What's life like living in boroughs of Rushmoor (UK)?

[EminSydney]

Hi there everyone
This is my first post, and I've wondered in here looking for advice, tips and just a chat to understand what my family and I will be getting into if we move to England, where my DH has an office in Aldershot and another one in central London. The 2 offices are looking to combine but not sure where they'll relocate to. However, we are trying to find out if it is even feasible for us to move (looking at Aldershot office, more green space).

About us; we live in Sydney Australia. 2 boys who will be in high school when we do move. They are currently attending selective schools here, and one of the questions re moving is if they will be able to get into a good (selective/grammar??) school.

A reason why we want to move is to live in a more connected place, where short trips to a whole new environment is possible. Australia is pretty far from anywhere else. Also, I am increasingly getting bored living where I am. Life is really comfortable right now where we live but boring. Nothing ever happens here. It gets really hot or cold but you don't see much changes in the landscape throughout the year. We used to live in Singapore, and they have a vibrant multicultural setting.

So a big question as to whether it is worthwhile to move to England (the Rushmoor/hampshire area? sorry not familiar with the administrative areas yet).

I'd like to understand what's life like in the UK in that area? Any festivals going on throughout the year? What do residents get excited about?

I know we will enjoy the cooler weather, and I love rainy days :)
I look forward to the seasonal changes in the outdoors.

Looking forward to hearing from the locals.

wandered not wondered (sp error, eek)

Bumping for you.....I grew up there, still have family there and am smiling at the thought of someone moving from Sydney to Aldershot! There's some lovely areas within commuting distance, like Winchester or the villages around Farnham and Guildford, but a definite no to Aldershot.

Aldershot is no Singapore! It does have a big nepali community, because of the gurkhas.
I think it might be a bit dull after sydney!
Farnham nicer than aldershot but not loads going on. No selective schools but i think weydon school is very good.
You might be better off in a greener bit of london, for more going on?

Might be worth getting this bumped into the property section. Lots of people ask about different areas there and you might get more responses. Good luck with the move

Although I live only a few miles from Aldershot and don’t really visit it, as a whole the area is good for green spaces for sure. But Aldershot does have a reputation, have a look on street view of the town centre, it’s really not great and property is very cheap there- there’s usually a good reason for that.

Nearby you have Fleet, Farnham and Alton. All of these are pretty decent, Farnham is pricey though.

Thank you lovelies who have replied and being helpful.
I haven't worked out how to bump the post to the property forum yet. Did not actually see that topic before posting here.
Dh's colleagues have mentioned that Fleet and Farnborough areas are nice. Have read multiple post about Aldershot's infamous rep so will not choose to live there, esp when there are other better choices nearby.

We are in the Hills shire district in Sydney, which is about an hour from the CBD. It's green and spaces all round, with nice schools. But honestly nothing ever happens. Even at Christmas, only few houses have their lights up. It's like groundhog day everyday. The Opera house etc can only serve so much for appeal. We don't really even bother anymore.

I'm not saying it's a bad place to be in. Just that for me, I'd love to experience the changes in the seasons walking in the forests, hiking in the mountains.
Enjoy walks in quaint towns and villages. Is this something that is available to do? What do the locals do for recreation outdoors?

What do you love about living in Fleet or nearby areas?

We've brought up our family nearby (not Aldershot) and know the surrounding areas quite well. Originally from west London. I think it's a lovely area to bring up a family, lots of green spaces, good schools and local events such as charity bike rides, summer carnival etc. It's an hour to London and an 45 mins to an hour to the coast. We love walking and there's plenty of that on your doorstep. It's not city life but then we like the mix of countryside and town - having grown up in London, the odd day trip once or twice a year is enough city for me. But each to their own.

Pretty much the same as neversaygoodbye. There’s really some lovely countryside for walking or biking, Fleet is pretty much surrounded by it. Minley manor, Fleet pond area, Caesars camp area and also the Basingstoke canal is lovely, particularly towards the start up near Odiham, very peaceful.

