Anyone move back to London (or Greater London) after moving away?

[mumtheforgetfulone]

We've lived in Kent for 10 years now and are only an hour away from London on the train - but I still miss it! I wondered if there's anyone out there who moved away from London (particularly when they had a family) then moved back. Was it a good choice?

Thanks

I know a family who did this (moved out to Home Counties when the kids arrived and then went back to London.) They moved from a huge house in the sticks back to a flat so they had to make sacrifices but seem very happy to be back in London.

And lala - no problems - I did get carried away ...

unlucky that sounds idyllic. Where we are is perfect for children to grow up - acres of woods, streams, hills for them to cycle, run climb, sledge. Busy local community with loads of things for children and adults to do right on our doorstep at the village hall. And we make it up to London a lot for galleries, theatre etc.

But I do miss the variety of London. It's all a bit DM genteel round here and after a while, however jolly and friendly and busy it is, life here feels a bit cut off from the real world.

this is interesting...we are in London and although our plan is to leave the UK altogether sometimes DH will say about moving out of London to the 'country' and I always say if I'm not in London there's no point being here

Disclaimer - we are both not from the UK but if I had family here I probably wouldn't mind moving out of London if I was moving closer to them!

Wood - I do know what you mean ....it is very 'naice' and a little boring here...although because of incomers etc the people aren't too narrow minded/in bred. And we aren't too much in a bubble - our nearest large town (city) is Dundee ...DD1 already goes shopping there with her friends and when older that will be where her nightlife is - so I don't worry too much that my children will be clueless about 'real life' as they can see that there...and get to mix with all walks of life - which I think is a really good thing.
When I lived in London I lived in Clapham North (pre-gentification) - then just off Fulham Road & Parson's Green ....it all seemed a bit false ...you never really saw an 'ugly' person! (if that makes sense)
I moved back and to Brixton eventually as Clapham North was getting too much like Fulham ...and by the time I left Brixton was becoming similar...

We moved out 10 months ago and so far me and DS1 would have moved back if you could, but DH and DS2 are happy out of London.

Its still a bit too soon to really know what will happen in the long run, we are doing up an old house and barn, so having a bit of a grand design moment, but in the long run I don't think it will be enough for me, I feel a bit like I'm slowly dying (lack of visual stimulation/pace) and really really miss my old life.

Thankfully I can get back in an hour and go up and socialise on a regular basis.

We would not be able to buy what we had in London before though as the prices have gone up so much already, so I think in the long run that is what will prevent any move back, a reality I am finding very hard to accept!

The price difference is crazy. We're not that far out of London but whereas our house has gone up about 30% since we moved, a friend's, on the outskirts of London and not near any tube, has quadrupled in price in the same period of time. 30% rise versus 400%!

400%? that is ridiculous! In how many years?

We are moving out soon to a town near the south coast and I've been I tears all evening at the prospect. Almost as soon as we exchanged I knew we'd made a mistake. Not sure what we do now. We love the area we are in at the moment but thought we wanted a bigger house etc. beginning to feel we have made a big mistake. It's so quite down there and everyone appears to wear tweed.

I moved out of London (well, Zone 6) nearly 9 years ago, to the south west. I regret it! DS1 is desperate to live in London but financially, we couldn't afford it, even a bedsit is out of our reach.

So what counts as London? Up to zone 2?

Minty, about 10 years - certainly not more than 10. I was staggered. The price for a two bed cottage with a front door that opens onto the living rom, no upstairs bathroom, miles from the tube, is shocking. I'm very pleased for my friend because she's had a really tough time recently and this will solve lots of her problems. But in itself, I think that price rise is obscene.

Itscold - it's not everywhere out of London that you'd find visually unstimulating though. I think moving to a village is really a shock after London unless you grew up rurally. And as you said, not a great looking village. But say, if you went to Brighton, or in SW, Bristol, they are colourful in their own way.

