Moving from Vancouver to Winchester

[Canadian1]

My wife and I are a very boring, somewhat typical, middle aged Canadian couple and wondered if it would be difficult fitting into a smaller village north of Winchester or surrounding area. My brother and his wife plus my two nephews live close to Guildford and we want to remain in their lives but not too close to drive his wife crazy. We are very flexible, any advice would be much appreciated.

I know both Winchester and Chichester very well.
Please have a look at Chichester and the surrounding villages. The Festival Theatre is brilliant (lots of productions start here before going to Londons West End). Far superior to the offerings at the Theatre Royal in Winchester. Beautiful surrounding countryside (in my opinion even better than around Winchester - South Downs). Property prices are a bit cheaper in Chichester, though this reflects the distance from London. Winchester is 1hr 10 to London by train, while Chichester is 1hr 45. Many people in Winchester commute every day to London for work and it has driven up house prices.
Winchester has some lovely areas - especially St Cross and water meadows. However, the high street has struggled for years. Shops are always closing down. Not really sure why they struggle so much. In comparison, the centre of Chichester (North, South, East, West street) seems a bit more resilient.
Good luck with your hunt - the whole area has lots to offer so I'm sure you'll find somewhere you like.

Badger Farm is an estate
fully built up
no badgers there for years
Ollivers Battery or Hursley or Kingsworthy are options
but I'd still say the A31 is best

Yes, sadly I don't think your terriers will find much green space in Badgers Farm!

juneau

Please let me assure you that they are fine. When my grandfather moved the family here from northern England pre 1910 everyone had high hopes and I am sure they were very pleased with how things have turned out. Thousands of people move to Vancouver every year and we still manage to make the most livable cities lists but my wife and I see a darker future and fortunately are able to choose a more suitable way of life for ourselves. Vancouver was a great place to grow up especially the west side ie Kerrisdale, South Granville, Shaughnessy for examples the British Properties on the north shore, Oak Bay in Victoria but perhaps the bloom is off the rose now.

Winchester is lovely lots of places to eat a theater and very nice cinema etc. lots of surrounding villages. To the north micheldiver station will get you to London in less than 1 hour. Micheldiver station if you want to be walking distance of the trains but no shop in that village. There are Various villagages in that area but if you want a village shop and to be able to walk to a doctors Surgery look at sutton scotney as probably one of the better connected ( 10min drive from central winchester). Stockbridge is also a very nice small town lots of shops and pubs etc a bit further from winchester but more a town ( very dog and horse focused country set). Chilbolton , Wherwell, wonston , Barton Stacey are all nice. If you have a dog you will fit in very well!

I think you’re going to be spoiled for choice! You probably will need to get the feel of it when you’re here, but probably worth thinking about how rural you’d like to be, (talkin is right about the bus service - that beautiful village is less beautiful if you’re not able to drive, even on a temporary basis) any non negotiables etc. Chichester is lovely too, and has the coast right on the doorstep if that’s likely to be a pull factor?

Winchester is ok but the traffic is terrible.

If you live in Winchester, the traffic is not an issue
BUT
I'll still suggest that the OP looks at places like Alresford and Romsey and Alton and Petersfield
as they are much more relaxed

Personally I think either you live in Winchester itself (which wont get you land) or you live in a decent sized town and the ones I prefer are 30 mins from Winchester (which personally I find too far to just pop in regularly). Whereas Petersfield or Chichester have far more going on in the surrounding area and you can get a bigger house with land closer to the city. To live on the coast too would be a dream

What do you mean "if you live in Winchester the traffic is not an issue?"

I do find it to be an issue!

The traffic is an issue if you live in Winchester - it’s filling your lungs with pollutants!

Petersfield or outlying villages. Halfway between Winchester and Chichester (30m drive). Also about 30m from Portsmouth and Guildford. 1hr to London on the train. Sorted!

