Please tell me I won't regret moving to Winchester!

[appleapplepearpear]

DH and I are fairly sure we are going to a move to Winchester with our young baby. We are coming from a vibrant, diverse city. We live pretty centrally in a buzzy, multicultural area that we love. We make the most of city life and have made a lot of friends since having our baby. Really the only reason we are moving is to be close to family (my parents are brilliant and will be very involved) but Winchester probably isn't somewhere we'd have chosen otherwise. SW London would have been more ideal but really not within our budget. We did look at Southampton and Portsmouth but weren't too fond of either. We think Winchester is beautiful and we love the history but we know it is quite small, not very (at all?) diverse and definitely not buzzy. Will we regret moving there? Will we find it cliquey and hard to fit in? Please tell me wonderful things about Winchester as I really do want to love it ...

It's super quiet but the history is amazing, it is so historic.
But basically the whole place felt dead to me, coming from York, I felt like there was never anyone around, except on Saturdays when it was busy. Or when the Olympic torch came by.
It does depend a bit where you live, central area is walkable from anywhere but if you're out in Oliver's battery or something then you can forget buses etc.
Overall I quite liked it but it's definitely got a certain vibe. Easy to get to Southampton on the train and bus when you want to have some fun.

It’s not cliquey but it is very samey, everyone is very similar and falls into the middle class country mould. Lots of “naice” and lovely things to do but not much culture and definitely wouldn’t call it buzzy. Your kid will have a lovely childhood, you might be bored.

It's well positioned for transport links to London, M25 only 40 mins drive or good bus and train link into London. Avoid the Stanmore and Badger Farm area particularly. I like it but be aware it's very popular with traveller and homeless types. The surrounding countryside also popular with new age Hippies who obviously come in to town but arent really a problem imo. Has a reasonable hospital and although there is a Prison in the middle of town you usually wouldn't really know it was there. Hasn't had a significant riot since 2019.

It’s not cliquey but it is very samey, everyone is very similar and falls into the middle class country mould

I have friends there & think the above is true. I find it pretty boring tbh & I’m not sure if you will love it but being close to family is a plus. Did you look at cheaper parts of S London?

Thanks - mixed replies but nothing I didn’t already know I guess. DH is really positive about the move (despite growing up and going to uni in an even bigger city than where we are currently) but I’m going to be a SAHM for the foreseeable and am worried I’ll be bored and lonely.

@grottyb we’ve browsed rightmove but not seeing much in our budget and with our requirements (850k, 3 beds, small garden, not directly under a flight path ). We also know nothing about schools, whereas at least we know they’re a positive of Winchester!

Winchester is a small city with terrible traffic, including on the A34, A303 and M3. Lots of accidents. Very expensive housing, loads of students. Used to have some nice independent shops that have mostly been turned into student cafes and takeaways. Parking very expensive. It is not London.

Moving near parents as they age and the kids is a big point

Check out what baby classes and toddler groups there are as that's where youlll hang out! Is there a good gym with pool and a crèche?

Oh I love Winchester - if I could afford to move there, I would!

It's very quaint with lots of history and I love how calm it is when we visit.

I live in Netley Abbey so not far away!

There are lots of parent- type activities and groups so if you are a SAHP there will be plenty to do. It isn’t diverse though and certainly has no “edge”. Am surprised people think the traffic’s bad - certainly better than any other city I’ve ever lived in. Schools are generally good and it’s only an hour to London by train.

@appleapplepearpear Im pretty sure your budget would get you a house in parts of Tooting, Sutton, Kingston, Wimbledon that would give you access to great schools. I’m not sure how extensive your search has been or were you fixated on certain very expensive areas?

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141095435#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/135699509#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/140665505#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136748300#/?channel=RES_BUY

(over budget but Id be offering under for every house in this market)

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141384461#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/135991931#/?channel=RES_BUY

These are all close to some of the best schools in London. And then some give access to grammar if you’re interested in that & faith schools.

Where to see data on schools

https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/schools-by-type?step=default&table=schools&region=315&geographic=la&for=secondary

Sorry to say I moved to Hedge End from London, with Winchester as my main nearby city, and I hated it. Spent two years hating it tbh then moved to a proper city. It's bland and blah.

I'd look again at Southampton but even there I never got used to some of the really shit aspects.

Curveball - Newbury?

