Moving from London to South Wales

[reptyle]

DH and I are hoping to start a family soon. We’ve been living in London for the last 12 years and feel it’s time to move to a new place. We can’t afford to raise a family in London but we can work remotely and or change jobs.

Our budget is around £800k, we can get a mortgage for the right property but a big reason for moving is to be mortgage free. We need three bedrooms minimum. We are leaning towards the countryside but would consider living in a town. We need to be less than an hour drive to Cardiff Central station.

Any tips, areas, ideas?

We have had an ongoing stretch of bad luck with most things housing related for around three years.

Trying to remember if I broke a mirror, and when... :(

That budget is sufficient for any area in South Wales. This would be my current pick based on your requirements:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/132492341#/?channel=RES_BUY

Rural but close to both Cardiff and Newport/M4, good schools too.

We live in Abergavenny and love it. We can walk to the train station, and catch a train to Cardiff (40 mins). My husband commutes to near Birmingham every day, on excellent roads with minimal traffic. The town has great restaurants, theatre, cinema, thriving market and is right on the edge of the Beacons so plenty of walks, wild swimming etc. We have two sets of neighbours who moved from London to start families, and still work there occasionally/one day a week.

Oh and we have amazing internet - fibre to the house!

I'd also consider Monmouth, Cowbridge, villages in the Vale, Usk

800k..:.why not just move to the London suburbs!

We can’t afford to raise a family in London but we can work remotely and or change jobs.

I don’t understand how you can’t afford to raise a family in London if you can buy a house for 800k without a mortgage? Do you mean you can’t afford to raise a family in Chelsea?

800k doesn’t go very far in any London suburb.

We want a slower pace of life, the house isn’t the only reason!

Great place to live. Lots to do. Cardiff is very diverse but still a strong local identity.

Theatre, music, nightlife. Great arts culture.
Sports ( second to none ) and outdoor life on your doorstep.

I would recommend Penarth.

800k doesn’t go very far in any London suburb.

Do you actually know London? all of it? plenty of homes are available for 800k in London. Fair enough if you want to be mortgage free & a very big house but that’s clearly different to the blanket statement of we can’t afford London.

We want a slower pace of life, the house isn’t the only reason!

again fair enough. I love Mumbles but only been there in the summer.

If you have £800k equity in a 2 bed flat I am guessing you live in a very central and/or very expensive part of London.

As others have said £800k will get you a fair amount in many suburban areas of London and the home counties.

I would honestly test out living in Wales first before you leap (preferably in Winter). It will be a huge difference in terms of lifestyle and amenities and seriously if you plan on working remotely really really do check the mobile signal and broadband speeds.

I would honestly test out living in Wales first before you leap (preferably in Winter). It will be a huge difference in terms of lifestyle and amenities and seriously if you plan on working remotely really really do check the mobile signal and broadband speeds.

Honestly when posters say " Wales" do they mean the top of the Brecon Beacons or the centre of Cardiff.

I live in Cardiff and have never had a power cut and have amazing broadband .

South Wales might be fun when you have tiny kids but they'll be bored rigid in a few years. Slower pace of life - does that really equal having kids?! You'll spend your life as a taxi service.

I would keep a foot in London. A flat or whatever. Your kids will thank you when you're able to afford them all of the opportunity London has given you.

I find it baffling people leave London with small kids... The opportunity, the stuff to do, the diversity, the opportunities...

And as for " amenities " I have better and easier access than most of my London mates.

But I live in Cardiff .

@sunglassesonthetable as the OP said they wanted a slower pace of life I assumed they would not be moving to another city. I have been to Cardiff a lot for work and fun, it's great, but I would not describe the pace of life there as "slower"!

*South Wales might be fun when you have tiny kids but they'll be bored rigid in a few years. Slower pace of life - does that really equal having kids?! You'll spend your life as a taxi service.

I would keep a foot in London. A flat or whatever. Your kids will thank you when you're able to afford them all of the opportunity London has given you.

I find it baffling people leave London with small kids... The opportunity, the stuff to do, the diversity, the opportunities...*

Oh give it a rest. My kids are not 'bored rigid'. Far from it. There is a whole world outside London.

I would rent for a year and see. We have friends who moved from London to rural Wales where one of their parents lived. If you watched "Shining" with Jack Nicholson that their story after about 6 mouths. So I would wait and see how it goes.

as the OP said they wanted a slower pace of life I assumed they would not be moving to another city. I have been to Cardiff a lot for work and fun, it'a great, but I would not describe the pace of life there as "slower"!

People are talking about "Wales" as if it's some homogenous lump.

But yes you could have a slower life living in Penarth a suburb of Cardiff just because Cardiff is a much smaller City. Moving further out would increase that.

Thank you- lived in London all my life, plenty of us own homes under 800k and aren’t on benefits- people are deluded!

I find it baffling people leave London with small kids... The opportunity, the stuff to do, the diversity, the opportunities... me too- unless you have roots somewhere else

Radyr is a lovely village on the outskirts of Cardiff. Transport links, good schools, pubs and shops.

Also given the OP had £800k equity in a 2 bed flat I assume she is currently likely to be living in very central London. That is a huge difference in terms of amenities - even from the rest of London - 24 hour shops, tube trains and buses every few mins, pretty much anything you want whenever you want it.

Mr Monkey grew up in Soho (parents were publicans not millionaires!) and he can still find our quieter Zone 3 suburban life a bit of a shock on occasion 🤣

As someone who grew up in Cardiff and hasn't returned to live since I left at 18, you might find it a very slow pace of life compared to London! The people are friendly, but it's a very different world.

I recently moved from London to bucks in my 30s where £800k would get you a nice house and is only a 30min train to London.

Bristol is a fab city but pretty much as expensive as London!

They went mad and tried to murder their family?

They went mad and tried to murder their family?

This is the underreported but highly known phenomenon of moving to Wales! 😆