Best Place to Live in the UK
Jules
I'm about to move out of London with the family (wife, 2 very young kids)
and have no idea where to start looking. I run my business from home, and
my wife will
be giving up work, or perhaps getting part time work locally. So, we can
move pretty much anywhere within a 2 hour (car/train) journey of London - I
might need to come in once a week. Problem is, we're both from the North
West originally and not too familiar with the rest of the country.
So, I guess I'm asking, where do young families who move out of London and
DON'T need to be inside the London commuter belt choose to live? Basically,
where are good places to live in the UK (outside London) which satisfy the
following criteria:
1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
3. Decent schools
4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
population
Essentially, just a really nice but lively place to live, that has good
local facilities and is relatively accessible.
I know this sounds like the dumbest question in the world, but we always
thought we'd move back up north (still an option) so this has really caught
us off-guard.
Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated, or if there's a better place to
ask stupid questions like this, please let me know!
Thanks for any help.
Jules
Liz Read
still be a 2 hour commute from London, but I guess you mean within the
UK. Parts of the South Coast are gorgeous, and there's the New Forest. I
don't know these areas very well though. Inland, there's Bath or Oxford,
both university towns so a young population and probably some reasonable
schools. Further east, Suffolk's very pretty, but I guess the nearest
big town might well turn out to be London.
Hope that helps,
Liz
Andrew Norman
says...
> So, I guess I'm asking, where do young families who move out of London and
> DON'T need to be inside the London commuter belt choose to live? Basically,
> where are good places to live in the UK (outside London) which satisfy the
> following criteria:
>
> 1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
> 2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
> 3. Decent schools
> 4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
> population
Bristle. Less than two hours on the train, and there's a huge variety
of accommodation in the area (country, city, small towns, seaside,
Barratt home wastelands). Countryside's very varied, unlike up here
where uncultivated land is a rarity and you have to drive 90 miles to
reach the sea. Some of the nearby rural comprehensives regularly make
it into the top 50 lists (Backwell is always well up in the league
tables, with Gordano and Churchill usually doing well too). Property
prices are fairly high, though not at silly London levels.
--
Andrew Norman, Leicester, England
n...@le.ac.uk || andrew...@le.ac.uk
http://www.le.ac.uk/engineering/nja/
Rob
If you don't like too many hills, it's great. Also it has fantastic
scenery.
I have recently moved from Monmouthshire to Cambridgeshire. They are both
nice places to live, but Cambridgeshire being flatter is easier to ride
round, apart from the winds sometimes.:)
Let us know where you choose
:)
Good Luck
Rob
"Jules" <j...@trailermen.com> wrote in message
news:9qh9v6$hft$1...@uranium.btinternet.com...
Martin Harlow
<j...@trailermen.com> writes
>Ok this is pretty much totally OT, but we really need some help.
>
>I'm about to move out of London with the family (wife, 2 very young kids)
>and have no idea where to start looking.
Whenever I've visited Exeter, I've thought it looked like a nice place
to live. You might not want a city, but it's struck me as a nice cosy
sort of size, while still having stuff going on. Plenty of nice
countryside surrounding it. In general, I'd say head for the south west.
ttfn
Martin
--
"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our
air and water that are doing it." - Dan Quayle
Martin Harlow mar...@freedonia.demon.co.uk
Myra Van Inwegen
>Somewhere around the Cambridge area?
>If you don't like too many hills, it's great. Also it has fantastic
>scenery.
Fantastic scenery? You must really like rape fields.
--
Myra VanInwegen mv...@cl.cam.ac.uk
Myra's Bike Pages http://simon.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/bike/
Singletrack Magazine http://www.singletrackworld.com/
Arthur Clune
York!
THough I don't have kids mind, but I'm informed the schools are
ok. THe cycling is certainly good.
Arthur
--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org
"Don't stop moving to that funky, funky beat" - S Club 7
Arthur Clune
: Somewhere around the Cambridge area?
: If you don't like too many hills, it's great. Also it has fantastic
: scenery.
Are we talking about the same place here? Flat, boring, tedious,
windswept, bleak, fens, flat, expensive, expensive and busy.
Did I mention flat, expensive and busy?
Not that I dislike the place or anything...
Rob
see some flat land.
One of the worse rides you can do is from Hereford to Abergavenny this is
flat too. But, with the head wind you normally encounter, it gets quite hard
and demoralising.
The reason for this, is the mountain called the Skirrid. When you have a
real strong headwind, sometimes this mountain seems to stand still for an
hour and a half as you ride towards it. Makes you feel, that each pedal turn
is taking you backwards lol.
Sorry about going off topic slightly lol
:)
Rob
"Myra Van Inwegen" <mv...@sprat.cl.cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:9qhbji$57n$1...@pegasus.csx.cam.ac.uk...
Dave machin
> 1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
> 2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
> 3. Decent schools
> 4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
> population
>
You've just described Ipswich.
Alex
Dave machin wrote:
You've just described anywhere in E. Sussex.
Alex
---------------------
Simon Mason
> 2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
> 3. Decent schools
> 4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
> population
There was a recent Experian survey which gave a list of places from 1-376
based on the certain quality of life criteria listed . You can find this at:
http://press.experian.com/documents/showdoc.cfm?doc=596
A lot of London boroughs came in the bottom 20 due to the ludicrous house
prices, although there are some bizarre anomalies such as Hartlepool being
at Nr 9 and Middlesborough at Nr 318. I didn't think there was *that* much
difference between the two towns. (Bristol fans--it came in at 337th!) .
Simon Mason
Anlaby, East Yorkshire. 179th in survey
53°44'N 0°26'W
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net
Andrew Norman
li...@cableinet.co.uk says...
> Somerset perhaps, or anywhere surrounding Brizzle, but not Bristol itself. State
> secondary schools are poor and the council's consultation plan for improving them is
> harebrained. Public transport is a mess .... unuseable really. There's gridlock most
> days on the roads in and out of the city as a result.
