Aunt Agatha Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (Moved because I posted this in the wrong section). Hello again, I've been absent for a few weeks as we have been packing - we leave Australia in two weeks and four days! DH has landed a job where he will be working from home when not on client sites. The clients are currently in the SW of England, Cumbria and London as well as Europe and the UAE. The advice of his boss was to live within half an hour of an airport and somewhere with good road links. He advised that rail links weren't important as rail travel is too expensive. Add to this criteria our need to be near a good primary school, with ease of travel to our parents in Tyneside and Cheshire (we were initially set on driving and train travel but realised Bristol to Newcastle is only an hour on the plane for example so it opens up air travel too). We had decided on York/Harrogate/Knaresborough for it's good geographical placement between our families and because they are such lovely locations. We also want to "future proof" DH so that if this job doesn't work out we'll be living within commuting distance of a city for work and know that Leeds is good for what he does. BUT York is looking very expensive in terms if housing and the same goes for Harrogate. Plus York is a longer commute to Leeds-Bradford Airport than is ideal. I love Northumberland and of course it's great for my family, okay for DH's family if we live west of Newcastle and it's good for Newcastle airport too but it's so far from everywhere else! I wonder if we'll feel a bit hemmed in and I also wonder if it might be better to go somewhere completely new so there is no sense of "returning" to anything. I'm looking for some ideas of places that might fit the above criteria please? I know nothing about Lincolnshire, Warwickshire or Derbyshire for example. We want to avoid the SE due to house prices though I have always quite fancied Kent. Although we will do some daytrips when we get back, we need to move quite quickly to get our daughter on the waiting list for a school (we will miss the application deadline) so narrowing it down before we go would be REALLY helpful. Apologies for the essay, I have been holding this stuff in while I focussed on the practical but really need to address it now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt Agatha Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 @bunbury61 I'd love your input if you're around please as I know you travel a fair bit with work and have a good sense of the different regions. Also @Marisawright - did you decide anything about where you might relocate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 @bunbury61 I'd love your input if you're around please as I know you travel a fair bit with work and have a good sense of the different regions. Also @Marisawright - did you decide anything about where you might relocate? I've been asking for ideas myself, so still deciding. Bristol is still a front runner for me, but if you think York is expensive then I suspect Bristol will be too dear too. My niece lives in Exeter and is in the same boat as your husband - she's the Chief Financial Officer of a large European firm, works from home some of the time and travels to their European branches on a weekly basis. She chose Exeter because Bristol has frequent flights to all the cities she usually needs, and London isn't that far on the odd occasion she needs to go there for meetings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt Agatha Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Actually I've found Bristol to be cheaper than the areas we are looking at in York. Bristol appeals for its proximity to Bath, Somerset and airport plus it's a pretty cool city in its own right from what I've read. Currently looking (AGAIN) at Northumberland... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I moved to South Nottinghamshire 3 years ago and it is beautiful. I had previously lived in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Yorkshire and West London. I think South Nottingham has it all, close to East Mids Airport, 20 mins from the M1, A close drive to Derbyshire, The Peak District, Loughbourough and Leicester. 10 mins drive to Nottingham City yet once you cross the river to the South of Nottingham you feel a million miles away from the city and surrounded by cute villages with character and community. The schools are fantastic and the people are friendly. Beautiful country parks and some amazing schools. If we hadn't planned to migrate 7 years ago we would have been happy to stay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 @bunbury61 I'd love your input if you're around please as I know you travel a fair bit with work and have a good sense of the different regions. Also @Marisawright - did you decide anything about where you might relocate? AA there are so many beautiful little pockets .......on the coast you could go for Devon , pembrokeshire or northumberland ....but there are literally thousands of little pockets .......i dont like cities, especially living in them , i dont even like going into Brum anymore ..... If i had to pick a city it would be Newcastle or liverpool ....if it was for the friendliness of the people ,it would be these 2 , plus my favourite people , the black country . inland , again there are hundreds of little towns and villages , that have or are close to everything ......i mean i love solihull , but there are hundreds of places like solihull dotted all over this country ...... i drive through a village " this is nice " .....5 minutes later another ...............i like water , not necessarily the sea , and warwickshire has loads of waterways with pubs on them , and the scenery to go with it .......as a very small county , warwickshire takes some beating.....but so does worcestershire ....and parts of staffordshire .....oh and herefordshire ....and iam sure posters from all over these islands could say the same about there area . