Anyone moved from London/south to East Midlands? happy or not?

[beaglesaresweet]

Just really wanted to hear how the transition went for you, any pleasant/unpleasant surprises? do you find people friendly or sticking to their own? are social divides more noticeable than in london (I don't mean money, but in london all sorts tend to mix apart from mega-rich)?

Any tips re nice countryside (to walk/visit)?

Obviously I know that a bigger house is a plus, but apart from that.

ah right! what airilines are there? I assume no BA, as the case in a city where I live now. It's easyjet or ryanair, or euro airlines here - is it the same? Or what about BMI? wd be good to have access to the non-budget UK airlines.

I moved to Market Harborough last year and LOVE it, originally from Edinburgh and lived in Oadby (suburb of Leicester) but more than happy to sing MH praises for as long as you can listen plus only takes and hour to St Pancras so you can still get back to London easily

Much of Derbyshire is beautiful. It is the Peak District!

I live in between Nott'm and Derby. Both have lots of positives. Leicester is very vibrant, too.

Also, Leicestershire and Rutland are gorgeous. Lincolnshire has a beauty of its own.

If you are going to commute to London by train have a look at the cost of parking at the stations too. We were staggered by that (although fortunately dh gets his parking paid for) . Much more £££ than the stations we used to use near London.

BMI no longer exists, it went bust last year.

www.eastmidlandsairport.com/Info/EMA/AllDestinations

I was thinking about this thread today. Where I used to live people were lovely but would text before calling round to see if it was convenient and would usually give 24/48 hours notice. Today I've had 5 people knock on the door out of the blue for a chat. It takes a bit of getting used to and means I have to keep the house presentable but it is nice.

MrsJD my MIL is like that, people popping in. She loves it as it makes her feel part of the community.

For a nice drive to see the countryside, I would head south out of Leicester on the London Road, just after Great Glen take the turn to the Langtons on your right. Then wander... and aim for Foxton Locks.

This is not the dramatic countryside of any National Park but to me it looks like England.

Langtons on left if heading south ... sorry

I agree Lambstales!

Are you looking at trains south for commuting or visiting? Like Dooby I did the commute from Grantham to London for a while, it is a much faster line. I don't know I'd recommend living there but it often worth a drive for the for trips to London and there's plenty of car parking.

I personally like Nottingham, good shops and smaller ones too, big enough to attract theatre and gigs but close to the countryside. I don't know the other cities though! Lots of surrounding villages and towns if you like more of the countryside living but work in the city.

I've been here for a number of years, I would move back tomorrow. I don't want to be too specific but no, I'm a southerner and always will be. Everywhere is so far away here, there's no buzz, it's so, so dull. I've lived in two east mids locations, both as bad as each other. The most exciting thing is the local co-op. I yearn for the south again.

chutney I wouldn't nee to commute daily - twice a week at most. I think I have to discount Nott as commute is longer than Leicester or derby. But useful to know for future visits. I think the postre who lives in-between the two has it right!

coffee - did you move from a large city, or London, though? you don't need to specify, but I think any small town will be dull culturally after London. If you mean that even small towns are more exciting in the south - can you give examples of those? coastal, you mean? but the coast can be very dull in winter.
SAy, Brighton is supposed to be exciting but it would be dull to me still, very limited in many aspects. I think though that being in the middle of the country isn't as dull as on the fringes, as you can travel in all directions for fun things to do - and yes, you need to like the countryside. If someone is a city dweller through and through, then I wouldn't recommend East mids to them, even from what I know. I'd recommend London, at a stretch Bristol, and Edinburgh. Some like Manchester and say it's not less exciting than the south, but it's too 'agressive' for me.

thanks, Lamb. Sounds good. I had the drama of landscapa living in the SW temporarily, nice but too parochial, I think.
There are good NT places though, dont you agree? Can you (and anyone who knows!) let me know which ones have the best grounds/gardens?
Aren't the Peaks dramatic, and places like Matlock - or i sthat south yorks?

I've thought about two days commuting in the past, best of both worlds!

