Help where to live between London/Staffordshire/MK

[Foresthealing]

Hi all, my partner is working in Milton Keynes and we currently live in south london. We are considering moving and possibly Staffordshire to be closer to family but I’m not sold yet! I’ve been in London a long time and love my life here so I’m conflicted. But wanting a family means Staffordshire is the better choice (Lichfield way). Had anyone made the move and have any experiences?

Moved to Surrey, and it’s lovely, but regretting it massively. Miss London desperately. Will be moving back in a few years.

I think some more information is required to get any meaningful help.

How often does your partner commute to MK, do they drive or go by train, if train how far are they from the station?

Where is your work, if remote is there a requirement to go into the office regularly or will you find work in your new location?

What type of housing are you looking for and what is your budget (Lichfield is a perfectly nice location and a lot more affordable than around London)?

Too much missing information it be able to advise. If driving then look at Banbury area.
Lichfield to MK by car won’t be fun and is also difficult after a day/night in London. Banbury is a day for London and commutable to Staffordshire and MK easily

Lichfield to MK would probably be pushing a 2 hour commute in rush hour. It's almost all motorways as well. M6 and M1, which are notorious for being bad. M6 particularly is awful.
Perhaps living somewhere like Leamington Spa, Banbury or Northampton would be a better option, at least for your DHs work? Lots of pretty villages in that part of the country as well, if that's something you'd like.

Rugby is a great town travel-wise and there are loads of couples/young families moving up from London now. The station at Rugby is brilliant (and loads of parking) Here are some direct train travel times: Milton Keynes Central in 20 mins. London Euston in about 55 mins. Lichfield Trent Valley direct in about 30 mins. Birmingham Airport and city in about 30-35 mins. M1 and M6 very handy and no worse than any other motorways. I use them regularly in this area. Schools are great too with people moving to the town specifically for them. Town centre is showing promise of new life coming back! (suffered like all towns really) also has big out of town shopping area/cinema etc. I brought up a family in the area - a good mix of period properties and newer, and nice villages/countryside around. Nothing's too far away and I have friends who commute regularly. Could be an option for you to consider?

I’d be careful about Rugby. It’s long had a horrible reputation ‘drug-by’ and lots of problems. But I knew it a while ago, it may be on the up now.

I would second Banbury - great links to London. I don’t know the town well now but have fond memories. The villages around there are lovely and have brilliant schools. It’s quite affordable but not worryingly so!

Hi everyone, thank you so much for all your comments they’re genuinely appreciated.

To add a bit more context: my DH is in the office 4–5 days a week in Milton Keynes, while I go into the office twice a week in London and work from home the rest of the time. We’re hoping to start a family this year and are looking for a four-bedroom house. Thankfully, we have a healthy budget, which gives us flexibility to choose a nice area and a good sized home.

At the moment, where we live in London, my DH commute is likely similar to what it would be if we lived in Lichfield around 1.5 to 2 hours by car or train. Over the past few days, he’s mentioned how tough this is becoming, and realistically, I worry that long term it could affect our relationship due to the limited time we spend together. If we have children, it would also mean even less time at home for him.

One of his colleagues mentioned St Albans, so that’s an area we’re planning to explore. While it would be around two hours away from family in the Midlands, it would offer an easier commute for both of us, as well as keeping us close to friends in London.

The main advantage of living in the Midlands would be having family nearby to help when we have children. However, the downside is that my DH would barely be home and could miss out on so much during those early years.

Ultimately, I think we need to prioritise our relationship and his time. It wouldn’t be fair on him otherwise, and I don’t want this to negatively impact his mental health.

It’s just so difficult to find the right place and having the time to look

The answer is always somewhere in the Tamworth/Nuneaton/Hinckley area. These are average towns but the villages and countryside around are great. On the West Coast mainline, A5 to MK, convenient for motorways. There's a reason there are so many distribution centres in the area.

