Which county to go to : ?

[whereishome]

Hi everyone,

Don't know where to start : ) We are coming back to the UK this summer after working abroad. But where to go - who knows?

We used to live in Surrey and loved the lifestyle but it was costing us a fortune. We had no extra cash to spare and could never get on the housing ladder. It was one of the main reasons for us leaving and going abroad. We are now coming back home but are reluctant to go back to Surrey because of the pricey rent etc etc. We are considering it as it ticks a lot of the right boxes - apart from money, and perhaps not quite as friendly as I would choose (massive generalisation - hides in a corner).

We have looked at other counties - also really like Winchester way. But we never found any nice residential areas to live around the city. And schools seemed to be a bit hit and miss when it came to looking for really good primaries.

So we are looking for a really nice area with excellent primary and secondary schools and really safe. Sorry, the usual which probably makes this really boring to read. I also am looking ideally for somewhere with a good cluster of private schools as I am teaching in a private school abroad and might need to continue in this sector on my return. We are looking for somewhere as nice as Surrey but a little more accessible in terms of lifestyle for those without stacks of cash. Still working on the lottery win : ))

Have briefly considered Wiltshire, Sussex...don't really know anything about Wiltshire. Sussex seems to be gorgeous but miles from most places and a bit too quiet with no easy access to a big town. Kent I don't really fancy due to me growing up there. Sevenoaks looks nice but oh so expensive again.

Ideally, my husband will need to get to London but at this point we are open to other suggestions. I know this is a boring thread and does seem to be asking everyone to help me find a needle in a haystack, but I need your help! We are returning in 12 weeks and I have no idea where to. We have no roots or ties anywhere which makes things that much harder. Thanks for any thoughts!

HilaryM - thank you...will look at Hertford. Although it looks as though schools are really over-subscribed. But that is the same everywhere, I suspect!

The good things about Bracknell are that its presence keeps house prices down and that you don't have to go there. Winkfield Row is closer to Ascot and only 4 miles from Windsor.

thanks grovel : )

If you think Sussex is too quiet with No large towns then don't even contemplate Dorset.

Whaddaya mean? Bournemouth is rocking!!

You know what - you might have a point. Perhaps Sussex could work. Is it cheaper than Surrey on the housing front? And which are the nicer areas for good schools. Thank you

If you want to consider a totally different alternative, why not consider the north west of england.
Trains to London are now 2 hours or less, every 30minutes from Manchester and every hour from Liverpool and Chester plus the trains going to Scotland.
There are quite a few private schools especially in the Manchester area and you can pay what you want for a house from cheap to mega millionaire.

South Bucks and Berks house prices are not significantly lower than Surrey are they?

For logistical reasons I want to move to Holyport/ Winkfield and a modest 3 bed on a reasonable road will set you back £300k. Don't think the secondary options are that great either.

Wokingham? Hungerford?

As far away as Bath? Bristol? Loads of private schools to teach in. Secondary state schools a bit more hit and miss especially in Bristol - but surrounding areas pretty good (South Glos, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset and Bath itself) Easy London commute from either. House prices not cheap - but probably more affordable than counties surrounding London!

Wiltshire is lovely, has at least two of the top ten independent schools in the country and a few excellent private schools. Check out Warminster and the surrounding areas for excellent homes at 'reasonable' prices.

West Berks - Newbury and Thatcham have good schools if you live in the right bit. Trainline to Paddington. Private schools - Cheam, Downe House, St Gabriels plus others. 3 bed semis in nice part start at £250K. Converted three bed terraces (originally 2 bed with loft room) around £220K. These are estate agent prices so they probably go for less.

A lot depends on what kind of facilities you want, what size of place you're used to living in, whether you like town or countryside.

I was also going to suggest East Grinsted, Lingfield, Dormansland, Edenbridge, Uckfield, Crowborough, Oxted, Hurst Green area. This covers a wide ish area in Kent Surrey and East/ West Sussex they are within about 1 hour of each other. If you want more rural perhaps check out Haxted New Forrest area

I'm not sure about Edenbridge on that list... a suspicious number of people move from there to East Grinstead when their children get anywhere near school age. And watch out for rivers prone to flooding (eg the rivers Uck and Eden).