I think you've just described most big cities in the UK. I grew up in
Clevedon, about fifteen miles out, and my parents commuted (Mum to
various hospitals and clinics in the city centre, Dad to the CEGB/SWEB
offices at Feeder Road and Patchway). Neither found the commuting
horrendous, and they haven't been retired very long. The surrounding
towns offer a good quality of life and there are some surprisingly rural
areas very close to the city if that's your thing (I like to live
somewhere with shops within walking distance).
> It's hard to get to the station
> by public transport (unless you live in Clifton) and it's hard to park if you drive
> there. Bristol Parkway does have parking but you have to plough through the gridlock
> to get out there.
If we're talking about occasional use rather than a daily commute (Jules
said possibly once a week), a taxi is the answer.
> It's also useless for cycling on a daily basis, unless you want to end up squashed,
> and it's very hilly.
I think that gives the city a lot of its character - there are all sorts
of odd corners which would be impossible to build on, and a huge gorge
on one side which stops expansion in that direction.
Spotted Dick
>
> This sounds like fun. You could probably move to the North of France and
> still be a 2 hour commute from London, but I guess you mean within the
> UK. Parts of the South Coast are gorgeous, and there's the New Forest. I
> don't know these areas very well though. Inland, there's Bath or Oxford,
> both university towns so a young population and probably some reasonable
I wouldn't call Bath a university town: it's got a university, yes,
but that's not quite the same thing.
Mary Ann Tuli
>
> There was a recent Experian survey which gave a list of places from 1-376
> based on the certain quality of life criteria listed . You can find this
at:
> http://press.experian.com/documents/showdoc.cfm?doc=596
>
> A lot of London boroughs came in the bottom 20 due to the ludicrous house
> prices, although there are some bizarre anomalies such as Hartlepool being
> at Nr 9 and Middlesborough at Nr 318. I didn't think there was *that* much
> difference between the two towns. (Bristol fans--it came in at 337th!) .
>
> Simon Mason
> Anlaby, East Yorkshire. 179th in survey
> 53°44'N 0°26'W
> http://www.simonmason.karoo.net
>
>
Mary Ann, Uttlesford. 1st in survey :-)
Spotted Dick
> >
> >Bristle.
> Somerset perhaps,
And somebody else suggested Bath.
So the answer's obvious: between the two.
Keynsham
Spelt K E Y N S H A M
Grew up there. Wouldn't go back if I didn't like to see my mother
occasionally...
Nowt specially wrong with it though, and handy for both Bristle and
Bath.
Used to have a decent chip shop. And there's the chocolate factory...
Spotted Dick
I knew a bloke from Ipswich once. Came to a bad end.
David E. Belcher
Simon Mason wrote:
>
> There was a recent Experian survey which gave a list of places from 1-376
> based on the certain quality of life criteria listed . You can find this at:
> http://press.experian.com/documents/showdoc.cfm?doc=596
>
> A lot of London boroughs came in the bottom 20 due to the ludicrous house
> prices, although there are some bizarre anomalies such as Hartlepool being
> at Nr 9 and Middlesborough at Nr 318. I didn't think there was *that* much
> difference between the two towns. (Bristol fans--it came in at 337th!) .
>
I'm not entirely convinced by this survey - York only comes in at
No.232, yet is generally regarded as being above average as a civilised
place to live (not that I'm saying it's perfect!). Most of the
top-ranking places seem to be based in and around semi-rural districts
and/or smaller provincial towns/cities, so surprised to see Derby come
in at No.5 (no offence to the place; in fact, good to see the bigger
industrial cities getting a foot in the door!).
David E. Belcher
Dept. of Chemistry,
University of York
Geoff Pearson
near London?
"Jules" <j...@trailermen.com> wrote in message
news:9qh9v6$hft$1...@uranium.btinternet.com...
Agnès Guyon
Geoff Pearson wrote:
> You can't beat Edinburgh - but it fails criterion 1. Why do you want to be
> near London?
>
I'd second that.. You can fly cheaply to London in less than 2 hours.. I know
someone who does that once a week.
Agnès.
Andrew Norman
>
[http://press.experian.com/documents/showdoc.cfm?doc=596]
>
> I'm not entirely convinced by this survey - York only comes in at
> No.232, yet is generally regarded as being above average as a civilised
> place to live (not that I'm saying it's perfect!). Most of the
> top-ranking places seem to be based in and around semi-rural districts
> and/or smaller provincial towns/cities, so surprised to see Derby come
> in at No.5 (no offence to the place; in fact, good to see the bigger
> industrial cities getting a foot in the door!).
I'm not convinced at all. Some of the criteria seem sensible, some seem
dubious, and "retail vitality" is not something I'd want to use to
measure the quality of life in an area. Merry Hell has great retail
vitality, but who'd want to live anywhere near it?
W K
Interesting.
I always thought there were nice bits near nottingham etc. and not too far
from a good railway line.
Live 10 miles away and get a brompton (thats a bike - I notice this is cross
posted)
(Although my personal knowledge of the area is based on where my extended
family is from - depressed - depressing and dingy ex-mining town)
~ ~ ~
Anyway. In my top 30 list of places to live nowhere would be 2 hours from
london.
Jules Bromley
be
> near London?
Work unfortunately. Although I'm self employed, most of my clients and
contacts are in London so I'll probably need to travel in once a week. I
also need certain London based contacts to be able to get to me - much as I
wish I had the freedom of the whole country.
Glenkys
>Essentially, just a really nice but lively place to live, that has good
>local facilities and is relatively accessible.
Northampton is a cheap pocket within two hours of London, but the
schools aren't necessarily that good.
