Okay ex Londoners - where did you go?

[cerealmilk]

We live in a very desirable part of london. But this whole situation has made me crave more green and a stronger community (to be honest, I’ve been craving more green for a long time!) and starting to wonder (again) if I should quit london.

So where did you go?

I want to live somewhere liberal, arty and cultured, but very community-minded and beautiful.

I would love to know where you went!

"Bloody hell I thought you all came to St Albans "

We did, @Wrinklesareenhancing , and we love it here! It ticks all boxes, OP, but I'd only move here if you still need to commute into London - otherwise you're paying extortionate property prices for a proximity to London you don't need.

If we didn't need to work in London, I'd move to North Yorks or Edinburgh.

Under no circumstances move to Plymouth. It is a grey, bleak, depressing place, who's only redeeming feature is its nearness to other, prettier places.

We moved to the edge of the Peak District, just into Cheshire. 20 mins to the train station for trains to London in

Cotswolds, but over 30 years ago. To be fair, I was not a Londoner, but had moved there for work from the rural south east and hated it, so left as soon as I could. We (I met my husband in the Cotswolds too!) have moved to a slightly cheaper area of Gloucestershire, just outside the Cotswolds, where you get more bang for your buck. I have never regretted the move.

Oliversmum I love your dcats word - so sweet, a first I think on here!

oh meant to ask, have they recovered well after the misery of cattery?

OP, why not spend a weekend in Bristol, and see for yourself? when possible, obvs. From what you say it fits, and many pp suggested it.

You might never want to move in the end, depends how much you need the sheer choice that only London does, and also on how much energy for it you have (the older yo uget, the more will crowds and transport annoy you).

But if it's beauty, proximity to the country, liberal/slightly edgy qualities you need over the endless London choices, then I don't think anything would beat Bristol. You are also closer to devon/cornwall from there, for long w/ends and holidays. It's also a foodie place again no massive choice like london, but quality).

And it definitely has a city feel rather than a town (like Cheltenham, St.Albans), less transient community than Oxford. Much less touristy than Cambridge yet similarly beautiful, and imo much more exciting countryside nearby than the flat landscape around Camb (but each to their own).

CatAndHisKit sadly both have now passed. This was 20 years ago.

We do have 5 cats now though who are complete maniacs. (4 brothers and their mum)

As I have got older the more I crave the bustle of London.

Set me down in the peace of the countryside and I feel like I am dying (probably of boredom) In crowds or with 100s of people around me I feel alive.

I have always had to balance my wants with dp who likes more peace and quiet as he as got older

Frankly, nowhere is like London, or anything like it, and none of the good things about where we moved to (Leics) anywhere near made up for the absence of opera, art, music, general vibrancy of living in our zone 2 shoebox. So we moved to Ireland.

Oliver ah so this was long time ago - what I meant really was, had they recovered after that episode.

Yes, I was going to say 'with some exceptions' re older people liing the crowds, and to be fair, I didn't mean the countryside vs London, but a lively town/quiet suburb with links to somewhere lively is what many people prefer as they get older (and I mean not old as such but even over 40s).

I think you may still love the buzz but would you want to brave the crowded supermarkets in London where suddenly you feel everyone moves faster than you, and standing on public transport in a jam as it's crammed? So in theory London can be great if you either walk everywhere/ live in a bit of noche place with good local smaller shops, or if you are wealthy and diven / .shoped for by others.

Personally I like staying in London for a week or two at a time, quite often but not to be there 24/7 for the above reasons. I'm not 'old' but I don't want to be rushed all the time by the general tide, I didn't mind that when in my 20s and 30s.

*niche

*driven/shopped for, argh!

another one for Edinburgh!!

I am late 50s and walk as fast as everyone around me.

Not bothered about crowded tube trains either (pre Corona)

I even like to hear the sirens and traffic in the night.

Makes me feel great that I am still alive and the world is still there

Once again Olivers totally with you. Always liked the tube, preferred it to busses. A friend said surely you don't want a lot of noise at night but actually find it a bit creepy how you can hear a pin drop after 7pm..and there are other houses close.
Really miss not being able to walk to shops.

@imausernamenotanumber in Monmouthshire too. Great links to a lot of places. 40ish minutes to Cardiff, Bristol, Hereford and Gloucester. Easy access to London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. Some pretty good schools as well.

Olivers good for you if you aer super fit, what about when you are 70?
I love London and lived there for 20yrs and would still go back if this was to one of the best areas, but would never want to love in a crowded area where there aer always long queues in supermarkets.

You and roma seem to be comparing it to the dead of the countryside. There are, you know, smaller cities and towns where ther is no such thing as dead quiet, even in the night. As we speak I'm in a town and there is no total quiet at 1am - I@m not on a maib road either.
I was advocation Bristol to the OP - that;s a lively place with cultuee, food, art events, just not the huge choices that London has but no way you'd have nothing to do there or feel like it's empty.

*advocating

CatAndHisKit

I assure you I am not super fit. Short and fat and getting on in years.

I just walk fast and enjoy crowds and I cannot see that changing.

I have lived in the countryside and towns and cities all over the UK and I couldn’t wait to leave.
The one thing I looked forward to growing up was being able to leave my home city. Dp is from the same area. Dp goes up to visit family.
I just find it really depressing.
I have seen mention on here about how really great the city is but for me I just never gelled with any area in the UK apart from London.

Most people I know have gone to Brighton, Bristol, or the Kent coast - Rye, Deal, Whitstable.

Really if you're selling a property in London wherever you choose to buy with the proceeds will be a "vibrant arty community" so just go where you fancy. There are middle class people all over the country. It's not like you're going to end up in Dewsbury. Just look at local theatre listings for the place that has most on that you like.

Norfolk!

Yay! Some one has mentioned Norfolk, I would live to live there.

Luxembourg/Germany
We tried very hard to find something nice within the commuter belt of London, preferably on the west side as I was working in ealing but just couldn't find anything affordable of a decent size with a garden. So my husband got a job in Lux and we bought a place just over the border and really happy here.

Edinburgh

Not me but a friend left N London where they felt cooped up and unsafe to move to Crosby/Waterloo in Liverpool, a few hundred yards from the beach and Anthony Gormley's iron men. 15 minutes on the train to Liverpool city centre and loads of little independent shops and bars on the doorstep. Her partner has a terminal illness so they wanted safety and space. She loves the road, the neighbours are all very welcoming scousers who's do anything for you. I've loved my visits to her