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I moved to South Nottinghamshire 3 years ago and it is beautiful. I had previously lived in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Yorkshire and West London. I think South Nottingham has it all, close to East Mids Airport, 20 mins from the M1, A close drive to Derbyshire, The Peak District, Loughbourough and Leicester. 10 mins drive to Nottingham City yet once you cross the river to the South of Nottingham you feel a million miles away from the city and surrounded by cute villages with character and community. The schools are fantastic and the people are friendly. Beautiful country parks and some amazing schools. If we hadn't planned to migrate 7 years ago we would have been happy to stay! agreed jac ...nottingham is my favourite midlands city ......especially the area around the cricket and football grounds ....and some of the outer suburbs drifting into rural are very nice indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 agreed jac ...nottingham is my favourite midlands city ......especially the area around the cricket and football grounds ....and some of the outer suburbs drifting into rural are very nice indeed I am in Ruddington, well I have been since Feb and it is absolutely lovely. And I think house prices are great. Other villages nearby are Bingham, Cotgrave and Cropwell Bishop. All loveley historical villages with really great communities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) I am in Ruddington, well I have been since Feb and it is absolutely lovely. And I think house prices are great. Other villages nearby are Bingham, Cotgrave and Cropwell Bishop. All loveley historical villages with really great communities. You've missed Keyworth me duck!!!!!!!!? OK not very historical but a great community with lots going on. said in jest from one ex Notts person. Edited January 12, 2015 by ramot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maisiedaisy Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I have the solution....... you could buy my house that's up for sale and come and live in Lincolnshire :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 You already know what I think Aunt Agatha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 My sis lived in Yarm near Stockton on Tees - now moved to another rural location, and she has a good life in that area with close proximity to Newcastle for flights. She does whinge about the weather though as she is originally a southern softie but the countryside near her is wonderful, and shopping, travel very easy. I am very biased towards York as I lived there and loved it. TBH I'd be tempted by Bristol area in your shoes as best for travel options and close proximity to Gower, Devon, all those lovely places - plus it is a bit warmer. So many choices in the UK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt Agatha Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Thanks so much everyone! You already know what I think Aunt Agatha I do LR and it's very tempting! @jac2011 Nottingham/shire is one of those cities/counties I know nothing about so I am now plugging it into Rightmove and seeing what comes up - it certainly sounds great, thank you for the suggestion! @bunbury61 that's part of the problem in a way, so many lovely places to choose from the choice is making my head spin. I've only ever been to Liverpool on a day trip but am from Newcastle so absolutely concur re the friendliness of the natives. Warwickshire is somewhere that has always appealed though DH has always ruled out the midlands based on a trip to visit a mate at Uni in Coventry in 1993!! I am going to have to take him down there and show him the error of his ways. @maisiedaisy good plan but we'll be renting for a year or two before buying I'm afraid! Actually I fibbed when I said I know nothing about Lincolnshire, my sister lived there for a couple of years (her husband was in the RAF) and I visited a couple of times but it was a LONG time ago so I only really remember her village and a steep walk up the hill in Lincoln! @Chortlepuss Yarm is absolutely lovely though I'm not a fan of the rest of Teesside/Middlesbrough I'll be honest. I LOVE York but can't see how it's going to work now proximity to an airport is a factor. It's a 54 min drive to Leeds-Bradford airport according to Google maps and I can see how that would get old really quickly if DH is doing it often, especially if he has an early morning departure or late night arrival. We'll still check it out but I think I might have to relinquish that particular dream. I have never been to Bristol (Bath and rural Somerset is the closest I have got) but I have always had the sense that it and me/us would be a good fit. It seems a bit crazy to think of moving somewhere we have never even spent a day but then of course we moved to Australia having never set foot in the country so there is precedence! