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The big London to York move - need help!

22 replies

Rocket123 · 07/05/2017 00:27

We have decided to move from SW London to York area in order to get a decent house and quality of life for the kids (3 and 1yo) and be closer to my family in South Yorkshire and haven't decided on a specific area yet. But I'm starting to get the jitters - the thing I love most about where we are now is that there are a lot of ambitious people here and I think it's good for my daughters to grow up around that (probably think about this because I went to quite a rough school and my peers all discouraged achievement and I feel I was lucky to succeed in that environment so I want a better ethos for my girls). I hope I don't sound too snobby as I also want more of a mix than in London - we don't fit in with the millionaires either!!! Is there a place in York surrounds that is quite well-to-do in that people with professional careers tend to live there, but equally not snobby and is friendly?? I also worry about it being cliquey - I think London is so easy to make friends in as most people don't have family close so are open to making meaningful friendships.

Has anyone moved from London with similar thoughts and found it completely fine? I'm lying awake worrying whether we're doing the right thing... Confused

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Rocket123 · 07/05/2017 20:40

Just in case anyone knows the area and can give us some pointers....

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Lunenburg · 07/05/2017 22:26

Aahhh wrote you a long reply this evening, then lost it when my IPad died.

Stop worrying, you will love York !!

I will rewrite in the morning.

Lunenburg · 07/05/2017 22:31

Would help to know if you already have jobs lined up in York as so much of the info about where to live etc is dependent upon your commute.

Lunenburg · 08/05/2017 09:08

Trying again.

Please don't worry. I know numerous people who have made just this move and love it. I moved from the south (lived just outside London, but worked in the City) 7 years ago and have never regretted it.

The most obvious pluses are the friendliness of the people, less crowding and easier access to services such as GP, Hospitals etc. the beautiful rural environment outside the major cities and the absence of aggression on the roads.

I thought I might struggle with a lack of cultural facilities once I left London, but now realise just how wrong you can be. We have wonderful music at the Minster, great theatres etc and the bonus of being only two hours from London, even closer to Newcastle and not that far from Edinburgh.

In terms of your specific worry, it is worth understanding the subtle differences between the major towns / cities.

IMO Leeds is the focus of much of the professional / IT work in N Yorkshire, whilst York experiences more Tourism and Harrogate is a little quieter. York and Leeds both have highly rated Universities and the lively student culture that reflects that.

Many professionals live in the Golden Triangle (York-Harrogate-Leeds) and house prices in the area clearly reflect that.

East of York is more rural with some charming market towns / villages in the corridor leading to the coast, but it is important to consider where you will be working and your commute. The A64 is a nightmare during summer weekends.

Another less obvious feature of areas to the East of York is the number of stunningly beautiful villages in the Wolds / Howardian Hills which are predominantly owned by large Estates. You can rent beautiful houses in these villages through the Estates (Castle Howard, Garroby Estate, Hovingham Estate) but it is much harder to buy.

Hopefully this might put your mind at rest, but if you have more specific questions just ask.

Rocket123 · 09/05/2017 14:15

Thank you so much for responding! I read my post back and i'm glad you managed to get to the crux of what i was asking with my midnight ramblings :-)

With work - my husband will continue to run his business in London so will be travelling down on Monday morning and coming back Thursday night - so access to a station that has a mainline to London is essential, but he's happy to travel a bit for a better location. And for me, i work in Finance in the city at the mo but hoping to find a finance job up there. Sounds like i'll probably need to go to Leeds for that. So i may have to look in the 'golden triangle'! Do you know any areas that have a little high street and a mini community? I was hoping to avoid Leeds as i went to Uni there so it feels like a step back. We like Haxby as one potential area, but i want to have a couple of options and that might be on the wrong side of York for work.

It is reassuring to hear from someone who made the move and loves it! I remain convinced it's a better place to grow up for the girls, as London is feeling quite claustrophobic now.

Did you find it easy enough to become part of the community where you live? I think my biggest fear, linked to my first post, is feeling lonely in a new place, especially as hubby will be away 4 days a week.

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Lunenburg · 09/05/2017 18:20

Have PM'd you

Oscha · 09/05/2017 18:24

York is full of professionals. We even have shops and post offices Wink

I'm from SW London too and have been in York for 15 years. It's beautiful, full of culture and history, has brilliant schools including some superb private ones and has lovely (extremely expensive) houses. It's also an extremely friendly place.

Oh, and my DH works in finance. In York. No need to go to Leeds unless you want to.

It's lovely. But don't tell everyone up here how worried you are about missing people with ambition, or we might lynch you.