The two secondary schools are both pretty good, the high street is reasonable- at least it’s not full of boarded up shops like so many places. Has most things you’d want, bigger shopping areas at Farnborough and Basingstoke. Quite a calm feel, that could translate into being a bit dull I guess but after decades in central London I don’t mind that.

Trains from Farnborough are quickest, about 35mins to Waterloo, about the same to Winchester. Many of the other places mentioned are stopping services taking around an hour.

Good road links too, you’re right by the m3. Winchester takes 25mins, Reading similar. It’s also only about 45 mins to the edge of the new forest (Cadnam) which is absolutely gorgeous imo.

Sounds really nice, the forests by your doorsteps and coast not too far away. Looking forward to take a recon trip out once airfares calmed down a bit.

Does it snow there?
Is there much of a strong community feel?
Are there any Chinese/Korean/Japanese/S. E Asian communities or residents, grocery stores around?

Doesn’t really snow that much these last few years but we’ve had a few big freezes not too far back.
min terms of community feel, we don’t get up to tons like that but others say it’s pretty decent. It’s always fairly busy with people enjoying the countryside and most people say hi and often stop for a chat so reasonably friendly I guess.

Aldershot and Farnborough have a large Nepali community as they were home to the Gurkhas I believe. So in those places it’s pretty diverse and you’ll find those types of shops, some great restaurants too. On the whole it’s quite a mixed area compared to further away from London and the SE.

Aldershot is known as Aldershit for a reason.

Farnborough - Meh, when we were house hunting blind from the north of England, we drove into Farnborough, took one look at the big roundabout and all the concrete and went straight around it and drove back towards Farnham.

Fleet - Dormitory town next to the M3, the most expensive houses in Fleet are right next to the M3, I still struggle with that concept.

Alton is nice but the houses are more or less the same price as Farnham and it is further away from airports, motorways etc.,

There's been loads of redevelopment in Aldershot these last few years, and lots more to come in the centre. So could be a good longer term investment?

There's lots of smaller towns around too Camberley, Farnborough, Farnham etc as well as Woking, Guildford and Reading within easy reach.

the most expensive houses in Fleet are right next to the M3, I still struggle with that concept

No they’re not. Triangle between Elvetham rd, Reading rd north and the high street is where the expensive stuff is. Ancells and Elvetham Heath is fairly average price wise for the SE.

@EminSydney

Hi, thought I'd give an answer not as some one who once drove through Aldershot, not as someone who lived there several years ago, and not as someone who has read about it online - but as someone who moved here within the last year and can give an honest and unbiased opinion.

We moved from Guildford because big houses already renovated were extremely scarce and we had babies to consider. If you can afford it, Guildford is only 15mins drive away. Farnham is very pretty too and a bit more affluent.

Aldershot has 4 huge major supermarkets in under a 10min drive. It has several great parks and woodland for walks or fishing. The houses are pretty middle class and well cared for. We have never seen any high rise council flats but did see one street with shops boarded up. The streets are clean with no noticeable graffiti. The people are very friendly and helpful. There is a good mix of cultures, majority white, then Nepalese. Good stores for homeware, health, and essentials. If the shop you want is not in town, Camberley and Farnborough and Farnham are 10mins drive away and between these 4 small towns you will have EVERYTHING you need. The school selection is great. It is really well connected to big motorways to get you to London, Guildford or south or west England. The town centre has what you need but is currently a bit grim, HOWEVER there are massive renovations currently being done, finishing spring 2024. Lots of cranes and diggers. The pictures of the finished town look amazing - I'm excited!

The army has mostly left with only a handful of soldiers seen in supermarkets sometimes. There is a big cinema, a theatre and decent pubs and restaurants. We are very happy here and explored all the neighbouring towns. Raised in London, Aldershot feels homely to me. If you prefer village life and tree lined windy roads and a local shop where everyone knows each other, then it's not for you.

