If you could live (pretty much) anywhere in the UK with a baby?

[Babybjorn]

I've copied this over from 90 days only - hoping to get some responses here!

This is DH and me (both remote workers). Budget is around 700k max but obviously cheaper would be ideal. At least 3 beds. We have a baby and a dog. Family are in London, Surrey and Hampshire and we'd ideally like to be able to reach them within a day. We currently live in a city in Scotland that we love but we want to be closer to our support circle. We both really prioritise being somewhere beautiful - whether that be lovely architecture, coast, countryside etc. We are both outdoorsy but also love city life and could really settle for either! A big priority for both of us is being able to walk to all the local amenities (so whether that is city centre or market town or a well-equipped village). We like to avoid using the car wherever possible and would feel very trapped somewhere we could not explore on foot. Our big priority now of course is somewhere lovely for our LO, where we could easily fit into a community and make friends and with good state schools and lots going on.

Please inspire me!

If l could live anywhere in the UK it would be Whitby.. but I'm only a 2 hour drive from there

Sheffield? Also known as the outdoor city. You are about 2.15 from kings's cross on a fast train and if you live on the west side, £700,000 will buy you a lovely 3 or 4 bed semi or even detached in the best school catchments. It would be around 45 mins walk into the city centre and ten mins walk to the edge of the peak District.

Cheltenham?

That is my dream too!!!!

If you want to avoid using a car on a daily basis you'll probably have to be in a town/city from what I know of public transport in Surrey/Hampshire?
I'd consider Winchester as a beautiful small city or Farnham or Godalming as nice towns in your position. You should be able to afford a 3 bed terrace I would have thought? The three locations you have family in are all pretty expensive to be fair!

I've just seen you want to be able to reach them in a day- that does open it up quite a lot!

Central Edinburgh. I lived in Edinburgh for years in my late teens/early twenties with relatives. Sadly DH isn't qualified to work in his field in Scotland or we'd jump ship from the SE, but you could do it and that budget would be perfect for the decent parts of town. Otherwise, if you want to be closer to London, St Albans is my favourite town in the SE and with your budget you could do it.
Also can I be cheeky and ask what jobs you do? I'd love to WFH and still get paid properly!

Newcastle. Jesmond and Gosforth are lovely or go to the coast, Whitley Bay and Tynemouth especially. Loads of baby and family stuff to do and excellent schools. East coast mainline to Kings Cross.

Suffolk

Suffolk coast.

Oxford is very close (maybe 1-2 hours by car) from those places but expensive. Stratford-upon-avon is also lovely and maybe 2-3 hours by car or train? Alternatively, Portsmouth has nice bits and Hove is supposed to be getting nicer and nicer.

Bits of SW London would fit your criteria. It's not beautiful like the Lake District is beautiful, but I live near Bushy Park and we have loads of green space and it feels villagey, but we've a quick journey into central London too. It would give you a great support network, given where your families live.

Here, small village in North Somerset. Your budget would buy somewhere in a great school catchment, lots to do, Bristol is 20 minutes away and London is very fast on the train or M4/M5. People are great too 😀

A market town in the Peak District.... Bakewell is lovely & lots going on, good schools etc.

Norwich

Also Whitby!

Reading is incredibly well connected, I'd also consider Basingstoke. St Alban's has that nice villagy vibe. Or futher afield Ross On Wye ( more bang for your buck as not in easy reach of London).

Cardiff would fit those criteria, with that budget you could look at Whitchurch or Rhiwbina, both very nice suburbs of a great city with pretty much everything you need in walking distance plus incredible scenery (mountains, beaches, forests) very close by. They’re also close to the M4 for travel back to see family (just under 2 hours to north Hampshire, 3 to London)

You could get 4 bedrooms and a garden in the catchment area of excellent schools within walking distance of York city centre for £600k. 2 hours by train from London, but less convenient for Surrey and Hampshire. Historic city with gorgeous countryside nearby and good rail connections, and lots to do with young children.

I sound similar to you and I'm currently looking at Chelmsford and Colchester. Both have easy access to London and the Essex coast, which I love. Good schools, lots going on. Not sure I'd go as far as "beautiful" 😂but I think they're lovely for the type of towns they are.

Petersfield/Arundel/Chichester are all pretty and on the trainline to London for when you want city vibes. The south downs and coast are great for outdoorsy stuff though none of the drama of Northumberland etc.

Lancaster? Morecambe Bay Area in the AONB? Yorkshire Dales? All about 3.5 hrs from London by train depending..

Probably a suburb of Oxford, but it's expensive. Friends live there and when we visited we thought it looked like a lovely place to raise children and really accessible to everywhere.

Lossiemouth in Scotland is amazing. 10 mins to elgin. Hour drive to Inverness and Aberdeen. 3 hours to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Is about 10 hours to London but worth it.

Beaches are amazing! Lots of nature hikes ect. Lots of places are dog friendly too if that floats your boat.
The high school is brand new and pretty well equipped. Get a pretty good house for your money.

I'd live in a relaxed cosmopolitan suburb of Bristol, like Montpelier or (lovely) St Werburghs.