Anyone move from London to Somerset?

[Londonquittermaybe]

DH is from Somerset and has been talking about us moving back. We have school-aged children, and a really strong community in the part of london where we are. We can’t afford a big house here, though, which makes the move tempting.

Anyone make the move from London to Somerset?

Do you miss London? Is there lots to do in the winter months? (the ones that drag for me in the U.K. - as I am not from the U.K. and find winters so tough!)

Was it easy to make friends? Are people generally tolerant of immigrants (like me )?

It is so beautiful in the parts we’ve been looking at, but I’ve only ever been in the spring / summer, so I don’t know if that’s an accurate reflection!

DH is self-employed. I’m not, and would need to go back to London for meetings maybe once a week.

Following with interest because we are in exactly the same position (although pre-school kids)! What area of Somerset is he from/ would you move to?

Where are you looking? Just being nosey really! Can’t help hugely as moved from another city to Somerset - but I was aged 7 😄 House flooded a lot in the winters bust that’s not Somerset specific.

He’s from near Glastonbury, and we’re considering Frome / Bruton / etc. The London cliches

He made me watch the Sarah Beaney tv show and he swears that’s what his childhood was like (minus all the money!) - bee keeping and alpacas and swimming in lakes. I think Covid has given him rose-tinted glasses!

@Terrazzo

Where are you looking? Just being nosey really! Can’t help hugely as moved from another city to Somerset - but I was aged 7 😄 House flooded a lot in the winters bust that’s not Somerset specific.

What was it like to move there as a 7-year-old? Was it a good place to be a child / teenager?

(Floods sound tough!)

We moved to somerset nearly three years ago with a then 3 year old and 6 year old. We absolutely love it, I was the best thing we have ever done! Not from London, but from a very expensive part of Wiltshire. We afforded a much bigger house here, grade 2 listed, with land on the outskirts of a fantastic small market town. It's south west of frome/Bruton, bit thatvwas on purpose for the not being with all the londoners (sorry) and we wanted to be able to go to the beach regularly. In fact we go after school sometimes as its only 25 mins away! The children settled very quickly.

@Londonquittermaybe ah! DH is from Frome :). I spend a lot of time of rightmove looking at that area/ parts of Wiltshire. I don’t think the train to London is great from Frome, but from Bath and Chippenham is much quicker (I will also need tk be in once a week).

@Londonquittermaybe
We did this when DS was 16 months. Luckily we only rented out our house (intention was to keep it and buy something down there as well) We hated it so came back 12 months later. We moved to Wells (so close to Glastonbury) It was far too rural, we had to drive to get to anything. It just wasn't for us and we liked decided we "busy convenient living" too much!

Have you spent much time there? You mention that you are an immigrant - I know a friend of mine who is mixed race found it quite uncomfortable living in that area. No-one was outright racist towards her but she ( and her children) stood out and she felt a bit of an oddity there. This was a few years ago and things may have changed.
I'd suggest you spend time there before making a decision.

What ethnicity/nationality are you? I'm not saying Somerset is racist because it's mostly but I would consider this aspect.

I'm from the Bath area, moved to London for six years and then moved back. Honestly the best decision I ever made is moving back. The quality of life is so much better here and London is still very close to visit 🙂 best of both worlds.

I lived in Bruton (and a few other villages around that area) as a teenager and know it well. I still have family in the area. I wouldn't move back. I really like Bruton and if I was moving back to Somerset then it would be one of my top choices, however most teenagers hate it. There's nothing to do. There are some good private schools and places like At The Chapel are great for brunch. My step dad wasn't from the Uk and moved in with us and hated it as he really felt he stood out. He got stared at a lot. PM me if you want to discuss.

And to Pp - Bath is a very, very different ballgame to somewhere like Bruton. Places like Bath and Bristol have a lot more going on!

It’s beautiful in Somerset, stunning, spring and summer here is fantastic - but winter is very long and very dull.
Not much to do especially for teens. We are looking to move away after ten years of being back because we are very bored.

