Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Rural living

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

Original poster

South Downs or the Cotswolds to live?

62 replies

Andreaoid · 04/05/2025 19:52

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.

OP posts:
theoriginalpinkpowerranger · 24/08/2025 15:39

@Andreaoid I live a couple of villages away from Pulborough and I would be happy to talk to you privately about the area (I’ve lived around this area all my life from Horsham down to Worthing, worked in Brighton, love Arundel etc so know the surroundings very well).

reversegear · 24/08/2025 16:03

I would look at Winchester to Alton areas you have train lines to London amazing road links straight to Oxford and Newbury, close to Southampton, Portsmouth and lots of lovely market towns, alresford is lovely and you can pick up small homes in surrounding villages for 350k. You could also head down the meon valley and look at east and west meon, these villages have that rural feel while remaining close to great connections, also meonstoke is lovely.

Original poster
Andreaoid · 28/08/2025 12:47

@theoriginalpinkpowerranger that's so lovely. Thank you! I feel like I'll have a hard time finding a suitable home in my modest (for the area) price range.

OP posts:
familyconflict · 31/08/2025 08:58

Billingshurst has a nice community, train station for links to London, and lovely countryside for dog walks. Also 15 mins from Storrington. Good shops with a Waitrose and a Lidl close by. Nice pubs. Sea about half hour away? May be worth a look.

Unexpectedlysinglemum · 31/08/2025 09:07

TeaandHobnobs · 05/05/2025 13:26

What about the Chilterns, as an alternative to the Cotswolds? Marylebone to Oxford train line.

Yes- haddenham has a train station and is cute village, near market town thame

CrystalSingerFan · 31/08/2025 12:02

Delphigirl · 27/05/2025 18:15

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?

Thame's great. I once stupidly bought a house in Aylesbury and spent a year pretending I lived in Thame. It has a Waitrose! Towersey Folk Festival isn't far. A BeeGee used to (still does?) live there. Near lovely Waterperry Gardens...

CrystalSingerFan · 31/08/2025 12:27

@reversegear

"I would look at Winchester to Alton areas you have train lines to London amazing road links straight to Oxford and Newbury..."

Amazing road links? The A34? I have to disagree. My partner, with whom I lived in Oxfordshire, died and I spent a LOT of time driving there and back to Devon, searching for my forever home. The A34 is a dreadful dual carriageway road and should be avoided if at all possible. (Winchester is, of course, lovely.)

PS. OP. Have you considered Chichester? It's a city. has a train station, a fair bit of culture going on (Pallant Gallery, the famous theatres.) Super place.

Fifiesta · 04/09/2025 22:17

snobcat · 20/08/2025 19:28

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

True, but unfortunately also ‘lovely’ prices.
We lived in that area for 36 years, but move over to the other side of W. Sussex, West of Worthing and the Downland villages have more variation in price and are just as leafy and pleasant.

Ladedahlia · 04/09/2025 22:38

Fifiesta · 04/09/2025 22:17

True, but unfortunately also ‘lovely’ prices.
We lived in that area for 36 years, but move over to the other side of W. Sussex, West of Worthing and the Downland villages have more variation in price and are just as leafy and pleasant.

Show quote history

Any particular villages worth a mention?

ItsnotnearlyChristmas · 04/09/2025 22:50

Andreaoid · 20/08/2025 19:15

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.

Show quote history

The problem with all the lovely towns is they’ve been inundated with Londerners . They were never meant to be urban.
It actually causes a lot of resentment with locals as they watch their towns morph into boring clones ( and buying up the cheap houses is just rude)
You’ll be less ostracised where theres less of you.

MyJoyousTraybake · 04/09/2025 23:54

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/163599947
just outside storrington, good luck with your search OP.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page