Help me escape Surrey and find a property

[Briony32]

We have lived in Surrey for far too long and need to escape but where to??? It has its lovely parts but it's just not for us and I'm feeling trapped. We moved to London for work, then moved here for more space to start a family, and I now feel fed up that we're still here by default. We are not city people so don't need to be sooo close to London really and need better access to real countryside. We are tied to London at the moment for work approx 2 days a week (well, will be when the pandemic is over!).

Do you know somewhere that...

Is about 1 hour 45 mins from London?
Has a friendly community/welcoming?
Has a great secondary school (state but will consider private) that is not super competitive and pushy?
Would not be too isolating for teenage children?
Where we can buy a 4 bed house for up to £1.25 million? (Can be much less)
Has an outdoorsy culture or arty vibe?
Is not hugely status driven/money orientated?

Any specific house recommendations or places to look would be gratefully received.
Thanks

Petersfield. On the edge of the South Downs national park. 1 hour commute from Petersfield to Waterloo. A gorgeous market town. Proper community abs village feel. Great recreation all around 13 miles from the south coast beaches. TPS is the secondary with a great reputation. State school.

@Briony32

That house is beautiful LilyE. The South coast is tempting too. Anywhere North could possibly be right for us as I grew up in NW. I'm shocked at how accessible some parts of the North are (not the part where I grew up) and it would be nice to be closer to family. I've felt very dismayed at the North/South divide when I visit and can't believe how much my home town has changed. I appreciate it's not the same in the whole of the North though, and I'm always on a flying visit with family.

Midlands also interesting but I only know the Oxfordshire/Northamptonshire borders.

Too many choices I guess. I feel very out of touch with anything outside the SE, and feel like my horizons have been very limited since having children.

I grew up in Market Harborough, and while I found it a bit dull as a teen I’ve got a newfound appreciation for it as an adult. It’s improved loads in terms of cute little coffee shops and indie boutiques, and Leicester was a great night out when I was younger, but also offered things like local art showcases, creatives making their own magazines which I was involved with for a bit, small intimate gigs etc. The countryside in the wider area is lovely and MH is also really well connected for getting to London or up north to Leeds and Manchester. I even considered buying here instead of London because for the price of a pokey flat in Croydon I could get a 2 bed semi!

Or if your budget is bigger...

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/75158493#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/85013839#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/101723624#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/72644901#/

I'm in Hampshire, we are an hour from Waterloo on the train, can walk to countryside, decent schools, pubs and cafes in the village, we're between Basingstoke and Andover.

Fleet would also fit your bill, good schools, easy commute, pretty villages on the outskirts.

[[https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/98047994#/ ]]

What's wrong with Surrey? i.e. what are you seeking to escape from/avoid when you move?

Lewis, just outside of Brighton.

Easy to escape on to the south downs. Or the coast. Good schools and buzzy for the teens. Creative and artsy while still community & family focused.

Have you been to Norwich? I haven't but friends / acquaintances keep moving there! Must be nice?!

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/73890393#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/87822742#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/87491548#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/96508565#/

Come to rural West Sussex in the South Downs National Park. We moved from the south of Surrey and as it's much country here we absolutely love it.

Esher is very much a suburb of Greater London now isn't it? So much of NW Surrey is like that.

I would look along the train lines heading NW and consider moving closer to family rather than further away??

Lots of Hampshire and Wiltshire is lovely but it's a long trek "oop north"

6 bedrooms here, in Central York, for £765,000

Trains to London are 1 hour 50 minutes.

How did you get on @Briony32 ? I'm in the same situation (and very close by 👋). I moved around a lot before London and then Surrey but now I have to consider children and schools, I panic at the thought of ever getting my head around a move! BUT this isn't where we want to be long term, we want walks on the doorstep and a friendly local pub not something poshed up.

I live in Lichfield,Staffordshire,I love it.Direct train to London Euston,1hour 20minutes.Good location for getting to Birmingham and East Midlands Airport.

In normal times there is always something going on in the City.

Depends where in Nottinghamshire you call cheap...Vale of Belvoir area has become rather pricey, but would still be well within your budget. Beautiful countryside and just over an hour commute to London.

West Sussex
Hampshire (Winchester, Alresford)

Good Luck. 😄

You've just described Winchester, you could also look at alresford, Farnham and surrounding villages.

Oh also frensham ponds area is beautiful.

We had the same 'we need to leave Surrey' situation. We have parents in the West Country and in East Kent so looked in an arc from North West Somerset to Canterbury! We ended up in Tunbridge Wells and have been here happily for 14 years. The schools are excellent, close to London, the sea, fab countryside, and close to airports for when DH (used to) need to travel! I am looking forward to leaving the overcrowded SE once the children have left school, but for the moment, it ticks many boxes!

Hi, Thanks for all your lovely suggestions. The Midlands seems like a sensible option for us as family are in NW. Lichfield sounds intriguing and only 1 hour 20 from London. I love Oxfordshire but worry a little that some parts might me feel like I'm back in Surrey (totally unfounded I know!) I really want to focus on places with some history, and access to the countryside as that is where I've found I'm the happiest.

But I'm still pretty undecided. Kids are very settled in schools and adamant they don't want to move so would feel pretty ruthless. As one of the previous posters said, it's better to move when the kids are really young. We have been lucky enough to come into some money to invest while living down here so the options are 1) Buy a nicer house with a bigger garden and perhaps I'll find Surrey aint so bad after all! The kids would be happy 2) Keep the house we've got, rent it out and buy/ rent in the Midlands 3) Cut all ties with the South completely and find a dream house in the Midlands.

Hitchin might meet your needs.
Great little town. Both secondaries are really good. Good local community, no Surrey vibe at all. Teenagers seem to enjoy it here. Half hour to London and Cambridge. Lots of countryside accessible from your doorstep.

Lots of these are sold, but gives you an idea.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/71193942#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/73995231#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/71854260#/

I think it’s very upsetting for your DC to move. I cannot understand why you don’t put them first and stay in your locality.

Your massive problem would be getting them into decent schools. Believe me, wherever you are the pushy parents have a monopoly on these! Use your money for private in Surrey. The sort of parents you don’t like are in the private schools elsewhere. And in Surrey no doubt.

You could look at Brackley, Chipping Norton, Cheltenham and Oxford itself. Oxford has everything. Thame is great.

It must be something about this time of year. I've always had this thread in 'threads I'm on' and something today has just made me click into it. And it's been a year!!! And I've done nothing as I still can't get my head around it. Primary school application for DS for September in this area has been done, so not going anywhere anytime soon.

Did you decide to move @Briony32 ?