Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

It used to be under the yoke of the Catholic church, not sure how bad that aspect is now.

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

It does seem a little extreme to move countries without ever having been to the other country. On the other hand, I did it when I was 26 and my company moved me to Canada and I did fine.

It's a fact of life that every place has its annoyances. No Britain doesn't have the extreme weather that America does, but it's impossible to describe the grim depressing feeling of waking up and seeing that it's grey and rainy for the 7th day in a row. No, Britain doesn't have the gun problem the US has, but it does have a real binge drinking problem that means more casual violence and an unpleasant atmosphere in even some of the prettiest towns come night time.

But no one can tell you these things in a way you can understand. You just have to experience them. Same for culture shock. i am going back to the UK in a month for good and i was just reading up on garbage collections in the town i'll be living in. I've been in the US a long time, so I was surprised to read that if I don't participate in the curbside recycling program, an 'officer will be happy to come round and meet with you to discuss any obstacles.' For a second i felt like a tea party member (BIG GOVERNMENT! WHERE'S MY FREEDOM?!!:lol:)

But if you're an adaptable person, you'll adjust to all that. The two things that are harder to deal with are lack of money and leaving behind family and friends. I've been reading here a few years now and over and over again the people who struggle when they go home have either left behind a lot of people they love or have gone back with very little money.

If you have a decent income and won't be leaving loved ones behind, maybe you should just go for it. You only get one go round - might as well have an adventure while you're here.

PS: Definitely consider the north. The further north you go, the more spectacular the scenery and the more friendly the people. IMHO anyway.

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

Yes, Sally, as I chuck out all kinds of stuff willy nilly I just know I`m probably going to have to be more careful back in the UK. I used to be quite profligate but I think things have tightened up now. I wouldnt want a talking to. Perhaps we can form the NY (North Yorks) branch of the tea party!

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

Well, Bob, my lovely, beautiful grandmother and wonderful, intelligent grandfather were born and raised in Ireland and not only did they not "speak funny" but they had the most beautiful brogues and way of speaking.

But thanks for sharing your opinion.

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

Thanks for those comments and ideas. I do realize that no place is perfect and it's just a matter of weighing things out.

What towns in the north would you suggest looking into? I am single and so I would like to be somewhere that might be conducive to meeting other singles as opposed to being in a totally family oriented place.

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

Liverpool is great, as is Manchester. Both have decent nightlife.

If you wanted somewhere smaller, Chester is one of my favorites. Plenty of history, but you're close to both Manchester, Liverpool and Wales. Many of the smaller towns up north can be a bit wary of outsiders, not necessarily unfriendly. It might take a while for people to warm to you at first.

You might also want to give Scotland some consideration. When I eventually move back, that's where I'd like to head, perhaps working in Glasgow and living in the southwestern 'burbs such as Newton Mearns and commuting via train (the US has killed my urge to drive and would happily not own a car at this stage).

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

You wanted a gist, you got it.

Speaking funny doesn't equate to badly spoken. Just think how different folks from north counties of Maine sound to southern Maine, to Texas to Minnesota.

It is different and it is funny.

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

That's small towns for you the world over though isn't it...MIL has been living in Maine about 30 years now and she's still considered an outsider by the locals :lol:

Anyway, to add to your list of towns, definitely add York.

Leeds and Newcastle also have a buzzing nightlife, but I wouldn't say I'd want to live there, not bad locations though.

Though if you're moving to the UK for the adventure, you've got to consider access to a decent provisioned local airport hub. There's no point heading over, to enjoy the extra holiday time if you can't afford to check out mainland Europe on the budget airlines or taking the train.

I've no idea what airports would be good in that regard, I'm used to Stansted as the local cheapo hub.

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

It is different, but "funny" is a matter of opinion, isn't it?

I don't think anyone would interpret "they speak funny" as anything other than a bit of an insult, and I think it might be nice to try not to offend people here. When I asked about differences I didn't mean something so obvious as the fact that people have different accents. But thanks .

Sorry, but I just didn't think it was nice.

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

What about the cost of living in Scotland vs England, and other differences?

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

:rolleyes:

The accent I would presume would have been a given.

I was talking about the language being funny.

It might be the same, but it's spoken very differently to a Londoner, to a Geordie, to a Scouser etc, etc. Hell, the language here is completely different up in Maine compared to MA, to NY and that isn't even touching the accent.

I'd not get the hump about someone pointing the difference out or you'd need to grow a thicker skin.

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

Er yes you might have to get used to the British banter if you're moving.

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

You need to have a specific location in mind.

CoL is massively different in Edinburgh to Aberdeen, to Glasgow.

The CoL is hugely different in London compared to York, to Devon.

Big difference between Scotland and England, Scots don't have the few squid charge for prescription meds and Scot nationals who go to uni in Scotland don't have to pay tuition fees.

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

Agreed Bob. Small towns are small towns universally, whether in Maine, Yorkshire or Provence. I don't care for them myself, but there are some exceptions.

York is a good idea. I've only been once, but it's a pretty happening place and not to small either.

Airport wise, Leeds-Bradford airport has a few budget airlines flying out of there. Personally though, if exploring mainland Europe was a major priority, I would probably want to live as close to mainland Europe as possible, or near to Stansted as that's the number 1 budget airline hub.

Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
 

For me the two things that Britain offers are countryside/mountains and culture. You have to decide what you want.

If culture is your thing then being close to London is important. It is one of THE cities in the world for museums and theater etc. If mountains are important then somewhere in Scottish Highlands is the place to head. If you want a balance, then Glasgow; maybe Manchester (but the drop off in cultural terms from London to Manchester is immense)

If money was not an object for me I'd buy something in the English Lakes, great landscape, but without the worst of the Scottish winters, and just about everywhere in the UK in around 6 hours; and I'd have a few weekends a year in London and a few trips up to Scotland.