Oxfordshire is brilliant - but housing isn't cheap around here. My
sister's boyfriend has just bought a three bedroomed semi on a very
run down estate near Didcot for about 85 000 but that's way cheap; you
are looking for 120 + for similar in the other cheaper pockets.
Schools around here are generally very good. Schools in Oxford itself
can be dodgy, can be good. Housing is very expensive there, but it is
one of the best, most vibrant places to live.
Glenys
--
Araldite was the Greek goddess of sticky things.
(JAF, uk.misc)
Put my first name and tgis in the relevant places
Andrew
Jules Bromley <jules....@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:9qhmeo$5c4$1...@uranium.btinternet.com...
> > You can't beat Edinburgh - but it fails criterion 1. Why do you want to
> be
> > near London?
>
> Work unfortunately. Although I'm self employed, most of my clients and
> contacts are in London so I'll probably need to travel in once a week. I
> also need certain London based contacts to be able to get to me - much as
I
> wish I had the freedom of the whole country.
Jules, you've opened a right kettle of worms with this post!!!
Penny Gaines
> Ok this is pretty much totally OT, but we really need some help.
>
> I'm about to move out of London with the family (wife, 2 very young kids)
> and have no idea where to start looking. I run my business from home, and
> my wife will
> be giving up work, or perhaps getting part time work locally. So, we can
> move pretty much anywhere within a 2 hour (car/train) journey of London -
> I
> might need to come in once a week. Problem is, we're both from the North
> West originally and not too familiar with the rest of the country.
>
> So, I guess I'm asking, where do young families who move out of London and
> DON'T need to be inside the London commuter belt choose to live?
> Basically, where are good places to live in the UK (outside London) which
> satisfy the following criteria:
>
> 1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
> 2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
> 3. Decent schools
> 4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
> population
We've just moved under similar circumstances, and when we first discussed
it, it was really scary just to think about. You need to narrow down the
possibilities first.
We started by working out which motorway we wanted to be near - in
our case, M4 or M40. Then we did several reconnaisance visits to
potential towns (basically chosen by looking at a map). Then we honed
in on a specific town, and went to the estate agents there. We really liked
the description of a particular house in a village, and decided that house
was the one for us.
You might want to move slightly NW, to cut down the jouney time to
your family.
FWIW, it took us about 7 months from deciding that we would move this
year (we had thought about it in the past, but the time wasn't right).
You really need to work out what factors about a house are important
for you - we wanted a big garden, primary schools within walking distance,
and all the normal stuff about so many bedrooms. Also when you are
looking, ask the vendors which schools nearby are good. The Ofsted reports
are on the net.
Somewhat depressing to find we've moved from 42 to 107 on that list -
but we couldn't have afforded a house in a village where we were.
Email if you have more specific questions.
--
Penny Gaines
Peter B
Apparently Rutland, particularly Oakham is getting popular with London
commuters.
Whassit got? 3000 arcre reservoir with year round 23mile perimeter
cycle/walking track with shorter loops to suit all ages.
1.5 hours to Hunstanton on the east coast (but faces west), not beautiful
but there is the rest of the north Norfolk coast ;-)
Beautiful rolling countryside with mainly quiet roads, Rockingham Forest.
If you're well heeled Oakham and Uppingham schools.
Leicester 45 minutes. Corby and Kettering closer.
Mainline train station.
Easy access to A1.
Move there myself if I could afford it!
Pete.
Jules Bromley
Apologies for the cross posting by the way - I guess that's some kind of
abuse of netiquette or something, but at least it explains the references to
cycling! Yes that's also a criteria although somewhere lower down the
list, being realistic. :)
The variety of views is pretty striking, but of course that's inevitable.
I guess most people have a specific reason to move somewhere - work, family
etc. We have relatives in the North West and Suffolk, but basically
decided other things should take priority which just left us with this huge
unknown area.
I am taking careful notes and planning recon' missions on the basis of
what's being suggested (you think I'm joking!), so please keep 'em coming.
I just know there's a little gem of a place out there that's right for us
and can't stand the idea of missing out!
Thanks again.
Jules
PS. Any specific places - towns, villages etc. would be super-helpful. I'd
hate to fumble around entire regions only to find I totally missed the
coolest places!
"Jules" <j...@trailermen.com> wrote in message
news:9qh9v6$hft$1...@uranium.btinternet.com...
> Ok this is pretty much totally OT, but we really need some help.
>
> I'm about to move out of London with the family (wife, 2 very young kids)
> and have no idea where to start looking. I run my business from home, and
> my wife will
> be giving up work, or perhaps getting part time work locally. So, we can
> move pretty much anywhere within a 2 hour (car/train) journey of London -
I
> might need to come in once a week. Problem is, we're both from the North
> West originally and not too familiar with the rest of the country.
>
> So, I guess I'm asking, where do young families who move out of London and
> DON'T need to be inside the London commuter belt choose to live?
Basically,
> where are good places to live in the UK (outside London) which satisfy the
> following criteria:
>
> 1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
> 2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
> 3. Decent schools
> 4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
> population
>
> Essentially, just a really nice but lively place to live, that has good
> local facilities and is relatively accessible.
>
Linz
> Somewhere around the Cambridge area?
> If you don't like too many hills, it's great. Also it has fantastic
> scenery.
Has it? You'd be hard pressed to tell, there's no hills to see it
from.
> I have recently moved from Monmouthshire to Cambridgeshire. They are both
> nice places to live, but Cambridgeshire being flatter is easier to ride
> round, apart from the winds sometimes.:)
Whereas my ex and I left Cambridge for Wet Yorks because Cambridge was
just too flat.
--
I'm all heart, me.
This makes tying shoelaces more than a little tricky.
(Ancipital, urs)
Jon Buh
> hate to fumble around entire regions only to find I totally missed the
> coolest places!
