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Is family life better in or out of London?

66 replies

curiouscat · 15/06/2007 11:22

Has anyone moved out of London to give the kids more space? Is it boring and lonely? Do you have to drive to get a pint of milk? Or is it all fresh air and glowing cheeks? What do you do for company? If we move dh might stay a night or two in London weekly, this isn't my idea of a good marriage situation. We endlessly toy with the idea and am curious how anyone found it, positive or negative.

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bookwormmum · 15/06/2007 15:06

Moopymoo- I grew up in a London surburb but within gasping distance of 'real country' [Essex and Herts]. I guess it's what you get used to. My dp grew up in a smallish town/village in Cheshire and refuses to even contemplate living in London or near there. For one thing he hates the pollution which I do not even notice. I do notice however when my nose 'unbungs' itself after a few days at his place. I've suddenly got a sense of smell again. I do wonder at the effect on my dd's health if we stayed in London for the length of her childhood but I guess it's a case of 'better the devil you know' at times. I could never live within the inner cities though. I do like to see some blades of grass from time to time.

curiouscat · 15/06/2007 15:13

I don't really believe that you can get much more space for your money and still be able to work in London. Stockbroker belt's bloody expensive and schools crowded too. Would love to hear otherwise.

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TheBlonde · 15/06/2007 15:18

I think it depends how much of a commute you are prepared to do

NKF · 15/06/2007 15:19

There are plenty of places that aren't stockbroker belt though. And I'd have thought you'd get more for your money in some areas.

curiouscat · 15/06/2007 15:20

Oh and what about when your kids are teenagers and want to do their own thing and you spend all your time chauffering them as there's no buses or public transport? Doesn't that wear you country dwellers down?

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TheBlonde · 15/06/2007 15:21

You give them a bicycle!

JodieG1 · 15/06/2007 15:26

We moved from London to Cambridge 2 and a half years ago so the kids could have a bigger garden and better schools. We live in a village outside Cambridge and it's lovely here, we really like it. Park just up the road, lovely primary school and in the catchment area for one of the best state secondary schools in the country.

My dh was working in London but found a job near here. He works in IT so wasn't just stuck working in London.

hatrick · 15/06/2007 15:58

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mojotalking · 15/06/2007 16:41

Hi,

We moved from West London to a beautiful market town in Northumberland and are very happy with the decision we made. We resisted the temptation to buy a huge house in the middle of nowhere and bought on the outskirts of town backing on to open countryside. We are within walking distance of an arts centre, cinema, pool, restaurants and bars. We're surrounded by gorgeous countryside and in just 25 minutes we can be in a major city with all the culture and sophistication that offers.

On the downside, we rarely get to sit out in our garden because of the colder weather and, more seriously, I had a problem meeting like minded people for the first couple of years. It's only since my eldest daughter started school that I have really made many friends. Bookclubs are a great thing to explore if you become fed up with trying to break into the toddler cliques.

I would say that - if you pick the right location - you can leave some of the negatives of living in London behind without having to abandoin all of the things you love about the city. What about a smaller city with great links to the Big Smoke?

Good luck with your decision.

Mojo

PiusIX · 16/06/2007 00:19

We did that thing you should never do - of leaving London (Bayswater) for the country (Peak District) and then moving back again. Here's why...

About the country, we liked:

  • being able to afford a (Grade 2 listed!) house
  • more space
  • no crime, junkies, street-vomiting

We didn't like:

  • being unbelievably bored a lot of the time
  • having to drive 20 miles to get to a cinema (and that was a crap multiplex)
  • in fact, having to drive everywhere to do anything
  • not being able to buy anything nice to eat
  • generally dismal provincial monoculture.

Now happily ensconsed back in civilisation (W14) and wouldn't change back for the world.

SittingBull · 16/06/2007 04:15

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WideWebWitch · 16/06/2007 14:18

It depends. I now have a very happy medium where I can easily be in London in an hour but I live in a sweet place in the countryside with good schools/fresh air/low crime combo. But I lived in deepest Devon for 3 years and it was pretty dreadful.

WideWebWitch · 16/06/2007 14:18

I used to live and work in W14 PiusIX.

portonovo · 16/06/2007 16:07

Finding this a bit of an odd thread really. Where exactly is 'out of London'. Everyone's experiences will be different, depending on where they have moved to and what sort of person/family they are.

Does your husband have to work in London or could he change jobs? One night away a week sounds manageable, although not desirable, any more than that and I wouldn't like it one bit.

What sort of things do you like about London at the moment, and could you find those things elsewhere or be prepared to visit London often enough for them?

If you need to be within commuting distance of London, find yourself a radius where this would work and look at the places to live within this radius. You don't have to be very rural and all 'fresh air and glowing cheeks'. You can be small town, larger town, small village, totally out in the sticks and many variations on these themes.

If you like sport, shopping, theatre, museums, bars etc, find a town with easy access to them - I've never yet lived anywhere I couldn't access these things fairly easily. That's because I know what sort of person I am - hate living in a city but wouldn't do really rural, I need to be within walking distance of the sorts of things I do day-to-day, and to have other things within reach. I live in a small town with everything for everyday family life as well as being only 15 mins by train from one very cultural city and 30 mins away from another very vibrant city. Perfect balance for us.

I have always loved London for day trips and weekend stays, but hated it the short time I actually lived there. We still 'do' London as a family from time to time but there is nothing London has to offer that would tempt me to live there, most things really do exist outside London. If you really feel differently and can't imagine life outside London then perhaps moving isn't for you.

Difers · 19/06/2007 15:44

Hi, I moved from 2 bed flat in Westminster to a Barn in rural Mid wales.

I miss shops, coffee houses, great bars, theatres, the city buzz.

I don't miss, worrying hubby will get stabbed putting out the bins, too many people, worrying about schools, paying a fortune in mortgage payments.

I have to drive to get milk and for anything else which is a negative but there is lots of fresh air which is nice. This morning we went for a walk and caught ladybirds. There are great schools, leisure centres, playbarns and groups to go to up here.

London is great but so is the countryside, it depends on you and what you want from life or what you want your children to experience. Could be a shock if you've never lived in the countryside before

Quattrocento · 19/06/2007 15:49

Hi curious cat!

Try reading this for a view on moving out of London with hubby doing the days (and occasional nights) in the city. It's just one woman's view of course, but she writes beautifully ...

www.wifeinthenorth.com

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