Where on earth can we live?

[secretbookcase]

DH and I live in a wealthy commuter village. Not our sort of place really and we need to sell up and find somewhere cheaper now DC are grown.
We both work from home but I have meetings in London once, sometimes twice a week, so would like to be within reachable distance (1.5 hours max ideally).

We're looking for somewhere that has a very good cultural life (bookshops, indie cinemas, a theatre etc) and is not obsessed with money and status. Would need a station with reasonably easy access to London. DH wants close access to greenery so not a big city. More a market town perhaps.

We have about £600k and want 4 beds and a big garden which seems increasingly hard to find.

Do you live in a place like this or know of one?

Folkestone? I don't know how good the cultural life is there, but there is at least something of one.

Stroud? Brilliant cultural life, hour and 20 on the train from London, in great countryside…

Saffron Walden
Bury st Edmonds
Cambridge

Thank you for all these suggestion. Very helpful. Bury St Edmunds and Stroud were on my list already. Will add the others. Not sure we can afford Cambridge.

Came on to say Stroud but got pipped.

Also Malvern.

Uckfield in East Sussex may suit you. It's got a proper high street with independent shops and restaurants, fantastic independent cinema, trains to London (although a bit unreliable in bad weather) and close to countryside, Ashdown Forest and the South Downs. Choose location carefully though as there's a huge number of new builds going up and infrastructure will suffer.

Come to Solihull! Direct train line to London within an hour and a half. Look at Dorridge. Gorgeous village inside of Solihull.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E96987&minBedrooms=4&maxPrice=600000&minPrice=400000&propertyTypes=&mustHave=&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=

Leamington Spa ticks most of the boxes

Which main stations in London are good for the commute to jobs?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/114717911#/?channel=RES_NEW

Bristol?

Folkestone or Faversham? Folkestone has had a huge amount of investment in regeneration projects, particularly arty things, but parts are still very deprived.

Faversham is smaller, is quirky and historic with lots going on, and a lovely independent bookshop. London is just over a hour on the highspeed. Downsides: there aren't that many houses like you are describing and there a lot of new build housing going up round the edges.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/114892787#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/111914180#/?channel=RES_BUY

Broadstairs/Isle of Thanet - added bonus of lovely beaches too.

Market Harborough

All the countryside villages around Rugby / Coventry ( direct to Euston in 1hr) so south leics / northants border. You can get to Brum and city cultural life easily out of Rugby .

Also Leamington Spa

Villages around Newark? Might not be enough going on for you but train is 80 minutes to central London.

@RandomMess

Which main stations in London are good for the commute to jobs?

Ideally Waterloo or Charing Cross as most of my meetings are in the West End. But any will do.

A few mentions for leamington Spa. I had a look at it and saw some lovely houses on Right Move but when I suggested it to DH he just laughed as if I was making a joke.

@RealDinosaurofBarnardCastle

Bristol?

I'd love it but it's too urban for DH and if I have to live outside a city I'd rather live outside London iyswim.

@squashyhat

Uckfield in East Sussex may suit you. It's got a proper high street with independent shops and restaurants, fantastic independent cinema, trains to London (although a bit unreliable in bad weather) and close to countryside, Ashdown Forest and the South Downs. Choose location carefully though as there's a huge number of new builds going up and infrastructure will suffer.

Brilliant. Never even heard of it. Will look at it now.

@StillSmallVoice

Folkestone or Faversham? Folkestone has had a huge amount of investment in regeneration projects, particularly arty things, but parts are still very deprived.

Faversham is smaller, is quirky and historic with lots going on, and a lovely independent bookshop. London is just over a hour on the highspeed. Downsides: there aren't that many houses like you are describing and there a lot of new build housing going up round the edges.

I like the sound of Faversham.

Stroud sounds like exactly what you are looking for, plus it's easy to get to Cheltenham for extra cultural stuff (literature festival etc). Cheltenham itself also has most of your list but there are definitely a lot of money and status obsessed people there, plus it's more expensive.
Stroud is smaller and admittedly a bit grubby round the edges but there is loads going on there and surrounded by really lovely countryside. Also worth thinking about Gloucester if you want more house for your money. Gloucester is very much considered the poor relation but there is so much regeneration going on and you get the benefit of easy access to the cotswolds without the price tag.

Thank you for the links to houses too!

@geekchicz

Market Harborough All the countryside villages around Rugby / Coventry ( direct to Euston in 1hr) so south leics / northants border. You can get to Brum and city cultural life easily out of Rugby .

Also Leamington Spa

I’d second Market Harborough, loads of independent shops, restaurants, a theatre and cinema club, leisure sports facilities, beautiful countryside and nearby villages. The train is under 1 hr to London, easy access to the motorways, East Midlands airport and beautiful countryside.