Originally Posted by Sally Redux

People gut them, extend out the back and into the roofspace - that's what they were trying to persuade us to do and there does seem to be a nice community feel around there.

Originally Posted by dunroving

I need to take a scoping trip round there, maybe in the summer. Like many cities, it seems (not sure if my perception is correct) like you can walk a couple of streets and go from "pretty rough" to "nouveau chic".

I will likely live outside Brum when I retire but have not completely closed my mind to the possibility of living in the city. Over the years I have revisited Birmingham and driven around Selly Park (where I lived from 3-11 yrs of age), Stirchley (where I went to infants school), Northfield (where I went to primary school), Bournville (where I went to secondary school) and Kings Norton (where my uncle lives).

There is quite a lot of variation between some of these places. My uncle lives next to the railway in Kings Norton and complains of the local neds hanging around the local corner and making noise, throwing rubbish into his garden.

I suppose that's something that applies to everyone trying to figure out where to live in the UK - in many areas of the country there are bad and good within a stone's throw of each other.

Originally Posted by Bnet36

OP we are pretty much looking at the same areas. From my research Oxford is the most expensive although it gets cheaper as you venture further away from the city centre.

Cambridge is lovely I lived there for 5 years. Chelmsford is alright. Stevenage is great for London commuting but had become expensive when we left, that was our train route.

Originally Posted by Sally Redux

We were talking to someone who's moved here (Birmingham) from Oxford, and he said it's much sunnier there.

Originally Posted by christmasoompa

It's just really grotty, run down and not industrial. Not a nice town at all imo, and you certainly don't need to go to such a big town to get the things you've mentioned - we have all of the above in my tiny village! 3 pubs and 2 cafes in fact, plus high speed broadband.

I should caveat this by saying that I'm not a town kind of girl, so I'd never choose to live in a town or city anyway, and would always go with the countryside. But if I were to choose a city/town, then some of your other choices (Oxford, Cambridge) would come far above Reading for me. I lived in Oxford as a student and it's a fantastic place.

If you want the Reading area but not a village, then I'd look at somewhere like Wokingham or Twyford. Great train links in to London (high speed train from Twyford to Paddington, 25 minutes, my husband gets it), amazing schools for your primary school child (as before, some of the best in the country are in Wokingham borough), and you'd have beautiful countryside around you. Not as cheap as Reading though, but as with everything, you get what you pay for!

HTH, good luck and if you do decide on the Reading area and want to narrow things down a bit, feel free to ask. I only really know the south side of Reading, but happy to help if I can.

Originally Posted by dunroving

Not sure - but it is relatively easy via Wikipedia to see long-term climate data on various cities and areas in the UK.

Certainly, compared to Glasgow (where I am) it is a lot warmer!

Originally Posted by LondonSquirrel

I wouldn't take any notice of the rubbish about south London. Just consider that Richmond, Putney, Wimbledon and Dulwich are in South London. I think for your rent budget you would get a 2 bed flat in Crystal Palace but I don't know how many children you have and if you need 3 beds. Personally I would neouver consider living in North London, some areas there sound quite dangerous like Tottenham. If I had to go North of the river it would be way north into Hertz or Cambridgeshire or even Grantham Lincolnshire where my mum lives which is on the fast train line to Kings Cross. Fastest train is exactly one hour and for the same cost as my one bed flat in Crystal Palace you can get a detached 3 bed house.

Originally Posted by Molly Coddle

Some lovely places in Hertfordshire, it's not too far from London either, you are looking at around an hour-ish depending which town. Easy access into London using the train and house prices aren't too pricey. It also has some of the best schools on the skirt of London.

Originally Posted by Cape Blue

I lived in Chelmsford for a couple of years in the early 90's - man that place was dull then - the County Town of Essex but it didn't even have a cinema at the time. I do remember some hideous nightclub (Dukes?), but otherwise it was a place to leave at the weekends. That said, I did hear they had revamped it a lot over the last 10-15 years.

Originally Posted by Sally Redux

Yes it was a dull place but they've revamped it enormously and apparently it's got some better clubs now too. For families I reckon it's not bad at all and the schools have a good reputation.

I left the area in 1980 and didn't go back into the town centre until recently. Outdoor dining? I thought I was hallucinating

Originally Posted by rtillsley

Is it colder in the midlands?

Originally Posted by rtillsley

I'd really appreciate anyone's knowledge on this spot: St.albans, Hertfordshire

Cheers

Originally Posted by Sally Redux

Absolutely lovely, but extremely expensive.

Originally Posted by rtillsley

Thanks. I'm guessing it's expensive because of its closeness to London. Importantly, there seem to be cafes!

Cheers