Relocating to Wales

oldposter

I am a regular poster here but wanted to keep this thread separate from my other posts to avoid any links at this early stage. I also wasn't sure which board to post this on, so I started here, as it is mainly to do with property at the moment.

Myself and OH currently live in the North West but are considering relocating to Wales. It is somewhere that we have visited many times an we love it (particularly North and Mid Wales), however we are pretty clueless on the good / bad areas, which is where you good people come in.

We will both need to secure new jobs, so can't be too far out in the sticks. But at the same time we love the tranquility of the Welsh countryside and would love to be somewhere a bit quieter and be part of a local community.

We would be looking to rent to begin with and are particularly interested to find out if there are any areas that we should try to avoid? And of course, being an MSE'er, budget is pretty tight!

Ozzuk

You really need to narrow it down and figure out what is important to you. I.e. close to beach, inland, shops, people, language, travel times back 'home'. There are good and bad bits of every area.

If I was looking to retire, I'd consider West Wales, tends to be less busy than South, has some amazing towns and villages. Best thing, get a camper van and go exploring!

Just realised I totally missed the part about you needing jobs - West Wales not a great area for that. But again, it just raises more questions, what kind of work are you looking for etc? You'll have more luck finding work South Wales, cardiff-swansea area. Any further west and you'll hit language issues.

3mph

The majority of the population and therefore jobs live along the coastal strip from Swansea to Newport. Housing costs vary enormously, as with many places. From extremely cheap up in the Valleys to very expensive in the sort after areas of Cardiff, Swansea, Newport etc. Brecon Beacons have stunning countryside and equally some amazing coastal areas. Gower combines both but you would be limited by journey to working in Swansea or west of Cardiff.

No idea what North Wales is like for jobs.

silvercar

Not much welsh spoken in South Wales, would be an issue in the north, particularly north-west Wales.

rydw yn hoffi coffi

ChasingtheWelshdream

Hello.

We moved from Essex to mid Wales 3 weeks ago, with little prior knowledge of the area. We chose it for financial reasons (paying off our mortgage and stopping 'working to live'.) :j

We are in Llandrindod Wells, which is the county town of mid Powys. It is a small town (5000ish), but large by Powys standards. We chose here as there are a selection of primary schools, secondary, supermarkets etc. Also, County Hall and Welsh Government offices. However, we are in countryside within 5 minutes walk, so the best of both worlds at our point in life.

This particular town can look a bit run down compared to the villages, but has everything we need and you get a lot for your money compared to a couple of nearby villages. (5 bed Edwardian house, with change after paying off our mortgage).

I have work in Newtown, 40 minutes drive north. That seems much busier, but not as picturesque and we felt 'just another town'. Buillth Wells and Rhayader are lovely, but quite touristy and more expensive.

Work wise, with our reduced outgoings, we don't require as much income. We were warned there was little work here, but I successfully interviewed for two positions with the County Council. They are casual hours, but suit our intended lifestyle well. Hubby works from home, and I intend to set up a home-based business. I think there is work around if you look for it, but be prepared to travel if living in a village.

We have spent the last couple of weeks exploring and the nearby hills are stunning - Radnor & Elan Valley are fantastic and only short drives away.

The one thing we have noticed is how much more planning we need to do. For instance, we need to buy a dishwasher and in Essex could reach half a dozen retail parks within 30 minutes. Here, you'd have to drive for a good hour to find suitable shops. It's not an issue for us, but worth considering how much change it would be for you.

Also, I don't know if you are planing children? If so, some areas (Ceredigion, Gwynnedd) have mostly Welsh medium schools, which is something to think about. Bi-lingualism is strongly encouraged in schools, so you may want to learn some Welsh yourself. In contrast, although we are keen to learn Welsh, this area has few Welsh speakers so we are struggling to find suitable courses. Our children attend the dual-stream school so will have lessons in both.

After my ramblings, I would say that this is a lovely area and you are best off doing lots of research and visiting. Don't pay too much attention to 'good' and 'bad' areas without visiting and forming your own opinion. Although early days, this is the best move we've made.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on! :beer:

Placitasgirl

I would imagine that sourcing jobs would be key if you will need them to sustain your new home and lifestyle in wonderful Wales.

What do you each do? Do you work in a "general" field of employment where your skills and experience are easily transferable and in demand (retail/admin for example) or is is a fairly specialised profession where you'd have less opportunity to gain employment?

Your post if very general, clearly as you're just starting out on exploring the possibilities, but an idea of the type/size of property and budget you have available will play a role in where you could afford to look/live and it's not really possible to tell you which are "good" and "bad" areas as although we're a small country there's a still a fair area to consider even in Mid/North Wales alone.

I am of course biased, having been born and bred but I understand your feelings as I fell back in love with Wales after spending five years in the US. However, we may have the "green, green grass of home" as Tom Jones would say, but it's also true that "the grass isn't always greener on the other side" so to speak.

I wish you well with your planning and research, and as prospective adopted Welshes, Happy St Davids Day!

Lord_Baltimore

silvercar wrote: »

Not much welsh spoken in South Wales, would be an issue in the north, particularly north-west Wales.

rydw yn hoffi coffi

That's rydw i'n hoffi coffi young man, but I like your style

Don't worry about the language, English is widely understood in Wales . It's the sheep that won't speak to you.

WibblyGirly

I'm moving to Wales later this year, though we already know the town we'll be moving to. I plan for us to go down for a night or 2 to view houses in a few areas and get a feel for the local area and see what we like best.

Tiners

I moved to North Wales from the North West a couple of years back, bit disappointed at just how busy the coast and country is with tourists and day visitors to be honest, the places I used to go in the Peak District were far quieter.

ChasingtheWelshdream

One other thing to think about. We considered getting a very small mortgage to take us into the 'next level' of housing (only £30k). We had enough income through other means to meet payments easily, but the mortgage company wouldn't consider it without proof of permanent employment.

I did think about staying with family in Essex for a couple of months and travelling up at weekends to secure the mortgage, but the mortgage company would only allow this if I proved commitment to the job by renting back in Essex.

So if you need a mortgage, you may well need to secure work first.

StaffieTerrier

I relocated to South Wales. I live in the Valleys and commute to Cardiff for work. As others have said it's best to see what jobs are available before committing to an area. I'm limited to South Wales for the type of job I have.

I do love living in Wales. I can see fields from my house yet I'm only 20 minute drive to a capital city and to the coast. It's like being on permanent holiday