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Thought experiment: where to move out of London to?

I've lived in London (and its suburbs) all my life. I currently reside in a nice middle-class enclave and for the most part I'm pretty happy but I do occasionally wonder whether The Good Life is out there somewhere...

Just think.. My own garden! A whole house! Countryside! Hmm.

Chilterns, South Downs and New Forest are all near(ish) and appeal but where would you move to in my shoes?
 
Depends.
Do you need to get to That London on a regular basis?
Are any of your hobbies outdoors and does it need any kind of landscape?
 
New Forest, but also consider Dorset, Somerset and Devon.

House prices in the forest are toppy. You’ll get a whole lot more for considerably less moving further west. It all depends upon whether you need transport links back to, say, London or looking at a complete move. I have found, pound for pound, New Forest is no different to suburbia in terms of price, just such a lovely place (traffic!!!) whereas, say down mid Devon you could pick up something considerably bigger with a who.e lot of land for half the price, and splendid isolation. Or, for half again, you could look further afield, say, Gocek!
 
Decent train connection to London for friends, culture, etc would have to be high up on the list I think.

Splendid isolation sounds very appealing some days - I've always fancied a meadow of my own (with perhaps a colony of very rare beetles) - but also aware the reality could be a backwater where tractors and heroin are the main local amusements..
 
It's a big decision. Is there any chance of renting somewhere in your preferred area(s) for maybe a month or so to get an idea of what living there would be like? (That's what my sister-in-law intended to do when moving out of London, though in the event she just moved).
 
Newark-on-Trent

reasonable link to London ( Hour and a quarter to London)

A castle, a river, an array of antiques and a waitrose. Very pretty area, surrounded by little villages. Considered expensive from where I live, good value I guess if moving from the south.
 
Still thinking about this now but left it too late, so adapting where we are to be as eco friendly as poss. That is the issue, do it or not, only you and whoever else is going with you can decide
 
Assuming that your house is worth a small fortune ;), I would be buying something within a half an hour drive of the Lake District-this would get you an amazing pad in the countryside to live the good life and be close to one of the most beautiful places on Earth :D
 
I find the desire to live in blissful isolation tends to be transient (for me at least). Get away to somewhere quiet and peaceful when you need to, and back to civilisation when you need a faster pace. We have a couple of spots about the place that we escape to for just those reasons. They have in common being a long way away from the craziness, and with next to zero population density. Great to turn off and recharge, but after a couple of weeks is normally enough.
 
Barnsley is really lovely.
It's really not.

On a serious note you need to establish what you want. Theatres, restaurants, work? Friends? Activities? I'm into mountains and rock climbing, so East Anglia is a non starter. Someone into sailing would be different.

Every so often they have a survey on "the best place in Britain to live". A few years back it was Anwick, Northumberland. Really? Yes, because the average commute was 10 minutes, housing was for nothing and unemployment was zero. A few brave souls moved in. After a year or so they worked out that being 40 miles from Newcastle and 60 from Edinburgh with nothing in between was seriously fking boring. So choose what you want. Lincolnshire is nice, provided you can make your own entertainment. If you want a big house and a garden, and you like staying in a doing your own cooking, it's great. If you want restaurants and theatres, look elsewhere.
 
Newark-on-Trent

reasonable link to London ( Hour and a quarter to London)

A castle, a river, an array of antiques and a waitrose. Very pretty area, surrounded by little villages. Considered expensive from where I live, good value I guess if moving from the south.
I like Newark, for all the reasons you say. Good location. Nice pubs. I used to drink at the Bowling Green, by the station, when waiting for trains. Good times.
 
A few years back it was Anwick, Northumberland. Really?

You missed out an 'l'.

Alnwick is a nice town but it was bloody freezing when I went in April a couple of years back. Good centre for exploring NE coast etc., .. but it is almost permanently cold so I would not live there.
 
I must say that a lot of suggestions are pretty superficial.

Whatever your money buys you in terms of property and surroundings, it doesn't follow that you will enjoy living there. If you want to be part of the fab trendy lot who choose property and location like they choose shoes.. then go for it. If you want a life.. find a community you can belong to. identify and grow with. and raise kids in.

I have brief moments where I think I'd love to live in Selworthy, or Turville or a few other 'quaint' vilages I've encountered in my time.. but mostly a bit of reflection says no.
 


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