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Rural living

Looking to relocate to the countryside? Find advice in our Rural Living forum.

Original poster

Moving from south to north? Did you regret it?

42 replies

user1473671327 · 01/02/2021 19:21

Hi all!

We have been considering moving north from the south east for a while and lockdown has kind of confirmed the desire to move and start over. We absolutely love the appeal of the scenery, more friendly and chatty people and a more rural way of life (we already live in a village but it feels like all the new builds are merging into one!)
I’d love to hear any suggestions of places to look or any stories if anyone has done a move like this and if you regretted it??
I’ve had a look through at Lancashire, Shropshire, Worcestershire as main areas of interest but would be keen to what any ideas!
Schooling is particularly important as we have a dd (in reception) and ds who is 2 who are both in great school/nursery settings and that would be my greatest concern uprooting them ☹️
Sorry for the long old post 😂 any suggestions would be great!

OP posts:
randoID · 01/02/2021 19:23

We are considering the same - so following this. I know 3 families that have fine it and are all happier. Better quality of life etc... we are heading for Shropshire ( we think)

Original poster
user1473671327 · 01/02/2021 19:30

It does seem every time I research moving, people were happier with the move! Shropshire looks so lovely, do you know what areas you’d be looking at?

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Finfintytint · 01/02/2021 19:35

Shropshire is a very good choice. We moved there from the South East. I grew up there but hadn’t lived there for thirty years. Best thing we ever did but job circs meant we had to move again ( to Scotland).
You’ll get more for your money in North Shropshire.

JesusAteMyHamster · 01/02/2021 19:36

We moved from the south to Lancaster for work........we adore it. It's such a safe city with a fab vibe and there's always something on (( well pre covid )) but at the same time we're surrounded by huge parks, we're a stone's throw from the lake District but can be in London or Manchester in a couple of hours.

There's a good choice of schools and grammar schools if that's the way your DC choose to head and of course the uni. I honestly can't imagine living anywhere else. It's safe but not sheltered which is important if you have DC who will one day want to become more independent.

randoID · 01/02/2021 19:40

😂honestly- we just surf right move . That’s what makes us worry . We have no idea abs are largely basing it on aesthetics and WIFI connections ( wfh)

Original poster
user1473671327 · 01/02/2021 19:48

@finfintytint thank you! Is there anywhere you would recommend looking for? We would ideally like to up size so north Shropshire sounds like a good starting point 😊

@JustAteMyHamster this is exactly what I’ve been thinking! Beautiful place son your doorstep, not too unreasonable distances if we wanted to make a journey to a city and it’s so good to hear that there are a choice of schools around. Are there any areas you’d recommend looking at?

@randolD 😂 right move surfing is what I have been doing for the last two years! Thought I would finally reach out and start getting more in depth detail before taking the leap!

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Iwantmychairback · 01/02/2021 19:58

I’m in Lancashire and I wouldn’t consider Shropshire or Worcestershire as being in the North, but I suppose they are for you!
We considered moving (South) to Shropshire but found it no nicer and a lot more expensive and busier than Lancashire, so have stayed put!

Finfintytint · 01/02/2021 20:00

[quote user1473671327]@finfintytint thank you! Is there anywhere you would recommend looking for? We would ideally like to up size so north Shropshire sounds like a good starting point 😊

@JustAteMyHamster this is exactly what I’ve been thinking! Beautiful place son your doorstep, not too unreasonable distances if we wanted to make a journey to a city and it’s so good to hear that there are a choice of schools around. Are there any areas you’d recommend looking at?

@randolD 😂 right move surfing is what I have been doing for the last two years! Thought I would finally reach out and start getting more in depth detail before taking the leap![/quote]
Oswestry is a great area. If you creep into the Marches you will be able to have more of a rural life but obviously there’d be more travel to towns, schools involved.
If you look around the villages surrounding Shrewsbury you will have more of a choice re schooling and Shrewsbury is a fantastic town.

MrsPworkingmummy · 01/02/2021 20:04

Have you considered further north, such as the North East? Tynemouth and Whitley Bay are vibrant and affluent areas offering some of the best state schooling in the country. The beaches are stunning, there's a great surf scene. Newcastle and Sunderland aren't far away for city life, and the Northumbrian countryside is on your doorstep. Its a brilliant place to live.

Original poster
user1473671327 · 01/02/2021 20:05

@Iwantmychairback haha yes apologies! Unfortunately anything above London does feel like the north to me! (hoping to change that mindset when we take the leap :D ) that's really interesting to hear, is there anywhere in Lancashire that you would recommend looking at? We would ideally like to be quite rural and a slower pace of life does appeal to us.

Thank you ladies already for your comments! It's so nice to hear first hand opinions

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Hollyhead · 01/02/2021 20:06

Worcestershire is nice but I wouldn’t exactly call it the north! What part were you thinking of?

Original poster
user1473671327 · 01/02/2021 20:15

@Finfintytint we had seen a property in Oswestry that we loved! It's great to know that it would be a nice area. School commutes wouldn't be a put off for the right place and my husband works mostly remotely so work commute isn't an issue. I will definitely have a look around Shrewsbury Grin

@MrsPworkingmummy we hadn't really though about the North East! I had stayed with a friends family near Whitley Bay a long while back now and I remember it was absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure whether it will be too north for my hubby but I think it would be definitely worth a look into, thank you

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Phillipa12 · 01/02/2021 20:16

I moved from Wiltshire to North Yorkshire and spent 15 very happy years there before I returned to Wiltshire following my divorce. If my family were not all in Wiltshire I would never have left North Yorkshire, the scenery, the people, the quieter pace of life, I still miss it 4 years on.

