Pulaski

Er, yes, it has "less desirable" parts, though personally I'd say not as bad as some towns and cities in the US that are even smaller than Gloucester. Most of it is fine though, and there are nice suburbs, .... and Cheltenham has some rather ratty areas too.

Pulaski

My very brief thoughts on that list, is that most are now commuter towns for London, so housing is getting pricy. Surrey is lovely, pretty countryside, but not in anyway dramatic, just rolling hills and trees, and seriously pricy, pretty much the definition of "stockbroker belt" commuting. If you need to be near a wealthier population with disposable income, Surrey may be your best bet. There is also some "serious money" in Bath, and of the places you mentioned, probably the mildest (west is milder than east in winter).

Leeds is well to the north, and will usually be noticeably colder than the south of England during the winter, I would guess by anything from 5°C-10°C (9°F-18°F) on average - yes temperatures do vary that much across just a couple of hundred miles north-south.

Reading is, er, unattractive, a commuter town with few redeeming features, other than to say, "at least it isn't Slough". If anyone recommends Slough, punch them, hard, then run like hëll.

Downton Gabby

OK, Reading has been crossed off. And Leeds may be too far north then. So, that's off, too.

rebeccajo

You know, it might be helpful if you shared just exactly what your business is. Or at least the industry it is a part of.

Wintersong

I'd agree with this summation. From your list, I'd personally be tempted to look at areas close to Bath, as I adore the city. Most of Surrey is very expensive to live. East and West Sussex are probably a bit cheaper while still being in that general area.

Editha

Medical and veterinary care are likely to be much the same wherever you go in the UK. If you've been asking questions on this site for two years without working that out, then there isn't much point in continuing. The places you've listed are very different from each other; apart from anything else two of them are counties and the rest are towns.

Moses2013

I would just say that many places North aren't as cold as people think and again depends where you are (inland, high area etc.). Coastal areas are obviously milder in winter, but Bath which is inland wouldn't be a lot warmer than Leeds during winter.




I think the OP needs to figure out what she really wants, as we are back to affordability. What is more important, house with garden for dog, the postcode, or transport????

Pistolpete2

I've already provided a great deal of detail as to how to gain access to BATH but on another of your recent threads:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/movin.../#post11959590

HTH too in spite of it opening a real can of worms regarding the English climate which is best left alone.

Lots of places on the rail line from Castle Cary up through Bruton, Frome to Bradford-on-Avon and on to Bath would seem to suit and as has been mentioned too earlier, dogs are allowed on public transport.

Bath being a major uni city (one of the best in the Country), commutable to London (even faster electrified rail service to London is currently being worked on) and a very attractive ancient and Georgian city make it expensive to actually live in as Pulaski has highlighted. Plus Bristol is one of the most promising cities for employment prospects, particularly in technology) and is less than 20 minutes (12 minutes fastest) away by rail and many of the jobs are right by Bristol Temple Meads station.

Unfortunately some of the local towns do not seem to merit much attention, such as Trowbridge, Chippenham and Westbury but they ARE priced accordingly and the older quarters do have some attraction. IMHO Widcombe is a nice spot just south of the City of Bath to look for property though rental supply may be very scarce.

If bus access were needed/feasible, one could settle in Colerne or Rode or the Beckington area.

As has been said, commutability to London adds a huge premium to property prices and rental costs and it seems to make little sense looking to live in those commutable areas without deriving benefit from that commutability.

Bath is the only 'borderline' commutable (and the cost is 10,000 a year incl London Underground which makes it more borderline) on your list now you have removed Leeds, it is probably a good candidate to consider gaining good access to.

I don't know why I'm pumping an area that I'm interested in too but there we are. If I told the specific area I would have to kill you though.

teejaydee

If I were Downton Gabby, I would adopt the following three-point plan:

One. Acquire a copy of Lonely Planet's England travel guide, either by buying it(Lonely Planet England Travel Guide - Lonely Planet Shop) or by borrowing it from a lending library. Of course it is aimed at tourists, but will give good information for those who are trying to "discover" the country with a view to moving there.

Make a short list of likely destinations. I know Downton Gabby has already done this, but the towns and counties on the list make her list seem very haphazard.

Two. Turn to youtube, where there are many very good "virtual tours" of most towns. Just taking Cheltenham and Exeter as examples:


Watch the videos for the places on the shortlist. These will give a good feel for what the various places are like.

Three. Use websites such as Rightmove (http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent.html) to find the rental prices of property in the places on the shortlist.

Pistolpete2

Actually Exeter should probably be on the list as opposed to somewhere to just have access to. It's a Uni city and a regional capital and property prices are fairly high in the city but there are plenty of outlying areas to consider. It's a rainy 'town', though down river to Topsham (expensive) Lympstone (also expensive) to Exmouth (reasonable) is more of a decent micro-climate. Topsham and Lympstone are centres for creative 'folk'.

Good train and bus service from Exmouth to Exeter (buses and trains run late). There's an airport and some 'fast' services to London by rail (2hrs).

The River Exe estuary area is dog country and very beautiful.

yellowroom

I don't know your budget, but as someone who already lives in the north of england, they are all going to be expensive for housing apart from Leeds.

As an example, I was in Gerrard's Cross last weekend, which is a commuter town to the west of london. Looking at estate agent's windows, we worked out that house prices are at least twice that of where we currently live (village to the west of Hull, north of england).

Weather vs house price is going to be a trade-off. To be honest, if you are considering Leeds (which I've always found to be cold and windy), then I would suggest Manchester (which I've found to be milder but wetter). They're only 30 minutes apart, but the suburbs/commuter villages around Manchester provide you with a wide variety of prices & types of living - whether its city, town, suburban, cosy village. You do get that to a degree around the Leeds/Bradford area, but that is a bit more diffuse with several city centres.

Honestly Downton Gabby, at some point you're going to have just come over and have a look yourself. There is only so much you can learn from the internet. Stop circling the pool and dipping your little toe in it - just jump, the water's not that deep!

rebeccajo

One bedroom flats to let in Oxford

Properties To Rent in Oxford - Flats & Houses To Rent in Oxford

Mallory

I'm from Gloucestershire. Gloucester is fair, but I think I would rather live nearer to Bristol. I have several nephews and nieces living there, and it's turned into a great place to live.

Pulaski

I can't argue with that, though there are parts of Bristol that are seriously "rough", and significant crime and drug problems in at least one town directly between Gloucester and Bristol.

I seem to recall that Nutek's opinion is that Bristol has gone down hill a long way since he left (he's from Bristol) and despite visiting annually indicated that he wouldn't go back there even if he were to return to the UK.

Bahtatboy

Good, definitely don't want the rest of you finding out about the charms of Yorkshire. (I don't particularly like Leeds itself, but there are a few towns within striking distance that make up for it. <<Damn, damn -- mustn't let the secret out>> And some of those towns certainly meet your wealth criterion.)

Ex-Essex boy.