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Original poster

Moving to Bicester v's Reading / MK or Eastleigh

37 replies

Alexis26 · 04/05/2021 22:22

Moving to a new area to start afresh and find a partner. Would like somewhere with plenty to do, bars, shopping, restaurants etc, good transport links and not downmarket but not posh or expensive either. Any advice or info would be very much appreciated 🙏

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MrsJamin · 05/05/2021 06:01

Reading fits all those things but I don't know the other towns! What else do you like to do or to be near?

EShellstrop · 05/05/2021 06:39

Bicester has a small town centre, Bicester village, and loads of housing estates. I don't think it would fit your requirements.

MorningTeas · 05/05/2021 06:48

Reading or MK have all the things your looking for.

SpnBaby1967 · 05/05/2021 08:51

I'm biased as I live in MK but it does have all those things. Great shopping centre, every estate has it's own pub and within the city centre there are more bars. Plus cinema, ski zone, indoor sky diving etc

NightOwlMum · 05/05/2021 11:10

I lived in MK for a few months and had to leave due to boredom. I really didn’t like it. I’ve spent some time in Reading socially and have enjoyed myself. It’s a more natural environment than the forced housing estates and parks of MK.

Alarae · 05/05/2021 11:25

Reading has all of that however isn't really a place for independent cafes/restaurants (although the surrounding areas have those).

Town centre for nights out is a bit overrun by students although this tends to be certain clubs (Q Club, Spoons) so you can find other places. Admittedly not much of a problem at the moment though!

Mumdiva99 · 05/05/2021 11:37

MK has the main North/South train line - so along with the M1 and the new East/West train link it is really easy to travel in and out.

MK is great for raising a family due to lots of open space, lots of opportunities - we have a club for everything.

MK is not great if you don't drive - or don't want to drive. If you are used to a very compact town centre then that isn't MK. There are small towns you could live in which are technically part of MK - Newport Pagnell, Wolverton, Stony Stratford which have a high street, restaurants etc.

If you move here as a single person you do need to make an effort to get to know people. So either to work locally or take up a hobby which means you meet people. It is hard otherwise - as it is quite a transient city there are always people moving in and moving out. If you want somewhere where every family has lived there for the last 30 years then that isn't Milton Keynes.

Lilmzsnowflake · 05/05/2021 11:41

Bicester is not the place to find those things.

Reading would be the place I would live if I wanted somewhere lively, fairly compact with a lot going on, and good transport.
While I do like MK I’m not sure it’s ideal for a single person, although again there are lots of things to do. Definitely would need a car.

Good luck!

SpnBaby1967 · 05/05/2021 12:10

@Mumdiva99

MK has the main North/South train line - so along with the M1 and the new East/West train link it is really easy to travel in and out.

MK is great for raising a family due to lots of open space, lots of opportunities - we have a club for everything.

MK is not great if you don't drive - or don't want to drive. If you are used to a very compact town centre then that isn't MK. There are small towns you could live in which are technically part of MK - Newport Pagnell, Wolverton, Stony Stratford which have a high street, restaurants etc.

If you move here as a single person you do need to make an effort to get to know people. So either to work locally or take up a hobby which means you meet people. It is hard otherwise - as it is quite a transient city there are always people moving in and moving out. If you want somewhere where every family has lived there for the last 30 years then that isn't Milton Keynes.

Thats a good point, although MK has a reasonable bus service its set up so that you have to catch the bus from your area into Central MK, to then get another bus onwards as all routes go through CMK. Imo driving is an absolute must.

I actually live in one of the smaller towns @Mumdiva99 mentioned and they tend to be a more "community" feeling although be aware that some of them require you to pay additional council tax as you have to pay for their parish as well as to MK Council.

Cornishmumofone · 05/05/2021 12:21

Eastleigh is close to a mainline train station, airport and motorways but doesn't have a lot else going for it.

