South Downs or the Cotswolds to live?

[Andreaoid]

I'm hoping to relocate next year. Unfortunately, my husband passed away last October and I feel like I can't stay in our home and county anymore. Too many memories.

I'm 34, no kids, a dog, and currently WFH. The office is in Oxford (or Bognor) but my industry is mostly in London. I don't plan to commute but if I start getting more senior, some presence in the office might be required in the future. The budget is around 350k which I know is not a lot but I only need a small two bed (a dinky cottage?).

Would you recommend South Downs (around Pulborough, Storrington, Petworth, Midhurst) or the Cotswolds (areas around Chipping Norton, Moreton-on-Marsh, etc.)? I'd love to be in the countryside, not adjacent to a big town or seaside. It seems like the Cotswolds has more housing on offer in my price range but I'm not sure about the potential commute and life in general. Up until now, I've preferred West Sussex/South Downs but I am happy to hear other people's stories.

Thank you @Ellis12 it's a devastating loss as you can imagine. I need a change of scenery and a fresh start.
I'm going to see South Downs this summer to do a recon of the area. Unfortunately, as you said my budget doesn't stretch far but I'm hoping to increase my earnings this year/next year. I don't want a large house, I'd feel lonely. But there seems to be no market for small cottages in the area, only large farmhouses.
I don't want to be in a touristy place. My goal is to find a nice place to live so my friends want to visit from time to time. Currently, no one's really keen to visit me much in Lincolnshire.

No, I haven't. It's too close to London for my liking.

I'll probably have to drive to a station anyway. I'm ok with that. I just want to find a nice community that is welcoming in a beautiful part of England. I'm just worried that the Cotswolds is too on the nose and it'll feel like I'm yet another incomer that lives there but commutes to London.

I would look at Thame. Really nice market town, close to Oxford for occasional jaunts into the office, on fast Trainline into Marylebone for jaunts into London, convenient for useful things like Heathrow, Garsington, Henley. Unless you want to be very rural?

Hello how is your search going? I used to live near Lewes in East Sussex and now live in Gloucestershire bit of the Cotswolds. Both areas lovely, have you looked near Tetbury? It’s a town but v small and choc box pretty, 10 mins drive to Kemble station which is just over an hour to Paddington. If you need airports and cities you’d be an hour from Oxford, Bristol and Cheltenham. I loved the South Downs but I also love it here - at your age and child free I’d go for a small town over a village, life outside of tourist times and things to do/cafes and pubs to visit, groups to make friends, still super easy to access amazing countryside. As others have said, some of the parts near Cirencester lovely too, also Wotton under Edge, Minchinhampton, Nailsworth …

I've just come back from my visit to South Downs. What a beautiful part of the UK! I think I'm smitten. I'll definitely try to make the move happen even though my budget is very tight.
I just can't imagine the Cotswolds being as commutable as South Downs. I will look at Tetbury and the surrounding areas.

This is a beautiful Cotswold village with a nice couple of pubs www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/87127107

Sorry! I'm on the app so don't get notifications of mentions. So late to the party.

Pulborough, the A29 is closed often than not due to flooding. I knew someone who lived in a gorgeous period home just outside the village. He got up one night to get a glass of water, went downstairs and was very confused as to why his downstairs was all 'shiny'. It was under water!

Seriously, the whole south of the Downs is a building site with no infrastructure. They're building on flood plains and wondering why there are problems. As soon as a new bypass is opened, its at capacity. The villages aren't anymore, they're all just one continuation.

I'm amazed at how fast the area has developed. Soooo many houses and estates.

Someone asked where I moved to. I've come to the Isle of Wight. Not for everyone and the ferries are eye watering in cost, but it's another world. Uproar at a single planning permission for a house, miles of protected landscape and wildlife, beaches, protected black sky thingy so little light pollution, red squirrels, the most amazing community of friendly people, crazy roads, parking is a nightmare, you can't go.out without seeing someone you know and having an hour long natter, every club, society, hobby, fitness, theatres, cinemas, Michelin star restaurants, cafes, walks, sailing...you name it, it's here. I moved not knowing a soul and now I know more people and have a larger social circle than I've ever had in my life.

If thinking about the Cotswolds, have you considered the villages near Stroud? Chalford / Bussage /Nailsworth/ Minchinhampton? Lots going on in Stroud for younger people, and the countryside id beautiful around there.

Cirencester is nice, with the undiscovered Cotswolds close by.

I live near the grittier end of the Cotswolds. I have seen many famous people, and they don’t give a hoot. I grew up here, so am totally at home. Best place to live.

I think pulborough is a bit sleepy to be honest. You are only 34, really look at the age profile of people living in these places

I think it partly depends on which bit of London you want to get into quickly as that can add loads of time on the end of any commute. As others have said, lots of new builds popping up in Sussex (not sure about the Hampshire end of the Downs) and it is adding ages to journeys. I did love Lewes if your budget can stretch to it and there is always loads to do around there as well as beautiful countryside.

What I love about my scruffy corner of the Glos Cotswolds is that it’s wildly beautiful but never overrun w tourists, and I can do one day a week in London easily if I need to. A drive to Welsh beaches in summer is doable too albeit a long day.

I think if you’re leaning towards South Downs look for small towns with a cross section of ages, things to do and proximity to stations (and which bit of London you’ll arrive in). Then go and hang out in some coffee shops etc to see what’s on offer around and how cliquey or friendly it is. There will likely be leaflets around, and you can chat to the owner (bear in mind we all know each other in the sticks). The friends you make and activities you can get to reasonably quickly make all the difference in the country.

Having lived in the Cotswolds for 8 years and only having moved from a village in Worcestershire but not within the Cotswolds I have to say how unfriendly we found people.
Whether it was because we weren't 10th generation and lived on a small estate and not a fancy old house or that the old residents were sick of tourists, I don't know.
I always smile when people say how amazing the Cotswolds is. Yes it's all on show, upfront but scratch beneath and not so much.
Staggering amount of incest too believe it or not (I was a social worker for a period) but that's neither here nor there!

Thanks everyone for engaging with the post. I did just visit the South Downs area and it's really lovely. Everywhere was clean, welcoming and very friendly. Yes, the age group is slightly higher but I'm also not a typical 34yo (very young childless widow). I don't have much in common with my peers, unfortunately. The only thing will be if I can comfortably afford to move there.

Try Cirencester, kemble has trains to London

Storrington is nice. Good location, high street with a good variety of shops so you don't really need to go elsewhere unless you want to.

I would agree with that. I lived in a village in Worcestershire prior to moving to Gloucestershire. I can't say anyone was very friendly in Worcestershire either. No one in the village spoke to us and a neighbour became an utter nightmare.

A relative has moved to the South Downs and so far people do seem very friendly, but it feels a lot more 'urban'.

Forest of Dean has a reputation for incest, but I am surprised about the Cotswolds .

Oh yes. One village not far from Broadway was an absolute incest haven. Social Worker had some many cases in that area she'd spend a whole day a week up there

That sounds actually really positive. I've mentioned I'm a widow but I'm also an immigrant (a naturalised Brit now). I don't want to be ostracised by locals so slightly more urban is good.

Look at houses just outside of Balcombe or Hassocks, maybe Ditchling or Hurstpierpoint in W Sussex? Lovely villages

Haslemere is just on the edge of the South Downs and has lots going on as well as the train to London in about 50 minutes. Plenty of facilities and lovely countryside nearby.

I recommend Lewes. Lovely town with direct train to London and connection to Brighton. We live in a town nearby but if we had the money we would move to Lewes in a heart beat! Lots of flats within your budget but not many houses though.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/162008930