Let’s vote: best place in the U.K. to raise children

[Jbirds]

I thought(hoped) this might be a fun post.

Shall we vote on where we think would be the best place to live in the U.K. I know that people have different priorities, so I was thinking if I list my priorities for places to live and if these match yours then you could contribute towards the post positively.

1. Good schooling (good ofsted, good behaviour, good results)
2. Safety- low crime figures
3. Green space
4. Community activities
5. Local architectural beauty
6. Affordability

Add cities, towns, villages or hamlets- if you think they fit the bill.

It would be interesting to hear people’s opinions and experiences.

Have to agree with @EdgeOfTheSky about London on all but the last point – the drive/train out entirely depends on where you are; we’re intending to move back to Sussex but in the meantime the countryside feels impossibly distant, and we’re in south London! Looked up trains to Box Hill in Surrey the other day, thinking of a quick jaunt: two hours, multiple changes. It’s only 30 miles away! Not fun for a 3yo. Traffic means it takes hours to escape. I’ve been in jams around Clapham that would make a grown man weep.

Like the affordability, it’s all subjective and comes down to an intangible number 7 on the list: “the feeling”. I’d love to raise kids in a village or market town in Yorkshire but DP, who was raised in a town in Yorkshire and had a miserable upbringing (not because of the town), wouldn’t hear of it. His view of Keighley’s affordability is that it’s cheap for a reason.

And though I agree on all London points above, I bloody hate it, don’t enjoy parenting here, and am desperate to escape – looking for the intangible 7.

@Pinkdelight3 yes you're right about bubbles in London. And I know people talk about diversity but where the outstanding schools are the house prices are so prohibitive that diversity isn't what it once was & obviously theres a lack of socio economic diversity. Plus it's very borough specific eg Richmond vs Brent. Many areas of my youth have changed demographic quite markedly eg Brixton & Tooting.

@hotmeatymilk the traffic to get out or across London is enough to make me move out of London!

Where i live

So so happy here

Not telling though!

Another vote for Bath

If I told you, you would all move here and spoil it.
Hint: no fekkin' Ofsted and weird England approach to education, plus green space of the highest quality in the UK on my doorstep.

If I told you, you would all move here and spoil it.
Hint: no fekkin' Ofsted and weird England approach to education, plus green space of the highest quality in the UK on my doorstep.
@Jbirdsin Scotland, aren't we?

I chose to move to a town in Fife to bring my kids up as it ticked all the boxes. Edinburgh was where I grew up and also ticks the boxes, other than it being more expensive that most place.

I live in a village overlooking a pretty loch where I can watch deer and birds of prey. I have a 24hr Asda, cinema/leisure complex within 2miles, several sports centre and museums/theatres and I'm within 1hr travelling time to 3 major cities and have several smaller towns nearby. My kids were picked up and dropped off by school bus 100m from our front door.

Sorry, my comment above was for @outdooryone

We are in Scotland. Just don't tell everyone how nice it is up here... best move I've ever made was up here.

Wirral

@MuttsNutts

Durham.

All the above 😊

I typed a mega long list and it went poof! I live in a sought after County Durham village and it's an amazing place to bring up children. I've lived all over the UK and the world and this is the place to be. Great schools, supportive community, lovely pubs and restaurants, hardly any crime, village green with farmers markets and community events, litter picks etc etc. we have a local garage that doesn't rip us off, independent shops, cricket club, community sports hub, a country park walking distance from the village. There is a new build housing association estate with a local lettings policy. Local people and family's get priority. It's a game changer for the village as the local Rackman style landlord is seeing his base fall through as people can get a high quality affordable home in the village. He furious apparently 😂

I nearly said Edinburgh which is good for all except affordability.
An expensive city to live in and bring up kids. Housing is increasingly ridiculously unaffordable, and 1 in 4 kids are at private school.

hotmeatymilk Which coming from lindon is probably Warwick Leamington or Kenilworth, which is affordable I’mf your moving from the south

Morpeth
Hexham
Ilkley
Harrogate

Also:
Ludlow and West Kirby

I can do all of them where I am in SW London/Surrey borders apart from 5. Architectural beauty? er no.

Dorchester
Ludlow

If Otley had a train station it would be perfect.

London has been a great place to live and bring up children - where I live there is everything you want (ok, it’s not ‘affordable’, but where is now?).

I would say Shropshire particularly Shrewsbury, but since the pandemic prices have gone through the roof as Londoners "found" it. So now the move is nigh on impossible for most normal people.
Even from the fabled south-east.

@Pinkdelight3

Those £150k houses are nice but Keighley wouldn't be topping many people's lists, unless a recent BNP hotbed is your idea of a great place to raise your DC. I come from a similar place so I know there's complexities, but it's one of the most deprived places in the UK and has all the issues that go along with that, hence why its so affordable.

On the other hand, a lot of the places that are on these lists are so choc box idyll that I'd feel like I was bringing my DC up in a bubble. Even a Wimbledon Village feels like a bubble compared to what I love about London which is the whole mix of different people living close together.

The central area close to Keighley town is deprived but the outskirts are not deprived in the slightest. Oakworth & Haworth being two of these areas, they are lovely little places to live and have good local schools and cheap housing. Also only 25 min train to Leeds for a decent place to shop or a night out (20 to Bradford but it's grim).

If, and only IF, you have clever children likely to get into grammar schools (there are three grammars and one excellent comprehensive) then consider Plymouth. It's fairly affordable for the SW, it's beautifully situated with glorious coast and country close by, the housing that wasn't flattened by the Luftwaffe's visits is solid and relatively attractive and commodious. But there are large areas that are very rough and very impoverished. And wages are 25-30% lower than Exeter 30 miles away. Decent culturally and improving. I think it will improve big time, very soon.

xingming Torbay also has all of that with the added bonus of not being Plymouth.

@HesBoughtAFuckingHat, very true.... I just don't know the area as well apart from the water park!

@XingMing I dont know Plymouth very well either tbh, apart from the aquarium. Last time we went we walked past an old phone box with a poo in it and someone had written “Free poo for collection, donations always welcome” and my dc made me take a photo of it because they thought it was the funniest thing that had ever happened, ever.