Moving to Wales

[Buzyizzy21]

I’m from the SE, but now the children are grown up and flown the nest and I’m currently living in a shoebox, I’m thinking I’d like a decent sized home again with a garden. Currently I’m in a flat and I really miss the space.
I’ve been looking at where I can afford without a mortgage and with no financial stresses and this area came up.
What’s everyone’s views and in particular the local’s attitude to the English? I’m ok with the poorer area, but do need to be reasonably accepted. https://www.onthemarket.com/details/13134036/

I hope you like walking up steep hills!

Dont know this place in particular but the South Wales Valleys are former mining areas where nothing has replaced the lost industry. Some of the most deprived areas in the country. I think you could expect a lot of curiosity about why you would move there, but the Welsh are generally friendly. Will you need a job? Probably have to travel to Cardiff for one.

Buy a bigger flat with a balcony.
I’ve got friends from the valleys, they will never move back there. One guy’s mum did, and was back after 3 years. You’d always be a foreigner.
Weather is shyte.
That house in particular, main road, damp, costly to heat. It’s been rewired, but would require a good investigation to see what you are getting into.
‘Sold as seen’ on a house isn’t a good sign IMHO.

Can’t afford a bigger flat, never mind a balcony. No objections to being a foreigner as I’ve lived in lots of places. It obviously wouldn’t be this house, it was the area I wanted info on. Yes it rains a lot, but then it’s the west, so it would.

There's no work in Tylorstown and the commute outside of the Valleys is hideous. Nice views though!

Well there’s plenty being advertised in the locality and if you’ve lived in the SE for as long as I have, you’ll know all about commuting. Anyway, I’m not planning on full time working.

Sounds like your looking for affirmation of a decision you've already made.

Visit the area and then come back and tell us if you'd still like to live there you won't.

Try further west.

I moved from London to West Wales and it was a fantastic choice. I adore London and occasionally miss it, but I have also grown to love Wales. Locals have been brilliant. We’re in a Welsh speaking area, so dc are schooled in Welsh and it’s often spoken on the street. I have made the effort to learn a little, but very basic early stage atm. We’re in a village and people often stop to say hello on the street or chat, equally hospital staff etc have been far more friendly than my London experiences!

We run our own business, but there’s not a huge amount of work here. However, some jobs are always available. Equally, if you drive, it opens up much more. We live within commuting (long commute, think London commutes) distance to Swansea and Cardiff and Pembrokeshire.

It’s got beautiful walks and quite a bit to do within driving distance. There’s also still groups and clubs to join to socialise at. There’s usually a cafe and basic shop in the villages, but anything else you drive to a local town. Some gp surgeries are part time, but attached to a full time one that you can also attend a drive away. You get free prescriptions, but the central nhs waiting list for dentistry is a nightmare (you can phone around nhs dentists here you have to go on the list). Emergency health care has been good though and taken into consideration the travel (eg. Gave dd steroids to take home for croup in case she needed them the following night to avoid driving out again). We do get power cuts more often and for longer (usually in winter wind and rain) so wood burners are popular.

I’ve had the chance to move back to London and didn’t because my family is settled here and we love it! I have certainly not experienced the ‘foreigner’ vibe at all. The valleys do have quite a few issues with unemployment etc. but we’ve got friends in merthyr tydfil and haven’t experienced any of this ‘foreigner’ stuff.

It's part of the valleys and very deprived. Not just in terms of jobs but stuff to do. I appreciate it's more expensive but maybe you'd rather be much more rural or nearer Cardiff or a bigger town?

I love Welsh people. I think they would be friendly.

I’d maybe look outside of the valleys, though, maybe look more in the Llanelli type area? Prices are still low, but it’s not as deprived. You’d still be in reach of cities, but have beautiful views.

what kind of budget do you have? I’m welsh but I don’t think I could live in a deprived part of the valleys (not all of the valley areas are equal, so it’s worth doing some research.)

Do you drive and have access to a car?

You'd have to be able to drive in Tylorstown as there's no rail link.

