Starting again - where should I move to?

[edam]

First post in ages but I've got a quandary... I need to find a good place to live for a divorced woman in her early 50s. I'm starting again after living with dh my whole adult life. ds is off to university so I'll be on my own for the very first time.

I'm looking for a town or city with friendly people and a sense of community. Where I can afford at least two bedrooms with around £250k. Good public transport is essential as I don't drive (medical reasons). I'd like cafes and stuff going on - ideally within easy reach of a cinema and theatre.

I work from home so this could be anywhere but ideally I'd be able to get into London occasionally. I've got family around Sheffield and Chesterfield and close friends in London and St Albans but I'm tempted to start again somewhere entirely new! Maybe seaside, or a market town in the countryside?

If you know anywhere like this - or even better live somewhere like this - please shout! TIA

Really surprised to see someone recommend Tamworth. It’s got a grim centre, run down with depressing 60s architecture, despite the castle.
Malvern is lovely, so is Shrewsbury. For somewhere in a city, West Bridgford in Nottingham is fab. Close to the centre and then easy train links to Sheffield or London. I would love to live there.
However if you’ve got family in Sheffield I think I would head there. It’s a great city - why not?

If you’d consider a flat then you’d get 2 bedrooms for £250k in some decent parts of Edinburgh. Great bus routes, cafes on every local high street, cinemas and theatres and the world’s biggest arts festival on your doorstep every august, beach down the road. I think you can do Sheffield on the train with 1 change at Doncaster.

What about the villages in West Yorkshire - Holmfirth & surrounding, Denby Dale, Skelmenthorpe (Jodie Whittaker’s home village 😂), Cawthorne and loads of other small, bustling villages .. all about 20-30 minutes to Sheffield, train or car. Holmfirth is fabulous, very vibrant & busy. Still running ever popular last of the summer wine tours. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️😂

Definitely Shrewsbury! It's so great. Take a weekend trip there yourself and see. Good luck!

Not wishing to gatecrash original post but just travelling home from a lovely holiday in Edinburgh. Can really see myself living there and starting afresh once my youngest teen has left home.

Would this be mental? I know no one there although my employer has a big HQ there.
Looks pricier than where I'm at but felt I belong there with its gorgeous architecture, cultural opportunities, proximity to coast (we spent a fantastic day on Portobello beach yesterday).

Is a fifty something single woman I have few friends in my current location. My lifelong best mates are London & Europe.

It's ok to form a plan to relocate somewhere new later in life isn't it?

Leamington Spa is fabulous - a real hidden gem. South of Birmingham, great public transport, but quite pricey property. 250k should get you 2 bedrooms though.

Not a market town but how about York? It has the advantages of a city but being a small one it's still very walkable. There's loads of great cafes, restaurants, theatre, cinema, museums, history and has access to great transport connections (just under 2 hours to Kings Cross as an example).

You'd get a 2 bed terrace cottage for £250k here's an example

Am biased because it's where I'd move to if I only had myself to please, working on the rest of the family as we speak!

Abergavenny! Beautiful setting, very friendly with great sense of community. We have a theatre and cinema, thriving market, lots of lovely cafes and restaurants. Train station so easy to get to Cardiff, London, Birmingham.

That is very close to the Ouse, I wouldn't fancy taking the risk with flooding almost every year.

Another one for Malvern....and Ledbury. Lived quite near (Cotswolds) and actually rather preferred them.