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?

How much cheaper than Brixton or those parts of Brighton. Brighton with the vibe you are looking for is the same price! It is the third most expensive place to live in the country! I think if you'd arrived, I don't know, in the 00s you would have got a good deal, my friend and I rented a three bedroom mansion flat and only needed two bedrooms, it was £600 rent in Seven dials, we also rejected one flat for being too big!! The road I live on is full of house sharers we are the only house with children (teenagers) and many of the schools are closing as very low birth rate, presumably this is in part a reflection of unaffordable housing.

I'd say Reading is the closest match and certainly the nearest.

Hitchin springs to mind

Yes - I had expected a reply like this 😂

Leeds or Manchester maybe ?

Reading??? 😂😂

No?

Leigh on Sea

I haven't read the full thread, but quite frankly you are going to struggle to get the London vibe in a London commuter town! Obviously you could move to Brighton but then that is another city, not much cheaper and is still a relatively long commute. I understand a lot of people moved out to Kent coast - so Margate etc. I do know some people (in media/PR etc) that moved out to the posh bit of Southend - Westcliff-on-sea.

People on mumsnet can be genuinely helpful with suggestions on these threads, if they have a realistic idea of what you actually want.

so, what’s the budget and what do you want? 3/4/5 bedrooms? Garden?

What’s your max commute and where are you actually trying to commute in to? How many times a week?

@Cheezywotsitforbrekkie as kindly as possible, if you want a bigger house and have to move out a bit to afford it then you have to compromise.

Rather than Margate or Folkestone, for which I fail to see the appeal, and my family originated from Folkestone and I was brought up near Margate, have a look at Faversham which is much nicer than both.

Folkestone and Margate in my opinion are decrepit, have lost their soul and have been packed with people who need local authority B&B accommodation. There's nothing wrong with that need but it has an impact on the towns. Margate Town centre is a disaster with no decent shops as they are all at Westwood and Folkestone isn't much better.

Schools are good for those who pass the 11+ but not so good for those that don't. The local health economy is poor and always has been for Margate and the surrounding areas. QEQM reached the spotlight over maternity care but has never been great either for maternity or much else.

That coastline has nicer places such as Deal, Birchington and Broadstairs, providing a local GP is presently signing up new patients.

Or you could look at the better bits of Sutton, Whyteleafe, or as someone else said, Newbury. Possibly some of the Essex towns: Billericay, Chelmsford, Colchester?

OP there is nowhere remotely like London anywhere else in the world that I’ve been to let alone within commuting distance of London. If you like living in London you need to stay living in London. Yes there are other cities, but I’ve never been anywhere the same.

I say this as a non-Londoner who wouldn’t want to live there. But I do get why people love it and find it hard to move out of.

That’s the problem we’re having- by the time you factor in train travel into London even a couple of days a week, there are very few places.

lots of posters saying Brighton, which is exactly the kind of place we’re looking at, buts it’s as expensive as london and then travel on top!

Hastings is a good shout

Too far north for me, so you’re safe!

Canterbury?

Try Folkestone

Would you consider somewhere on the outskirts of London, a London borough but not quite in London? Bromley borough has some really nice, villagey areas.

Parts of Bristol are nice. Most of it isn't.

Norwich

This. All of the suggestions people have made may have a whiff of London but it won’t be the same. You’re better off deciding what you won’t miss and focus on that.

What a stupid comment.
Creative people/ artists/ designers plus people who enjoy art/ exhibitions/ art events at a guess

Just isn't happening this OP. There's nowhere remotely like London in the UK, let alone within commuting distance of London.

Will have to be Brighton

If Brighton is too expensive look at shoreham or Worthing ?
Lots of Brighton folk have moved out there as it's cheaper but you're still within easy reach of the city and all it has to offer. Direct links to London too.

There is a gradual move to Sydenham, Forest Hill, Penge, Beckenham as people are priced out of Herne Hill, Dulwich/ East Dulwich, Crystal Palace