To think I can find somewhere like London outside London?

[Cheezywotsitforbrekkie]

We are considering a move outside London for the bigger house. Would have to be commutable, and not TOO far. As a result, a city like Birmingham is out of the question.

But I love London. I know I won’t get the big city feel if we aren’t in a city, but I’d at least like to feel like I’m living in a vibrant suburb that’s just a bit further from London.

currently thinking somewhere with a Brixton/ Herne Hill vibe.

its also the people, so want to move somewhere that attracts a fair number of quite arty types. ( we also aren’t loaded so don’t think we’d be able to go anywhere that attracts the banker crowd)

we aren’t particularly edgy ourselves ( like to think we are 😁) but friends who moved to Tonbridge wells came back with their tail between their legs…it was too dull for them and they aren’t wild!

so looking for places that are cheaper than London, a bit arty, community feel and with the obligatory nice coffee shop. Any ideas?

Same thought went through my mind. There are a number of gorgeous period 1820s properties in some of the side streets, some amazing ethnic food shops and, of course, the Nags Head one of the best boozers in Britain.

I think the OPs post says everything about migration. It’s like people moving to Spain - they want the sun but then want all the bits about home they like, slowly the pub replaces the taverna slowly the locals can’t afford the houses, the communities lose their traditions and culture as the incomers want to replicate their home culture just in a warm country (insert other desirable aspects of a country).

Same here, the OP wants London with posh coffee, art galleries and poncy expensive shops but cheaper houses. Doesn’t sound like she’s interested in supporting local businesses that have been serving the community for decades, taking part in local traditions that bring the community together. Fitting in with the existing vibe of the community, volunteering in that community, hoping groups, getting to understand the local history, culture and traditions. If you move to an area these things are what you should do, not strip out the assets you want and put nothing back.

Commuter towns are inherently not that thrilling because they are full of people who are in another town most of the day anx knackered when they get home. I think you should stay where you are really, most people who live outside of London are quite happy to not have to keep hearing about how much better London is

We lived in London for years and have gradually moved further out - to Tunbridge Wells via Surrey - as our needs and family grew. I love it here - it's close to London, so I can whizz up for lunch with friends, go to the theatre/museums etc, but I don't have the constant stress of a busy capital city. I have cows and fields 10 minutes walk from my front door here, and can be by the sea or in beautiful national landscapes in 30-40 mins or so. It's only boring if you don't embrace all that there is to offer - there is a huge food culture here, loads of art, concerts, sport, clubs, societies etc - no, it's not as hugely culturally rich as London - but it only takes 45 mins to get to central London so I feel we have the best of both worlds here.

London is unique - it is a multicultural melting pot, capital city - nothing else is going to be the same. You can't expect to move out and for nothing to change.

Either stay or go - but if you go, embrace your new location and don't forever moan about how much better London is...!

Brighton and Hove - arty, loads of cafes and restaurants, lively, commutable, people quite friendly and varied. Bit expensive and some parts can be grotty but that’s the deal in most UK cities.
Seven Dials has a nice ‘city village’ feel and is near the MLS. It’s north of the main part of Brighton and is not quite as expensive as seafront/Hove side.

For me the sea and daily sea swimming would be a draw for some of the coastal towns mentioned here.

But…. Sewage.

The seas are filthy and I no longer go to these places for day trips to swim as I used to.

Though admittedly I am breathing London air.

Oh Christ ...this again

London is a huge and vibrant capital
city. Incredibly diverse and dynamic

You either stay there if that's the life you love or look for a different life in a town

There's nowhere else in the UK like London

I live in an outer London borough and my daughter has just moved in with her boyfriend to a "nice" town in Surrey, about 20 minutes away. Public transport is awful - if she misses her bus in the morning it's 2 hours til the next one and it costs much more than she's used to.

When I worked in SEN, we advised parents to stick to London schools and colleges as they were way more used to dealing with a variety of people and needs. Just a few miles over into Surrey and they were so much less accommodating.

I think that if you want London, you need to find a way to stay. It isn't like anywhere else. But maybe consider Epsom, as it has a gorgeous new independent cinema complex and a theatre and Kingston (greater London) town centre is just a bus ride away (and isn't where my daughter has moved to!)

