Wanting to move rural but somewhere vibrant — doable?

[esgill]

I grew up in a small artsy town in Dorset which I detested by the time I was a teenager — I dreamed of London and places where things were happening and I went there and then Edinburgh. Now it’s too expensive with a 17 month old and also I do remember some of the better sides of my childhood: making dens in the woods, swimming in the sea, feeling safe, a relatively decent state school, natural beauty etc.

We are looking for something and I’m not sure it exists:

-somewhere with natural beauty and nice architecture.
-somewhere vibrant — an essence of London, Edinburgh or big capitals in outlook and eateries etc
-community vibe
-affordable housing
-train links (I can’t drive — I have epilepsy). —ultimately, somewhere that doesn’t feel like the end of the road/a place you go to die. I feel very sensitive about this from my own upbringing.

any suggestions?

@TurtleBarnacle agree, would love to live in Belper.

I can confirm that Whitley Bay is very up and coming. DD lived there until very recently. There are some excellent places to eat, and the beach is beautiful. Then you have easy metro access to Newcastle.

Agree with Stamford as well. It is a lovely town.

Norwich - but be careful about where you live, if not in the city itself, somewhere on the train line to there from Thetford (although not Thetford). Schools are also very variable and so you need to be careful. Agreed that it’s not an hour to London, neither of the main lines for Norfolk into London have a stop in Norfolk that fast.

Bury St Edmunds - I would live here given the choice.

Ely - some culture but close to Cambridge if you want more, also train connections to lots of places, northern and Midlands as well as London. The secondary school is currently doing well.

In terms of affordability, if you’re currently living in London or the Home Counties, the above will be affordable, less so than in the past maybe though.

Ripon, is a great community, centre within walking distance for most, meets all criteria except the train and possibly affordability.
Does have regular bus to Harrogate and Leeds though.

Excellent selective grammar.
Tennis centre, rugby, football, museums, indie cafes, parks and on the doorstep of the dales, including Fountains Abbey.

Www.visitripon.co.uk

Folkestone?

Good train links inc the high speed line to London, lots of surrounding countryside and beaches, the harbour arm area is great as is the old quarter leading up the hill. Lovely restaurants, artsy events, poetry nights, bands etc. Houses are affordable and schools are excellent.

But as with everywhere there are some down sides - the main high street isn't great and there are some rougher areas.

Margate/Broadstairs/Canterbury/Rye also worth looking into .

I am not sure you really mean rural. But if you mean not a big city then I would suggest Lancaster.
It is close to the sea and beautiful countryside. Theatre, parks, lots of places to eat and drink. It is very well connected on the train. Bit of a nightmare to drive around the centre though.

I stand corrected. More like 1 hr 40 on the train from Norwich. I just checked we went from Diss in 1 hour 30.

Another vote here for Tynemouth or Whitley Bay.

Stroud
Penarth
Cowbridge
Llandeilo
Ivybridge
Cirencester

all smallish towns, fairly rural (although Penarth is walking distance to Cardiff city centre), usually a fair bit going on.

The "world class cafes" and international crowds absolutely destroyed Ubud. I spent 3 months there in the 80s and I was gutted when I went back 10 years ago.

Another vote here for Stroud. You could be in somewhere like Rodborough and be able to walk/cycle into Stroud centre and also up onto the common which is beautiful with amazing views.

Liverpool

I can't see how to edit my post - anyway have seen you said you can't drive. So Norfolk you would be reliant on local buses (terrible and irregular) or train (virtually non existent).

In general the Beeching reforms in the 1950s ripped the train system out of rural England. It's the same issue all over. So you'll need to get a good sense of bus availability.

Some of the North Norfolk towns are amazing and bustling, like Wells, and there's a bus that goes along the coast. Some of those towns are very expensive (Wells!) others are such cheaper (Cromer, Sheringham). The latter two have a Trainline.

Someone else mentioned the Peak District - did seem gorgeous but again you would need to look into local bus systems.

May ivjust offer a word of advice? I live in one if the places mentioned here. I love it and it was great for the kids when they were little but very limited in terms of activities for teens and teens. So, wherever you decide on, I wouldn't just check out activities for little kids but also think about things like sports clubs, leisure centres, go karting, bowling, for older children too. It has affected us as a family that facilities are so limited here.

Sorry for typos.

Tweens and teens

You could look at Folkestone, Deal, Margate, Broadstairs, Whistable...

By the sea, fast trains to London and also decent countryside nearby. Lots of creatives have moved to these places from London so there is a decent cultural/art scene.

I moved to Deal from London and I have a lovely lifestyle. Lots of yoga, tai chi and Pilates classes, some nice independent cafes that also have vegan/veggie food, a market every Saturdays and fast trains to London and several independent art galleries.

Chester? Definitely not rural but a small compact city with decent transport links and surrounded by nice countryside.
It's not on my affordable list as I live in the arse end of north West Wales but compared to London/BRighton / Guildford you can get a fair amount for your money

Very expensive.

Buses are awful and nothing for teens to do though.

Driving pretty essential though?

I'd suggest:

Ely
Alnwick
Pitlochry
Dunkeld

Stroud

I'd look into Frome or Stroud. Not sure what your budget is though.

cross posted 🙂

Is rural now a synonym for "not in London?" Because none of the places mentioned are remotely rural. They are large towns and in some cases (York, Norwich) cities.

Rural and vibrant simply doesn't happen - unless your idea of "vibrant" is sheep and trees and mud (I'm a rural dweller and love sheep and trees and mud).