What I mean is, people who move to a good smaller city are likely to be happier about the move, if they like/liked London.

I think it depends how extraverted someone is, some people hate big crowds on daily basis, overstimulation, if you like! And it depends how much you like a green landscape, a lot of visual beauty in that.

Personally I'd definitely move back to London, if I could afford it, but ONLY to a leafy area, as I need some peace after a sometimes stressful day. I could just afford London, but somewhere grotty (1-2 bed flat), or zone 5 with 40min on a crowded train/tube (also something smallish), but I don't want to pay that price - I find some london areas depressing if it's all 70s concrete blocks, urgh. But equally I don't like to be too far from London, so a commuter belt for me.

I think if I wasn't single, I'd be happier further out with a big house though. And trips to London - or even better, a studio there to stay .

I moved out to Kent when DD was a baby and then back into London before she started school because I just missed it too much. I hated having to drive everywhere - I much prefer being able to walk and get public transport.
I found it easier to meet people on the same wavelength in London, and I love the social mix and the fact that it is so multicultural.
Also, despite all these people moving out of London when they have kids, actually the schools are really good - great primary school and now we have a choice of excellent secondaries too.
Of course it's more expensive, but I think London is a great place to bring up children.
If I was going to move now (which I can't see happening) I would move right away, rather than to somewhere on the outskirts of London as I did before.

Ah Solo - having to drive everywhere ...I think it depends on how rural you go...I think tempting to go too far...
Where I live is classed as semi-rural - we have buses to the city - but also a shop, post office, pub/restaurant within 5 min walk, primary school is a 5 min walk away. And a mile away - so a good walk or a nice cycle - more food shops , cafes, restaurant, pubs, butcher, library, optician, florist, GP, chemist.... all on pavements...
(and 5-10 mins walk will take you into the fields or along the riverside etc)
My DD has a friend who lives a wee bit further out ...no buses and a 20 min walk or dodgy cycle along country roads to the nearest pavement. At 13 her mum still drives her everywhere and it is harder for her to visit friends - go shopping etc, etc...
I actually had this conversation quite recently with someone looking to buy a new house - with a bit of land, maybe enough room for a paddock etc and how wonderful would it be for their DC...actually no it wouldn't really cos they will be completely dependent on you until they are old enough to drive ...and even then dodgy if they want to go out and drink...

Name changed.

We are a mixed raced family and moved from South East London to Kent eight years ago. At the time several relatives were living out here but have since moved back to London.

I would move back if we could and was extremely depressed for majority of last year at the prospect of being unable to. Our budget at the time was £190k. Recently we viewed several properties in Eltham/Sidcup /Mottingham/Dartford. We did not like the houses or the areas but what did we expect with a budget of £200k?!!

The part of Kent we live in, on the outskirts of Gravesend is not very diverse, although slowly it is changing. There has always been a large Asian community, a lot of Africans and a few Caribbeans are moving here. Some people are narrow minded and not used to mixing with other cultures. Sometimes the looks we get when in town are unbelievable. I avoid it where possible and go to Bluewater.

Thankfully the school our dc attend is very diverse and has a mixture of children from all races, backgrounds. Our dc definitely fit in.

The good things about living here;
Clean streets - in my area anyway
Neighbours are friendly
People are not in a hurry
Quiet

If you move out to somewhere like St Albans you get fast commuting, London on hand (v easily) for work, theatre, galleries, shopping, museums etc, excellent schools and it feels buzzy and lovely. But other places could be too much of a culture shock.

Perhaps you don't need to move back in, OP? Perhaps it's a case of finding the right place outside of London?

Mintyy/woodrunner, our house is worth about 4 x what we paid for it. Madness indeed.

I know a few people who moved away and then moved back, and some who moved away and couldn't afford to move back.

We aren't moving out

All these posts have been so interesting to read.

Beagles - I agree moving from London to a town/another city isn't as much as a shock to the system. Moving straight to a village is a huge culture shock, even if it's the right decision it might take a while to adjust.

