Still miss London

[anotherbitofcake]

Well I do like where we've moved to and I know in my head we've made the right decision but my heart misses London still. Moved out from a lovely part of London 6 months ago to a naice small town. I love some things about it - people smile and say hello, know neighbours, feels safe, countryside on doorstep, space, not busy busy busy rush rush rush, able to live in a house with a garden, got to know some great new friends - so lots and lots to feel happy about, which I do. But...I miss that buzz. So weird as I'm a country girl so would have thought 6 years in the big smoke would have been enough. Such a stupid moan sorry! Am being totally ungrateful here. Just miss my city that's all. Anyone else?

SingSong: there are dozens of articles on London schools being better/getting better/children in them doing better. It wasn't an opinion. Just google 'London schools better' Here's one here:good summary www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8f65f1ce-5be7-11e2-bef7-00144feab49a.html#axzz39kWepaGp

Some friends of ours moved to Tring 2 years ago and are moving back because they haven't adjusted - but my brother and sister in law left 10 years ago to live on a small holding in Hampshire and haven't looked back. If you really hate it don't stick it out for the sake of pride, life's too short to be unhappy even if it means compromises on space. And schools pah, our nearest two here in LB Lewisham are outstanding.

I moved out nearly two years ago and I'm still homesick. I miss the energy, the buzz, the anonymity, the excitement. I miss my friends and family.

I appreciate the fact that I've been able to buy a nice house and that it's only minutes to the countryside. But if I won the lottery I'd move back in a second.

Not pride. 3 years away has completely priced us out.

We're clinging on to our 2 bed flat in zone 1 despite having no garden or storage space. Only works because we have an only child, who has got into a great school, but that was a bit of a fluke. I sometimes browse Rightmove looking at all the 6 bed houses we could be living in if we left for the suburbs though! We make full use of all the facilities here, and I think a bit of me would die inside to miss out on the buzz of all the arts events in town.

Sorry I didn't mean to be flippant - but if the OP can afford it and isn't happy, there's no shame in coming back, is what I meant to say.

On average state schools in London are the best in the country. Of course dome will be bad in London and dome will be great one the sticks but on average London schools are statistically much better than any other county in the country.

I still miss London, moved out about 15 years ago and dream of moving back!
THere is so much I miss and I doubt if even moving to a different city (Bristol, Birmingham) could compare.

And both MrTP and I hope to retire there when we are older and kids have left home.

However - If it is any comfort to the OP -
If I think with my head about day to day life organising 3 children, doing OUR work, all the mundane things we spend most of our time doing, life is so so so so much easier based here compared to London.

• All the shops we ever need are within 10 minutes with parking and driving being easy (supermarkets, all of them, any clothes, as well as builders merchants we use daily for work).
• There is loads for the children to do here, within easy access and relatively low cost.
• The air quality is better.
• And ever since leaving London what sticks me most when i return is how grubby and dirty the streets look.
• And at this time of year that stifling humidity.

When PPs talk of energy and buzz, what does that mean? Not being flippant; genuine interest!

To me London feels like any other large UK city, just bigger and WAY more expensive. There are the theatres, restaurants and so on, but increasingly they are only accessible to the extremely wealthy. The rest of us are spending all our wages on rent/mortgage.

13 months after moving out I still regret moving.

I now remember why I moved away from the small market town that I grew up in. I miss the convenience, being able to walk everywhere, eating cuisines from around the world, the galleries, museums and theatres. Borough Market. South Bank. Sushi. Liberty. not necessarily in that order

And most of all the anonymity! My face doesn't fit here and probably never will.

On the up side, I live in a lovely house, we currently have ponies, sheep and cows in the paddocks close to our house. DD's absolutely love it here, the school is outstanding when they eventually start and were closer to PIL.

The buzz is the vibe you get off of people that enjoy lots of activity, the hustle and bustle and new experiences.

People in London in general seem to have more energy and are more excited about lifethey always want to see something new or are up for trying something new or learning something new. Pop-up events and cafs, new restaurants and shops are always opening, etc. People feed off the energy of a city that is constantly changing and swarming with interested and interesting people. Thats not to say other cities dont have that but when people mean a place has buzz, thats what they mean. They mean the place has energy vs someplace that feels sleepy and settled. Part of that is how young age-wise London is.

