TommyLuck

There are also several small towns and villages around, for instance, the Berkshire/Wiltshire/Hampshire borders that are both near towns and cities for work - Newbury, Basingstoke, Reading, Swindon - but are also a potential option and are commutable to London.

The Northamptonshire/Oxfordshire border is a similar proposition, as is Dorset/Hampshire border - I think Davros has mentioned the New Forest in the past.

Mark Smith

I think this almost deserves a different thread. Where in the UK would tempt you back? If the banks were lending and we had to return, then the triangle between York, Harrogate and Leeds would do very nicely thanks.

Stormer999

I think he is going back to find cheaper property areas, hence Pipps suggestion oop north....

Stormer999

Mark we looked all over UK prior to our move. There are a few little nooks but you have to emerge from them to go anywhere....then the problem starts
Durham was the nearest, but again the bloody traffic.

pippalonghorn

I am returning to my home village which is 6 miles out of Durham and I can honestly say that the traffic is practically zero for us. Mind I did work 6 miles the other way from our village. I dont think I have ever been in a traffic jam on the way to work. But if you need to travel into Newcastle its a different story. It can be done easily out of peak hours but its bad peak times.

Stormer999

Yes it's Newcastle I am thinking of and that's where the IT work will be, and yes it is murder in peak traffic, the Tyne bottles it all up! (ex South Shields!)

Newcastle population complete urban is 1 million and with the few bridges suffers similar to AKL.

Tom1983

Reading is nice but I doubt Davros would want to fork out around £6000 for a season ticket to commute to London

I read an article recently that rail fares have increased by 267% since privatisation. I also see they've gone up again. Commuting in London just got expensive year after year.

God help Air New Zealand when they get privatised. Oh well that's what happens when you allow middle/working class hating twats to be in charge to put $$$$$$$$$ before way of life

Pom_Chch

Yis, commuter towns seem like a good idea in theory. Earn the mega bucks in London and come back home to a quieter and more spacious home.... until you see how much train fares are and how much they continue to increase. I remember looking at Brighton. In total the train fare inc getting the tube once I had arrived at the station was almost 7000GPB

Mat2014

Hi, if I can just go back to the original question as I was in his situation 6mths ago. I've been in NZ for 5mths on skilled permanent visa and boy do I miss the UK. I've toured throughout NZ for first 2mths here and what a spectacular country it is scenery wise and for me weather wise. The views are ever changing in a short distance. You have lakes, mountains, beaches & forests. But, the feeling of isolation here is quite stark and there is just not that much to do here apart from the touring and walking stuff. Another thing I've noticed is that I am generally expected to do a 50hrs working week. That is way more than I expected as the whole idea about coming to NZ was the better lifestyle. Moving to a different country makes you appreciate what you had, such as NHS, country pubs, European holidays, so many different villages, towns & cities to visit or live in. The UK has its problems but I miss the place and have done for a while. NZ just doesn't feel right for me and feels like I have taken a backward step. Everyone will come to their own opinion but I would say to be careful & maybe test it out for 6mths before moving everything over.

davros1984

hey chap, yes, we lived on border of new forest before coming to nz, very pretty place. On average though, slightly more pricey than we are looking for and its potentially a fair commute to the nearest centre for work.
I prefer to avoid home counties/south east and berkshire at all costs.

where you say is top of the list for me. loads of affordable housing, loads of jobs, great scenery within easy reach.... truth is there are so many options - feeling quite overwhelmed!

plenty of places to achieve that, the key is to avoid london and the core of the south east, so should be ok. N. Yorkshire, wiltshire, bristol, peak district surrounds all on the list. Going to be an interesting time when we get back!

sounds like my idea of hell.actually, i used to live in shinfield/earley when i started my IT career. Never again. Reading and nice are two words that I thought would never go together. A modern souless $hithole to me! Bang on about that sort of commute. I would much rather stay in auckland than go to london!

You said it, crazy money. To me that sort of lifestyle is not living. I had the same problem here when living in Beach Haven, whilst not an expensive commute, a frustratingly slow and time consuming one! Has to be a good quality of life... isles of scilly maybe? Lol....

thanks for the suggestions to all of you, always good to get other viewpoints and thoughts. Pip... i think you might be onto something r.e. up north.

whitesand

Davros, one thing about returning which shouldn't be under=estimated is the weather! Have been back on holidlay recently and have never experienced such awful weather. I was actually longing for the mild climate of Auckland, believe it or bot. Have realised that I cannot live in a cold country again as it's just too much after having been in warmer climes for too long.

Spacecake799

That's exactly where we are! Never been before but right in the middle of York and Harrogate and love it!

davros1984

Hi whitesand - yes, this is one of my big concerns. Having gotten used to the great Auckland climate (for most of the year), I am really worried about the weather. What can you do? Key is to stay positive, going back to Scotland mid-November last year, I actually appreciated the cold and the frosty mornings.

Spacecake... seriously, how is it living there? I am really keen to go and check that area out. From Derby up to Ripon basically. Has to be a pretty place, not overly busy and a good escape from modern life.