Moving back to the UK - but where? Help us!

[LadyBrienne]

So we've been away a while (years in fact) and we're moving back

But we need help knowing where - open to anywhere in England, Scotland or Wales

Preferences:

1. in or near a small town (thinking York / Worcester size)
2. very good high school
3. very good university
4. good train links
5. good hospital

Any bright ideas?

Work?

1. small town - too vague, lots of lovely towns. Eg, Canterbury, St Albans, Brighton, Chester, Stratford
2. most places have good and bad schools
3. university - unless student plans to live at home, then this is irrelevant as most people leave home to go to uni
4. good train links - to where? London,
5. hospital - most major cities have good hospitals

1. My disabled son won't be leaving home
2. Yes, London
3. I am not interested in living in a major city

I was just asking for suggestions of where people might know that have those things

What length of commute to work?
Which industry do you work in?

Hereford, Chester, St Albans, Norwich, Derby, Hatfield, Canterbury, Huddersfield, Coventry/Warwick, Aberystwyth, Exeter.

You might be able to rule out Wales completely as I think all university towns/cities in Wales probably won't meet your London or big hospital requirements (I assume Cardiff is too big, the NHS in Wales is perhaps better than small hubs, not large centres of excellence - maybe that's a sweeping generalisation, Newport maybe?). Similarly if Edinburgh or Glasgow are too big, then all other Scottish universities are going to be too far from London surely.

I'm always intrigued by not having to choose where you live because of commute distance.

)3) different unis offer different courses. This may influence where you live.

4) how long do you want to commute for? Which part of London do you want to get too?

Welwyn Garden City.
Depends on your budget and requirements.

Oxford has the JOhn Radcliffe Hospital which is excellent. Good high schools, Oxford Brooke’s University as well as Oxford University. Good train services to London too.
Chester also meets all those criteria except, perhaps, for the trains. There is a regular, (pretty) reliable, direct service but it takes a good 3 hours. Are you looking for easy, daily commuting distance to London or just occasional, straightforward travel?

Cambridge has Addenbrookes Hospital, Anglia Ruskin University (as well as the obvious one), and has some of the best sixth form colleges in the country.

Portsmouth - great small city, excellent uni, Portsmouth Grammar is an excellent private school, direct train to Waterloo. Seaside. Historic.

Petersfield is on the same train line but takes only an hour to Waterloo direct. No uni but halfway between Portsmouth and uni of Surrey (Guildford), two excellent private scoops with Churchers and Bedales. Market town not a city.

Guildford closer to Waterloo again. Excellent private school. Uni of Surrey has a great reputation. Classed as a town but resembles a city and has a cathedral. Excellent shopping.

I live in Oxfordshire. As PP said, great links to everywhere, JR Hospital, beautiful, lots of history. The schools in Oxfordshire are better than the schools in Oxford itself.

PP mentioned Hereford, but it doesn't have a uni (I grew up there, it's pretty but isolated).

What's your budget? Nottingham is a good choice, lovely satellite town called West Bridgford which is where Trent Bridge cricket ground is and Nottingham Forest football stadium. Great universities (2), good ofsted rated schools and good private schools nearby if you wanted private
Excellent hospitals too

Altrincham? Fantastic schools (Trafford area) , is on the tram so can get into Manchester for university, trains into London from airport, Manchester, stockport or wilmslow. There is a train station in Altrincham but isn’t direct to London. HS2 (high speed train) is due to be built at some point. Wythenshawe hospital is close by, then there are several big hospitals in Manchester.

Or if you want to be South, how about Bristol? Less than 2 hours direct to London, red brick university, several hospitals, not sure about schools.

We just moved back after 18 years in Atlanta and chose N Leeds. We considered Ilkley and Harrigate but we ultimately prefer city living. We chose N Leeds as it is made up of smaller town centers like Kirkstall, Headingley, Roundhay, Chapel Allerton and Oakwood- it also has plenty of parks and easy access to the Dales - I took the kids to Bolton Abbey yesterday. It has great rail links, several major hospitals, 2 universities and LOTS to do. We are thrilled with our decision and neither I or my husband had lived here before. We have our own business so we’re lucky we could stick a pin in the map. Oh and Leeds has least rainfall in England as it drops it all in Manchester and over the Pennines!

Schools are excellent too though several are over subscribed - my son going into year 6 is in a lovely 1 class per year village school and my daughter going into year 8 is at a large, diverse high school with a 6th form.

Exeter sounds like it would meet your criteria

Winchester?

I doubt Chester would be the right location for you but just wanted to point out that the direct intercity train to Euston actually only takes 2 hours.

Bath?

Oxford and Cambridge are the two obvious choices, but you'll be up shit creek if your son doesn't get perfect grades.

Hereford does actually have an (engineering) university set to open in 2020 - NMITE, as well as an art college. The Sixth Form college is one of the best in the country, and there are rail links to London, Cardiff and Birmingham. Don't think the hospital's too hot, though.

Bristol, Warwick (Coventry/Leamington) or Nottingham

Oxford or surrounding towns. Oxford Brookes is an amazing uni.

York/Worcester are small cities, not small towns.

Warwick would be way too small if you want that size. It's weeny really!!

Durham might suit? Maybe a tad small still though
Lancaster
Norwich
Portsmouth
Exeter
Lincoln might be ideal?

I live in Exeter, it's a fabulous city. Lots going on and beautiful countryside and beaches on the doorstep. It has fantastic schools, hospital and university. It's a 2 hour train journey to London too. We moved here from London some years ago and I wouldn't live anywhere else in the UK now!