Winchester is beautiful but small - nothing like London. Not really buzzy and not multicultural at all. Traffic around is pretty bad as others have said. Great shops, fab places to eat and a great place for young family but don’t expect the city buzz and diversity you get in London.

Look at Southampton and Portsmouth again. Southsea in particular.

I've lived in both and also work in Winchester so know all 3 well. I wouldn't choose Winchester as place to live. After the novelty of cute historic town wears off there really is nothing to do.

For what you're asking, you'd be much better off in Southsea which has a buzzy vibe and lots of independent businesses and plenty of stuff for kids of all ages. I'd be happy to raise by kids there, and it has a beach!

For your budget you could get a lovely property with a sea view and you're an hour away from Winchester

There are loads of baby and toddler groups and Winchester, although not especially diverse, isn't cliquey and is fairly liberal. I don't think you will be any more bored as a SAHM than anywhere else! Theatre Royal has loads of toddler friendly performances (and there are more at other local theatres)

Do you drive? That will open up even more options- Marwell zoo is about 15 mins away and popular with local toddler mums on a weekday.

If you are a fan of shopping, you may find Winchester disappointing. There is an M and S and a jojo maman for essential baby bits, plus an excellent independent kids shoe shop. If you want John Lewis or bigger shops you can head to Southampton or Basingstoke (really easy to do buy train)

South Hampshire is a great place to bring up small children. And London is an easy train ride away- I've mentioned on another thread that you can visit any London west end theatres and still get the last train home!

I live in Southampton, work in Winchester and, honestly, I wouldn’t choose Winchester as a place to live as it’s just too small. Beyond a few cute cafes there isn’t all that much to actually do. Also, as others have said, the traffic is awful. Whenever there’s an accident on the A34 or M3 everyone uses Winchester as a cut through and it becomes thoroughly gridlocked. It took me nearly 2 hours to get home yesterday…
I know you’ve said that you’ve looked at Southampton but the Highfield area would be within your budget and is lovely. Lots of beautiful houses and young families, with good schools and shops nearby.

Winchester is only a city because it has a Cathedral.
Anyone who expects London/Birmingham etc will be sorely disappointed.
It is more like a very large market town.
I think Winchester is lovely (I live 10 miles away) but then I don't want to live in a city!

Thanks again for all the comments. A little disappointing in parts but again what I expected. It's good to hear that there is lots for SAHMs and it isn't 'cliquey' though. I could probably get over a lack of buzz if we made nice friends!

Thanks so much @grottyb. I thought I'd searched quite well but genuinely hadn't found anything that nice! Possibly I've been limiting myself too much to areas that I know. That's really useful re. the schools. I think we'll give London another look.

@spiderleggings I actually love Southsea - not sure why I never considered it as a place to live! I've just been pottering around on right moves and google maps and feel a bit more positive - will have to show DH.

@JennieTheZebra I'll look at the Highfield area. I might have written off Southampton prematurely as my Hampshire family are very negative about it so I've probably been quite biased against it going in!

Southsea is the best. I read it is in the top 3 places families move to out of London. Interesting, diverse, fab food and music, affordable houses. With that budget you could buy a whopper of a house. Good schools private and state. I love it

Southampton is a dump by contrast. And the traffic in Southampton is AWFUL

@Biscuithelp good to know. Is it friendly in your experience? I'm torn as proximity to London is important to us (nearly all of our friends are there) but then I'd also love to live somewhere we can make lots of new friends of our own! Also good to know about Southampton. I really, really would love Southampton to be somewhere that worked but I never hear great things ...

Yes it is friendly, but I’m not sure about baby groups as I loved here when mine were older. It’s 90 minutes to Waterloo which isn’t bad although we tend to drive to Richmond (70-80 mins), park there and get the tube when we go in.

• moved here

It's my least favourite place that I've ever lived, sorry, I'm sure that's not what you want to hear. For lots of reasons, plus it's extremely overpriced compared to other nicer places, but can see that proximity to London is important (which is also the reason it's expensive). It's so built up around there now too.

@appleapplepearpear I’ve lived in Southampton for nearly 25 years. We keep thinking about moving but everywhere else seems incredibly built up by comparison. Southampton is a very very green city but with lots of amenities while Southsea/Portsmouth is much more urban. This is the view from my living room yet I’m only 5 minutes from the shops. This is something worth bearing in mind if it matters to you. I know that Southampton has a reputation as a “dump” but, honestly, some of it is beautiful. Yes, it has rough bits but so does everywhere else-especially compared to Portsmouth.