>
>
all the facilities are good, road connections to London and the West, the
seaside
is less than 20 mins away, good beer/food and friendly. London is just over an
hour by train (Liverpool St)
But.......the house prices are soaring so be quick.
Jon.
--
Posted from inktomi1-cam.server.ntl.com [62.253.128.4]
via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG
Peter B
Andrew Norman <n...@le.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:MPG.16363f25...@news.le.ac.uk...
> In article <9qh9v6$hft$1...@uranium.btinternet.com>, j...@trailermen.com
> says...
>Countryside's very varied, unlike up here
> where uncultivated land is a rarity
South Leicestershire/Rutland offers nice rolling countryside and Leicester
itself is not too far from The Peak District.
>and you have to drive 90 miles to
> reach the sea.
Which means it's usually novel for us when we do go ;-)
Having both worked and holidayed in Somerset and Devon I can vouch for its
attractiveness but the East Midlands is not without its charms.
Pete, also in Leicester.
Steve Walker
<j...@trailermen.com> writes
>So, I guess I'm asking, where do young families who move out of London and
>DON'T need to be inside the London commuter belt choose to live? Basically,
>where are good places to live in the UK (outside London) which satisfy the
>following criteria:
>
>1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
>2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
>3. Decent schools
>4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
>population
Wiltshire is nice, provided that you stay out of the extended rabbit
hutch colony of Swinedon.
--
Steve Walker
Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
steve at otolith dot demon dot co dot uk
http://www.otolith.demon.co.uk
Richard Miller
> DON'T need to be inside the London commuter belt choose to live?
Basically,
> where are good places to live in the UK (outside London) which satisfy the
> following criteria:
>
> 1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
> 2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
> 3. Decent schools
> 4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
> population
>
> local facilities and is relatively accessible.
>
Whitstable.
Journey time to London Victoria - 1 hour 15 minutes on a good day.
Kent countryside and coast easily accessible, with regular spectacular
sunsets. Turner painted locally, and the skies really are that mix of
colours.
Canterbury ten minutes drive away.
Good private schools and, I believe, reasonable comprehensives.
Town centre is independent shops rather than just the usual chains, although
we have enough of the basic facilities to be very comfortable, and anything
else you need including nightlife is in Canterbury.
Richard Miller
Mike Gayler
Another vote for Leicestershire here!
We live on the western edge of the city, and although we've lived in
London, Cambridgeshire & Nott's we have been happiest here. Great cycling
country, good community, compact city, and good communications to London
and the North.
While we've had mixed experiences with the skool system - I think my kids
have had a particularly poor experience, on the whole the county schools
are pretty good.
--
The Gayler Family
Leicester Forest East - UK
www.leicester-round.com
Mark M
news:tsoh0ic...@corp.supernews.com...
> "Jules" <j...@trailermen.com> wrote in message news:9qh9v6
> > 1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
> > 2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
> > 3. Decent schools
> > 4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
> > population
>
> There was a recent Experian survey which gave a list of places from 1-376
> based on the certain quality of life criteria listed . You can find this
at:
> http://press.experian.com/documents/showdoc.cfm?doc=596
>
> A lot of London boroughs came in the bottom 20 due to the ludicrous house
> prices, although there are some bizarre anomalies such as Hartlepool being
> at Nr 9 and Middlesborough at Nr 318. I didn't think there was *that* much
> difference between the two towns. (Bristol fans--it came in at 337th!) .
Some mistake, shurely? Middlesbrough would have come in at 376 out of 376.
I refuse to believe there is anywhere worse.
Tim Emanuel
>Some mistake, shurely? Middlesbrough would have come in at 376 out of 376.
>I refuse to believe there is anywhere worse.
Then you've never been to Slough.
--
Tim
Martin Harlow
<tamb...@myrealbox.com> writes
>>anything
>>else you need including nightlife is in Canterbury.
>
>Blimey, the place must have changed since I grew up there.
When visiting a while ago, we noticed a lack of adverts for
(night)clubs, but ads for coach trips to go clubbing in London... Seemed
like a nice place though, if somewhat tourist infested.
ttfn
Martin
--
"A million monkeys were given a million typewriters. It's called the internet."
Martin Harlow mar...@freedonia.demon.co.uk
Spotted Dick
No, it was more of a
drug-induced-downward-spiral-into-filth-and-degradation thing.
Barbiturates and Opiates: just say No.
Spotted Dick
>
> On Tue, 16 Oct 2001 18:07:34 +0100, "Richard Miller"
> <Richard....@btopenworld.com> wrote:
>
>
> Is the Harbour Lights still a good pub?
Oh god, tell me Nick Berry doesn't hang out in Whitstable, please.
If one were to choose Whitstable, one would be handily placed to give
me a place to kip for next year's British Juggling Convention...
Jon
Nottingham is quite nice.. I can get from Ilkeston (derby/notts
border) to Wimbledon by car in around 3-4 hours (M1-M25-A127?), train
to london is about 1:45 hours, then tube is required... but I prefer
the car!!!!!
Anywhere in Norfolk/Suffolk is a good place to be... nice countryside,
but a little quiet if you are vilaged, norwich is still a nice place
to live and go out, but the local council are wankers with no idea of
road planing....
I used to commute from thetford-ely-london-Jewry lane (city)... first
train at 6.40, hit work arround 8.40... going back was horendous!!!!
as the trains didn't join up at ely correctly after the derailment...
car time was arround 2 hours, but increasing as people dumped the
train!.
I work from home as well, sadly not enough hours as I need. My problem
as a single parent is that I find myself increasingly turning into a
hermit with no adult company... I even do my laundry in nottingham
"for a trip out" is that sad or what!
On the plus side it has helped with the stability for my "lives with
me" son, but thats a long story.
One place I would recomend, if money is no object, is West Malling...
I loved living in the swan hotel (as was) for a year... beats cooking,
I can tell you... but having a public bar down stairs did rather eat
into my profits ;-)
Jon
--
Jonathan Wilson
Phone 07775 638904.
