So, tell me about durham..

[JackJacksmummy]

Help me persuade DP to move there!!!

Currently living on the expensive outskirts of Brighton.
Thing is, Brighton is super expensive, a fairly decent 3 bed house is well over 1100 a month to rent and impossible to buy. Stupidly I looked online at house prices up there and can't believe the difference.

So, tell me about the lifestyle, money differences, jobs - I will be a level 3 qualified TA with sen experience by then and my partner is in the motor trade (read glorified car cleaner!!!)

Either talk me out of it or give me exceptionally good reasons to persuade DP.

P.s we will need schools for 3 children, and I don't drive so will need to know things like the transport system too.
Also, people quite often say if you move up there you won't be able to afford to move back - is this true?
There will be no ties keeping us here in a few years - DP's mother is quite elderly and forgive me for saying but won't be around forever and my mum is moving to France next year!

Durham is great. It is a wonderful compact little city with loads going on, lots of festivals and things for children. This weekend is the Brass Festival so the streets have been alive with music. The schools are mostly very good. There are plenty of affordable places to live within walking distance of the city centre but buses are also pretty good.

I live in a little village 6 miles out and we are surrounded by countryside but also eaasy to get to the city and walkable to good primary schools and shops and our village is very lively, in a few mins we are off to the village hall for a family film night involving party games, and a film with hot dogs and ice creams at the interval.

Jobs are ok I think, there are plenty of places in commuting distance.

Anyway, I am off out but I will link you in to our Durham meet ups thread, you will get more traffic on the main boards than here in the local section :).

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/meetups/1366701-Durham-North-East-Meet-Ups-2012?msgid=33083264#33083264

I think the not moving back is largely due to house prices, they're very low up here to begin with never mind what the recession is doing to them.

DP likes it!!!! Won't be doing it until his mother passes on because we couldn't be far away at her age but we're definitely going to do it!
Can I ask how different the weather really is??
Can't be much different can it?? Being that we're right on the coast and are used to the chilly sea breezes!

I don't know about Brighton, but compared to London it's cold, there isn't enough smog to keep it humid, but you get used to it nothing a cardigan can't fix. I actually didn't enjoy London because of the warmth!

It's beautiful, friendly, cultured and has everything from great transport links (east coast main line). 20mins from the beachside and I'm talking sandy long stretches of isolated beach . To theatres, museums, lovely places to eat nice little shops and an indoor market.

Jobs aren't to bad if your prepared to travel (who doesn't). House prices vary depends what you want. You can have anything from a farm house, to a town house and everything in between. Only 20mins from Newcastle which is frankly gorgeous especially grey street and dean street and great for shopping.

Come for a weekend away and see for yourself

it really depends what you like (helpful!) You know already Durham is a beautiful place. I feel stressed and claustrophobic each time I come down south - soon as you get past Leeds everything seems crowded and expensive! But then, I expect by the same token people would come up here and say it was a long way from where it's all at.

Re the economics of it, it's certainly true that we're deep in recession here - nearly everyone seems to be a bit worried and doing their sums. So can't see that house prices are going to increase a great deal. So if the SE house prices rise, there will be an ever great chasm. Also it mightn't be so very easy to get jobs up here either, but presumably you wouldn't move until you had offers in any case.

I would certainly much rather be up here than down there! But it's a personal choice. Also, the weekend away idea is a good one - and look to see where you could really afford to live, on the income you'd be likely to get up here.

I really fancy moving to Durham too. Saw a lovely house for £399,000 which is just about a highest limit but about twice the size as ours. We could live anywhere as dh is overseas mostly working. I am from the north east so it wouldn't be much of a culture shock for me. Not sure about dh though.

Does anyone have any info on Bowham? And the Durham school? thanks.

I think that should say Bowburn. Lots of villages begining with B.