Re: Do you think a different area would be good.
 

Well... I used to think I hated London. Then I went to Toronto. Then back to London, because that's where I could get work.

I have been surprised to find that I love London now (with its flaws). I don't know if it is a honeymoon period - but I don't think it is. London is home. I still hate the crowded and delayed tubes, the commute and the rude people in rush hour - but even if I get grumpy from time to time about it, I still am happy to be back.

I don't think we will be here forever, as I don't think London is a place to retire - but we will be here for a good few years and then think about moving to either a quieter part of the UK or Ireland.

Re: Do you think a different area would be good.
 

I came from Northampton. You are right about how central it is and how it's easy to get to any place from there. I preferred Market Harborough though. That's where I did my shopping and I liked the shops and tea rooms there plus parking was easier.

One thing sticks in my mind. I moved from the Lake District to Northampton and I hated it. It was such a contrast of an industrial town to the raw beauty of a National Park. For 5 years I hated everything about Northampton and I wished I was back in the Lake District. Then one day, I had to go back to the Lake District for 5 days on business.
I felt like a square peg in a round hole. Or a better description, I felt like Gulliver on Gullivers travels. I just felt I didn't fit anymore and honestly, I was glad to get back to the big smoke of Northampton. I never went back. I'd outgrown the place.

That's the danger of going back in time to anywhere. You've outgrown your old comfort zone and usually, you can't get back into it. That's probably why a lot of Brits go back to England then come back to Oz again.

Tough dilemma really. Needs a lot of careful thought.

Re: Do you think a different area would be good.
 

we havent left the uk yet and I am not under any illusion that life is going to be a bed of roses where we are going, but if we do return we will definitely be returning oop norf to newcastle as a city if offers everything and being so close to the stunning coastline of northumberland its great.

Its taken me a while to realise this and we arent moving because we hate it just to try something different.

I think the north east of the uk is very underated.

Good luck to everyone wherever they decide to live :thumbsup:

Re: Do you think a different area would be good.
 

Does anyone know much about Kings Lynn or Swaffham in north Norfolk? I've spotted a cracking job there that I've sneakily forward my OH's CV in for :sneaky:;)

Re: Do you think a different area would be good.
 

Don't bother with Kings Lynnski. It has a high crime, grotty and full of chavs:D

Swaffham is a smaller, prettier market town with georgian architecture. It's not perfect, it has a few ferals and there's a Pikie camp on the outskirts but I would choose it over Lynn.

Best of the bunch would be Downham Market which is between the two. We moved there in the early 90's from a 'Beruit' type area and it was like going back in time. The people were easygoing, there was no crime and everyone knew everyone else:) Labour has of course screwed it up since then, it has expanded rapidly with a huge flow from Essex/London, so much of the charm has disappeared but it's still the pick of the bunch.

I lived in a small village and would do so again but be very careful, some are great, some are under the RAF flightpaths and some are horrible. Rent first and ask the locals.

As for the area ? It's bootiful :lol: in the summer, dank and cold in the winter. Your an hour from Norwich/Cambridge, 90 mins from London and 30mins from the coast. I miss it:cry_smile:
Who's the employer? I may know them.

Re: Do you think a different area would be good.
 

Thanks for your point of view :) The job is at RAF Marham but as a civvie, so the living under the flightpath of those tornadoes wouldn't phase us :lol:. I was looking at either Swaffham or Downham Market - both look nice, but photos can look nice eh. It's people's views that can give you a good insight. I've only just sent the CV off, so it's early days yet. Will have to wait and see. They might not even be interested because we're still living here in Canada.
Thanks again :thumbup:

Re: Do you think a different area would be good.
 

If I ever returned to the UK I would definately choose somewhere else to live and not because Im from Hull, because I do love Hull (insert: The Tigers chant) but I would try something different, its a fact that I would choose somewhere different to the concrete jungle I was born in.

Re: Do you think a different area would be good.
 

Where abouts in Northampton were you Cricket?

Re: Do you think a different area would be good.
 

I lived in Naseby which just borders Market Harborough and Northamptonshire. So pretty! Really miss the countryside.

Re: Do you think a different area would be good.
 

Yeah, it's lovely over there - we used to go over and watch the re-enactments!