SaxPantha · 09/05/2017 18:31

Are you absolutely set on it? I'm not surprised you are feeling jittery - I would seriously think twice about moving away from SW London to York. London has everything, it is easy to make friends, a huge, cosmopolitan mix of people, international, cultural centre. I wouldn't move unless I absolutely had to. It is one of the best places in the world. I would think really, really carefully before moving, especially if your husband is going to have to be away most of the week anyway. I worked in York for a bit and there is no way I'd leave London for there permanently, it is a very different atmosphere. Could you rent out your house in London and rent up there for a bit so you have a way back if you need to?

Awks · 09/05/2017 18:39

am lol'ing at the dearth of ambitious people in York - prob best not talk like that when you get here Grin It's great in North Yorkshire and we even have Uber nowadays.

I don't know if you'll love it or regret it but we've loved bringing our family up here - it's just a brilliant place to live and work.

You might like Wetherby or smaller Boston Spa as well as York if you would like to work in Leeds.

Lowdoorinthewal1 · 09/05/2017 18:43

It is one of the best places in the world.

Unless you are one of the many, many people who can't bear the place and wouldn't live there even if someone gave them a free house. Hmm

SaxPantha · 09/05/2017 18:46

Oh, whatevs. Objectively, for many reasons, it is one of the best places in the world, whether or not you personally wouldn't like to live there. It is full of people who are not small-minded, for starters.

Doobius · 09/05/2017 18:49

Secretly envious. Me and DH are born and bread Londoners and ives her all our lives. There arent many places that could tempt me out of London, but York is one of them. We holiday in North Yorks once a year and love it, with York being our favourite place. Its got such a nice vibe. And we regularly do that pony London thing of looking at what our average semi in London could buy us up there and weep. Maybe one day....Grin

Good luck!

Doobius · 09/05/2017 18:50

have lived in London all our lives

Rocket123 · 09/05/2017 19:41

Thanks for your replies! I wasn't saying there aren't ambitious people in the north - my family is there, I grew up there and I know there are, it's more that I'm looking for an area (and more specifically, school) that would have that sort of feel to it. The town I'm from in Yorkshire does not have that, and it's good to be sure that York is nothing like that! It's a daunting big life change that throws up all sorts of questions before you know it's right.

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Aylish1993 · 09/05/2017 20:02

If you want to be near town then bishopthorpe or Fulford are lovely 🙂

Awks · 09/05/2017 21:22

Oh god then you can carry a jute bag and say you live on Bishy Road Grin . Maybe look at Clementhorpe - nice riverfront places?

Oscha · 10/05/2017 22:12

Will you be looking at private or state schools? It doesn't get much more ambitious than St Peter's. Fulford is an excellent state school.

DrHarleenFrancesQuinzel · 10/05/2017 22:25

I went to Fulford school - it was shite. I was a fairly middle of the road student (great at maths and english, but rubbish at art) and the teaching wasn't great for me. Id send my children to Huntington or Jo Ro school if I was still living in York.

Born and bred in York, but moved away a few years ago due to house prices. Its expensive there - obvs not as expensive as London, but certainly much more so then where we live now.

I personally dont get the whole York is beautiful, York is great thing, but I think that's because I grew up there and kind of took it for granted. Ive never been a tourist there.

It does have a good commute to London though and a good bus network to get to the train. There are also financial jobs in the city. No need to go to Leeds for them if you dont want to, but of course Leeds is a bigger city so therefore that will mean more jobs.

Oscha · 10/05/2017 23:14

When were you at Fulford Dr? It has a very good reputation now.

We're in catchment for JoRo and planning to move!

Fashionables · 18/03/2021 08:49

Just wondered as about to make the same decision.....did you make it to York, any regrets and what schools did you choose? We are looking at living on way to Stamford bridge and sending kids to St Peters.

phoebe35 · 21/03/2021 18:04

just found as also looking at same move - 3 children, sw london so also interested in any update!

Rocket123 · 25/03/2021 21:11

Yes we did it and I'd say it was a good move overall. The fact we're closer to family probably makes the biggest difference to our lifestyle. We're in a large village just north of York. I've tried to think of other pros and cons below...

Pros

  • countryside on the doorstep and lots of places for days out
  • Still get the culture and city feel quite easily
  • Much more manageable than London, life feels generally less stressful
  • No tube journeys
  • most schools seem good (primary)
  • lots of people from out of the area so it isn't too hard to settle in and I didn't feel like an 'outsider'
  • get more for your money than London
  • people are generally happy and friendly around and about. Even at work there's more an emphasis on work life balance and people seem to show their human side more

Cons

  • I miss the commons in London as there are only small parks I can walk to
  • I miss going on a walk and going from one mini high street to the next, for variety. Here there are country lanes or ring road between villages and most places are accessed by car
  • where we are we can't get deliveries for many take aways so I miss the variety of food I used to have (more choice if closer to the city though)
  • not very diverse, I miss the mixing of cultures and identities of London
  • jobs are not so easy to come by. I've got lucky but feel a bit trapped as not many work options at my level in finance locally. More if can travel to Leeds but that's hard with nursery drop off etc.
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