Where the heck should we move to?!

[Paisleypatch]

So we currently live in London and are trying to work out whether to sell up or rent up but either way we're done and we haven't quite settled on where yet.
I know, I know, 'Tired of London, tired of life!' but I'm tired of our immediate area as the schools are rubbish and it really doesn't feel safe anymore. We've looked elsewhere in London but our budget doesn't stretch.

I am hoping that someone might be able to suggest a place that we either haven't thought of yet or give me hope for the places that we are seriously considering. If you are able to help, thank you!! I know, I am pretty much looking for perfection which I won't find but I'm trying to find as close as possible.

We are a small family with a 11 Month DS. Mid 30's and a small doggo. I work as a birth doula and hubby works for an American tech firm so we aren't confined by commutes atm, though DH might need to get to London on occasion so no 4 hour train journeys. We also don't want to be more than 2.30 hours from north Essex where my aging parents are!

So what do we want, well everything! But I'll start with the must haves - access to coast or lovely countryside. We would also like good pubs/restaurants for when we can maybe use them. Good schools, things to do for small babies as I don't work full time so want to be able to take DS out and about and have found groups and classes so wonderful for him. We've obvs been spoilt where we are but a good young family community would be amazing as I wouldn't be against setting up my own groups.

Now to the affordability bit which is essentially what holds us back from most 'perfect' places! We are looking for a 3-4 bed and we have a budget of max £550.

Places we are seriously considering (and there are probs no surprises here)

Ramsgate
Broadstairs
The Dedham Vale area North of Colchester, but really seems to spenny
Cambridge - again seems to spenny but maybe surrounding villages?
Suffolk coastal - again too spenny and maybe too full of holiday lets
Rye - might just work

Basically I would LOVE your insights and experience of any or all of this! Thanks so much in advance. Xxxx

You and everyone else.
It’s why the area isn’t actually bumpkin anymore. Locals are priced out ( farm workers get paid little). It’s all “groups” now. Cycling, yoga, bootcamps, running, people do the same country walks every weekend. Everything veers towards organised and expensive. Pubs and restaurants are all very similar.

Such a shame. Used to be individual and rural. We had pubs that were real dives, town pubs, wine bars. A great place for anyone rich, poor, a bit eccentric whatever. Really fun.

Sorry @HappiestSleeping not having a go at you personally. I’m sure it is much easier than grubby London. It’s just when you can see the shift. It would be a shame if we ended up like Brighton.

Apologies to people who love Ramsgate, only going on what DB told me!

Taunton and surrounding villages. Fast train to London in under two hours and you’d get something nice for 550. I live in a 4 bed Victorian terrace and it’s worth about 360 in current market. School’s pretty good overall and lots of beautiful countryside on your doorstep. Bristol for a very different vibe - might be better for your work as a doula but houses more expensive.

Margate? The cliftonville area is full of families and a community feel. some rougher parts too though

I like Folkestone but yes the modern shopping area is a bit rubbish though it has some good independent shops etc there too

hertford/hitchin? Not that close to sea sadly but rivers? Good family areas and potentially lots of customers for doulas.

The thing is that people who love Tunbridge Wells are probably not going to love Ramsgate and vice versa. It’s a bit like when I lived in Peckham the people who lived in East Dulwich thought we’d all rather live there - but we actually preferred Peckham 😁 Tunbridge Wells to me is red trousers, commuter belt, Oliver Bonas. Ramsgate is more gritty, more mixed, but more alive for it. It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea that’s for sure, but you can buy a big Georgian house for a reasonable price and can go for runs along the seafront and are 70 mins from central London if need be.

My neighbour moved to East Sussex - she was so looking forward to it and felt she was 100% ready to leave the big smoke. But she also found it so unfriendly she had to move again.

Whitstable

I grew up in the Dedham Vale area and it’s very pretty with great schools and sixth
forms in the Colchester area. State Secondary schools for the Dedham Vale area itself include Manningtree and East Bergholt Highs and I don’t recall them being all that good.
How about West Mersea or Wivenhoe which are both close to the sea.
Saffron Walden and Thaxted in Essex are lovely with great schools with easy access to London and also not too far from Frinton.
Anither recommendation for Ely

Canterbury? One hour to london on the fast train. Easy access to beaches and kent countryside. Plenty of restaurants.

Its been a while since mine were toddler age but there were various groups/activities on every day. Now they are at primary there are endless after school things for them to do/try out.

I would note that kent is a grammar area. No that secondary is on the horizon yet.

I agree about East Sussex the village I lived in had a procession/bonfire thing in imitation of the Lewes thing. I just found it rather weird .
I'd recommend Tonbridge housing cheaper than TW and better shopping with vg rail connections. Lovely countryside and OK for Essex by road. Not perfect ( Dartford crossing) but not bad.

I have friends in both Whitstable and Canterbury. Whitstable friends complain that it’s packed in summer.

Maybe look slightly outside Folkestone to Sandgate and other places where a friend lives.

DB’s close friends lived in Margate. DB dislikes it.

