Relocating back to the UK: where to live?

[JCWz]

We've been living and working abroad for a few years and in that time have had two kids (both under 3).

Now its time to start thinking of moving back to the UK, we are not sure where to go.

Before we left the UK we were living in London. We'd love to move back but don't think we could afford it with kids, due to rent/housing costs.

So where is a good place to bring up children in the UK? We are both from the south and our families are based along the south coast, although being near them isn't a major factor, as wherever we end up will be closer than where we are now! Finding work isn't much of a factor either.

So where would you recommend that offers good value for money in terms of living and accommodation, while also being a nice place for kids to grow up?

Thanks.

Is there any possibility of you spending a period of time in the UK on a sort of holiday, to explore the country and little, and see where you might like to live?

That is an idea. Although I'm not sure how much you could learn from a holiday/short stay? Plus it could get quite expensive and be a lot of upheaval for the kids.

Also, its more the day to day experiences of a place, such as schools, what people are like, transport, crime, roughness, etc. that I'm curious about.

If it wasn't for the nippers I'd happily stay abroad, but I feel we have to put down roots somewhere, for the sake of the kids before or when they start school.

If your families don't live in London, then would go where they are as it gives you a starting point. I know what you mean about you will be nearer anyway as I live abroad too but I think it will be a benefit later on when your dc are older.

We are home for Christmas and I am seeing first hand all the family support that we just don't have. Yesterday alone I saw extended family at my nephews nativity and then my sisters BIL pick up my nephew from gymnastics on his way home from work.

Thanks for the reply. That is a good point. However, the families are quite spread out. Our parents don't live that close to each other, but both live in small towns, which don't really appeal that much.

However, its definitely something to consider when making a decision.

We moved back after 5.5yrs with two DC under 5. I would recommend living not more than an hour away from at least one set of relatives/friends so you can visit easily - unless you are some kind of saint who loves driving long distances with small children in the back! You say it will be closer than you are now, which is of course true & we thought this, coming from Oz, but in practical terms it is so much easier & appealing to hop in the car to see the two sets of relatives who live an hour away than it is to go to my parents who live four hours away.

I live in Brighton; I grew up in London and lived there as a young adult. Brighton is brilliant with young children; lots of families, lots to do, lots of groups, playgroups and classes if you like that kind of thing. Parks all over the place for children to play and commutable to London if necessary.

It is quite expensive though, maybe not far off London prices these days although I'm not sure. With that in mind, there are several towns to the west of Brighton like Shoreham-by-Sea, Southwick and West Worthing which are all smaller, but very nice with lots of families and easily linked to the city of B&H by buses and trains if you like city life.

Towns to the north of the city such as Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath are popular and a little cheaper, but a little soul-less in my opinion! They are well linked to London though, and have good schools.

JC can I ask where you're living now? If I was you I'd seriously consider staying where you are!!!! I moved back to the UK to have my baby 8 years ago and to be honest, I might have been a lot better staying where I was!

Thanks for the advice on relatives, that is a good point, being close to them.

A city appeals the most and we'd live in London if we could afford it.

We don't need transport links for work, but it would be nice to be able to go on little breaks once in a while so near some kind of exit point would be good.

As for budget, not sure yet. We're just doing some research to see if its viable to return.

Brighton sounds good but probably too expensive for us, but will check out the nearby areas.

Anyone know about Bristol?

We are living in Thailand now which is good but not for bringing up kids long term. Although it might be better than our options in the UK?

Thanks for all the replies.

Why is Thailand not good for bringing up kids long term?

What about living within travelling distance of London, somewhere in Surrey? Then you can hop on a train into the city as and when you feel like it.

Where do you need to be for work, or can you work anywhere?

I'm not sure I understand why you can't bring up your children and put down roots in Thailand? What is it that you will have in the UK that you don't have in Thailand?

Bournemouth came top of the list in "happiness" and most family friendly place to live a couple of years ago.

Never lived there myself but I have lots of relatives around the new forest and would love to be there.....

The thing is that you will already have friends in Thailand- possibly very good friends if you have been there for a long time. You may miss them and the lifestyle if you were to leave! I lived on another continent too and really miss it. Wish I'd given my children the added interest of an extra language and miss the weather and the culture. The UK is kinda boring! IMHO. You might idealise coming back but it might not be worth it. You might be cold!!!! and have real problems re-integrating or feeling at home here after living abroad. Even if living abroad has its bad points (the Mosquitos were a big one for me!) do weigh up what you'll be leaving behind before making a move. Don't just move for the kids as they'll be happy anywhere you're happy. Kids do like playing outdoors in nice weather & the UK isn't great for that!

Bristol is a LOVELY city. I live in London, but spent quite a lot of time there with work a couple of years ago. I had an opportunity to move there and seriously considered it, but didn't for family reasons.

It feels like a real city with culture and things to do but everything is within walking/cycling distance. There's a really relaxed feeling to the place: on a sunny afternoon, you see people chilling out by the waterfront; you can do various sports like cycling and sailing really close by; and there's good access to Wales and the South West for weekends away - even London is just a couple of hours drive or a train ride away (expensive by train though).

The big downside to Bristol given that you have children is that the schools are known for being over-subscribed and not that great. It would be worth doing some research into that if you're considering Bristol. I haven't, but if it's anything like London (where I have looked) then exactly where you live will be critical. One of the nicest areas to live is Clifton: very pretty, and with lots of nice shops, pubs and restaurants - but I have no idea about schools there, and housing is expensive.

Winchester is also meant to be a really nice city. I don't know much about it, but people who live there seem to really like it, and it's close to the south coast (so possibly close to some of your family - you don't say where they are) as well as some stunning countryside: not only the New Forest, but also beautiful West Sussex. I seem to remember that Winchester has some really good schools too.

As an outside bet, if you're not going to move close to family, how about Edinburgh? It's another really lovely, vibrant city which is geographically compact enough to be a pleasure to live in, and with great countryside close by. The down sides are that it's also very expensive (close to London prices - although of course it depends exactly where you live, as in London); the weather is noticeably colder and wetter than further south (I've lived in Scotland, and that's the main thing that puts me off moving back there); and English people can sometimes get a bit tired of the constant 'jokey' anti-English comments. Having just lived in Thailand though - which is very cool - I suspect you might not suffer that as much as someone who had moved there directly from England.

Hope you find somewhere perfect. It would be really nice to hear what you decide.

We're an hour away from Bristol - it is indeed a great city, extremely child-friendly & well situated for travelling away from the area for breaks.

My best friend relocated to Bristol from London to buy a house and have kids. They're very happy indeed and my impressions of the city are good. They chose the city as it suited their creative characters / job pursuits and they already had friends living there.

I live in south manchester and love my city, but being close to family and / or friends is important.

Depends on your circumstance,were is best for employment?
Your money will go far in Scotland.both Edinburgh and Glasgow are great family cities
Glasgow/Edinburgh adjacent good countryside,beaches.

In uk there's a def north/south divide on cost

If Scotland not on your menu, consider
Didsbury, Charlton in Manchester
Sevenoaks, tunbridge wells in kent
Guildford in Surrey

Head north if you want affordable city life. Many places have been regenerated a lot so your perception of them might be outdated. I'm thinking of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds. But not very close to the south coast. Bristol is lovely but in a similar way to London you get to know your own patch, it's a bit disjointed in some ways. Great transport connections to south and London though.

Christchurch is lovely - or new forest. Or Salisbury or Winchester... I quite fancy a Dorset village but that would be a bit remote for you I think!

JWCz -- so where did you end up moving to and why?