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Original poster

Where would you live (and why) out of Greenwich/Cambridge/Cotswold town/Brighton/Bath

91 replies

LaurieFairyCake · 02/03/2015 16:12

I'm moving next year but since some horrible crime has been committed on the road I was planning to move to so Im re-evaluating. Possibly an overreaction but this is Property and not AIBU Grin

So that list is where we've considered and is now back up for discussion.

Help please. Jobs will be fine, there's always plenty of jobs in our sector (schools)

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Fingeronthebutton · 02/03/2015 16:35

Forget Cambridge, too many students. Forget Cotswolds, too many pompous prats.
I was born in Bath, but grew up in Greenwich before it came all chi chi.
I love Brighton.

BouleSheet · 02/03/2015 16:38

Brighton all the way. Everywhere else you've mentioned has its merits but Brighton has character, is by the sea and near easy access to London and the continent. All strong plus points imo (can I come too?!)

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 02/03/2015 16:45

I work in London so Greenwich. Somewhere near the sea would be nice but Brighton always looks like it's mobbed when the sun comes out.
I'd happily live in Cambridge if I had a job there and could afford a house. Ditto for Bath. They both have horrendous traffic though and sod all in the way of public transport.

Define horrible crime? Burglary with serious assault on the property owner or a completely random act of violence between drug dealers?

magimedi · 02/03/2015 16:46

Brighton - because I hate not living close to the sea.

If Brighton interests you, I think there is a pretty active MN local group from there - they certainly have a lot of piss ups meetings.

Original poster
LaurieFairyCake · 02/03/2015 16:51

Tread - a completely random act of very serious violence by someone on a person who was a stranger in the early evening on a very busy road.

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Original poster
LaurieFairyCake · 02/03/2015 16:55

I really appreciate all your thoughts - I love Brighton.

I really like Greenwich (as does dh) but we can only afford an ex-local authority flat with a lot of neighbours as it's such an expensive area.

I love the country (lived there for years) so I'm quite drawn to the Cotswolds/rural
Area - but I want one last adventure type City before going rural - probably be going somewhere like there after.

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HappyRacer · 02/03/2015 16:59

Brighton. Cambridge is awful. Congested streets, students, neither use nor ornament. Bath is beautiful in parts but as an occasional visitor I was disappointed in how it had gone downhill at the time of my last visit (summer 2014) compared to the previous visit five years earlier, and how I'd been disappointed in it then in comparison to earlier trips there.

Greenwich is no big deal, just a slightly less rough part of SE London than some other areas. If avoiding crimes against the person is a priority I wouldn't recommend many parts of south London tbh.

I'm not overly fond of most Cotswold towns I've visited but am open to persuasion.

So Brighton. Close enough to London. Cosmopolitan without being huge. History and modernity. On the coast. What's not to like?

magimedi · 02/03/2015 16:59

Brighton is small enough that you could work/socialise there & live rurally, without it being a vile commute.

Everywhere you have chosen is pretty touristy, but I assume you have school holidays so you can easily dodge the worst times.

LoofahVanDross · 02/03/2015 17:00

Brighton here too. By the sea which I couldn't bear to be far from. Great city with lots going on. No idea about schools, but I would be in a rural village on the outskirts personally.

loraflora · 02/03/2015 17:49

Brighton. I'd move there now if the commute wasn't too far for DH's. We have lived near the sea before in another town and I still miss it. Brighton isn't boring or stuffy and doesn't have that split town and gown feel that I suspect Cambridge does.

Amethyst24 · 02/03/2015 18:05

I live in Greenwich and love it.

TempsPerdu · 02/03/2015 18:08

For me it would be between Brighton and Cambridge. The Cotswolds, I think, would be a bit stuffy and twee for me (and rural!), and from what I know of Bath it feels a bit smug and conservative - not enough arty/cultural stuff for my liking (nearby Bristol is fab though - loved being a student there!) Don't know Greenwich at all, so can't really comment on that. Would also want relatively easy access to London, which both Brighton and Cambridge have.

Love Brighton (my best friend lives there) - really buzzy, so much going on, access to the sea, sense of community, good balance of urban and natural environment. Only reservations would be that at times it feels a little self-consciously 'right-on', plus I suspect I'd find it a bit bleak in winter!

