To follow this overwhelming urge to move up north

[Welikebeingcosy]

i live in the south east, which is close-ish to where i grew up,and have lived abroad a few times.

i have this overwhelming urge to experience life up north and don't know if i should uproot my daughter (6) to follow that urge.

just for context she has SEN, i had to home school her as can't get an EHCP and we don't have many friends since I took her out of school (just couldnt get people to say yes to playdates). she does do rainbows and beavers down here but that's all in terms of regular friendships.

i've travelled up north a few times and loved the friendliness, and have friends scattered about up there, as well as a sibling who i get on well with. i've looked before and seen that travelling from city to city is so much cheaper than getting anywhere in the south east, and there would be a lot to see and explore.

i don't know if i'm just bored down here or finding it so hard to assimilate as a single parent. my family don't bother much with us- maybe once a year.

we live in a HA property, so could do a swap, although that limits my choices of cities/towns, would just have to look at which options come up with the swapper sites. i've got two interested in my place- one near newcastle and one near stoke-on-trent.

I think you’ve romanticised the ‘north’ as solving all your problems when I’m not sure it will.

Moving closer to a sibling makes sense, but otherwise, what are the job prospects? Both for you and long term for your DD.

Stoke on Trent and Newcastle are very different!

It’s all a bit pie in the sky

"The North" is a big place. I you need to narrow it down.

Hi - I moved up north from London over 25 years ago and have never wanted to go back. I’m in Manchester and yes, it is friendlier and more community focussed. The city is booming, and if you want to get out to peace and quiet, its 30 mins to the Peak District which is beautiful. It is a big step though so do your research thoroughly.

I live in west yorkshire and it is a nice county. Newcastle is a nice city too but i couldn't live north of Newcastle.

I love Newcastle. DD was a student there then stayed for a couple of years to work. The public transport is good and the coast is lovely.

(Edited because I didn't read the OP properly)

i've travelled up north a few times and loved the friendliness, and have friends scattered about up there, as well as a sibling who i get on well with. i've looked before and seen that travelling from city to city is so much cheaper than getting anywhere in the south east, and there would be a lot to see and explore.

Nail on the head. What you mention here is romanticised, you've been a couple times and loved the friendliness - strangers & scattered friends wont provide you and your SEN child a fulfilling life, strangers and scattered friends have their own lives and wont fill the massive hole you feel of isolation and boredom. Travelling from city to city - in reality how often will you do this? Lots to see and explore - again this isnt contributing to a fulfilling life.

You're in HA - so you are restricted, you cant even have depth of choice for where you go, but on the flip side your requirements are huge with a SEN child, I fear just those 2 elements alone are blockers and for that alone id say YABU