I can only offer advice! No responsibility can be accepted.
All suggestions are provided on a personal basis,
such as would be received by talking to a friend.
teknohippyŽ
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 13:57:47 +0100
>In article <9qh9v6$hft$1...@uranium.btinternet.com>, j...@trailermen.com
>says...
>> So, I guess I'm asking, where do young families who move out of London and
>> DON'T need to be inside the London commuter belt choose to live? Basically,
>> where are good places to live in the UK (outside London) which satisfy the
>> following criteria:
>>
>> 1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
>> 2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
>> 3. Decent schools
>> 4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
>> population
>
>Bristle. Less than two hours on the train, and there's a huge variety
>of accommodation in the area (country, city, small towns, seaside,
>Barratt home wastelands). Countryside's very varied, unlike up here
>where uncultivated land is a rarity and you have to drive 90 miles to
>reach the sea. Some of the nearby rural comprehensives regularly make
>it into the top 50 lists (Backwell is always well up in the league
>tables, with Gordano and Churchill usually doing well too). Property
>prices are fairly high, though not at silly London levels.
Spooky, I thought you was my bro for a minute.
--
Iain Norman | www.teknohippy.com
The longer you wait to buy something,
the newer it will be when it's old.
teknohippyŽ
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 13:44:13 +0100
>Ok this is pretty much totally OT, but we really need some help.
>
>I'm about to move out of London with the family (wife, 2 very young kids)
>and have no idea where to start looking. I run my business from home, and
>my wife will
>be giving up work, or perhaps getting part time work locally. So, we can
>move pretty much anywhere within a 2 hour (car/train) journey of London - I
>might need to come in once a week. Problem is, we're both from the North
>West originally and not too familiar with the rest of the country.
>
>So, I guess I'm asking, where do young families who move out of London and
>DON'T need to be inside the London commuter belt choose to live? Basically,
>where are good places to live in the UK (outside London) which satisfy the
>following criteria:
>
>1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
>2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
>3. Decent schools
>4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
>population
>
>Essentially, just a really nice but lively place to live, that has good
>local facilities and is relatively accessible.
>
>I know this sounds like the dumbest question in the world, but we always
>thought we'd move back up north (still an option) so this has really caught
>us off-guard.
>
>Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated, or if there's a better place to
>ask stupid questions like this, please let me know!
>
>Thanks for any help.
>
>Jules
>
Out east of oxford in the chiltern hundreds there are some
loverly little communities, and some excellent cycling.
Here's a tip though, anyplace you feel like checking out,
have a look at.
Lot's of useful demographics and stuff like crimerates, GCSE
and A Level resuls, house prices and the like all tied into
postcodes.
Andrew Norman
pastm...@teknohippy.com says...
There's another Andrew Norman who posts to uk.legal about speed cameras
from time to time. That *is* spooky, I keep thinking I've turned into a
GATSO bore without realising it.
Willy Eckerslyke
> There's another Andrew Norman who posts to uk.legal about speed cameras
> from time to time. That *is* spooky, I keep thinking I've turned into a
> GATSO bore without realising it.
You think that's bad? According to google, there's another one of
me posting to an, ahem, caravan newsgroup. Oh the shame!
Plagiarising little fecker can't even spel rite.
--
Regards, Willy.
PTO
Dawn
"Willy Eckerslyke" wrote
> You think that's bad? According to google, there's another one of
> me posting to an, ahem, caravan newsgroup. Oh the shame!
> Plagiarising little fecker can't even spel rite.
Come on Willy, you're among friends here. You can tell us you have a
caravan, if you want to.
Dawn (who also has a caravan and cant see what the problem is!)
Julian Edge
news:P3dz7.11792$T05.1...@news2-win.server.ntlworld.com...
> Dawn (who also has a caravan and cant see what the problem is!)
Typical bloody caravan owner!
H.Morrison
after posting this. At the moment, this is being crossposted to;
uk.misc,uk.people.parents,uk.rec.cycling
TIA
Harry
Jules Bromley
I'll do the 'Up My Street' thing as and when we start to home in on a few
locations.
We were actually up in Oxfordshire (edge of the Cotswolds, Chipping Norton,
Banbury) the other week. There are some beautiful villages this side of
the Cotswolds (Kingham, Hook Norton etc.) and access to London is perfect
for us - i.e. just too far for commuters!
The thing that worried me was how little was going on in those villages.
After 12 years in London, and because I work from home, I'm worried we might
all go stir crazy! Over towards Banbury looked a bit more lively, but
needless to say the countryside wasn't quite so appealing.
Thanks again for your suggestions.
Jules
"teknohippyŽ" <pastm...@teknohippy.com> wrote in message
news:v9jqstgcpcifp4b2l...@4ax.com...
James Hodson
>Dave machin wrote:
>
>> > 1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
>> > 2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
>> > 3. Decent schools
>> > 4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
>> > population
>> >
>>
>> You've just described Ipswich.
>
You've just described anywhere in W. Sussex. :-)
James
Willy Eckerslyke
> We were actually up in Oxfordshire (edge of the Cotswolds, Chipping Norton,
> Banbury) the other week. There are some beautiful villages this side of
> the Cotswolds (Kingham, Hook Norton etc.) and access to London is perfect
> for us - i.e. just too far for commuters!
>
> The thing that worried me was how little was going on in those villages.
Little going on in Hook Norton?
Strewth, what about Old Hooky, Haymaker, Twelve Days, Best Bitter,
Double Stout and Best Mild?
I dunno, there's no pleasing some folk.
--
Regards, Willy.
PTO
Linz
Well, which group don't you want it to go to? The original poster
posted to three groups because a) he cycles, b) he's a parent and c)
the request is pretty miscellaneous. If you think it's off-topic for
whichever group you're in at least let everyone know which group that
is.
