So confused! Where on earth do we live?

NomadAmber

richardw wrote: »

I'd just look North, there are some lovely places to live in Shropshire.

You are right! Shropshire is gorgeous. I shall investigate that way as well! Thanks

mgarl10024

NomadAmber wrote: »

Please? Anyone?

Your first post was at 8.44am, and then you were chasing it at 9.40am.
Give us a chance!

Bath is pretty pricey.

Most cities have boundaries where you get a mix of the countryside and still retain access to the city. The trouble is I guess that cities tend to grow, so what was once rural can end up being swallowed by the city 20yrs later.

mungobella

It sounds like you're thinking more Midlands at this point, but have you considered Norwich? When I was last there it seemed like a lovely town, and the countryside is right there. The town seemed well-maintained and pleasant, without the crazy prices in some university towns.

Best of luck to you in your decision!

sonastin

My first thought when I started reading was pennines / peak district and it seems you've got there on your own without my help! Some of the rural south manchester areas (Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, etc) can be a bit on the expensive side, but probably not in comparison to Brighton. If you head a bit further east towards Disley, Poynton, etc its not too bad. Or further south even towards Congleton and Stoke.

At least you've managed to narrow it down to one quadrant of England now though!

elvis86

NomadAmber wrote: »

Thanks for your feedback. And someone after my own heart! You didn't happen to live in Stoke-on-trent did you? I know that area very well.

Love Manchester! We considered living there as well but I think after Brighton - city life isn't doing it for us anymore. But I do like the idea of being on the outskirts.

We're currently thinking Macclesfield/Prestbury area. Lovely part of the world. 20 minutes on the train to Manchester, less than 90 minutes to London. Peak District right there. Amenities all close by. Hmmm.. I think you've helped me loads!

I was further south in Staffordshire. Perfectly nice village and well served by Stafford/Wolverhampton/Birmingham for shopping etc, just a !!!!!! to get around!

There are some nice suburbs in South Manchester, they can be slightly pricy but I've not seen you say that this is a problem?

Transport is good and getting better. The Metrolink arrives in Didsbury very soon, which IMO gives a fantastic "London-style" service (ie trams are every 11 minutes so no rushing to catch one, you just turn up safe in the knowledge that one will be along shortly). It doesn't feel like you live in a city, but you're minutes away from one if you want it.

Personally I love having the option of heading into town for the theatre/dinner/drinks, especially on a weeknight when that kind of thing would be impossible if you lived in a very rural area. I'm reluctant to lose that, so may end up staying here after all!

InMyDreams

NomadAmber wrote: »

I don't really want to be that far north again. Sheffield is an amazing city. So is Leeds. And I love it all round there. But it's not quite for us. Thanks for the help though

No worries, but it's not as far north as Manchester. For me it's the proximity of both city centre and national park that does it.

Idiophreak

NomadAmber wrote: »

Oh we'll always rent first. Never thought about Oxford or Cambridge. Are they nice places? Vibrant? Got lots going on?

I'd advise against Oxford for you. I don't think it's "city" enough. There are a few restaurants and a couple of places to drink - but nowhere near enough to justify the tourists and the *high* property prices.

(I've lived around Oxford all my life, so don't get me wrong, I don't dislike it - but I'm not the kind of person who thinks "city" is a good thing )

If I were in your situation, I'd be thinking Cardiff to be honest. I find the people there very friendly, there's a good city centre, plenty to do and loads of options for green space. You can get to the breacons really fast...the beaches of the gower aren't much more than an hour away, either. It's got pretty good accessibility to the rest of the country. Best of all, house prices are so much lower (especially if you're happy to live 10-15 mins out of the centre), you can afford a really nice place to live, plus plenty of holidays.

NomadAmber

Thanks for all your replies so far.. We're now thinking Macclesfield - 20 mins by train to Manchester and not bad for London. I'm not especially clued up on the area so would have to do some investigating.

But also looking at Chester... Nice city with gorgeous rural areas surrounding.

Both options are near to family. What do you think?

yanda

if it was me I wouldn't be considering settling down in the UK, but instead make the most of your lack of ties to an area/children and look to live/travel abroad for a while.

I've worked via my laptop in Australia, Asia and South America and plenty of my friends are still doing it in their mid-thirties (more living in one area for 3 months or so rather than moving every couple of weeks) - it sounds like you need more of a break from work than a particular area - moving to the peak district isn't going to be worth it if you're working too much to appreciate it. Make the most of your freedom!

tyllwyd

If children are a possibility - and it seems from what you say that you'd be happy if things went that way - then I'd say that you shouldn't be in too much of a rush to settle on the other side of the country away from your family. No need to be on the doorstep if that's not what you want, but if you have the option to be within an hour or so's travel, then that's worth a lot. (We're four hours from one set of grandparents, and three hours from the other, and I do regret not managing to go and see them more often - and last-minute babysitting is definitely not an option!)