Where should we live?

[Azquilith]

So, have in the last year moved DP and DS out of Central London and up to North West for being closer to family and out of the expense of London reasons.
However NW is proving untenable due to expected job role locally not panning out so my work remains predominantly London. Am used to travelling so don't want to go back SE but need a half way house.
Where could we live, 1.5 hour max from London by train, not too rural (DP city boy) but naice area, schools (could go private but much prefer state), for a 3/4 bed with garden for £350k? Any ideas?

Stroud is worth a look- lovely town, beautiful scenery, good connections. Love it here! 1.30 to london paddington.

Grammar school area if that appeals.

I second the Cotswolds - perhaps Cheltenham if DP prefers towns?

Stroud and around Stroud area. Aim to be in catchment for Rodborough primary school or Minchinhampton primary school or Chalford primary school. Also Thomas Keeble secondary school. Although there's also a grammar.

Cirencester is also a possibility but is more conservative and less whacky

Cirencester has Kemble train station not to far away.

Gloucestershire isn't halfway between London and NW (where family are). That constitutes a major detour.

OP would be better off looking in Warwickshire or Shropshire perhaps?

Thanks everyone. Gloucester may be a little far to the West for us though sounds lovely.
Cotswolds, Warwickshire sounds interesting?

Start with the train timetable. I agree Warwickshire, you can be within shopping/evening out distance of Birmingham but still get the fast trains from Rugby, Nuneaton or Birmingham International. Or TBH, a naice bit of Birmingham? It's brilliantly central, 2 and a bit hours drive gets you to London, Manchester, or the seaside. What's your complete commute - have you a pref of London station?

Yep, you've got Stratford (home of Shakespeare) and Leamington Spa, both really nice towns, not far from London and on a diagonal line to the north west but the right side of Birmingham IYSWIM.

Worcester and towns along that train line to Paddington I think. Not sure if your budget would work though.

Rugby a bit closer to London

St Pancras\Euston preferably as 10 mins walk to office.

Birmingham? Great grammar schools and some v lovely areas, eg Edgbaston and Moseley.

Derbyshire? Lincolnshire?

There are parts of East Anglia that would work, and you'd come in to Kings Cross

Ely - Just over an hour into Kings Cross, can be a bit rural, but 15 miles from Cambridge,

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-50604484.html

Huntingdon - Direct train into Kings Cross, access to A14 (may or may not be a good thing!)

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-35211057.html

People are forgetting that the OP has family in the NW. So Lincolnshire and East Anglia are not that helpful.

There are plenty of well located areas in the Leicester/Birmingham/Coventry triangle but not sure any could be described as "naice"

Stations round here tend to have 1 or 2 fast Virgin commuting services to London each way/each day, the rest are about 1.5 hours on a no frills Cross Country train.

Huntingdon will be well placed in a few years when all the A14 roadworks are finished!

It's easy to go north west if living gloucestershire area. The M5 is on doorstep

Stratford, Warwick, Leamington spa are middle class areas but very grey and lots of towny folk. While the countryside around that area is bland (flattish and little proper woodland).

Coventry and Leicester are bloomin awful

Leicester may be awful.

Much of Leicestershire is very naice.

I was just about to warn you that MN usually concludes nowhere in the East/West Midlands is liveable apart from Newtown Linford/Woodhouse Eaves (posh area just north of Leicester) or Leamington Spa/Stratford. Everywhere else a grim post industrial wasteland or bland soulless suburbs.

I think work around your commute and put yourself in 10 minutes drive of Birmingham International station, say in Solihull north of the A41. The trains are reasonably fast/frequent (1hr 20) to London Euston, you're right by the M6 to go north or M40 to go south, there are good schools in Solihull and Birmingham is not that grim, it's a great city with a lot of character. Stay west of the station and you won't conflict with the HS2 route (but if you stick around you'll have a very fast commute in about 10 years).

There is a brilliant new engineering academy opening in Solihull next year, there is a lot going on in the area.

Is Bedford/ Bedfordshire too far south? Brilliant transport links (train for Londond and motorway north), some good schools, more going on than you might think. Some rough bits but lots of nice areas, parks, river etc.

Knowle, Dorridge might work.

Dunchurch in Rugby is nice and on the fast line to Euston. Near to nice countryside but also can train to Birmingham for the city fix in about 25 minutes.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-49905919.html