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Best relocation areas in the UK?

Best relocation areas in the UK?

Old Nov 29th 2018, 8:09 am
  #61  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by BEVS
Ooooo. This will be interesting.

Bit like the accent/dialect thing. I've had plenty of UK northerners be a bit unpleasant over my UK southern accent & that's here in New Zealand for goodness sake. No idea why the need but it can be tiresome. I wouldn't dream of making comment.

Given the movement of people - South/North & North/South within the UK over the past few decades , I'd be surprised that there is any real divide as such these years. Decades ago perhaps but not so much so now. At least only for those that make it that way.

BEVS
Bournemouth born and bred.
South West England.
Damn Northerners BEVS Were they mainly from 'Gods own county' ? eeh by gum.. Yorkshire folk . If several of my northern family didn't come from that county I could .. Maybe Geordies? If my OH wasn't one of them... I could.
Lancashire born and bred
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Old Nov 29th 2018, 8:51 am
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by GeniB
Your kidding ? right ? NEVER ever heard of that and i have met hundreds of ex-pats during 30 yrs in the EU....
Nope, not kidding. Most of my family is from the Lake District/Lancashire/Yorkshire, and I don't think there has been a single time in the past 40 years when I haven't had the piss taken out of my accent when back 'ooop North' (we moved South when I was a toddler, so I have a very southern accent). 'Ill mannered' it may be, but plenty of Northeners are capable of bad manners too.
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Old Nov 29th 2018, 9:11 am
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by christmasoompa
...but plenty of Northeners are capable of bad manners too.
Now there is an understatement

Where I grew up (pit village in County Durham) one way you could tell the men from the women was that the women actually took the cigarette out of their mouth before spitting.
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Old Nov 29th 2018, 10:51 am
  #64  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by UkWinds5353
May I ask you what's your thoughts on Reading, Watford, and St Albans in terms of friendliness, diversity, and community spirit? My friends mentioned to me tonight that they are open to increasing their housing budget. I think they've come to terms with the reality that quality housing + good schools + entertainment = more money lol. They want to hit the ball out the park the first time so they don't have to move but one time in the UK, from the rental to a home purchase. Their new budget is 700K.
I'm not sure that any major town or city will be friendly in terms of neighbours welcoming them etc, but perhaps as a country girl I'm not best placed to recommend a town/city! In our village it's super friendly, but I just can't imagine the same in a big town. When I lived in Oxford & Birmingham, I'm not sure I even knew my neighbours names, here they'll pop a casserole or cake over if they know I'm ill.

Reading and Watford are pretty awful IMO, just not nice towns (St Albans nicer), but again I'm a country girl so there aren't many towns or cities I'd actually want to live in! For good schools they could look at Wokingham area, which is only a few miles from Reading and has some of the best schools in the UK - it's where I live. But it won't have the music scene they're after.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not sure any of the places you've mentioned will give them everything they're after - perhaps diversity and music scene, but not friendliness and the great schools, or vice versa. It sounds like they want village life but with nights out, and I don't quite know how they can achieve that!
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Old Nov 29th 2018, 12:16 pm
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by christmasoompa
Nope, not kidding. Most of my family is from the Lake District/Lancashire/Yorkshire, and I don't think there has been a single time in the past 40 years when I haven't had the piss taken out of my accent when back 'ooop North' (we moved South when I was a toddler, so I have a very southern accent). 'Ill mannered' it may be, but plenty of Northeners are capable of bad manners too.
Ok I'm sure they are christmaoompa... It sounds like a bit of 'You left us and became a snob' rubbish. My own family were pretty miserable about our moving to NL and becoming B****y Dutch. They hate to lose one of their own...
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Old Nov 29th 2018, 12:23 pm
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

You ask a question on BE..UK Winds and Lo! it is answered


In the Times Newspaper today ( Nov 29th I there is an article entitled

'Why you'll live happily ever after in... Leigh -on-Sea Essex'

It came top of a poll taken by the company RightMove ( a property website)
Tell your friends to go and look it up.. It might just help them
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Old Nov 29th 2018, 2:31 pm
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by GeniB
Ok I'm sure they are christmaoompa... It sounds like a bit of 'You left us and became a snob' rubbish. My own family were pretty miserable about our moving to NL and becoming B****y Dutch. They hate to lose one of their own...
I didn't mean it was my family, although they've also been known to ask why I've 'gone posh'! It's usually shopkeepers, waitresses, basically all sorts of different people I interact with up there that decide they're going to be rude about my accent. Sigh!
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Old Nov 29th 2018, 2:35 pm
  #68  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by christmasoompa
I didn't mean it was my family, although they've also been known to ask why I've 'gone posh'! It's usually shopkeepers, waitresses, basically all sorts of different people I interact with up there that decide they're going to be rude about my accent. Sigh!
I was standing in a check out queue in Liverpool chatting to a lady and she said (very politely) 'you're not from around here are you'? No, I admitted, I'm not. 'Thought so', she said. 'I can always tell if someone's from down South'. First time I'd heard of an Aussie accent being mistaken for a southern English one, I must be a posh Aussie
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Old Nov 29th 2018, 3:20 pm
  #69  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

I've noticed that there can be more jousting between Northerners than between North and South when it comes to accent.