I think East Sussex it helps if you’ve lived nearby or have friends/family there as family friends have done. Yes, can be cliquey but friends who moved there have got on with people in time.

As pp said Canterbury is great, a lot going on and still a fairly thriving city centre with lots to do. 2 train stations.

Agree with you re the procession and bonfire. Have visited Lewes for it and Battle has similar.

Then Hastings has May Day and Green Man festival which is a bit pagan. We used to holiday there shd parents had holiday flat in St Leonard’s. Were quite a few hippy/crystal shops in old town of Hastings.

If you are seriously thinking you will need to offer help with care, drive your parents to hospital or GP appointments, rush to the house if they have a fall etc., then you need to consider what the journey will look like on a cold frosty/icy day / night or when there is a crash on the motorway. Where do DH’s parents live and do you want to be within a certain distance for them too?

I am interested in whereabouts you currently live in London. Given demographic and other changes, there are some significant surpluses in London schools at primary phase, especially in inner London. This means places in previously unobtainable high attaining schools may open up.

The first place I thought of which I reckon would suit your family brilliantly is Norwich. That's almost exactly 2 hours from Frinton and you've got easy access to loads of beautiful coast there plus the city itself is quite arty and quirky and lots of young families.

For 550k you'd have a great choice, such as eg) central, lovely period property:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/130667147#/?channel=RES_BUY

or larger properties in the suburbs, eg) https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/130485038#/?channel=RES_BUY

The other place which could suit and has really easy access to London and about 1hr 15 from Frinton is on the coast, has lots of lovely independent shops and a lot of people who've moved out of London is Leigh on Sea eg):
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/132439313#/media?channel=RES_BUY&id=media7&ref=photoCollage

Thank you!! Really appreciate your response. it's so great to hear from people who don't regret the move, especially to a place we love the look and feel of! X

I hear you. It was already more expensive here than the equivalent house in London.

I am not sure that the movement of the commuters is entirely responsible though as the independent shops have died in most high streets as the chain stores squeeze them out. I have noticed this everywhere, even places well outside commuter distance. I concede that the shift of commuters may have accelerated it a bit.

No offence taken as I moved with the intention of not working in London (was working in Bournemouth at the time), and if I'd known then what I know now, I would have moved further out. If the houses here were cheaper than in London, I would have agreed that I was part of the problem of rich people coming to cheaper areas and pushing up prices, but that certainly wasn't true in my instance, probably because of those who came before me.

Whereabouts are you?

Thank you all so much for your input. It's super helpful.

I am definitely taking into consideration where I can work as a doula, I have made connections with doulas from most of these areas and it does seem that there is work. It's not really a case of competition as it's obviously a very personal hiring process. I have a car so I'm not reliant on public transport, which means I can stretch my client range by about an hour's drive, though of course state of the roads etc will come into play.
I also will assist a lot of homebirths as is the norm but will very much lead by the client as to where they want to give birth. But I don't feel that this restricts us from being super near a maternity hospital, though definitely worth consideration.
Whilst there isn't a market for it everywhere I won't be working full time so I am slightly less concerned and people seem to hire doulas for all sorts of reasons, and notably not for fashion, much more for advocacy or as a need rather than a want - past traumatic birth etc. Anyway, you probs don't all need to know this but I appreciate that it is all worth taking into consideration.

We have expanded our looking Norwich and have seen some great things, so thank you for the suggestions.

We made the move 2yrs ago. We lived between zone 1-2 for 20yrs. Although I loved being so central, I started yearning peace, more space, fresh air etc. I now love watching wildlife in the garden, being able to grow veg and overall feel far more relaxed. The only thing I miss, is being able to walk to shops and the vast variety of 'exotic' fruit/veg/herbs/spices I could get from my local store.

Lots of places have local traditions, not sure why that’s “weird”? It’s part of the charm of living in places.

Might have danced around the town Christmas tree singing wassailing songs, might not …

We lived in a village just outside Bisho Storto. W head to move for various reasons but I often look on right move (wistfully) and you can get some amazing bargains in stunning villages near there just now. It's a great time to buy it seems! I may or may not be trying to persuade dh into a move back!!

So many beautiful places all the way up to Norwich. You have coastline, little villages, towns, cities etc. It’s a great area to live!!!!

Bath?

I would take heed of the poster in East Sussex above - not so much about East Sussex per se, but because it illustrates that places and communities come in all kinds of flavours. One person's normal/everyday is another person's insular/reactionary. My politics are slightly left of centre and I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable in a place that thought it ok to burn effigies of living people!

Once you begin narrowing it down I suggest a good long lurk on local Facebook groups in order to be sure that the place you're moving to is the right 'flavour' for you.

Well I'm when I taught my year 8 History class (in a very Tory area) about those effigies they didn't think it was OK either! Probably a pretty bare social minimum, not burning people in effigy 😂.

West Sussex has good links to Portsmouth and Southampton for hospitals if you need them for your work, as does Chichester. Coast and the South Downs nearby. London Victoria about an hour and a half away.