Original poster
Alexis26 · 05/05/2021 13:25

@MrsJamin

Reading fits all those things but I don't know the other towns! What else do you like to do or to be near?
I was dead set on Reading but I heard it was very congested and hard to drive in and out of the Center, plus parking is very expensive? I would have to live in one of the surrounding areas to get a nicer house, and am not keen on getting the bus in to shop or do things in Reading or even work
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Original poster
Alexis26 · 05/05/2021 13:27

@Cornishmumofone

Eastleigh is close to a mainline train station, airport and motorways but doesn't have a lot else going for it.
Yes I've noticed housing is also a lot cheaper there! So I guess there aren't many bars or restaurants? I'm not very cultured I'm afraid so not looking for theatres or museums etc, just some nights out, dinner and some shopping 🙈
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KeyboardWorriers · 05/05/2021 13:31

I like Eastleigh. I don't live there but live nearby.

It has a cinema, theatre, library, shops, some lovely independent restaurants.

It is also easy to get to Portsmouth/Southampton/Winchester by train. The airport is in walking distance pretty much (about a mile away).

You have the new forest, the coast, the south downs, Paultons park, Itchen valley.

Original poster
Alexis26 · 05/05/2021 13:31

@Lilmzsnowflake

Bicester is not the place to find those things.

Reading would be the place I would live if I wanted somewhere lively, fairly compact with a lot going on, and good transport.
While I do like MK I’m not sure it’s ideal for a single person, although again there are lots of things to do. Definitely would need a car.

Good luck!

Thank you.. The only thing that worries me about Reading is I've heard the congestion is really bad in the town Center and parking is expensive so it would be a pain to get in and out? It has great transport links but only if u live centrally I guess as otherwise you have to add on your travel time to the town centre?
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Original poster
Alexis26 · 05/05/2021 13:33

@KeyboardWorriers

I like Eastleigh. I don't live there but live nearby.

It has a cinema, theatre, library, shops, some lovely independent restaurants.

It is also easy to get to Portsmouth/Southampton/Winchester by train. The airport is in walking distance pretty much (about a mile away).

You have the new forest, the coast, the south downs, Paultons park, Itchen valley.

It does sound good, and housing is cheaper as well but do you hear the planes or get much pollution? I'm currently living in Crawley and the pollution is so bad that's one of the reasons I'm moving away
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Original poster
Alexis26 · 05/05/2021 13:36

@Alarae

Reading has all of that however isn't really a place for independent cafes/restaurants (although the surrounding areas have those).

Town centre for nights out is a bit overrun by students although this tends to be certain clubs (Q Club, Spoons) so you can find other places. Admittedly not much of a problem at the moment though!

How do you find Reading for driving around? Is it very congested and is parking readily available? I'd probably be located in one of the surrounding areas as I think it's mainly flats in the Center and you get a bit more for your money further out
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Original poster
Alexis26 · 05/05/2021 13:38

@NightOwlMum

I lived in MK for a few months and had to leave due to boredom. I really didn’t like it. I’ve spent some time in Reading socially and have enjoyed myself. It’s a more natural environment than the forced housing estates and parks of MK.
Do u mind me asking what type of things you like to do that MK couldn't offer you? I'm really just a bars, eating out and shopping type gal 🙈. Love a bit of horse-riding and gym, cinema etc but not very cultured I'm afraid
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Original poster
Alexis26 · 05/05/2021 13:42

@EShellstrop

Bicester has a small town centre, Bicester village, and loads of housing estates. I don't think it would fit your requirements.
I was thinking Bicester Village would be ok for restaurants and shopping plus a few local retail parks and then Oxford for going out at the weekend. I heard it's 15 mins by train but also quite a long walk the other end to get to the bars etc. Also it seemed very close when I drive from the city Center to Bicester last weekend. I was a bit concerned about it been a bit quiet but with Oxford so close I thought it might be manageable?
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KeyboardWorriers · 05/05/2021 13:48

@alexis26 they have just had a lot of stuff in the press about expanding the airport, it might be worth taking a look. I live about 10 miles away but don't hugely notice plane noise when I visit.

