ramot Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 About as realistic as WDU Why is it that you post something and some one jumps on it?? I never said it was realistic, but if you haven't lived in UK for a while it does remind you of the countryside in different areas, and it can be a bit of an eye opener of house prices in UK. No one with any sense takes these programs very seriously, but as we haven't lived in UK properly for over 20 years, we sadly enjoy seeing different parts of UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) Marisa irrespective of anything I said about Bristol, we rented in Clifton on one visit and loved it. there was a buzz there, lots of cafés and little shops, and we didn't feel it was very studenty. You could walk to the bridge, and there are plenty of green spaces around. we were there for the hot air ballon festival, and it was quite a sight seeing them over the bridge area. we will be there probably in Aug/Sept, so if there is anything we can do to help you if you haven't moved by then, please ask, as this is what PIO is all about, or should be. Edited January 9, 2015 by ramot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I don't think lady rainicorn meant it in a bad way Ramot. Just that they are both designed to show the best. I've liked watching them both in the past, just for a nosey. Some nice areas especially on escape to the country. Marisawright - I think someone suggested oxford. I think that's probably a good one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Sorry feeling grumpy this morning, blame old age and staying up very very late to watch the Hopman cup tennis. No offence meant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 No don't worry I didn't mean it to sound like I thought you were being grumpy - I don't! I just mean they are both of those kind of programs that make you think "ahh I wish I was there" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Why is it that you post something and some one jumps on it??I never said it was realistic, but if you haven't lived in UK for a while it does remind you of the countryside in different areas, and it can be a bit of an eye opener of house prices in UK. No one with any sense takes these programs very seriously, but as we haven't lived in UK properly for over 20 years, we sadly enjoy seeing different parts of UK. Did you miss the ? No offence intended, I love watching Escape to the Country too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Escape to the Country had a friend of mines house on it. It was actually in the village we lived in, so obviously true to life. However it was a £600,000 barn conversion and not the £160,000 semi we left behind :laugh: However it did show the village and one of our local pubs. Quite surreal really sat in my family room in a small suburb one hour from Perth watching our little village 30 mins from Bristol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 9, 2015 Author Share Posted January 9, 2015 Marisa irrespective of anything I said about Bristol, we rented in Clifton on one visit and loved it.there was a buzz there, lots of cafés and little shops, and we didn't feel it was very studenty. You could walk to the bridge, and there are plenty of green spaces around. we will be there probably in Aug/Sept, so if there is anything we can do to help you if you haven't moved by then, please ask, as this is what PIO is all about, or should be. Thank you! I guess your comment made me think about cities in general. I agree about the working class vs middle class thing, but I also think that the bigger the city, the more people keep to themselves. I've been looking at Bristol because it's big - but that probably also makes it a place where people may be less friendly. I'm thinking maybe I should consider Oxford or Cambridge, both smaller but big enough to have all the facilities and entertainment I'm looking for (I think). Or maybe I just go for Bath and commute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 This thread has been on my mind and I even had a UK map out thinking about it. Bristol does look rather idea for you, not least because Easyjet fly to a lot of destinations from Bristol airport and you mentioned easy access to the mainland. I live 20 mins from a small airport (Edinburgh) and the convenience is fantastic. Otherwise I'd suggest talking to @fizzybangs about Devon, she's back in Australia at the moment but still plans to retire to Devon I believe. Bath is gorgeous too though or what about Salisbury? When are you moving back, I'm thinking holidaying in the South West in July - not been since we originally moved to Scotland in 2002. Scotland is home now but back then I'd have definitely chosen the SW if work wasn't a consideration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 When are you moving back, I'm thinking holidaying in the South West in July - not been since we originally moved to Scotland in 2002. Scotland is home now but back then I'd have definitely chosen the SW if work wasn't a consideration. My OH has his biometrics interview on Monday so it depends when the approval comes through. They say 60 days officially, but I haven't been able to find any real-life experiences to tell me how long it really takes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 OK so we've finally resolved all the financial issues (I think) and now just waiting for my oh's spouse visa to come through. The next big decision is - where to live? I have family in Exeter and Windsor, and we'd like to take advantage of cheap deals to the continent, so south of England is the obvious choice, but other than that we have no links to anywhere in particular. I have no interest in going back