Chris Eilbeck
> Dawn (who also has a caravan and cant see what the problem is!)
It's that bloody great queue of 30 cars that you're causing. That and
the whole shitting your load in a plastic bucket thing.
Chris
--
Chris Eilbeck mailto:ch...@yordas.demon.co.uk
A.Lee
> On Tue, 16 Oct 2001 18:07:34 +0100, "Richard Miller"
> <Richard....@btopenworld.com> wrote:
> >else you need including nightlife is in Canterbury.
>
This sounds like an episode of 'Hamish Macbeth' set on the North West
coast of scotland, a young Officer turns up, and her superior turns to
Hamish and says "this one's on her career ladder, she'll be heading for
the bright lights of Dundee"!
Alan.
Smiley Miley
is Chichester (1 hour to London by train), the Downs and lots of fab little
villages and towns, eg Arundel, Bosham, etc but a little warning - steer
well clear of Havant.
Newbury is pretty good too, but with house prices second only to those in
London, pick your property very carefully with regard to schools, as moving
around in Newbury is even more pricey than moving in!!!
Good luck!!
"Jules Bromley" <jules....@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:9qk0co$q4l$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com...
Alex Buell
> This sounds like an episode of 'Hamish Macbeth' set on the North West
> coast of scotland, a young Officer turns up, and her superior turns to
> Hamish and says "this one's on her career ladder, she'll be heading
> for the bright lights of Dundee"!
Wasn't that the episode where Hamish frequently has to hide the fact he's
been toking on a spliff whenever she appears!
I /loved/ that programme. Sadly, political pressure was brought to bear on
the Beeb who subsequently killed it. I don't think it could ever be shown
again without significant cuts to the spliffing bits.
--
Top posters will be automatically killfiled.
Alex Buell
> No-one should be allowed to tow a caravan with a car of less than 3
> litres.
So your Cossie, with all its abundant power wouldn't be allowed to, eh?
Greg Driver
>
>I'm about to move out of London with the family (wife, 2 very young kids)
>and have no idea where to start looking. I run my business from home, and
>my wife will
>be giving up work, or perhaps getting part time work locally. So, we can
>move pretty much anywhere within a 2 hour (car/train) journey of London - I
>might need to come in once a week. Problem is, we're both from the North
>West originally and not too familiar with the rest of the country.
>
>Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated, or if there's a better place to
>ask stupid questions like this, please let me know!
>
>Thanks for any help.
>
>Jules
>
How about somewhere close to Milton Keynes (waiting for the abuse...).
I spent 7 years living in Woburn, Bedfordshire, which is a nice village
just south of Milton Keynes. Whilst MK isn't to everybody's tastes it
does have a lot going for it. Good rail links to London (45mins
Euston), the M1 close by (to escape!), the redways for cycling,
excellent leisure and shopping facilities (not sure about the schools).
There are some good areas for off-road cycling close by (a 5 min ride
from my old house) and the Chilterns are just a short ride away. Other
places to consider in the area are Tring, Wendover, Berkhamstead.
Having said that I moved away last year to sunny Surrey (Godalming), but
I do kind of miss the old place...
Greg
--
Greg Driver
A.Lee
> On Wed, 17 Oct 2001, A.Lee wrote:
> > This sounds like an episode of 'Hamish Macbeth' set on the North West
> > coast of scotland, a young Officer turns up, and her superior turns to
> > Hamish and says "this one's on her career ladder, she'll be heading
> > for the bright lights of Dundee"!
>
> Wasn't that the episode where Hamish frequently has to hide the fact he's
> been toking on a spliff whenever she appears!
> I /loved/ that programme. Sadly, political pressure was brought to bear on
> the Beeb who subsequently killed it. I don't think it could ever be shown
> again without significant cuts to the spliffing bits.
Always wondered why they were never repeated, when they show rubbish
like 'Some mothers/Hello hello ..' every week.
The first series was good, but I think it went downhill in the 2nd
series.I think they had run out of Scottish actors as well, it was a
case every week of 'he's the one from Taggart/RabNesbitt/Naked Video'
etc. :-)
(like in Taggart, where Stuart,the ginger haired Tec, was arrested in an
early episode for car theft!)
Alan.
H.Morrison
> Top posters will be automatically killfiled.
>
Crossposters also!
(crossposted only so that original sender notices mistake)
Spotted Dick
>
> "Dawn" <mu...@hotmail.com> writes:
>
> > Dawn (who also has a caravan and cant see what the problem is!)
>
> It's that bloody great queue of 30 cars that you're causing. That and
> the whole shitting your load in a plastic bucket thing.
otoh, VW campervans are the dog's danglies.
Peter
> I wouldn't call Bath a university town: it's got a university, yes,
> but that's not quite the same thing.
I wouldn't call Bath a town - it's a city...
All pedantry aside, Bath is a dreadful place to live these days.
BANES (Bath And North-East Somerset) council are determined to screw
up business in the town, whilst simultaneously penalising those who
live there.
But never mind, at least they've got attractive roundabouts - who
needs decent services and maintained roads when you've got
roundabouts?
Peter
teknohippyŽ
Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 14:19:07 +0100
>Thanks Iain
>
>The thing that worried me was how little was going on in those villages.
>After 12 years in London, and because I work from home, I'm worried we might
>all go stir crazy! Over towards Banbury looked a bit more lively, but
>needless to say the countryside wasn't quite so appealing.
>
Those little villages have got great pubs and a wonderful
amazing little thing that the world is slowly forgetting
about, called community :-)
Linz
H.Morrison <ha...@hgu.mrc.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:3BCE82...@hgu.mrc.ac.uk...
Tell us where you don't want the posts to go and people might
consider removing that group from the posts. Just saying "leave
us out of it" without saying where you are is no use whatsoever.
