is Knutsford. I only go occasionally but it makes a lovely change.

I second recommendations for Peak District either with Sheffield or Manchester nearby. I live in the North West, in Cheshire, on the edge of the Peak District. Easy access to lovely countryside and Manchester not too far away.

£350k would get you a decent house round here. Not massive but perfectly ok

What a ridiculous over generalisation 🙄

Have a look at Penrith. You can get a nice house for that amount. It's close to the lakes, the Dales and the Borders. Good road and rail links as well.

I'm wanting to move from south Devon to East Anglia!