W3dontdoduvets · 01/02/2021 20:18

In a word...yes.

JesusAteMyHamster · 01/02/2021 20:20

Op, take a look at Bowerham.....www.bowerham.co.uk/

Regarding secondary schools you're spoilt for choice.

For me Lancaster had everything we need. It's a fab city for young families and again for families who have older kids.

Original poster
user1473671327 · 01/02/2021 20:21

@Hollyhead haha yes a very southern idea of north! Apologies I realise some of the areas are more midland areas really but we are really open to most places. We had seen a property on the border of Herefordshire, I think it was called Hanley Swan? And another near Tenbury Wells.

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Nix32 · 01/02/2021 20:22

We moved from the South East to Yorkshire 16 years ago. No need for us to be close to London and we've benefited enormously from the difference in house prices. 20 minutes from the coast, 40 minutes from 2 cities, live in a rural location. No plans to return south.

Original poster
user1473671327 · 01/02/2021 20:30

@Phillipa12 Thank you, I'm sorry to hear that you had to move but I really appreciate your comment and that you did love the area!

@JesusAteMyHamster thank you, I will definitely have a look. It's great to hear that it has a lot for all ages! Very big tick for the kids! It's so hard trying to think what is best for them and I want them to be happy and not resent me for moving them. If it was just me and the husband I wouldn't even think twice.

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Original poster
user1473671327 · 01/02/2021 20:34

@Nix32 That's amazing to hear! We don't have any need for London either and rarely even visit it despite being a 40 min train ride! The benefits just seem to outweigh the cons when like you we could have more space, rural location and beautiful areas so close by

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lazylinguist · 01/02/2021 20:38

We absolutely love the appeal of the scenery, more friendly and chatty people and a more rural way of life (we already live in a village but it feels like all the new builds are merging into one!)

This was exactly our situation too. We lived in a village in what was ostensibly a lovely part of Oxfordshire, but all the villages were beginning to merge together in a mass of new housing and the traffic was appalling even in our local small town.

We moved to Cumbria, near the Lancashire border and a stone's throw from the Lake District National Park. Pretty accessible because we are so near the M6. We've been here 6 years now and love it. We've felt particularly glad to be here during the pandemic.

My dc were 6 and 9 when we moved. Lovely primary schools round here and a decent choice of local secondaries, including some grammar schools just over the border in Lancaster.

Only downside: the weather. It really is as wet as they say it is! You get used to it though. Grin

Hollyhead · 01/02/2021 20:41

Hanley swan is in the South of the county, really nice area near malver but also good access to Worcester/Cheltenham.

Tenbury is the northwestern point, a lot more rural, but near some very beautiful areas. Schools in Tenbury not great and limited in choice. Tenbury was also badly flooded last year. Although it has a fantastic Indian restaurant!

I think if I had children and school considerations I’d look at the Hanley Swan area.

RandomMess · 01/02/2021 20:42

We moved to Lancaster from SE have older teens now and still happy here.

The only thing we didn't consider is that the trains don't run really late for the DC music concerts etc. However I just nip down to Chorley to pick them up from there (easier than Preston). Got one driving now so that has solved that issue!!

PatsyStone39 · 01/02/2021 21:15

We are about to do the same...South east coast to Lancashire. I just cannot justify house prices down here any more. We hemorrhage an astronomical amount of money into someone else's pocket every month. We're done.

We are looking to rent for a year and househunt in the meantime. It gives us a chance to see how we settle before we buy. We plan to move somewhere where we holiday a lot, so we know we love it...but 24/7 compared to the odd weekend might be a deal breaker.

Original poster
user1473671327 · 01/02/2021 21:21

@lazylinguist that is exactly the same here. Every bit of countryside is being bought up and developed and we have already had two villages nearby merged into the town. It seems I have a lot more research to do but lots of lovely suggestions and a wider area to look at which is so great. Luckily my two love wellies and an all-in-one suit to splash around in so hopefully the rain won't be too bad to cope with haha!

@Hollyhead thank you so much, it definitely sounds like Tenbury wouldn't be ideal for us for the schools which is a massive help in narrowing our search

@RandomMess I'm really glad to hear you are all happy there! It's making me so excited to finally put dreams into more of a reality. To be fair the trains here don't run very late either despite it being a big station which I always found odd but I had imagined that the taxi of mum and dad would some day be operating all hours haha!

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QueenOfTheDoubleWide · 01/02/2021 23:25

We moved from the SE many years ago and are now on the Fylde (that's the coastal bit that runs north from Preston through Lytham St Annes, Blackpool, Cleveleys and up to Fleetwood). Like many areas there are good and bad bits but there are good schools (both state and private), fab beaches, accessible countryside , plenty to do and it's a great place to bring up children. Property is affordable so we've had a better lifestyle than friends who stayed down south, although the negative is that the property appreciates more there so we couldn't afford to move back if we wanted to, luckily we don't!