H.Morrison
> Tell us where you don't want the posts to go and people might
> consider removing that group from the posts. Just saying "leave
> us out of it" without saying where you are is no use whatsoever.
Okay Linz, point well taken and my mistake this time. Posting from
people.parents.uk do not, for the most part, need to know about caravans
and the likes when the question in the header is about someones request
for a nice area to move to within 2 hours of London and with decent
schooling.
As an aside, some of the other postings are quite funny also.
Thanks for the pointers Linz,
Harry
Simon Pleasants
wrote:
>>Some mistake, shurely? Middlesbrough would have come in at 376 out of 376.
>>I refuse to believe there is anywhere worse.
>
>Then you've never been to Slough.
Berkshire? I refuse to believe that *anyway* in the extremely monied
(royal) county of Berkshire can possibly be that bad!
Simon
Jules Bromley
> > > > The thing that worried me was how little was going on in those
villages.
>
> Little going on in Hook Norton?
> Strewth, what about Old Hooky, Haymaker, Twelve Days, Best Bitter,
> Double Stout and Best Mild?
> I dunno, there's no pleasing some folk.
>
> --
> Regards, Willy.
>
I can't argue with Old Hooky, Haymaker, Twelve Days, Best Bitter, Double
Stout or Best Mild - in fact I sampled most of them in the few hours I was
there (a beautiful village with it's own brewery - how close to perfect can
you get?!).
The problem is, although my 21 month old son is partial to the odd junior
snifter, my 9 week old daughter isn't (yet) so I begrudgingly have to take
their (and my wife's) needs into consideration as well.
It's tough being a family man!
Jules
Tim Emanuel
--
Tim.
Nikki
I have trouble believing it's Berkshire myself.
Nikki - Bourne End, Bucks (not far from Slough, sadly)
Keith Willoughby
Or heard of Sir John Betjeman.
I went for an interview for a job in Slough once. They offered it to
me, I turned them down. The critical mistake they made was holding the
interview in Slough.
--
Keith Willoughby
"Playing to lose is like sleeping with your sister.
Sure she's a great piece of tail with a blouse full of
goodies, but it's just illegal." - Topper Harley
Simon Pleasants
wrote:
>This sounds like an episode of 'Hamish Macbeth' set on the North West
>coast of scotland, a young Officer turns up, and her superior turns to
>Hamish and says "this one's on her career ladder, she'll be heading for
>the bright lights of Dundee"!
>Alan.
I won't have Dundee knocked, thank you. If you can put up with the
fact that the locals are very ignorant and the city is mostly a mass
of grey tennaments (sp?) then it is quite a good place to live.
Housing cheap, the schools have a good reputation, particularly
Harris, and excellent shopping. You are also just over an hour from
Edinburgh or Glasgow (why anyone would want to go to Glasgow I cannot
think).
In addition you are just minutes from the open country, a few hours
from beautiful highland towns like Pitlochry and Aviemore and only an
hour from the ski resort of Glenshee. The city is slowly adding to
its charm along the waterfront (although they have a long way to go)
with places like Discovery Key and the Harbour Shopping area.
It was sooo good I had to move away because I couldn't take it
anymore.
Simon
(Ashford, Kent)
Simon Pleasants
Okay, I've just moved to Ashford in Kent (although I come from this
part of the world originally so very little culture shock). I checked
the list of most desirable places and it comes in 96 which is not bad,
I suppose. It's certainly more than half way up.
>1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
Currently it is about 1 hr 15 minutes to somewhere like Charing Cross
(also stopping at London Bridge and Waterloo East for good measure).
When the new high speed rail link is complete the journey time could
be as little as 30 minutes. Then it will be seen as definitely part
of the London commuter belt (already is by some). When that happens
the already rising housing prices will go through the roof so buying
in Ashford is a good investment.
My girlfriend and I have even been known to go into the city for
dinner and then come back out afterwards.
>2. Really nice area, interesting countryside but close to large towns
In itself it is a smallish town of about 60,000 people. However as a
central point for lots of small rural villages it has better shopping
facilities than you might expect for somewhere of its size. However,
if it is not enough for you, both Canterbury and Maidstone are less
than 30 minutes by car.
There are also the out of town shopping areas, including the McArthur
Glen Outlet Centre, a big discount shopping area where almost every
clothing company (and others) is represented and selling at much lower
than in high street stores. The companies (e.g. Levi / Wrangler etc)
actually have their own shops to sell direct to the public. You have
two 24 hour supermarkets as well.
As for countryside, Kent is called the Garden Of England and for good
reason. Ashford is surrounded by typical English country villages
plus there's Romney Marsh which is good flat countryside stretching
for hundreds of square miles with any number of little country lanes
that even the locals don't know where they all go - and not a hill in
sight. Good cycling territory.
>3. Decent schools
This one part of the country where grammar schools still exist.
There's Natchbull (the grammar), which has a reasonable reputation (to
my knowledge) and Ashford School which is private. I really don't
know much more than that as it is of no relevance to me personally.
>4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
>population
Don't know much about the age of population but it *seems* quite young
when looking about. It is not the most happening place in the world
but does have multi-screen cinema, a bowling alley, any number of
healthclubs and gyms, a couple of clubs, pool halls and some nice pubs
(although the local villages have some good English country pubs).
You've got some reasonable restaurants around, including the best
indian I have ever been to, plus your usual collection of Pizza Hut,
KFC, Burger King etc.
There is also a collection of slightly more off beat attractions
within 30 minutes drive, such Howletts and Port Lympne Zoos, the Kent
& East Sussex Railway and Leeds Castle. A little over 30 minutes and
you've got Brands Hatch for the motor racing, Margate for places like
Dreamland (big theme park) and France. Day trips to France are easy
and quite cheap. Even places like Thorpe Park and Chessington World
Of Adventures are about an hour as road connections are as good as the
rail connections in Ashford (the town is right on the M20).