When I was still in the UK, I went into the office early one morning, to encounter an unknown Yorkshireman bellowing into the telephone. A few minutes behind me, in comes my good mate and colleague - a Geordie - who muttered "Oh bloody hell, don't tell me there's a Yorkshireman in the office", to which I replied "This one doesn't appear to have a volume control", and I got back "It's the only version that they come in".
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Old Nov 30th 2018, 5:24 am
  #70  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by christmasoompa
I'm not sure that any major town or city will be friendly in terms of neighbours welcoming them etc, but perhaps as a country girl I'm not best placed to recommend a town/city! In our village it's super friendly, but I just can't imagine the same in a big town. When I lived in Oxford & Birmingham, I'm not sure I even knew my neighbours names, here they'll pop a casserole or cake over if they know I'm ill.

Reading and Watford are pretty awful IMO, just not nice towns (St Albans nicer), but again I'm a country girl so there aren't many towns or cities I'd actually want to live in! For good schools they could look at Wokingham area, which is only a few miles from Reading and has some of the best schools in the UK - it's where I live. But it won't have the music scene they're after.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not sure any of the places you've mentioned will give them everything they're after - perhaps diversity and music scene, but not friendliness and the great schools, or vice versa. It sounds like they want village life but with nights out, and I don't quite know how they can achieve that!
Good evening.

Your post are always purposeful and I appreciate that. May I ask what specific factors do you not like about Reading and Watford? I agree with you it's very difficult finding a city that has the feel of a village while being near outstanding music venues. Only a few of those locales here in the States. Very rare and most are in the southern United States. My friends(aka music junkies) might have to bite the bullet and do as most people and find a place and try to make it work. Or they could move back to Scotland where there are amazing places for live music.

Bristol seem to be a good contender because of it's location near the Channel and Glastonbury is in shouting distance with great live music festivals.

I'm trying to think of what area of the UK with small towns with live music within 30 miles? This might be tougher than a Rubik's Cube.
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Old Nov 30th 2018, 5:31 am
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by GeniB
You ask a question on BE..UK Winds and Lo! it is answered


In the Times Newspaper today ( Nov 29th I there is an article entitled

'Why you'll live happily ever after in... Leigh -on-Sea Essex'

It came top of a poll taken by the company RightMove ( a property website)
Tell your friends to go and look it up.. It might just help them
GeniB

I will take a look at that article. If the same poll was taken in America advertising dollars might have influenced the results.
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Old Nov 30th 2018, 7:53 am
  #72  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by UkWinds5353
Good evening.

Your post are always purposeful and I appreciate that. May I ask what specific factors do you not like about Reading and Watford? I agree with you it's very difficult finding a city that has the feel of a village while being near outstanding music venues. Only a few of those locales here in the States. Very rare and most are in the southern United States. My friends(aka music junkies) might have to bite the bullet and do as most people and find a place and try to make it work. Or they could move back to Scotland where there are amazing places for live music.

Bristol seem to be a good contender because of it's location near the Channel and Glastonbury is in shouting distance with great live music festivals.

I'm trying to think of what area of the UK with small towns with live music within 30 miles? This might be tougher than a Rubik's Cube.
If I may jump in, I have experienced both Watford and Reading, and would say that both are tremendously unexciting. The only reason to be in either would be because one is already there, neither have any kind of 'pull' to make one want to to move there. The problem is London, both aforementioned towns are within easy striking distance, but at what price? Better to kick out further, IMO, Oxford is great (but pricey), Bristol and thereabouts would be better. Exeter is also a good place. The south coast is on the whole overpriced to my mind. I love Scotland, never lived there however, so can't shed any day to day information.
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Old Nov 30th 2018, 8:00 am
  #73  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by UkWinds5353
May I ask what specific factors do you not like about Reading and Watford?
Frankly, they're both very unattractive run down towns with little in the way of redeeming features. Not somewhere I'd choose if relocating from abroad and had the whole of the UK to choose from.

Pretty much every town will have live music within 30 miles (remember this is the UK, distances are much smaller than they'll be used to!), but it doesn't sound like they want to live in a town at all from what you've said. Why don't they look at a village near somewhere with an exciting music scene? They could be within that distance of London for example, which would get them all the nightlife and music they'll ever want, but live somewhere smaller where they'll get the excellent schools and community feel they seem to be after.

I agree with the above suggestions of Bristol, Oxford and Brighton FWIW, all MUCH nicer towns than Watford and Reading.
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Old Nov 30th 2018, 8:51 am
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by christmasoompa
Frankly, they're both very unattractive run down towns with little in the way of redeeming features. Not somewhere I'd choose if relocating from abroad and had the whole of the UK to choose from.

Pretty much every town will have live music within 30 miles (remember this is the UK, distances are much smaller than they'll be used to!), but it doesn't sound like they want to live in a town at all from what you've said. Why don't they look at a village near somewhere with an exciting music scene? They could be within that distance of London for example, which would get them all the nightlife and music they'll ever want, but live somewhere smaller where they'll get the excellent schools and community feel they seem to be after.

I agree with the above suggestions of Bristol, Oxford and Brighton FWIW, all MUCH nicer towns than Watford and Reading.
Just wondering if someone would consider Bristol, maybe Cardiff is an option? After all it is best relocation areas in UK and not just England:-)
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Old Nov 30th 2018, 8:52 am
  #75  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by BuckinghamshireBoy
I've noticed that there can be more jousting between Northerners than between North and South when it comes to accent.

When I was still in the UK, I went into the office early one morning, to encounter an unknown Yorkshireman bellowing into the telephone. A few minutes behind me, in comes my good mate and colleague - a Geordie - who muttered "Oh bloody hell, don't tell me there's a Yorkshireman in the office", to which I replied "This one doesn't appear to have a volume control", and I got back "It's the only version that they come in".
I LOVE that and it is so true. I have a Yorkshire man in my family and he is loud. I play golf with one and ditto. Love em though.
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