Leaving London but to where?

[Lodge28]

Me and my husband have spoken many times to up and go, leave London start a fresh somewhere with our kids but where to go? Of course we need to do our research but there are so many places. I have friends who moved to Lincoln & settled really well. Husband is considering Leeds?? Advised please I don’t know where to start!

I suspect the first thing to do is think about work.
What are your skills ? What work would you be looking for? Do you need to be in a City ? Any particular infrastructure (transport or hospitals etc) ?
Once that is settled are you looking for countryside, seaside , a City , to live in ?
What sort of ages are your dc? With tiny dc, fresh air and remoteness seem appealing, but City born and bred teens don't often appreciate the isolation and lack of independence.

Do you need to be near, or on good transport links to anywhere - family etc ?

The UK is a big place... give us some clues

I live on the outskirts of Manchester. There's really nice countryside in some of the small villages on the foothills of the Pennines, plus access to all that Manchester has to offer.
Leeds also had lovely countryside on the outskirts.
Houses are cheaper, people are friendly. Yeah! Come up here!!

It's really hard when you could move anywhere - we went through this a year or so ago. I would suggest trying to work out a list of priorities (assuming you are mobile from a work point of view):

Affordability - look at how much you can afford and what type of house you want. That may rule out some areas (though hopefully not too many if moving from London).

Transport links - do you want to be close to major airports / regional airports / mainline train stations?

Coast or country? City, town or village? Lowlands or mountains? Do you want to be in the middle of a thriving area with lots of amenities on your doorstep or would you be happy to travel for these? (Remember that the older the children become the more ferrying you will need to do).

What kind of activities / sports do you do? Are there any particular areas that lend themselves in particular (eg sailing, rock climbing, hill walking etc).

Schooling - private or state? Grammar or non grammar? Primary / middle / senior or just primary / senior? Do you have any particular schooling needs?

Once you've narrowed down a few areas you need to go and take a look - stay a few days and get the feel of a place.

We’re mainly looking for a new start in a nice town to raise our children. They’re 7 & 2 so primary schools are important. We’d like to be local to child friendly activities. Torn or village. We both drive so it’s not a problem if we aren’t slap bang in the centre of somewhere.
Work wise my husband is a manufacturing technician So he’d be looking for factory based work. He currently commutes an hour to work everyday so he’s used to travelling to and from work.
We have children who live in London so we need somewhere that isn’t too far of a drive 2 hours max ideally.

Being within a 2 hour drive of London would rule out Leeds and Lincoln though?

You need to look at where the most likely job opportunities will be, and then work from there.

Newbury and surrounds. I look around and think how lucky we are to live here.

Leeds is a lot more than 2 hrs drive from London!

Gloucestershire has a lot of science & engineering jobs, and is just within 2 hours of (west) London. We moved here from London several years ago and love it. Our particular town has a really strong sense of community in an incredibly beautiful area (edge of cotswolds). Woodlands on our doorstep as well as a great pub or two and cafe. Arty vibe generally, and liberal. Within half an hour we have Bristol which is an added bonus.
I'd recommend it in a heartbeat!

Other places I'd consider....Amersham (if you actually decide to be a lot closer to London), Frome (because it's got lovely shops!), Sussex (I love the large housing stock Sussex seems to have).

You could have a look at Birmingham then.
Far cheaper than London. Simple train route in about 1hr20 (or, if you are talking older dc who like to save money, then there's the megabus), or of course drive if you prefer.
Like all major cities, has all sorts of housing with all sorts of prices to match. Really 'young' City with about 1/2 the population under 30.
Despite the image people who have never been to Birmingham like to hold on to, it is one of the greenest Cities you'll find, with trees everywhere, and something like 572 parks, from small play areas to huge country parks.

It has areas I wouldn't want to live and it has areas I can only dream of affording,and, like most cities, masses and masses in between.