Moved out of London? How is it

[OMGyesreally]

Hi all

We’re a dual ethnicity (Afro-Caribbean/White British) family with two children and really need to find somewhere with more rooms, more space, more garden. We’re considering leaving London, I don’t want to but may well need to, but have no idea where yet. We don’t want to move anywhere that makes it difficult to travel back for work but realise that the easier it is to commute the more expensive the properties are.

Of course there’s so much to consider, schools, diversity, left-leaning, creative community, am I asking too much here?

Anyone in the same boat or have you made the move? Where did you go, have you settled well? 😊

Which area is your work? We live in south Essex, which is closer to east London and okay for DH and I because it's easy to access canary wharf/north London. West London, forget it!

We made the move 11 years ago to a small town in North Bucks, haven’t looked back since. DH still commutes into London. We are close to Milton Keynes which is very diverse with plenty for the kids to do . Schools are good, my eldest is at one of the grammars, it’s a lot more diverse that you might imagine, lots of Asians and African families.

My family is in London so it's hard for me to conceive moving out to be honest.

Places like Watford isn't too bad for good schools and some degree of diversity

I'm in Wales, and it's the perfect place to raise my daughter. It's diverse, beautiful, best of all worlds and property is great value for money and I can't imagine moving back. There's a lack of black hairdressers but there are some... It's partly why I went natural and I'm very happy.

@JayDot500We need to be Central London usually although have family in the SW of the country.
@TeamGhanaJollof That’s good to know, I hadn’t considered that area. What are Co-eds like? Unsure about secondary schooling.
@LemonSqueezy0 I’m in love with Wales, whereabouts are you?
@lboogy Ha! Yep, I hear you on leaving London and it’s not something I’d do lightly.

TeamGhanaJollof

May I ask what town in North Bucks you moved to?

@OMGyesreally - I can only really speak for the independents at primary level as the local village school didn''t have the wraparound care we needed but they have a good reputation. For secondary, most people aim for the Grammars or go private as the comprehensives in Bucks aren't that great tbh.

@Wiggytwiggy - we're in Winslow

TeamGhanaJollof - thanks, Winslow looks lovely

Moved to Bristol 16 years ago for better career prospects. Ended up marrying old uni friend (he's white, I'm black) and we have 2 kids. I have no regrets leaving London and love living in Bristol.

OP - you said that you've got family in the SW, are they close to Bristol?

STEM employment hubs have better diversity. So move near to a hospital, university or science park if you want a little oasis of diversity.

New build estates tend to have their own little bubble/ecosystem and can feel more welcoming than an old/established town/village.

Left leaning might be too much to ask for in the Home Counties though!