I wouldn't personally make this move having tried the Cotswolds which are similar but easier for London. As a pp said, didn't like having to drive everywhere. But if we hadn't wanted to be nearer to the SE would have been quite happy in Cheltenham...also like Bath a lot. Some of the Somerset towns seem to crop up as not favoured/avoid on various threads.

I find it funny that Frome has become so popular and "gentrified", it was known as a bit of a dive when I was growing up. Good for Frome though. DH and I both from Devon/Somerset so I'm biased. We weren't in London but we were in a different city and I was worried people would see as as city outsiders when we moved back but everyone was lovely and welcoming. Still can't afford the big house though, that's what sorts the Londoners from the locals tbh good luck on your move, I don't think you'll regret it.

I grew up near Glastonbury. Wouldn't move back to Somerset. It is beautiful but pretty parochial. I know a mixed race family who recently moved to Somerton and their teen got horribly bullied because of his skin colour. There is nothing to do in the Winter.

What is your motivation for leaving? Is it to buy the bigger house (can't cope in your current one), to 'get out of London', or to have an idyllic rural life?

If the latter I'd be concerned that your DH has rose tinted glasses on. My DH grew up in the Chew Valley in Somerset and as teens there was lots of underage drinking and drink driving. Not much else to do. None of his friends still live there. Plus it was joked that he and his brother were 'outsiders' even though they were born there because their parents weren't. When we visit it is not multicultural at all.

For the bigger house you could try Bristol. It is buzzing and full of things to do. The nice areas are pricey but probably not compared to London. Plus it really is multicultural.

However if you really love your part of London and can cope in your house, I'd stay. In recent years there has been no going back, plus you wouldn't believe how quickly DC grow up. Before you know it they're gone.

@Londonquittermaybe to be honest it wasn’t great moving at that age but we moved about 3x in a year which involved schools changing etc. I am now very precious about not moving my kids now they have started school. I was fine at the time but as an adult have realised it has created a few unhealthy social/stress habits. It was ok growing up there, loads of amazing 18th birthdays in people’s barns etc! But parents always complaining they have to drive you everywhere, and the towns you would go to can be a bit bleak. Lots of time outside, bike rides, walks etc. Helps to have friends with fields and outbuildings, animals etc so not really something you can engineer. We are staying where we are for the foreseeable - we’re in west Surrey, amazing stunning countryside, every amenity going and 40 mins to London.

Yes me, I live in a small village near Glastonbury, don't want to be too outing and its the best thing I ever did. I love it. Mind you in Somerset you need to be able to drive.
Somerset is very white though.
My son and DiL who is chinese are all buying a house here together next year and we're worried she's going to feel as if she doesn't fit in here.
We're looking at places that are more inclusive, maybe high tourist traffic.
My colleague who is black has had a hard time in Yeovil and some of the villages. Maybe Bruton, Castle Cary where there is a direct train line to London.

I'm not saying Somerset is racist

They do elect Rees Mogg with a thumping majority.

I was going to say also, maybe Bristol or Bath although it's more expensive than the countryside.

@WaterBottle123

I grew up near Glastonbury. Wouldn't move back to Somerset. It is beautiful but pretty parochial. I know a mixed race family who recently moved to Somerton and their teen got horribly bullied because of his skin colour. There is nothing to do in the Winter.

Unless you are a pagan or enjoy dressing up as a fairy

Frome and Bruton have train stations but not many trains. You have to drive to Westbury ( which has a large car park) to get regular fast trains to Paddington.

Such mixed views!

I asked DH if knew anyone who wasn’t white British when growing up and he “can’t remember” (which means no!).

I have dark-ish skin, and an accent. It barely goes noticed in London as is so international and multicultural, it is my favourite city in the world for that. I don’t want to feel like an outsider anywhere at this point in my life.

Apart from that, the things that worry me are: changing my children’s school and the long-term impact that might have, not much to do in winters, and bored teens!

I am racially white but an immigrant and lived in Somerset for a short time- did my teacher training in Yeovil and was told ‘people with your surname would need to be careful what they said because the BNP are popular here’ the training teacher also met me for the first time by saying ‘oh I was expecting you to be black or something’ when he came to greet me at reception

Somerset itself I loved, but it was like stepping back 30 years in terms of multiculturalism