Going Back Next Week
 

Retired from the US government after two stints in the DC area, with a ten year intermission in Edinburgh (great!), Kyoto (wonderful!) and London (ugh!). Originally from the foot of Pendle, I'm moving to York: family is an hour and a half away, Yorkshire Dales are 45 minutes, North York Moors, Lake District, Peak District and the whole of Northumberland 2 hours or less. The accessibility of the countryside, the amazing layers of history, and the sheer walkability of the whole country are powerful reasons I'm coming back. York is the centre of the railway system, and you can get anywhere from there. Trips to Europe are also so much easier than from 'tother side of the Atlantic.

I'm bringing back a wife who is a US citizen, who grew up in Sri Lanka. I'm hoping that she can overcome her misgivings about the weather, and the long dark winter nights. Also her misgivings about what she sees as infrastructural deficiencies, that I see as part of the charm of the UK (Okay, neither one of us is enthusiastic about cold water public loos). My feeling on that is we can park ourselves with one of her sisters for a couple of months each winter, as Jan and Feb are pretty nice in Sri Lanka, while the Summer is a bit too torrid for me, and too bug-ridden for both of us. Well, she likes hiking, as that is how we met, through the NIH hiking club; and she likes traveling to interesting historical towns, which are in abundance (in York) and throughout the country.

Wish us luck. I'm hoping she drops into the Yorkshire spirit soonish. I know I will.

PimRoad.

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

Sounds great! Good luck with the move.

When you say, cold water public loos, do you mean that the only water in the hand wash basin is cold? Hmm.. never thought of that as a problem.. Mind you, as a male, older, hiker, I'm constantly peeing behind trees so no washbasin! Hopefully up north, there's likely to be a good stream nearby for hand washing!

The things you mention are the reasons I prefer England, public footpaths, old towns and villages, etc. And public transport! The trains, the buses ...

I'm close to Norwich, which I see as similar to York - but more churches & fewer tourists :thumbup:

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

We moved back to North Yorkshire last year. We love it for the reasons above and I hope your wife grows to love it too.

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

I never thought I could love anywhere more than North Yorkshire .... Until we moved to Northumberland :wub: enjoy your new home; you've got lots to explore :starsmile:

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

Hi, Never have I come across "cold water loos" so I must of just been lucky lol. York, Norwich, Bath and Christchurch and Harrogate and Winchester are some of our favourite places we would live in England with York being "up there" for a few reasons, wonderful countryside, great city vibe but without the big city concerns and your not so far from the coast and larger cities if needed. If you feel the cold then just nip over to southern Spain during the winter my Dad use to do this for a few months in Jan/Feb and you can get great deals that time of the year and another great way to explore another country. Good luck I hope all works out well for you both.

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

We are planning on a visit to Durham and Lindisfarne next April/May its an area we have wanted to visit for many years, it does sound and look like another "northern gem" I recently visited some villages/small towns in North Lancashire which were also lovely and really overlooked when people think of Lancashire its usually Blackpool, Cleethorpes etc

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

SsssssssHhhhhhhhhhhh! all of you keep quiet the North is a terrible place to live cold wet damp, unfriendly people.:sneaky:

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

I grew up on the Durham coast and still love Durham City, Lindisfarne and many great places in Northumberland.

I don't think many people think of Cleethorpes when they consider Lancashire, as it is on the opposite coast, in Lincolnshire.

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

Shhh it just helps with the obsfucation - keeps them guessing.

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

:rofl:

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

What? Loads of public toilets in the UK have no hot water supply, so only the cold water tap works in the washbasin. Never bothers me - cold water is perfectly fine. Next time I'm in Lancashire I'll try the ones in Cleethorpes, but I'll bet they're cold water.

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

Brits1: I recently visited some villages/small towns in North Lancashire which were also lovely and really overlooked when people think of Lancashire its usually Blackpool, Cleethorpes etc

I come from Clitheroe. We usually regard this as an extension of the Yorkshire Dales, rather than the other, "dark, satanic" bits of Victorian Lancashire. Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley are secret only because they are hard to get to if you don't have a car. Another reason to move to York .. :>.

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

Good luck with Yorkshire. The biggest problem of course will be that its on the wrong side of the Pennines. Originally from North Lancashire myself. Beautiful area with Morecambe Bay, the Dales and The Lakes just on the door step. My home town of Morecambe though is a bit of a dump. At least the accept up there is a bit softer than our cousins down in the south Lancs mill towns. Can't understand half of what they say.

Moving back myself in December after 12 years in Dubai and Singapore. My wife has never lived in the UK so it will be a new experience for her. We'll be living in Hertfordshire which is a new area for me to discover too.

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

I meant Cleveleys I always get those to mixed up lol many moons ago that mistake lead me to discover the Lincolnshire coast and Lincoln and started a desire to discover more if the Uk.

Re: Going Back Next Week
 

Cant say I have ever come across a cold water only one either and I use them a LOT - my job means working away from home and often with no base, so either working in my car or something like a Sainsbury's café. So, public loos are the only loos I have access to during the day