Walthamstow - please reassure me.

[user1489573685]

We live in Walthamstow and a few years ago we decided to move out of London to Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire or Essex. After spending over two years looking for a house we had a choice out of two. One in Essex and one in Walthamstow. For some reason (which I can't even remember) we choose the house in Walthamstow. From the day we moved in I knew it was the wrong choice. We have lived in this house now for two years and I can't think of a day where I haven't been filled with regret and anxiety to the point that I've made myself very ill. We've spent a ridiculous amount of money on the house and it is still a mess. I want to move out but now I don't think we'll be able to. It's March. We need to put in secondary applications in this September for my daughter. Unless something miraculously happens, I need to come to terms that I'm going to live here until my youngest finishes school - that's another 10 years at least and I'll be almost 60 years old. I can't bear the idea. I feel trapped and like I'm wasting my life away. In the mean time all of our friends are moving out and it's getting lonelier, especially working from home. Please, don't post anything negative - I know I sound ungrateful and dramatic but is there anyone out there that has any positive words about Walthamstow? Do you have a good experience bringing up teenagers here? What do you love about living in Walthamstow as a person in your 40s? Please, I need to hear from you right now.

“Very white” 🧐 what colour are you?

Sounds idyllic!

Me and dp lived in Walthamstow. Him for 7ish years and me 2ish. We were late 30s trying (failing) to have a family. We were flat renting and couldnt afford to buy a home there so moved away (Scotland). We both work in London a fair bit, and I always always look for a room to rent in Walthamstow. We have such fond memories. Sitting with beers and books in that wee square in the village, beautiful veggie Sunday roasts at a good few of the pubs. Running for miles and miles along the canal. Oh man that poke bowl place. I’ve never had a better one, I hope it’s still there. My driving instructor called Walthamstow the land of the beautiful people, make of that what you will hah, I doubt he was including me in that! oh and I like Stella creasy.

I’m not from London, but my experience of living there 5 years is that friends are in flux. People are always moving away, from the area, from the city. And you can always make new friends (if you have the social energy).

You can still move?

I don't think Walthamstow, which is as nice a place to live as anywhere in London, is the problem here.

This would be a route to a nervous breakdown, have you any idea of the regulations and requirements for renting out a house and the responsbility of it, plus the house might be trashed

OP we moved out of south London many years ago to the coast, I have always been homesick and we couldnt afford to move back not even to outer M25 areas. But I have taught myself to try to get involved with activities and the environment in the local area, I imagine if we came here on holiday and had never been, what we would make it of, we would love it and say 'oh we want to live here'. Im sure if I moved back in any case I would find fault too and wish I lived at the coast!!

I would do the same for your area, think about all the activities, facilities, attractiions, resources, history, restaurants, food, transport, all the plus points. You cant focus on the negative, all areas have bits of them that are not as positive.