The actual commute from Grantham wasn't too bad compared to others I've done, I always got a seat bar a couple of occasions. I live midway between Grantham and Nottingham now, and work in the centre of Nottingham. But I nearly always drive to Grantham to get the train to London unless there's a really good reason. There's quite a lot of villages and small towns in striking distance of Leicester or Nottingham, that would allow you to use Grantham as your station.

I know what you mean about the time from Nottingham, the one time I did do it I was stunned how much longer it took.

so is Grantham commute better than Derby, chutney? Derby is only 1h25min, or is it further from you to drive to derby?

coffee, I'm still wondering why do you say it's iposiible to move back south- you mean prices have gone up there but not where you bought in EMids?

Does anyone agree that prices will be going up in east mids cities too?that's my impression. Maybe not in Nott as such due to slow train link.

impossible (pesky notebook)

Oh sorry! I'm a hard task master, houses where I'm from and where I live now don't match at all! So no, I'm stuck for another few years. I'm just going through a bad patch ATM. I'm allowed one I reckon after 17 years away.

Derby is quite a trek from me. I've just checked the times again (been a few years and some station redevelopment!) but East Coast from Grantham takes 1 hour10-15 minutes into King Cross and about 5-10 minutes less back out. Hull Trains are a bit faster but not so frequent. Think an hour back out from London.

The market seems to be picking up around here in terms of houses moving more quickly, not sure about the effect on prices.

I've always lived in Leicestershire but my partner moved up here from London a year ago. He commutes daily into London from Nuneaton, which is about a 10 minute drive from where we are and it takes him about an hour and a half door to door (which is about the same as the commute when he lived a lot closer) - it is VERY expensive though to commute every day.

We decided to do it this way though as we bought a beautiful 4 bed house with an annex and a fairly big garden for the price it would have cost us for a studio flat where he lived before, the schools are good in this area and I'm the boss and didnt want to move.

I've always liked Leicester as a city, there's still quite a few nice independent shops, John Lewis, nice places to eat etc. and the Leicestershire countryside is beautiful (and no one goes there so it's always lovely and quiet)

'..and I'm the boss..' excellent - I like people who are comfortable in their own skin, Excuse !

Any specific places in the country you'd recommend (if not already mentioned)? Also can you point me to the street names in leicester that are worth looking up on google? What do you think of Derby nowadays, in comparison? I like the cathedral quarter.

Yes, trains ar v.expensive - but they are the same where I'm now (sw) though they don't check tickets very rigourously, i.e. you can sometimes re use the return (and I'm not guilty as the prices are a rip-off!)

Sorry Catmin, forgot to thank you. Shame about BMI - it was efficient and inexpensive (and nice planes). Yes, I've heard about Rutland. Could you give more detail on those 'positives'? Any tips appreciated.

chutney, ok so it's not a big diff-ce from derby trains (1.25), I think Grantham is less good for travel to other places, and is it smaller than Derby or same? Do you like it or is it too small/a bit dull in a genteel way?

Well I'm just thinking that if the houses are selling fast, the demand to live there must be growing - or was it always the case (active market but stable prices)? really would like to know what was it like a few yrs ago.

and yes, Excuse, my thinking is just that - you can buy a 4 bed period house for the price of a tiny studio on outskirts of london, though you've done well to also have a large garden AND an annexe. Sounds that you don't find it boring (as coffee does).

coffee for many people 17yrs in one place would be boring unless it's their dream location. But as you know you'll be moving back, that's not so bad! I've even gone jaded by London after being tere 20yrs, though I love the place and always will do. But I refuse to live in a shoe box there (now that I don't have a wealthy H ). Still, am curious where in the south you thought wasn't dull in comparison(if you meant small places)?

I don't think houses are selling fast here (we're in a village between N'ham and Leicester). We bought our house for a lot less than the asking price, and it was on the market for months. Most of the other houses that were on the market when we started our search (back in July) are still on the market. It seems to me that it is only the smallest house at the lowest end of the market (2 bed terraces ) that are going quickly.

Be careful about commutes shaping your decisions. the lines change; all the trains used to be routed Leics-Nottingham & Derby took longer to get to London (12 yrs ago?). Things could change again.

Snurk @ John Lewis as a marker of civilisation.