UkWinds5353

Understand! I've been looking on rightmove and must say how nice Yorkshire looks. I particularly thought the town of York was interesting.Don't know much about the place but there certainly seems to be enough points of interest to keep a person entertained.Like the idea of being not too far from the countryside. A good price point as well for a decent selection appears to be slightly around 320K sterling. I hope you find the one house that feel like home

Homeiswheretheheartis

Wow, just spent a last hour reading about your trip, amazing pics and an amazing experience.

Well done, whens the next one

sallysimmons

UKWinds, York is lovely, but too touristy for me and also a little bit too hectic. I'm more of a country girl despite having spent the last 20+ years in big cities. Or maybe that's why - too much city life! My favorite towns, if it was just up to me, are Richmond up near Northumberland (seriously must be one of the most perfectly preserved historic towns in the UK) or Pateley Bridge. But since my husband really wants fast Internet access for our business, I don't think either are really possible.

Orangepants

Super impressed - what a great trip, really enjoyed reading it..

Orangepants

Yes keep posting - I really enjoy reading about your observations and experiences. I agree the Moors are beautiful in the rain.

UkWinds5353

Based on the many homes at Rightmove, hubby and you will not have to wait long before you find a great compromise in location and house. I saw a few houses near the Moors and boy was that picturesque. Something you'd expect to see on a postcard. I also saw several nice homes in knaresborough. Was interesting!

NiHao

Sallysimmons,

Thanks so much for the wonderful update, I really appreciate the updates from people who have moved back. I'm loving your blog too, its so nice to see how happy you are.

Things were starting to line up for us but the property prices are proving to be a stumbling block. I've gone from certainty that I wanted to return to feeling very confused and not sure if will even be possible because of the cost of houses.

Its so great to be able to come here and read about BTDT experiences of those who have returned.

Homeiswheretheheartis

NiHao

What area of the UK are you wanting to move back to. House prices in the UK vary so much depending on the area.

I mentioned on another thread that my house in Lincolnshire is worth approx £145,000 and EXCACTLY same house down South is up for £325,000.

Maybe considering a different location would mean more affordable housing would be available.

NiHao

Homeiswheretheheartis,

We are lucky to have some flexibility on where we move to. My husband's job means we need to be not too far from an airport, preferably not too much more than an hour drive (or train connection would work).

I've been looking at towns and villages (don't want to live in a city) approx an hour from Birmingham, Bristol or Manchester airports (had a quick look near Edinburgh airport but it was pricey). I know Bristol a bit but Birmingham I've been to a total of twice in my life and I've never been to Manchester.

We have children so decent schools is a very high priority.

I've worn myself out looking on rightmove and then checking the maps and the school ratings on ofsted. We were living in Buckinghamshire before and really liked it there (and the proximity to London) but couldn't afford it there now and actually wouldn't want to move there as it would feel like such a backward step.

Homeiswheretheheartis

NiHao

Thats alot to consider, especially the schools, how old are your children?

I know the north better as I'm from the North West and have family that live in Chorley and Manchester.

I do know that Manchester Airport is easy to get to from the M56 and it takes about 45mins from Chorley. There are lots of nice towns around that area that aren't as expensive as Manchester itself.

I understand how hard it is regarding schools, we chose a school here in the US before we arrived. It was a private one, but when we arrived we weren't impressed and chose the local school instead. If you read on paper the private school would be the better choice, but the local has been better for my kids.

Good luck with your search.

Mummy in the foothills

You could even be on the Wales side of the border and still be an hour from Manchester airport (or less)

J.JsOH

Depending on what flights to where is needed by your husband then proximity to Stansted, especially to the North in East Anglia (Norfolk / Suffolk, Cambridgeshire), may be of interest to you. Trains run through Cambridge / Ely from Birmingham to Stansted, with Ely connections to Norwich-London line and there are good road links from East Anglia to Stansted.

NiHao

MITFH & J.JsOH,

Thank you both for the suggestions, much appreciated.

I did look at Wales but the houses that I liked/could afford seemed to all be in areas that were a bit too isolated for us and the schools in those areas didn't have good ratings.

J.JsOH, I forgot to mention Stansted but yes that is another area I've been looking at and some parts are more affordable. I've been trying to get the train routes figured out so good to know about Ely.

I think bottom line the less expensive areas in the UK are still a lot more expensive than where we are living in the US.

Thanks again to you both and also to Homeiswheretheheartis

asprilla

Nice one sally !! really enjoyed your update.

Zen10

Some fantastic pictures on your blog by the way!