Originally Posted by SanDiegogirl (Post 13128261)

North East Essex is on the up and up with many lovely villages to the east of Colchester.....

Originally Posted by Chocolate eclair (Post 13128318)

We'll be looking around Derbyshire, probably Ashbourne, Buxton, Bakewell areas. Also considering Cheshire, nearer to the Welsh border. Would love a village location if possible.
Lots of interesting places to visit in and around Derbyshire.

Originally Posted by Johnboyuk (Post 13128351)

In that case you may also want to consider Herefordshire which is a pleasant county with reasonable property prices. It is also England's least populated county.

Originally Posted by Johnboyuk (Post 13128351)

In that case you may also want to consider Herefordshire which is a pleasant county with reasonable property prices. It is also England's least populated county.

Originally Posted by Moses2013 (Post 13128509)

Less populated sounds good to me, the only downside is that Herefordshire doesn't seem to have a lot of choice when it comes to property and if you are looking for something specific within budget, it can be difficult.
There are only 94 detached homes under £400K on rightmove and with semis 204.

Originally Posted by ExBritFL (Post 13128217)

Hello all!

So, after 15 years of going back and forth over considering to relocate back to the UK from Florida, I think we have finally agreed that this would be a good move for our family. We are not happy in the way in which the US is heading and in particular have seen and experienced major changes within Florida which do not make us feel comfortable.

We are in the process of selling our home in Florida and will be renting over here until we decide on our next move. My daughter, 10, is homeschooled, (we decided that would be a safer option as I was not happy with my child participating in shooter drills at the age of 6 in the classroom etc). and is looking forward to starting school in a system which is safer. Her current curricula is UK based so hopefully the transition will be a smooth one.

Our ideal location would be one in a village which is not too far from a city. I miss the country side walks with far reaching views. My research has taken me to Durham and surroundings; Cheshire , York and Harrogate. Villages outside of these areas look pretty but I know nothing about them and if they would be a good fit for us. We would plan to rent in the area first before investing in a property. I am totally unfamiliar with the surrounding small villages and would appreciate any feedback or info on good / bad areas.

We are planning on a much needed vacation back to the UK later on this year, with the hope of driving around some areas which I hope to narrow down beforehand. Hope to fly into Manchester and AirBNB in any of those areas which we narrow down.

Thank you in advance for any info! :)

Originally Posted by dean350 (Post 13128656)

If you are going to put your daughter into school you might want to make sure you live near a good school as they can vary hugely in quality. Also, a town or small city would be best for your daughter when she becomes a teenager for maintaining friendships and social activities. Durham is a great city, Harrogate is lovely but more expensive. You need first to decide how big a home you need, how much money who have and those two factors will probably dictate which area of the country you end up in.

Originally Posted by brits1 (Post 13128806)

Hi, if it were me and I had to choose the areas you mentioned then I would definitely choose North Yorkshire/County Durham over Cheshire if I did not have to worry too much about house prices then Dorset/West Sussex and parts of Hampshire would be my choice. Good luck with your move

Originally Posted by ExBritFL (Post 13128859)

Oh good! Thanks for the insights. Something about the north has me drawn to it...I think it's the countryside and fresh air! The area of Ripon comes up on my searches but not sure if it will have enough atmosphere for my daughter.

Originally Posted by brits1 (Post 13128995)

Ripon is very nice we visited earlier in the year have a look at knaresborough which is not far from York/Harrogate or Leeds it’s a lovely market town, we also loved Beverley in the East Riding not far from the coast and some lovely vineyards also Hull is not far I know I know but we have some friends who moved from the “golden triangle” in Cheshire to a barn just outside Hull and they have said it’s a really up and coming city with plenty of money being spent on the city etc they do not even miss going into Manchester City centre which was literally their 2nd home.

Originally Posted by Johnboyuk (Post 13129088)

It may be a good idea to visit Hull before you make a decision.

Kingston upon Hull Crime and Safety Statistics | CrimeRate