Also, a lot of things to do in London are freegalleries and museums are free by law which is amazing and totally unique for a major city. The amazing green spaces in London are free and accessible and there are many cheap open air events including tickets at the Globe Theatre for 5quid.

I have money now but while London is very expensive, I lived here as a student with very little money and had a great time 

Ah kindred spirits. I guess I'm equating London to freedom as well as it was Life Pre Baby so that's got all mixed up too there. I know living day to day with baby would not be a fun (or so I'm telling myself).

We could have stayed...but in a small flat. Head won and we left for the outskirts.

London to me is "possibility" anything felt possible there. It's just such an interesting city. I read a great book called Londoners by Craig Taylor which helps describe the best (and worst) about London.

I miss interesting independent shops, different colours and smells, fabulous green spaces, looking at the day and thinking I could do anything today - go see some random band from Outer Mongolia or sample food from west africa, admire the view from ally pally or go wander aimlessly through a new street photography exhibition. I miss the architecture and history too.

I must not dwell on it. It's still there. I know I'm very very lucky to have a safe home and a lovely family. London just feels like that bad boy lover u just can't let go of! Sigh

I find other cities in the UK provincial and small by comparison - crap opening hours, limited or poor food and coffee, fewer art and cultural things to do, not so much of a mix of nationalities/ethnicities/language. To me London is different to anywhere else.

Oh dear feel a bit tearful now

Googles how much studio flats cost just in the random hope they are affordable....

oh God, DH really wants to leave London! I have lived here for ever, didn't even leave to go to uni. I must say though, I have hated the really hot summers we've been having, we missed one week this summer being in Devon, where it didn't get above 23, which is much more my comfort zone.

I miss London sometimes but tell myself to get a grip to be honest. You have to invest in the place where you are. There are activities and things going on - you have to find out, actively involve yourself. I'm near Birmingham now and I go to comedy gigs, music events, foreign language meet ups, food festivals etc just as much as before but it is much cheaper so I can do other things too, it doesn't take me an hour to get everywhere and i'm home at a reasonable time after work.

Bristol is supposed to be a great alternative to London as well. I have friends that are thinking of moving there.

I couldn't imagine living in a really quiet town / village though.

Oh, I agree that London is way better than a smaller town or city: I do like the anonymity, that is true. I guess I feel like I spend all my time having to turn down social events because they are always so expensive, and that was not the case in my previous Midlands city. Just feel like London has killed my social life!

Maybe I need to look for friends that are happy to have picnics in the park, rather than head out to the latest really cool restaurant to pay £80 for a starter

I don't have any friends who want to go to the latest trendy restaurant sometimes TBH I wish I did

I'm a transplanted Mancunian and although very proud of my home town, it's missing human energy. I really notice it when I'm back there visiting my parents, especially in vacation time when the students aren't around.

Everyone gets into their car to drive home at 6pm and all the shops shut down. Everyone seems to be living their life in a little box somewhere else, and hangs out with people exactly like them. The museums and galleries are underwhelming and the 'sceney' restaurants couldn't hold a candle to anything in even an outer borough of London. (Though the Chinese food there is better than anywhere outside China).

Whereas in London you live cheek by jowl with your workmates and neighbours - who may be nothing like you - and you still get on together. Everyone wants to make something of themselves. Life is lived much more in public and with more vim.

People are kinder and friendlier in Manchester though, the schools are great (its exam results are as good as SPGS and it's half the price), and for the price of my shoebox I could buy a huge house. You can see why lots of city people who leave London end up there.

It was me who queried about walking everywhere. And I see that you obviously didn't walk everywhere as you're talking about 2 stations to use within 10 mins walk which suggestions you relied on public transport too like basically all Londoners! I agree that there is always loads of stuff within walking distance in individual areas of London. I lived in a great north london area with plenty of walkable places to eat, drink, shop markets parks etc near by, even possible to walk into the city to work potentially, but London is still massive and personally I always felt hugely reliant on transport if I wanted to see friend and family in other areas of the city e.g. obviously wouldn't be practical to pop over on foot to a friend in Putney if you live in Hampstead and they are both zone 2, reasonably central areas but Londoners just accept they will spend ages on transport when going anywhere, let alone trekking out into zone 3 4 5 etc...

I do love London, and spend most of my time living there, but just currently living elsewhere and something has clicked me with about the better standard of living I would have elsewhere and avoiding all that time on buses and trains to me is a big one