Original poster
Alexis26 · 05/05/2021 13:48

@SpnBaby1967

I'm biased as I live in MK but it does have all those things. Great shopping centre, every estate has it's own pub and within the city centre there are more bars. Plus cinema, ski zone, indoor sky diving etc
What draws me about MK is the ease of which u can drive around. I love things been accessible and convenient! I'm just a bit worried if I'll fit in or it will be easy to meet people. What type of vibe /age group is it in the center bars? I'm in my 30s and looking to find a partner so wouldn't blend in with an early 20s crowd. Would you say it's a broad mixture or mainly london commuters etc?
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Lonecatwithkitten · 05/05/2021 13:53

I live in a Newbury west of Reading on the same train line. In never drive in the centre of Reading I park and ride.
However, my daughter goes to college in Reading and uses the buses everyday her bus pass is £42 per month she can go anywhere in Reading. The service is frequent and mostly excellent.
We also have excellent transport links, loads of restaurants and independent cafes. Due to Vodafone and several other businesses being based here in ordinary times any interest you have just about Newbury caters for it. We have three theatres, several live music venues and an arts festival.

In the centre there are all kinds of bars, pubs and clubs. People move to Newbury because of the transport links and stay because we have so much going on. If you want lots of shops Reading and Basingstoke are in easy reach.

NightOwlMum · 05/05/2021 13:58

@Alexis26 it’s hard to say specifically why I found MK so boring, possibly it being so spread out and new. I found the housing estates a bit oppressive, but other people like that sort of place. On paper MK seems good because it’s the home of the Open University and various attractions, but the vibe when I got there was alienating. I think it’s a very family oriented place, whereas I enjoy socialising with a wider range of person, and the sort of place I enjoy doing that is in more compact, dense environment like Reading. The university there attracts a lot of mature students especially doing PhDs, so those people are out and about in the town. The vibe is just a bit more exciting, and the new train line into west London will bring even more social stuff in, I think. I predict it will seem like an outer suburb of London in not too long. What I like will probably be very different to you though as I’m very much into culture and museums, and the people I like socialising with tend to be similar! So in fact, Reading might seem alienating if you want different things.

Brens13 · 05/05/2021 14:02

As mentioned by pp the airport in Eastleigh has got permission now to expand the runway.

I live near Southampton and Eastleigh was always thought of as a bit of a dive when I was growing up, but it does have more amenities than a lot of other surrounding towns so it could have everything you’re looking for. I think it’s reputation is better now, I just haven’t had cause to visit the centre as a grown up! In fact thinking about it now it does have a lot going for it - transport, sport facilities, proper town centre, good college, country park, so I expect it probably is more desirable now.

NC567576 · 05/05/2021 14:51

I've lived happily in Eastleigh for 10 years and get annoyed when people judge it by its former reputation - as a PP said, these days it's much better. It has restaurants and shops, but not on the same scale as Reading and no night life, really. But it's not far into Southampton for plenty of that sort of thing. If kids might be on the agenda for you in future, it's really good for that too - loads going on and has appeared in the top 10 places in the UK to raise a family a couple of times.

The flight paths from the airport are downwards towards Bitterne and up along the railway line - if you look more in the direction of Fleming Park, the planes wouldn't disturb you; even with the expansion.

Original poster
Alexis26 · 05/05/2021 14:55

@NC567576

I've lived happily in Eastleigh for 10 years and get annoyed when people judge it by its former reputation - as a PP said, these days it's much better. It has restaurants and shops, but not on the same scale as Reading and no night life, really. But it's not far into Southampton for plenty of that sort of thing. If kids might be on the agenda for you in future, it's really good for that too - loads going on and has appeared in the top 10 places in the UK to raise a family a couple of times.

The flight paths from the airport are downwards towards Bitterne and up along the railway line - if you look more in the direction of Fleming Park, the planes wouldn't disturb you; even with the expansion.

I'm not planning any kids and it was an option but it is more the pollution from Gatwick that's the problem here than plane noise. I know you get pollution from cars everywhere but aviation fuel is far more serious and I guess I just don't like the smell
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