Good luck on your hunt and feel free to contact me with any questions. And as for it being 'Aldershit'? Don't believe the hype. 😊😉xx

Thanking you all who have responded. Taking in everything and of course, will have to pencil in a trip to the towns around and have a good poke around :)

@NatalWoman
really appreciate your review. But you mentioned:
>> " If you prefer village life and tree lined windy roads and a local shop where everyone knows each other, then it's not for you."
How do you mean? Is it just more built up?

>>"We moved from Guildford because big houses already renovated were extremely scarce"
Are there more (big) renovated (afforable?) homes in Aldershot compared to the nearby suburbs?

If we move, we will be pretty much by ourselves without any family in the country or even on the same continent! Wondering how easy it would be to make friends especially if the kids are already high school aged -- i realised it's a non-question really, but just putting it out there. Husband would be working mostly, kids in school...I might get a part-time job in Early childhood or not... Gauging how lonely we'd be should we go.

@EminSydney , I would post in the secondary education section with the ages of your ds and when you may move as getting a school place isn't easy and the U.K. education system is very limited from the age of 15, ie is virtually impossible to move into the year group for ages 15-16 due to the exam structure.
I would also join some Facebook groups for Australians moving to the U.K. to get a more realistic view of the cost of living here and the cost of university etc for your ds.

Thanks for the tip!

In terms of office location, DH prefers the Aldershot office but we would also like to be able to travel into London sometimes. He might have to do that anyway occasionally. Also has to do frequent overseas travel which means access to airport is required.

Taking all that commute into consideration, plus thinking of good state high schools, what areas (in order of niceness) should we be looking at to move to?
Recommendations that include lovely green spaces at doorstep would be a huge draw.

I'm not hugely familiar yet with the terms used in the UK - authorities vs councils or cities? Greater London? North-east? South-west? Do you live in suburbs?
Please educate me!

@EminSydney , you haven't said how old you ds will be. If either is around 15 the move to a U.K. school is very very difficult. If they are 16 you are looking for 6th form colleges. Do you realise you will need to move back to Australia for university etc. You must find out more about the U.K. education system first of all.

@EminSydney , I've just seen your thread in education so I would focus on getting your head around the posts there.
If you want to look at the cost of living here take 2 areas:
Teddington , Greater London, near Bushy Park.
Schools - Teddington school - state
Private - hampton court house.

Then look on the right move website at the house rental costs.

Woking Surrey
Choose a state school and look at St George's college in weybridge for a private school, then look at rental costs.

Both these places are near London, airports and Aldershot by car.

@EminSydney Even people in the UK tend to get very very confused by local government. Everywhere in England is in one of around 300 "local authorities." The trouble is that there are multiple types of these, each with various different powers. Most people refer to "the council" or "the LA" pretty much interchangeably. As you're seeing on the Education thread, there is a lot of regional and local variation. (And Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have different systems too.) Good luck!

How much £ do you have for housing, and how many bedrooms do you need? Have you looked at housing costs on Rightmove? Housing in the UK is eyewateringly expensive, it’s more of an ownership market than a rental market, and houses don’t come on big spacious plots.

From what you’ve said I suspect you’d like Guildford more than Fleet - a bit bigger and busier and closer to London.

@tennissquare
Why would they need to move back to Oz for university?
DS1 is 14yr old now, and DS2 is 12yr old now. Schooling is the major headache. I've also looked at some property prices from rentals to ownership. Prices arent much better than Sydney.

Btw, thank you so far for all your input. Really appreciate the insights.

Farnborough is terrible. It’s too big for a town and not big enough for a city and so has the worst bits of both; traffic and commuters but without a soul or amenities. Head towards Farnham or one of the villages.

Oh god I'd strongly recommend against it. Aldershot and farnborough are depressing and soulless. There's nothing there - no community, interesting shops, very limited restaurants, pubs or places, culture... just suburbia. Some nice green spaces but not great. The only good thing about it is it's relatively affordable for that area (I wonder why....) and it's quick and easy to get to London from Farnborough.