to my home town in far north Scotland. I had set my sights on Bristol, but recently I saw a post from Ramot saying people are stand-offish, so now I'm wondering. We do ballroom dancing and I belly dance, so we were thinking we'd need to go to a city where there would be plenty of classes, but maybe a slightly smaller place would be friendlier? Any suggestoins anyone? Marisa....i work and travel all over England .....in my humble opinion .....forget any cities or urban areas......forget the s.e to crowded and expensive......for me iy would be somewhere in Devon...north yorks...northumberland ...and in the midlands,outside of the cities there are hundreds of fantastic little towns and villages....great schools....village pub...great amenities,some within a stones throe of the motorway network ......parts of Warwickshire and Worcestershire are beautiful.....greenery,scenery,shopping,history and culture....its just finding somewhere to suit .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julinoz Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I have lived in both Bristol and Exeter and am from the North of England. People are less friendly in the South and take longer to get to know, although once you have been there a while they are the same as anywhere else. Personally I preferred Exeter, its smaller and Exmouth is close by. The weather in Bristol - I don't have good memories of, it seemed to be drizzling nearly every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshsharon Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 What about South Wales. Chepstow is just over the Severn bridge from Bristol. A lovely town on the banks of the river wye with lots of cultural activities going on in the community. Easy access to motorways m4, m5 and close to regional airports cardiff and Bristol. I'm selling a 3 bed semi if you interested lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Marisa....i work and travel all over England .....in my humble opinion .....forget any cities or urban areas......forget the s.e to crowded and expensive......for me iy would be somewhere in Devon...north yorks...northumberland...and in the midlands,outside of the cities there are hundreds of fantastic little towns and villages....great schools....village pub...great amenities,some within a stones throe of the motorway network ......parts of Warwickshire and Worcestershire are beautiful.....greenery,scenery,shopping,history and culture....its just finding somewhere to suit .... I agree. We moved here from Leicestershire and even though I am not originally from there, it is where I would want to go back to if we did move back. The reasons being: There are loads of great little town and villages to chose from Great countryside Not too expensive for housing Being in the middle means travel to different places is easy - Notts - half an hour, Birmingham - 40 mins, London just over an hour and lot more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 (edited) I agree.We moved here from Leicestershire and even though I am not originally from there, it is where I would want to go back to if we did move back. The reasons being: There are loads of great little town and villages to chose from Being in the middle means travel to different places is easy - Notts - half an hour, Birmingham - 40 mins, London just over an hour and lot more. It's funny, we all think of Australia as the place where people are willing to drive long distances every day, but I'm beginning to think the English travel more. The reason I'm looking at cities is that I'm used to being out at dance classes and social dancing two or three nights a week, for most of the year. I'm a nervous driver so if I have to get on a motorway or open country road in the pouring rain on a dark winter's night, I probably won't go. So a village, unless it happens to have a belly dance school and a ballroom dancing school, is not going to work for me! In fact, even a town with just one of each probably isn't enough - the choice of dance teacher is a very personal thing and there's no guarantee the style or level would suit me. Edited January 11, 2015 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Maybe one of the bigger market towns such as Melton Mowbray - big enough to probably have a choice, small enough to have a nice feel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Maybe one of the bigger market towns such as Melton Mowbray - big enough to probably have a choice, small enough to have a nice feel I'm curious, are big cities in the UK really so awful? Having been in Australia such a long time, I'm used to the vast majority of people living in large (1 million+) cities and for me, living in a city that size has obvious advantages in terms of facilities, activities, health care, culture etc. However I notice that when I ask any Brit about where to live in the UK, there is never one suggestion of a place bigger than 200,000 people ( and mostly a lot smaller). What is it about these smaller places that's so great? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I'm curious, are big cities in the UK really so awful? Having been in Australia such a long time, I'm used to the vast majority of people living in large (1 million+) cities and for me, living in a city that size has obvious advantages in terms of facilities, activities, health care, culture etc. However I notice that when I ask any Brit about where to live in the UK, there is never one suggestion of a place bigger than 200,000 people ( and mostly a lot smaller). What is it about these smaller places that's so great? You'll be fine in most cities Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 What about South Wales. Chepstow is just over the Severn bridge from Bristol. A lovely town on the banks of the river wye with lots of cultural activities going on in the community. Easy access to motorways m4, m5 and close to regional airports cardiff and Bristol. I'm selling a 3 bed semi if you interested lol. i will vouch for that sharon ....i have had the pleasure of driving from virtually the top of wales ( llanberis ) to chepstow in the south , on a gloriously sunny day , in the snow .....117 miles ....4 and a half hours .....and yes wales takes some beating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 OK so we've finally resolved all the financial issues (I think) and now just waiting for my oh's spouse visa to come through. The next big decision is - where to live? I have family in Exeter and Windsor, and we'd like to take advantage of cheap deals to the continent, so south of England is the obvious choice, but other than that we have no links to anywhere in particular. I have no interest in going back to my home town in far north Scotland. I had set my sights on Bristol, but recently I saw a post from Ramot saying people are stand-offish, so now I'm wondering. We do ballroom dancing and I belly dance, so we were thinking we'd need to go to a city where there would be plenty of classes, but maybe a slightly smaller place would be friendlier? Any suggestoins anyone? Taking everything into account ....i love Devon , north yorks , northumberland , most of wales and scotland . For ease of travel ......standard of schools ...hospitals ....proximity to history , architecture ....the places where people from all over the world travel to see .....IT HAS TO BE SOLIHULL ......close to stratford , warwick and worcester ( worcestershire is also a good shout ) ......as couples we often catch the train and have an afternoon out , in one of these places ......quality pubs ...cafes and shopping Its nice to stand in a pub built in the 15th century only a half hour train ride from home , and all the history that goes with it .....5 mins from the M42 and access to the M6 and M40 to london ...and the M5 to the south west ........at least 10 fantastic golf courses including the belfry .......6 football clubs within an hour ....train to london in 2 hours .......wherever i have been ,iam always happy when i see our little town centre ......people are generally happy to live here ....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) I've never lived in a city, but have worked in Liverpool for the last 3 years. There are some nice pockets, nice areas. Some great parks, loads of history, a big arts and music scene, lots of cultural events and it's on the up. Plus with a population of just under 1 million, it's not too big. you can get about (most of the city can be walked from one wise to the other in around 20 minutes). I'm not pushing it, but there seems to be loads going on. Then if you do want to escape, you can be in north wales in no time at all. regular trains also to Chester are cheap. It's 40 mins away. Rail links to London in under 2 hours. Liverpool airport and Manchester airport close by. Or ferries to Ireland. Edited January 13, 2015 by Captain Roberto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Australian cities and UK cities are very different - suburbs of Perth and Melbourne are like towns in the UK but in Australia they are one big conurbation. The whole of the Central Belt of Scotland from Glasgow to Edinburgh is smaller than Perth metropolitan area. In Australia most people don't live in Perth or in Sydney or wherever they live in a suburb of that city. Obviously places like Manchester and Bristol do have suburbs but not 40km from the City Centre. A lot of UK City living is either expensive or high density therefore many people choose to live in smaller towns. I live in a village between two towns and 20 miles from Edinburgh. Its a balance of affordability, desirability and convenience. I'd be more than happy to live in Edinburgh but I can't afford the desirable areas and would not want to live in the kind of property I can - either a flat or an undesirable area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) Australian cities and UK cities are very different ... In Australia most people don't live in Perth or in Sydney or wherever they live in a suburb of that city. Ah, but that's the difference, I'm not a suburbanite. I lived in an outlying suburb for a few years, but otherwise I've always lived within 10km of Sydney CBD. When I lived in the UK, I always lived in the inner city suburbs - Notting Hill in London, the New Town in Edinburgh, St Paul's in Bristol. When I got a job in Stirling I started out living in a "picturesque" village in the Ochil Hills, and I couldn't wait to find a flat in the centre of town! Edited January 13, 2015 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Stratford area, cotswold are are only 50 miles from Bristol........stunning places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Ah, but that's the difference, I'm not a suburbanite. I lived in an outlying suburb for a few years, but otherwise I've always lived within 10km of Sydney CBD. When I lived in the UK, I always lived in the inner city suburbs - Notting Hill in London, the New Town in Edinburgh, St Paul's in Bristol. When I got a job in Stirling I started out living in a "picturesque" village in the Ochil Hills, and I couldn't wait to find a flat in the centre of town! i can see the Ochils from my house if you can afford to live in a desirable part of a city, as you obviously did with Notting Hill and the New Town (I don't know Bristol) then that's great, I hate suburbia with a passion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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