CoxSA

I am seriously considering moving back to the UK, to the Isle of Wight... I have never lived there before... but from what I can see through internet researching it looks like a really nice place to stay.....

I have 3 children... so need good lifestyle - Also we are coming from SA so need the best outdoor lifestyle possible

Any info positive or negative appreciated

mikelincs

major negative is the fact that it is an island, so you need to use the ferry to get to anywhere else in the UK, and that's not cheap, vehicle fees are some £40 for a return ticket, also you have to plan any excursions off the island around the ferry times. Apart from that it is a nice area to live from what I've seen and heard.

CoxSA

Thank you.... I have heard a lot of people complain about the cost of the ferry to the mainland....

The only thing that we may have in our favor, is that we would plan to have our businesses on the island & not have to go to the mainland daily...

feelbritish

Hi we were going to move there at one time but after going for a recce and spending a week there we found it quite restrictive. Ferry is about £70 and even if you say you will not use it much, with children you may find you need to get off as it is a very small island. Also our friends all said that because of ferry costs visiting us would be prohibitive.
No parking! Almost every street had double yellow lines and cost of car park around £4 for couple of hours! That is if you can find parking. Tesco of course and other major chains do not have paid parking which is great.
Very small roads and cars wizzing around with quite a lot of traffic and that was first week of June so during July and August is probably a nightmare!
Advantages are that it is an island and if you like that type of life and want to feel cut off it is great! House prices are cheaper and you do not have to go far for beach. Your children though will not be able to stay when they grow up though as there are no jobs to be had there!
You may want to look at areas around Southampton there are some lovely villages and you will not be so isolated. Especially as it seems your business could be run anywhere? I am from SA myself originally and I did quite like it there but OH said that he knew he would want to get off it and be tied to ferries a lot as in the winter it would be very boring!

Pulaski

From everything I've the economy is in a bad way, with few jobs and low pay. It is a world away from the south of England, just across the Solent, where the economy is stronger and there are more jobs and better paying ones.

gdb7973

Hi COXsa, Moving to the Isle of Wight..............

Before we moved to Canada in 2013, we lived in Ryde on the island for 2 years moving from Essex on the mainland, we done a recce and we thought it would be great place for our kids to grow up, well after leaving the island, we realise it couldn't have been further form the best place...(in our opinion), maybe Ryde wasn't the best place to live, however I traveled all over the island in the job I was in, and unless your going to be staying away from a town / seaside resort, then its not the best move.

As previous posters comment, yup the ferry companies have residents over the barrel especially if you need to get to the mainland in an emergency for anything, (yes they do have accident and emergency in Newport, and I will vouch for the Allergy Clinic within St Mary's Hospital, its a great place and they know their stuff), then you have the times of the high winds across that stretch of the Solent, when you are stranded on the island. one good thing I suppose, Island residents did get a slight saving on return journeys, and the Sea Cat form Ryde to Portsmouth was quick at only 20 minutes each way, or the Hovercraft is even quicker..but neither are available in high winds.

The state of repair on the roads on the island are something else, (I thought they where bad until I moved to Saskatchewan :-) ), There are only a handful of major 'A' classified roads on the island, the remaining are all rat runs, ye they may save some time when traveling, however you get a lot of idiot drivers racing all over the place always in a hurry and there are a LOT of unnecessary accidents. (did I mention I was a an Insurance Claims Investigator, this is how I know all about these incidents).

Summer time and the festival is a complete nightmare, especially when the 'Tourists' arrive, freelbritish mentions about parking, well the problems escalate during high season.

Positives thoughts tho, we did meet some nice friends in Ryde, although most of them came from the mainland and are not true 'Corkheads' (local terminology for people born on the island), I work with one here in Saskatchwean.........

Again as other poster say, there are many nicer places on the south coast for you and your family, (although I wouldn't move in or around Southampton either again my opinion).

Best of luck with your adventure, if you have any other questions, let me know.

CoxSA

Thank you gdb7973 - So important to hear everyone's opinion.... choosing a location for your family is not easy & quite stressful.... I really appreciate your open & honest report...

Can I just ask you... In rec-respect, if you were choosing a place in the UK to live now, where would that place be why ?

Thanks again for you very open reply.

CoxSA

Hi Mikelincs,

I see you stay in Bournemouth, this is another area that I quite like the look of, especially being by the coast / sandy beaches.... What is it like to live there?

CoxSA

Thank you for your reply.... It is great to hear all the different experiences /opinions ...
Yeah relocating to a new country is not easy tasks... and the more info one can get on a place certainly helps with making a decision...

Thank you

formula

They learnt that the hard way!

rebs

I'm also quite near to Bournemouth - inland a few miles on the Dorset/Hampshire border.

I think this part of the country is terrific - the economy is relatively buoyant with a few large employers around.

Good transport links to London and other parts of the country, plus easy access to the continent - ferries and airports.

Good outdoor living - lovely coast from here heading west. New Forest to the East and beautiful rural areas to the north. Took the picture below when we went for a walk at the weekend in a woods about 15 miles away from us near Sixpenny Handley to see the bluebells - stunning!

Generally the climate is good - pretty mild, and not as wet as areas further west. Perhaps not quite as dry as the extreme east of the UK.

Some good schools around - both state & private.

Property can be expensive, but it you are not so much tied to an employer, you can maybe pick and choose where to base yourselves. Prices tend to drop a bit as you head west.

Roads can also be busy during the summer, but I have found that I have learned which major routes to avoid - particularly on Saturdays (traditional 'change over day' for holiday makers) during the summer months

CoxSA

Wow... Thank you Rebs

Great report... your area sounds amazing & look beautiful...I will definitely look into this further....

As much as I can not wait for this whole new venture to happen ... I just want to get things right for my SA family.... ( I am English / Hubby SA) So it is important that I look into every opportunity that may be mentioned...

Thank You

gdb7973

Me.......well I'm rather partial to Scotland, it's where I was born and brought up from, and given half the chance I'd move back to either my home town of Musselburgh or over to Fife. There's something about hearing your kids talking with a Scottish accent that just makes it feel good ( it's really weird hearing them have Canadian accents now) .....But realistically I lived in England longer than Scotland, and have many job contacts there. I think if money or a job wasn't a major factor then probably say south west, Cornwall, Devon on the coast.

My wife has said she'd like to move close to her sister, who lives in Woking. Yup its got no coastline but it's a short drive in East / west of South to get to good locations, plus it's a short commute to town (London). Although she has said she'd like to move to Scotland too as it's where I would prefer to see the rest of my time out..so we're pretty much open to a few places really. (Not much help to you I know), there are lots of nice places to live and even more lots of not so nice, just like many countries / city's.

If your still set on the IOW, then I'd probably suggest somewhere like Cowes / Gurnard, it's probably a little more up market there are some nice properties on the sea front, you could always buy your own boat and Moor in Southampton when shopping. People do it believe me.

Moses2013

I have to agree with previous comments and you'd be much better picking another location. The island will feel small after a while and you have more options anywhere in Devon/Cornwall. There are so many nice areas across the UK. Thought Wales was really nice too.

not2old

good one moses...

Compare Angelsey which has a road bridge connection to the mainland

Visit Anglesey - Home