Thankfully you're wrong about Rugby - drugs are no more a problem here than any other average/pleasant market town. Having a name with 'rug' in it gave rise to a (not very) 'clever' twist on the name, that's all. I've lived here a long time so do know. It's a great little town with loads going for it, and while the high streets have suffered like most towns, there are definite shoots of spring. Sounds like the OP is searching a bit further south now anyway, but for anyone else wanting a commuter town with great value for money property-wise and time to London-wise (less than an hour on the train), it's a great choice. And no, I'm not an estate agent or property developer! ;)

Why not move to MK then? Your dh could walk or cycle to work and it’s a quick journey into London for you or for London friends to visit.

MK is on the London Northwestern train line, which also takes you to London and Lichfield/Stafford. St Albans, on the Thameslink line, is not perhaps quite as handy if you’re thinking of taking advantage of train travel to the Midlands (though it does go into London, obviously). With the LNW route you could be looking at places like Tring, Berkhamsted, Leighton Buzzard, and all the villages around there. Roughly 30/40 minutes into London and similar-ish to MK.

All of these areas are pricey as they’re prime commuter belt (how healthy is your healthy budget?) but there’s nice countryside and some lovely houses. We really like it here, been in Herts over 20 years now.

If you love the London life, I'd avoid Lichfield.
It's lovely for a day trip, very picturesque, but in reality it's become one massive housing estate with very little infrastructure investment, too much traffic & a dying shopping precinct.

I lived there for 4 years before children & walking into town with bars etc was fun, but I wouldn't particularly choose to live there as a family now.

If you like London then why not MK there are some lovely areas and villages around

Look at MK. Easy trains into London and the North.
I’d prioritise your partner’s time at home if you’re planning a family.
Having a baby and a two hour commute would be hell.
Lots of nice villages around as well.
What is your housing budget ?

Don’t set yourselves up for long daily commutes - if you have flexibility now choose to be close to work.

Thanks for your comment. I’m not fond on MK itself as it’s very built up and each time we’ve been we didn’t feel the vibe. We both like old architecture, history and green spaces so we’ve been told St Albans maybe a hit plus it’s on the same line I need to get into work in London within 30mins. We both a lot of friends in London plus his family have a home there when they come over to the UK so a good connection is important.

you named a few locations I haven’t considered yet so I will definitely check them all out. We're going to plan a weekend in march and do the rounds on a few areas so this is really helpful.

Budget wise we are looking at 800K upwards.

Thanks for this as you’ve kind of validated my thoughts. We have gone back to Lichfield many times in the past year and really enjoyed it but I always have this unsure feeling. I love the midlands and seeing my family but after 20 years in London I’m sure it would be a drastic change. We looked at villages like Shenstone which is beautiful but I honestly think I’d get bored.

Thanks for this as you’ve kind of validated my thoughts. We have gone back to Lichfield many times in the past year and really enjoyed it but I always have this unsure feeling. I love the midlands and seeing my family but after 20 years in London I’m sure it would be a drastic change. We looked at villages like Shenstone which is beautiful but I honestly think I’d get bored.

The problem is I don’t know where. Whenever we visit friends that live there it’s all new builds and seems very built up. If you have any suggestions that would be really helpful

You’re completely right and this is what I’ve been saying to him. He is more for a living in Staffordshire to be close to family but I think the daily impact that it will have in our relationship and his time with a little one will be extremely stressful.

We’ve been to Milton Keynes a couple of times but every time we go we haven’t found an area we like it all seems very built up and a lot of new builds. However, I am still open to it if you have any suggestions for nice areas or villages. We’re going to do a weekend soon to check things so any suggestions are welcome. Our budget is about 800K up

If your husband works in MK, then I suggest living closer to there. Better than a 45-min drive to Banbury on crap roads.

And MK is an easy train ride back to London and close to the M1 for journeys to Lichfield.

Buckingham's nice and an easy drive to MK.
BUT no train station.

Loughton is quite central in Mk, but has some lovely quiet areas. Also Woolstone. Older places like Olney or Stony Stratford are lovely. I would say Newport Pagnell too, but there’s a lot of new development there. Lots of nice villages heading up towards Northampton, but then you’re a bit further from a station.

Don’t try and commute to London and MK from Lichfield - it would be long and awkward. Tring and St Albans much better imo

st Albans is expensive - I’ve lived there twice - have you got a really big budget? Personally I would go to the villages around Watford - very easy indeed to Mk and still easy into London -