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 You've missed Keyworth me duck!!!!!!!!?OK not very historical but a great community with lots going on. said in jest from one ex Notts person. I lived in Keyworth for 3 years and moved to Ruddington. It is nice but I find it too quiet. Not much to do locally and everyone keeps themselves to themselves. I think so much more could be done. The schools are fantastic (well 2/3) but there isnt much for children to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I lived in Keyworth for 3 years and moved to Ruddington. It is nice but I find it too quiet. Not much to do locally and everyone keeps themselves to themselves. I think so much more could be done. The schools are fantastic (well 2/3) but there isnt much for children to do. I will probably be there sometime August/sep. Before you fly out. if you want to catch up while I'm there let me know. we have lived on the Sunshine Coast for 12 years. we lived in Keyworth for 11 years, sounds as though it has changed since we were there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Thanks so much everyone! I do LR and it's very tempting! @jac2011 Nottingham/shire is one of those cities/counties I know nothing about so I am now plugging it into Rightmove and seeing what comes up - it certainly sounds great, thank you for the suggestion! @bunbury61 that's part of the problem in a way, so many lovely places to choose from the choice is making my head spin. I've only ever been to Liverpool on a day trip but am from Newcastle so absolutely concur re the friendliness of the natives. Warwickshire is somewhere that has always appealed though DH has always ruled out the midlands based on a trip to visit a mate at Uni in Coventry in 1993!! I am going to have to take him down there and show him the error of his ways. @maisiedaisy good plan but we'll be renting for a year or two before buying I'm afraid! Actually I fibbed when I said I know nothing about Lincolnshire, my sister lived there for a couple of years (her husband was in the RAF) and I visited a couple of times but it was a LONG time ago so I only really remember her village and a steep walk up the hill in Lincoln! @Chortlepuss Yarm is absolutely lovely though I'm not a fan of the rest of Teesside/Middlesbrough I'll be honest. I LOVE York but can't see how it's going to work now proximity to an airport is a factor. It's a 54 min drive to Leeds-Bradford airport according to Google maps and I can see how that would get old really quickly if DH is doing it often, especially if he has an early morning departure or late night arrival. We'll still check it out but I think I might have to relinquish that particular dream. I have never been to Bristol (Bath and rural Somerset is the closest I have got) but I have always had the sense that it and me/us would be a good fit. It seems a bit crazy to think of moving somewhere we have never even spent a day but then of course we moved to Australia having never set foot in the country so there is precedence! I'm from Middlesbrough and I'd concur, Yarm is lovely, although not without it's problems but Middlesbrough as your nearest town - no thanks (sorry mum and dad!) I know I've said it before but you could easily live within 30 mins of Edinburgh airport, in a nice area and get a 4-bed detached house for under £200k. Edinburgh is a very 'easy' airport but you can fly to an awful lot of destinations from there with FlyBe, EasyJet, BA, Virgin, Turkish Airlines and probably lots more - short and long haul. You're a short drive from Northumberland and should a new job be needed then both Edinburgh and Glasgow have heaps of IT - it's why we moved here originally in 2002. And I have a 3-bed house you could rent, available in March LOL It is colder than the South - Scotland is considered 'Cool Temperate' rather than 'Temperate' but it's hardly extreme - okay today it was 1 degree and snowed but that's wonderful in it's own way I am Scotland's biggest fan so I am probably blinded to it's faults but this is my 9th year living here (7 before Australia!) so I do know it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt Agatha Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) LR both DH and I love Edinburgh and his brother lives in Glasgow so we know Scotland has many charms. I think part of what holds me back is being a "foreigner" again and dealing with anti-English sentiment - not that we experienced anti-English attitude here - but I suppose I am worried about not "belonging" in Scotland. That's a bit of a weird one for me as I have never worried about belonging before and have always felt at home wherever I have lived, but as I get older there is something in me that resists starting completely from scratch. DH has expressed some concerns over the weather - doesn't bother me much since I grew up amidst icy North Sea blasts! So @Lady Rainicorn, if I was to search on Rightmove for a property close to Edinburgh with good schools, nice shops and cafes and good housing stock, what areas would I look at? Edited January 16, 2015 by Aunt Agatha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 So @Lady Rainicorn, if I was to search on Rightmove for a property close to Edinburgh with good schools, nice shops and cafes and good housing stock, what areas would I look at? I just posted on another thread that you could look at Stirling. It's a university town and a lot of the staff are not Scottish, so that dilutes the mix a bit! About equidistant to Glasgow and Edinburgh so easy to visit your family and both airports too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt Agatha Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 Thanks Marisa. I'm not sure Scotland is a real option, it makes sense on paper but I'm feeling reluctant to move to another "foreign"" country - I've lived in a few and pat of me just want to go back to England. Then again, I'm not a home bird so who knows what's going on?! I will check out Stirling, thank you. If we did decide on Scotland we'd want to be within 30-40 mins of Edinburgh for work and city life opportunities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakeboard1980 Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Have you thought of living somewhere in cheshire? I know you have said you have family there..