I’m sick and tired of stupidly expensive commuter belt living. Opportunity for DH to work from home 4days. Where can we get much more space for our money but still be close to good schools?

[Lookingforspace]

We live in Snooty Mc Snootville yummy mummy suburban paradise apparently. I’ve grown to hate it. It depresses the hell out of me and we simply can’t afford it. House is worth a stupid amount (I feel) but it needs work and it’s too small for us. We can’t afford anything bigger.

DH has been offered a role primarily based at home. It’s been on the cards for 2yrs but only just been confirmed. We long for space; proper space both inside and out. Trouble is schools. We have 3 children, two of whom are already at seniors (Y7&8) They are at grammar school, Y7 DD at a very highly selective one.

Where can we go and can get what we want for maximum budget of 750k? I was thinking Lincolnshire as cheaper but still a grammar system but I don’t know.

But a cheaper house somewhere and send them private?

Kent? Or are you there already?

Shropshire? Grammar system, beautiful countryside, house prices much lower.

when you say the problem is schools what exactly do you mean - that you are seeking good school recommendations?

Also does your DH have to commute to London on that one day a week?

Lots of state schools offer good schooling outside of the grammar system.
You need to say how much space you need. People’s ideas of a large house can range from 4,000 sq ft and 5 acres or 4 beds and a quarter of an acre.
What do you want to be close to? You’ll be living there too.

North Yorkshire- £750k would get you something lovely - skipton and ripon have good grammar schools and you can be in London in 2 1/2 hours - I used to do it twice a week...

Could get this... www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-68860976.html

Gloucestershire..lots of grammars

And good for commuting

Thanks everyone. Sorry, yes, he needs to be in London once a week but really just for a roundup sort of thing so 3-4h then back home.

catinboots, not Kent, Trafford, just south of Manchester. We have friends in RTW but when I called KCC, they said virtually no chance. Plus, tbh, Tunbridge Wells is almost exactly like where we are now. It’s the sort of place I’m trying to get away from.

DS is currently at a mixed grammar and DD is at a girls’ grammar. DD’s school is one of the top state schools in the country.

Justalittlebit, I’m not sure that house isn’t too far (6miles from Ripon Grammar) to travel. I’m not keen on beams but it’s a beautiful house.

Thank you, Thecrow, we need 4beds but ideally I’d like 1acre of garden. I know that’s a lot to ask for our budget but here, we’re in a 4bed Victorian terrace with a postage stamp garden for that money. So we ideally need more living space and more outdoor space. I’d like not to live completely isolated but likewise not spend my life in gridlocked traffic full of white range rovers and 3million coffee bars.

Why not look at places further out from where you are? Glossop for example would get you lots of space and a massive house for your money and it's still doable for the kids getting into school via public transport. If they're at the schools I'm thinking of, plenty of kids from Glossop get the train then a bus in.

What's your budget?

Edinburgh? Glasgow?

Both have top state schools, have decent affluent areas and an airport for the weekly flight to London

Leicestershire, around Market Harborough. Outstanding state schools and some private schools. Beautiful countryside and an hour into St Pancras.

Cambridge is nice and well within your budget. And easy commuting distance of London

Budget is 750k

We have lived in Edinburgh before and it was much the same as Cheshire.

I will look at Leicestershire, thank you.

You can live outside Edinburgh and it isn't like that at all. We do.

Ribble Valley is beautiful & has grammar school in Clitheroe. It takes a little while to get out of for access to London though.

There is some snootiness but also plenty of nice down-to-earthness

Something like this?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-71422016.html

Worcestershire? £750k would buy you a massive house and garden and you’d be free of the grammar system (I can’t tell if you want to be free of it!) many of our schools are excellent and the sixth form college is fantastic opportunity to study a levels in a much more focussed way than at a school.

Thanks Primal. Could I get the space and the very high achieving excellent state schools? When we were in Edinburgh before, it seemed almost everyone around us paid for school.

Once you get to Preston, train is about 2-2.5 hours to London.

Oh, you could consider Lancaster area too - separate boys’ & girls’ grammar schools, & closer to motorway & to mainline station. 3 hrs + to London though

Lapdance, thanks but I really don’t like beams. I don’t like farmhouses or barn conversions.

OP " I’d like not to live completely isolated but likewise not spend my life in gridlocked traffic full of white range rovers and 3million coffee bars."

I really hear you on this. Where we live is not nice so somewhere like Cheshire or Tunbridge Wells sounds amazing, but increasingly I think a couple of acres rurally would be better. We don't need the coffee bars etc and I actively dislike them though the family, not so much....

I hate the way all areas are turning into this so that must be what people want? I agree Shropshire, it's big on my list for when we move.

I think the important things are schools, GP and hospital - after proper space and green space. I'd even consider home schooling but can't bear the idea of being an extra authority figure, if that makes sense.

Sorry I can't advise on schools. It's just what you said really chimed with me...maybe we need a "rant about the homogenisation of everywhere" thread but then again, it must be going that way because people want it.

I'm curious how your DC feel - one worry about moving is if they will constantly want lifts to the nearest coffee shops etc!

Rugby, Stratford both have grammer & buses from local towns etc warwick, Kenilworth leamington