Snowcatrunsthehouse

Your village suggestions will be most helpful. We are very willing to drive 15-30 minutes to get into Winchester when necessary. Our commute to work varies from 45-75 mins each way per day so this will not a problem for us. We do have dogs and will need a bit of a plot.
thank you

Thanks Chandlersfraud

I believe I am sorted thanks to you all. My wife can't believe how helpful everyone has been. See you in April

What about Boorley Green or Botley?

Not Winchester, but driveable to Winchester and Guildford
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-52279881.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-53179734.html

The latter is in a thriving village, and I think is next to the Priory, an absolutely gorgeous Jacobean hunting lodge.

That Titchfield house is amazing!

I'd like it, but it would mean being in fairly close proximity to mil. Living the other side of the English Channel is close enough for me.

A lovely place about 10 miles south of Winchester is Bishops Waltham, somewhere between a large village and a small town, lots of character, very pretty, lovely old church which from what we could see when we walked around it, seemed to play an important role in the community. I would echo other posts here, Farnham, Petersfield both lovely country towns, Haslemere also very nice good rail connections to London via Guildford. I'd be happy to relocate to any of those towns. Hope you find somewhere that suits you OP. Did love Vancouver when we visited, but hear it gets a lot of rain.

Hi Canadian1. I live in Winchester and it really is lovely. Villages north of here but not too far out, that I would recommend would be Stockbridge, Easton and Itchen Abbas. If you want to be a bit further and in the Guildford direction then Ropley, Cheriton and Alresford might be worth looking at. Within Winchester, Badger Farm is a housing estate so plots are fairly small but does have good dog walking nearby. Oliver’s Battery is also near countryside and generally has big plots (1/4 - 1/3 acre) - Although these are both the south side of Winchester there is easy access to the motorway.
The train to London is excellent many of them direct to Waterloo or only 1 stop. ( DH commutes)
In terms of traffic I’ve never really had any issues, the only summer traffic problems I’ve heard of is when the nearby boomtown festival is on.
Good luck with your search

I originally skimmed through the the thread Canadian1, but have read your comments in more detail, I'm shocked I visited Vancouver 10 years ago and thought it was lovely, but then I guess many large cities have their fair share of crime. Canada and I believe Vancouver often come out tops of "best places in the world to live" type surveys that I have read, so perhaps my judgement has been clouded by those articles. No one knows a city as well as a native, we did notice rather a lot of itinerant vagrants, similar to Los Angeles. My cousin who lives in Calgary told me they gravitate towards the west because they would never survive a winter in other cities Vancouver having a far more temperate, but wetter climate. Another downside I suppose if you like theatre etc. there didn't seem to be a lot on offer there and if you propose to settle around Winchester you will be able to whizz up to London which is very accessible by train for theatre, art galleries and museums . Do keep us up dated on your progress and good luck.

I’d second taking a look at the Petersfield and Chichester areas too. Traffic is busy in Chichester, but I think that’s true of many towns and cities in the south of England. Loads to do - South Downs are fab, coast is beautiful, your budget will go a long way.

Can understand the OPs feelings about Vancouver , my poor brother is going through a divorce and has had to move from Deep Cove in N Van to East Vancouver and he says its so depressing .

Good luck with your move OP , I'm a Canadian living in UK and love it ,there are good and bad about both countries.

Did you make the move? I am in Vancouver and considering returning to Winchester. Has it lived up to your expectations?

Badger Farm properties are mainly quite new. Are you interested in older properties or not fussed? That said, there is a health clinic ( good for covid jabs) and large superstore there. Not very much else. Other surrounding areas are a little nicer to my mind.

Alresford is lovely. Nice old fashioned sloping high street. Nice pubs. Quaint old style butchers etc.

Various other surrounding villages which are nice.

Winchester fab although expensive to buy there. Public transport is pretty good most of the time. Annual Hat Fair. Traffic can be a headache if you need to get anywhere fast because of the one way system. Parking at bottom of town can be tough on market days