There's plenty of nice Valleys towns though. Aberdare is cheap and more accessible. Treorchy is a nice place. Pontypridd is bigger and a University Town.

I'm not knocking the Valleys at all - there's a great sense of history and it is a characterful area.

You'd need to visit really, bearing in mind that if a property is cheap there's generally a reason.

I wouldn’t buy it, there’s clearly damp issues, the ceilings are bowed, there’s a long crack on the landing and obviously there’s good reasons why it’s cheap and’sold as seen’ 😳

@Mistymoonsinastarrysky op put It obviously wouldn’t be this house

Its the area they were talking about moving to, not that actual house.

Wasn't there a problem with historic slag tips moving and flooding in Tylorstown?

I actually live here, street behind the main road. We are used to people moving here from different areas, there's been a huge influx of people moving from Cardiff because they can't get on the property ladder there due to ridiculous prices. My next door neighbour is English and has never had any issues, you get out what you put in and people from the valleys are usually quite talkative and interact with their community and neighbours. My neighbours on the other side are from Cardiff and they always comment about the difference between the valleys and the city, they like the way people help each other out here and look out for everyone.

Transport links our side of the Rhondda are pretty bad, no trains but a regular bus service but that's why it's cheaper to buy on this side. If you drive the new bypass they built means it's easier to commute but Pontypridd is a nightmare to get through in rush hour and that wouldn't change no matter what part of the valley you lived.

Do you want countryside? If you just want somewhere really cheap, which is a house with a couple of bedrooms, you'd be better in Port Talbot than in the valleys I think. More going on, better links, less insular.

No personal experience of the valleys - which always look stunning, countryside-wise - but I do associate that part of Wales with deprivation/lack of jobs, sadly. Property is usually cheap for a reason.

We moved (originally from the south coast of England) to south west Wales, to a beautiful spot near lovely Llandeilo five years ago. Despite our best efforts we haven't settled, miss the amount of culture on offer and plan to sell our rural detached cottage with large garden in order to go 'home' to England very soon.

I think in our case we went too rural - few opportunities to meet people when you've barely any neighbours - although finding work where we are isn't an issue.

We've experienced a bit of hostility as we're not local, but mostly it's just typical taking the piss of our attempts to pronounce place names etc. Anyway, it's been nowhere near as bad as London friends who moved to an edge of the valleys location last year. He works from home and she's NHS so again no job issues, but in their very insular village they've encountered no end of problems culminating in being told they are not welcome and should go back from whence they came. Suffice to say they too are selling up and returning to England.

Same as any long distance move, the best advice is probably to either holiday in the area you're thinking of moving to or - better still if possible - rent in the area before commiting to a purchase.

I’m thinking about renting, although I assume it’s the same nightmare as everywhere to find somewhere. I’m very easy going and quite happy doing my own thing, without being a recluse 😂. I’ve had good and bad experiences with villages, hence the move to a town, but with a rural outlook. Sad to hear things haven’t worked out for you.

property wise I’d be back to a flat though. 🤦‍♂️

We live near @LibertyLily and have done for over 20 years , occasionally someone says something racist , very rarely though , it’s never someone I would consider a friend and it’s usually when the rugby is on ( which I can’t stand and don’t watch anyway )
Public transport ( where we live ) is dreadful ,, I don’t know the area you’re looking at though so can’t help
weather is lovely today , been out gardening and admiring the lovely scenery

Wow! Small world. I did wonder if it’s becoming more mixed with the house prices going beyond the reach of so many now, although the lack of employment must keep any of the younger generation away. Lots of food for thought. For the moment I shall carry on decorating my place. 😊

I’m only looking at the vague area, not this specific house. No flood risk there, but obviously I would have all the relevant searches and reports carried out prior to any purchase.

Yes I drive and have a car. It’s impossible to get anywhere without one unless you live in a city. Would prefer not to discuss finances.

We have had floods the past few years but only in a certain area due to the culverts overflowing from the mountain. On a whole the area is not considered a flood risk and the landslide from the tip was fortunately on a mountain with no houses nearby and there's been no movement for a while.