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?

Marlborough, Bristol, Reading.

Marlborough houses get bought by London people. The villages can be cliquey.
My DS has many friends who have settled in Bristol. Very arty. They were all in London.
Reading is very expensive now due to the Elizabeth line. However cheaper than London.
Bristol and Reading are multicultural.

Margate - great amenities & some beautiful properties on the market
www.ahmlondon.com/properties/

Was also going to suggest Folkstone, it's quite up and coming now with prices still reasonable. Alternatively, Margate.

I think Bristol is probably worth considering. Unless of course you fancy Croydon 😁

Oh yes, Reading also worth a look.

King’s Cross? No seriously try Richmond or Wimbledon

Bristol is just as far away as Birmingham though, and even further from South East London. Takes about 2.5+ hours to get from Bristol to Herne Hill. So that's a no go. Also bloody expensive.

Other places equally far away. Cardiff, Southampton.

Winchester is not, IMO, arty or hipster.

St Leonard's near Hastings might suit. Lots of ex London types and it's nice being by the sea. Reminds me a bit of Margate. But again still nearly 1.5 hours away.

Hitchin - loads of good independent restaurants and shops (though more chains have arrived over the past couple of years) lovely pubs. Lots going on. Super easy but expensive commute on Thameslink. Houses cheaper than parts of London but not cheap.

It’s been ‘up and coming’ for more than a decade!

Slough

But North West Leeds might suit you - lots of indy shops and restaurants, not too far from Leeds itself, you can get to London for a meeting and back in a day on the train and gorgeous countryside is 20-30 minutes away by car. House prices have gone up, but they're mostly nowhere near Harrogate money.

Oh wow. So much originality in those properties. And so cheap!

Yeah Op would fit in big style. Anywhere nice up here is rapidly becoming an enclave full of mc londoners.

Croydon innit. Technically London but people don't accept that.

Bristol ticks all your boxes if you can cope with the endless drizzle. It’s massively overpriced precisely because of the influx of Londoners who suddenly discovered it and arrived in their droves but has the vibe you’re looking for.

How much like London does it really need to be? Places like Hitchin, Letchworth, Welwyn GC, and St. Albans are all very nice and most are on direct line to Kings X.

Brighton. Now's a great time to come for a weekend and see what's it like now most of the tourists have gone home.

I’m from North Yorkshire, had to move away due to circumstances outside of control and I’m seriously concerned I’m not going to be able to afford to move back.

My kind of town
I don’t know how anyone could put you down
(More convenient than a Tesco Express)

Fast train from Cambridge to King's X takes an hour, so not bad for a commute and Cambridge is lovely with a definite vibe of its own, not just a tourist town. Although there are many tourists, especially in the summer.
Loads and loads of bars, (not all of them student-y) good pubs, restaurants, independent shops, two or three theatres, independent cinema. Beautiful buildings and a scenic river.
However, housing is very expensive, almost on a par with London and the traffic is terrible. Lots of big new housing developments springing up on the edges of the city. Convenient locations, cheaper than the city centre but soul-less and with few amenities. Services such as gardeners, house cleaners and window cleaning cost the same as in London.
Also cyclists with a death wish, flocks of tourists is summer wandering round blocking the pavements.

Is Leamington Spa too far? Has a direct line into Marylebone (takes just under 90 mins).

Oxford

There's nowhere like London OP.

We tried to do it but there's literally nothing that compares.

The London er's who move will say they love it as it's still a novelty and to save face.

Those who don't know London other that the occasional visit/through media or work commutes will tell you about London like places just because a few moved there.

I've lived all over London with last 20 year stint in and around Putney, Richmond, Clapham, Herne Hill, Fulham etc.

It's not the same London people see on the news about an unfortunate stabbing or mugging story.
It has it's own unique charm that can't be replicated.

You have to mourn London and embrace a different place and way of life.

We tried it all but have finally chosen a different lifestyle with occasional visits to London.

There is life outside of London, but it's nowhere close to what London is. You have to make peace with that first.

Bristol = West Croydon II

Brighton = Croydon on sea

Anywhere that is commutable and has that kind of vibe is just as expensive as London. There is always a trade off 🤷‍♀️

Not Bristol. Spent last weekend there and it was grim.