Cambridge (awful traffic aside) is lovely too - attractive, compact and walkable, decent schools and shops, lots of nice walks and easy access to countryside. It lacks the alternative vibe that I like, but the university means that it punches above its weight in terms of cultural stuff. Don't think I'd be overly bothered by the students/tourists, but can see the town/gown thing being an issue for some, as the university does dominate.

whatsagoodusername · 02/03/2015 18:26

I'm in Greenwich borough, New Eltham - not too bad around here for London prices and they are about to do up our local high street, so should be quite nice soon. Lots of elderly people moving on, so quite a bit out there to buy. Schools seem good too.

Blackeyez09 · 02/03/2015 18:27

Brighton all the way was at uni there for 6 years med school and dp still lives in Worthing we hope to move back when we buy home together fingers crossed I get a job near there when I finish training

Blackeyez09 · 02/03/2015 18:28

Only problem is Brighton is expensive!

Zinxie · 02/03/2015 19:11

Isn't Cambridge cold and windy and very small?

I love Bath, it's gorgeous but tiny. Brighton, to me, is tatty, but livable.

I'd go for Greenwich. Because it's london.

Churchillian · 02/03/2015 19:22

Cambridge is great for cycling, not so much if you want to drive or use public transport. Has a lot going on for a small city. University students don't really mingle much with anyone who isn't a student so not a massive issue. Has a great range of shops too and v good train connections to London and is generally a safe and green place to live.

grumbleina · 02/03/2015 19:56

Wasn't Caledonian Rd by any chance was it Laurie?

If you want London, go for the ex-LA in greenwich. I'm such an ex-LA convert - as long as you choose wisely they can be wonderful. Mine's from the 30s, the rooms are big for London, it was designed to be lived in as is so none of this split up period weird room shape/size nonsense. They're low maintenance, and can have really nice features. Plus, again since they were built as blocks, sound-proofing tends to be better. Check out the block/surrounding blocks properly, ask about a residents association and talk to them as well.

If you really don't want to do that, then Brighton, and save being rural for later!

TheFairyCaravan · 02/03/2015 20:01

It depends on where in the Cotswolds you'd want to go, tbh. You'd have a completely different experience in one town as to the one you'd have in another. You could be as rural as you like or really close to Cheltenham for example.

I wouldn't want to live in Bath, it's a beautiful place but you've got to enjoy sitting in traffic, ditto Cambridge.

educatingarti · 02/03/2015 20:03

Stroud in Gloucestershire. Not twee but somewhat "alternative". Beautiful surrounding countryside, one of the best farmer's markets in the country, both comprehensive and grammar schools available. Loads going on in the town, but also pretty rural villages nearby.

RaphaellaTheSpanishWaterDog · 02/03/2015 20:09

I'd probably go for Bath or Greenwich. I do like Brighton and used to live on the South Coast (and still miss the sea!), but find it a bit rough round the edges. That sounds harsh - especially as we are an arty couple and certainly couldn't be described as stuffy - but as much as I love visiting Brighton, I've never fancied living there.

DS and his GF bought a flat in Brighton last year, having moved from SW London and generally speaking they like it there, but miss having all London has to offer on their doorstep. Think they find Brighton nightlife a bit studenty - they're 25.

FunMitFlags · 02/03/2015 20:13

Cambridge provided it was possible to get a house in the catchment area of a good school. There are some amazing schools but also some really bad ones (more so in surrounding villages than City itself, I believe).

Quirky, lots going on, easy train ride to London, lovely Botanic gardens. Traffic a nightmare though.

HappyRacer · 02/03/2015 20:23

"Isn't Cambridge cold and windy and very small?"

Yes, yes and yes.

Original poster
LaurieFairyCake · 02/03/2015 20:23

Yes grumble - have been looking at exactly that road for the last year. Close to everything but can still buy a flat under 350/400.

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Original poster
LaurieFairyCake · 02/03/2015 20:27

I don't need schools for kids so don't care about catchments - just to work in.

In fact a nice block in a catchment area for the shittest school would be great.

We're mid 40's and I'm now starting to
think Brighton is too old for us.

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