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Hi, apologies, I didn't see this. Stirling is a lovely place but I would say it is a fit far from Edinburgh for an early morning flight - probably about an hours drive and that's in good conditions. If I could live anywhere my choice would be Linlithgow, you'd be about 20 mins drive from Edinburgh airport and about the same into the city by train (driving into the city would take 30-40 mins depending on the conditions) Linlithgow Academy is one of the top performing schools in the country and all the Primary Schools are good. Have a google yourself about Linlithgow, it epitomises a perfect country town to me and there are loads of community events. We live 6 miles away and join in everything, I get my haircut there etc. If we lived there though it would be in a 4-bed and that's not enough for us. You could search West Lothian in general - it would all be handy for Edinburgh and the airport but schools vary according to the area. We live in Brightons - one of the villages in an area called the Braes in Falkirk district which also includes Polmont, Redding, Rumford. The primary schools here are good and the high school isn't bad but only average. All my friends children will be going there next year and no-one is worried and the children can't wait. To be honest I pretty much dismiss league tables, the Braes high school takes in children from a wide demographic. I understand what you are saying about belonging but giggling a little that Scotland is a foreign country. I would honestly say that I felt much more like I was living in a foreign country in Kent and Essex as a Northerner than I have ever felt in Scotland. I have experienced very little 'anti-English' sentiment and far less than the 'anti-Northern' sentiment in the South, although that might be more to do with my attitude. There are are tiny pockets of Sectarianism - you wouldn't be looking at living in those areas anyway. If in doubt avoid anywhere Union flags are flown! If you want to PM me with an idea of your budget and type of place you're looking for I can pick some possibles off Right Move for you. Equally if you want to chat some more about the culture and what it's like being English in Scotland happy to PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt Agatha Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Have you thought of living somewhere in cheshire? I know you have said you have family there..... This sounds awful but we don't want to be TOO close to aforementioned family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt Agatha Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks @Lady Rainicorn. I don't actually think of Scotland as a foreign country - hence the "" :-) I was just trying to voice that moving somewhere that isn't England is giving us pause (DH moreso than me). Being brought up on Tyneside I have always felt an affinity with Scotland and my Dad often commented that we had more in common with Glaswegians than Londoners! You make a good point about an early morning flight - I hadn't thought of that aspect of the journey. Thanks so much for all that info, it's really helpful and Linlithgow sounds like somewhere we would love. We are part of a really nice community here and I'd like to do that again in the UK. We would have happily moved to/near Edinburgh if DH had been offered a job there so I'm not sure what's holding us back now that we have the freedom to live anywhere. I'll send you a PM, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 (edited) Thanks @Lady Rainicorn. I don't actually think of Scotland as a foreign country - hence the "" :-) I was just trying to voice that moving somewhere that isn't England is giving us pause (DH moreso than me). Being brought up on Tyneside I have always felt an affinity with Scotland and my Dad often commented that we had more in common with Glaswegians than Londoners! You make a good point about an early morning flight - I hadn't thought of that aspect of the journey. Thanks so much for all that info, it's really helpful and Linlithgow sounds like somewhere we would love. We are part of a really nice community here and I'd like to do that again in the UK. We would have happily moved to/near Edinburgh if DH had been offered a job there so I'm not sure what's holding us back now that we have the freedom to live anywhere. I'll send you a PM, thanks. Replied to your PM before I saw this - I think me and your dad would have got on I only thought about the early morning flight because I do it! A small nearby airport with onsite parking makes it bearable, I wouldn't like to do it from Stirling. I would be very jealous if you did move to Linlithgow and I should correct a mistake I made above, I meant we couldn't afford a 4-bed there and that's what we wanted. As school catchment area didn't matter to us we chose to live in a village outside. Edited January 21, 2015 by Lady Rainicorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine2012 Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Hey how are u going back in the uk hope it's all working out for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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