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?

Friends moved to Hove and really like it.

Bristol is another option but the trains cost a fortune.

Somewhere like London but not London, so basically somewhere where no one would ever acknowledge you if they walked past in the street, where people are generally rude and too busy to notice another’s existence but has coffee shops to pretend you all best mates,definitely nowhere north then,hum, how about London

Have you ever spent any significant time in London? Or indeed any other big city?

Yes, Newbury is so much like Brixton!

I love Newbury too, I don't live there but one of my adult children does, I'd move there in a heartbeat from the South Coast.

Winchester has a nice vibe too, is undergoing a fair bit of development but there are still good value properties to be had.

Enough to know it’s definitely not friendly, but I do get the fact that there’s far more to do than in smaller towns or even some cities and I do acknowledge that I’ve spent time their on business which obviously doesn’t let you gain the same insight/ feeling as living there

Last time I went there Walthamstow was very much London 😂

@Bear2014 Brixton is still rough. Gentrified yes but still plenty of shootings to keep it edgy.

Herne Hill, not so much. I actually love Herne Hill and would love there if it wasn't too far away from our daughter's school.

I think Ramsgate is going to be the next Margate, they say. But 'they' have been saying that for about 10 years now.
Rail links to London have improved, I believe.

I’m sorry to say it doesn’t exist.

There is no such thing as an affordable, vibrant, busy commuter town within easy reach of London. There will always have to be a sacrifice, whether that’s with space, cost, amenities, distance, or “buzz”.

I know from experience you will torture yourself trying to find this “in between” that just doesn’t exist given how unaffordable everything is.

You are joking??

Outing but I live in Southampton, it's a dump, the traffic is up there with London, I'm looking to move away as soon as I can.

You would have made a huge amount of money if you had bought in HH

Agreed. I say this from the luxurious position of not liking London much, therefore not being obliged to make that choice.

I know you think that Birmingham is too far, but for what it's worth, my suburb is choka with ex Londoners who can get the new local train next year and be in Euston in 90m, or take the leisurely and cheap train to Marylebone to get their London fix.

We also possess Joe Lycett, who has really boosted the local vibe.

Please keep sending Londoners our way. I'm moving house next year and could do with the extra cash.

She's just said Birmingham is too far!

She's just said "currently thinking somewhere with a Brixton/ Herne Hill vibe"!

I think Margate would be perfect for you.

"Edgy"
Arty
Wanky coffee shops

For me Herne Hill is on the Brixton/Dulwich borders but there’s estates both sides of Brockwell Park, so I haven’t always felt safe there either. The Rosendale Road part of West Dulwich has got steadily posher over the years along with Croxted Road and they have a Love West Dulwich event twice a year now.

Sorry didn't mean to quote that! Margate would be perfect for OP.

Agreed. All the south coast places like Margate, Folkestone, Hastings etc are all actually pretty grim in a significant way. The drive in always involves run down vape shops, boarded up shops, just general grime. Yes - there are pockets of old towns with cute coffee shops, hipster vintage stores etc and ex Londoners with man buns all convincing themselves this place is fab and not grim and they were so right to leave Dalston….

The reality is I happily visit these places in summer but you couldn’t pay me to live there year long.

Bristol and Winchester are where I’d chose but don’t represent significantly lower property prices really.

London is a like a completely unique place of its own compared to everywhere else in the UK. There are of course vibrant big cities, but you're not going to find anywhere like London, and the bigger cities are further North of England and into Scotland. I think you may have to adjust your expectations slightly.

Brighton to me is like London by the sea.

Bedford? Cheap but easy to get to, has music & arts & is a bit grotty, just like London.

Isn't that where Tracy Emin lives/is from?

Ticks the arty box if nothing else. The OP could be her neighbour.