Thanks everyone! So I think we are going to start with Sussex. Don't know anything about it but here we go. Does anyone have any information to share on the best areas for schools - state and primary. Also, are there any good secondaries? I know we were spoilt for choice in Surrey and am feeling a little sad we just can't sustain a life there. But hoping Sussex might offer just as much and a new exciting start.

How does the lifestyle in Surrey differ from elsewhere in UK?

Apologies if that sounds bad. We had a great selection of schools, both primary and secondary. There were so many places to go - the Spectrum in Guildford, London near by, good choice of towns near by. Low crime and polished. Beautiful countryside the towns are kept impeccable. Also, a neutral accent which I appreciated.The only thing I didn't like was the crazy house prices and found it not to be the friendliest place I have been to. So it offered a lot. But I suspect there is somewhere we can be even happier. Just need to find it.

I know you said 'not Kent' but had you looked at Ashford or Canterbury? High speed line in to London, and house prices are less ghastly than Slurry.

I used to live in Canterbury and had a great time. But house prices are still up there and it is so touristy now. As for Ashford, don't know it so well but .... takes a deep breath.... I really don't like the Kent accent. There, said it. I grew up in Kent so don't sound so plummy myself.

You'd get all of the things you mentioned apart from highly polished town in Alton. It might be a bit less up market than, say, Farnham, but it's certainly ot rough, it's friendly, a great community with all sorts of clubs and activities, it's a great town for children, it's surrounded by lovely countryside (Meon Valley for example) half an hour to each of Guildford and Winchester for shopping and days out, but without the Surrey price tag. Also trains to London and easy reach of M3, M4.

I can only talk about East Grinstead secondary school from personal experience I have 2 dd's at Sackville (East Grinstead) and we are very happy with the school. They deal with our very different dd's wonderfully. my Niece attended the school for 18 months and also loved it.

If your comfortable with that area but still yearning for Surrey perhaps seek out Lingfield where many children go to Oxted for their secondary school I have friend with children there who are very satisfied.

I have a good friend in Uckfield whose child goes to Uckfield Community Technology College they are happy with her schooling. (well last time I spoke with her about this and that was about 3 months ago)

hels9 interesting to hear that, I find it the other way around as Edenbridge is in Kent and many want the chance of the 11+ that East Grinstead doesn't offer.

I guess a lot has to do with the perspective of each person and who they know.

Hi, Frikadellen - I think some people have a problem with the primary school they think they are likely to manage to get their children into if they stay in Edenbridge (after all, plenty of Edenbridge children go to secondary school in East Grinstead, anyway, given that I think it no longer has its own secondary school, so all children have to travel out of town for secondary education). So it's probably an exodus from a certain part of the town (probably the most affordable part).... The secondary schools in East Grinstead both have a good reputation, as do Uckfield community college and Oxted. Superselective grammars aren't entirely out of the reach of very bright East Grinstead students, although the fact that the local comprehensives are so good makes it kind of off-putting when you think of the journey on windy roads each day to get into Tunbridge Wells and the fact that you wouldn't be going to school with a whole group of friends from primary school, which you would be if you stuck with the schools in town. It's not like you would be trying to escape something awful which would make the journey worthwhile.

Planes to Gatwick are allowed to fly over Lingfield on their final approach, btw (right over the racecourse!).

Hi whereishome! We've been in exactly the same position as you - relocating with our 3 young children, no family ties to anywhere since having lived abroad for a very long time - and we have decided on East Grinstead/Lingfield. As you said, it's a beautiful area - one of the only ones we've driven around and actually liked, it's close to London on the train for hubby, train fare is significantly less than from Winchester/Tunbridge Wells/Northampton etc, nearly all the schools are good (both Primary and Secondary). It was a process of elimination for us, which has taken us best part of a year, as we just didn't have the local knowledge of anywhere in England. Anyway, we've finally decided on there and we're really happy with our decision. Good luck in your search, I'll be interested to hear where you end up :-) !