Solo - you hit the nail on the head about traveling around. I hate having to get in the car too to go everywhere and miss just walking and using public transport.

Harriet and Itscold - I hope you learn to love your new homes.

I've decided there's no point in longing to be in London when we can't afford anything in an area we'd like to be in. DCs are happy and I'll just have to make do with day trips. Might eventually make a move from village life to town life though!

Moved from London to Liverpool (home own). Could never move back to London now. Where I am I have all the advantages of a big city without the hassles (including property prices and overcrowding) that London has.

Train journey from Liverpool to London is 2.5 hrs so anytime I want to visit for say, a specific museum or exhibition or something, I can quite easily.

I could NEVER live in London ever again [shudder], but neither could I live out in the sticks somewhere, I'd get too bored. I think the happiest people who have moved out of London are the ones that have moved to relatively big cities with loads to do.

really interesting reading everyone's views and input. Seems to a bit like marmite for people - either definitely want to come back or wouldn't for all the love nor money!
We live in London and often debate a move out - I'm learning you really have to do your research before you go to make sure it's what you want.

We moved out but DH did not work in London, he worked from home and travelled. If he had to commute into London we would have stayed put. The commute is a soul destroying killer, I saw my dad do it for years.

Do I miss London, yes the single, childless 20 year old does but not me now really.

I live on the outskirts of London I suppose. I am not sure which zone but I am 20 minutes from Waterloo. I would not want to be further out. I love it here. I sometimes have day dreams of moving out as our house is a bit pokey and our garden is a postage stamp but we near a large common and have access to central London in 20 minutes. I love the variety here. The schools are not so great in this area so that maybe what sways it but for now I wouldn't move. I wouldn't want to be any closer to the centre though, I like the leafy parts.

Following.

We moved away from London almost two years ago, just before having our first child. Leaving London had always been a long term plan. That said, I desperately miss our friends and wider social network. We've found that it's very very difficult to make new friends when you have a toddler and don't get out much full stop. We hope to try for another soon so will (hopefully!) have even less time over the next couple of years...!

I know there are loads of advantages to living in a smaller, but still vibrant, city and try to remind myself of these. But it seems paradoxical and ironic to me e.g. that we now have a house (rather than a flat) with the kitchen diner I longed for but no friends to invite round for dinner. We now also live much closer to amazing countryside and to opportunities to take part in sports and activities we love but now don't have the time to participate in them.

DH has struggled to make friends especially, due to his work being far from sociable, having less time to devote to old hobbies and sports and not having a ready-made network of acquaintances in the same way that I do with other mums. (Isn't it weird how so often mums form reasonable or even very good friendships through having children but dads do much less so?)

I've already said to DH that if we don't feel more settled in a couple more years then I would seriously consider moving back to London / the South East. Might seem a crazy move just as schools start to matter (schools here are generally good) and especially as we'd be limited on where we could afford to live and would probably have to look at less desirable or less convenient areas that we had considered before making the big move out of London but ruled out back then.

If not then, then maybe when our children leave school. I can't help thinking that our children will inevitably end up in London at some point, whether for study or work, and that would also draw me back, to be closer to them and to be closer to enjoy what London has to offer when our children are independent.

Moving back in the next few years would be financially challenging as London property prices seem to have rocketed in the time since we sold up and moved.

We do have friends come to visit and also go back to London to visit others (I always get pangs when we do!). But I regret not being closer to good friends (and some family) in that area while our child(ren) are young to share in the special early years together.

Sorry to hijack! Interested in others' responses and what the OP decides.

Moving back after nearly a decade abroad & cant wait. Smaller home & packed rush hour tubes a price we're all delighted to pay for the 'buzz' of London, a more varied social circle & feeling like we're In The Loop. But many of my friends who moved away have never regretted their decision & are happy in wales/dubsi/paris etc. Basically, it's an incredibly personal decision, you've made it, well done!