You might like the Oldfield park bit here in Bath- it's the main student area but has lots of ex London families too - get a decent roomy house for around £520k - lots of shops and cafes and only half a mile into the city- we actually moved to Bath from Bristol as found getting around in Bristol was a bit of a nightmare, and I found most of it a bit of a scruffy mess- unless you like that vibe- I still go occasionally but as it's only 12 minutes away on train it's easy- I just found Bath more liveable, better shopping, nicer cafes , better schools , better housing. We do have lots and lots of arty people, very successful ones too

If you want the south east I think Hastings or Canterbury would fit if you can't quite run to Hove.

I also really like Salisbury and it rarely gets mentioned- we go quite often- fab market in square on a Saturday - lots of nice shops , mixed population and quite reasonable housing. It was much much nicer than I expected. It doesn't have that Brixton vibe but apart from Brighton and a few bits of Bristol few places have.

Cambridge.

Exactly. Couldn’t agree more.

Bristol or Liverpool

Milton Keynes! Tends to be a live it or loathe it sort of place - but most of the people I know that live here love it…
There’s a good rail link to London (31 mins to Euston for the direct intercity trains) or you can drive easily to the end of some of the tube lines/local London trains and park easily then get the tube or local train in. Or buses, although not as good a coach service as Oxford has.

There’s a good theatre that gets good productions, there’s assorted smaller music and comedy venues, plus there’s the MK Bowl and MK Arena that get big acts.

People think that it’s all new but it’s not - lots of it is but there are lots of old villages that were included when they decided in the area - my local grid square is mostly an old village where the church recently had its 800th anniversary with plenty of nice old properties around. For other history there’s Bletchley Park, the National Museum of Computing and MK Museum, the latter being a fantastic interactive museum that’s brilliant for kids of all ages and that has a regular set of events that make history come alive. And MK Art Gallery runs well thought of exhibitions while there’s an award winning international festival for 10 days every other summer that is stuffed full of things to do.

sport is well catered for - there’s the MKDons but there’s a covered ski slope, a skydiving wind tunnel, golf, tennis, rugby, F1, athletics, a well ranked ice hockey team (which bizarrely used to have Rod Stewart’s son as one of their main players so he used to turn up to watch!), the National Badminton Centre and more - all with plenty of local teams to join and get involved with it just to play for fun.

lots of shops, both in the shopping centre and spread out in local centres. Thriving local independent coffee house scene, food truck gatherings and events, lots of local independent places to eat as well as all the normal chains.

It’s a great place to live that’s easy to get to lots of places - London, Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge, Nottingham, Reading, and more.

The only thing that it’s not good for is easy access to the seaside - it’s about as bang slap in the middle of the country as it could be but it has some Great Lakes and parks that are looked after and managed by the Parks Trust which keeps them all well maintained and looked after for everyone to enjoy. It’s also one of the greenest cities in the country - lots of parks and trees everywhere!

It’s definitely worth checking it out if you’ve never considered it.

Can someone explain exactly what constitutes 'edgy'. Is it something middle class people think they want to live around as long as its not too close to them and its not their darling boy in County Lines?

Years ago I lived i a flat on a run down council estate, that had plenty of edge! Probably not the type of edginess Op was looking for.

Maybe try Hackney, if you see a white tent its either a crime scene or a Farmers Market...

Bristol

Was going to post that! Great period houses in Wolverton, which is multi cultural plus Stony Stratford has the arty vibe, independent shops, cafes. Both have access to 2 main line stations plus 15 minutes into MK for theatre, art gallery etc.

MK doesnt have the sea, North Norfolk coast can be done by scenic route in 2 hours.
It does have lakes, Sailing club, canoe, Sup and Kayaking club, rowing club and you can also learn to water ski.

Maybe not the best place to live if it's only good for 1/4 of the year!

OP is not looking for any of that 😁

If you want the Herne Hill vibe, you'll need to move near bankers and be very loaded yourselves! Brixton feels like a dump to me.

I know, my post was in relation to the previous post re MK. Also, as it has all those facilities plus what op was looking for. Including a couple of well dodgy estates with all tg6e edginess that seems to be so essential to anyone moving from London.

I don't think OP is looking for Milton Keynes

Bristol is all of these things but please don't send any more Londoners here. We really are full up.

I assumed that was a joke. In the same spirit I was going to suggest Nuneaton.