Simon
Julian Edge
news:3BCEB640.84073326@impactwp_nospam.com...
> Nikki - Bourne End, Bucks (not far from Slough, sadly)
And pretty darned close to High Wycombe!
Stephen MacDonald
>
> I won't have Dundee knocked, thank you.
What about the biting cold? It's f-f-f freezing up there! I had to go to
bed wearing a wooly jumper and a hat when I lived on Nethergate. And the
wind! What about the Haar?
Richard Miller
"Harry T Flea" <tamb...@myrealbox.com> wrote in message
news:dd9pst4ajiubk7ot7...@4ax.com...> >Whitstable.
>
> Is the Harbour Lights still a good pub?
Don't know it, I'm afraid.
The Neptune is still going strong, although it can get a bit, err, lively at
times.
>
> >anything
> >else you need including nightlife is in Canterbury.
>
> Blimey, the place must have changed since I grew up there.
OK, so it isn't Leicester Square, but so what? I like it.
And hell, it isn't as if I suggested *Broadstairs*!
Richard Miller
Spotted Dick
Oi! you can't go being all nice in a crosspost to uk.misc! You're
supposed to start an argument that goes round in circles for months!
Spotted Dick
>
> I agree - you can't have been to Slough.
>
> I have trouble believing it's Berkshire myself.
Isn't it the home of the Mars bar? It's not _all_ bad, then.
Tim Emanuel
>When the new high speed rail link is complete
Touching faith in the rail authorities you've got there.
--
Tim.
David E. Belcher
Tim Emanuel wrote:
>
> >>Then you've never been to Slough.
> >
> >Berkshire? I refuse to believe that *anyway* in the extremely monied
> >(royal) county of Berkshire can possibly be that bad!
>
> Then you've never been to Slough.
<insert appropriate John Betjeman quote here>
Well, someone had to mention it....
David E. Belcher
Dept. of Chemistry,
University of York
Jules Bromley
Sorry again. I understand the pain and suffering this must have caused.
Jules
"H.Morrison" <ha...@hgu.mrc.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:3BCE82...@hgu.mrc.ac.uk...
Jules Bromley
"teknohippyŽ" <pastm...@teknohippy.com> wrote in message
news:6n7tsto97gqrs5edh...@4ax.com...
> >After 12 years in London, and because I work from home, I'm worried we
might
> >all go stir crazy! Over towards Banbury looked a bit more lively, but
> >needless to say the countryside wasn't quite so appealing.
> >
> Those little villages have got great pubs and a wonderful
> amazing little thing that the world is slowly forgetting
> about, called community :-)
Sorry, but that's not the impression I got. I have no doubt there are
villages with lots of 'community' in that area, but many of the villages we
saw were home in large part to Londoners' weekend retreats. Hardly a recipe
for a solid local community.
If it had been otherwise, I would have been less disappointed.
Jules
teknohippyŽ
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2001 14:41:39 +0100
Don't get me started on Londoners 'cos I tend to generalise
too much due to the
noo-meeja-wannabe-hacker-london-arse-webdesigner-cantcodefortoffee
twats I have to deal with on a daily basis.
Oops you got me started <grins>
Damnable vitriol, I've got buckets of it round the back.
<smiles>
Spotted Dick
> Sorry again. I understand the pain and suffering this must have caused.
You'll be from one of those newsgroups that don't use smileys, yes?
Welcome, brother!
H.Morrison
>
> I already apologised for the cross-posting in an earlier message.
>
> Sorry again. I understand the pain and suffering this must have caused.
>
> Jules
Missed apology and the pain will ease, believe me! <G>
Harry
Nikki
And yes Julian, near to High Wycombe... don't mind it there though!
Nikki
Julian.Edge
news:9qn98r$blv$1...@anubis.demon.co.uk...
> In article
<Pine.LNX.4.33.01101...@tahallah.demon.co.uk>, Alex Buell
<alex....@tahallah.demon.co.uk> writes:
> >On 17 Oct 2001, Huge wrote:
> >
> >> No-one should be allowed to tow a caravan with a car of less than 3
> >> litres.
> >
> >So your Cossie, with all its abundant power wouldn't be allowed to, eh?
>
> Nope. Cossie's are pants tow cars.
>
> I'd have to use the Tractor, instead.
Why not just get a few villagers to drag your fat arse to Cornwall?
Fancy a beer up town soon?
I hear the bars are empty these days.
Helen Deborah Vecht
from Spotted Dick <daveD...@man.ac.uk> contains these words:
There are days when the whole town smells of them molishing Mars® bars :-)
Yum!
--
Helen D. Vecht: helen...@zetnet.co.uk
Edgware.
Helen Deborah Vecht
from Simon Pleasants <ple...@hotmail.com> contains these words:
> >York!
> >
> I thought that was more than two hours from London?
You thought wrong.
It's *exactly* 2 hours from King's Cross to York on the East Coast Main
Line.[1]
[1] In the 1999 timetable. I CBA to go downstairs to check a more recent one.
Helen Deborah Vecht
from Keith Willoughby <ke...@flat222.org> contains these words:
> t...@cantona.org.uk (Tim Emanuel) writes:
> > On Thu, 18 Oct 2001 11:44:44 +0100, Simon Pleasants
> > <ple...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > >On Tue, 16 Oct 2001 21:34:50 GMT, t...@cantona.org.uk (Tim Emanuel)
> > >wrote:
> > >
> > >>>Some mistake, shurely? Middlesbrough would have come in at 376
> > >>>out of 376.
> > >>>I refuse to believe there is anywhere worse.
> > >>
> > >>Then you've never been to Slough.
> > >
> > >Berkshire? I refuse to believe that *anyway* in the extremely monied
> > >(royal) county of Berkshire can possibly be that bad!
> >
> > Then you've never been to Slough.
> Or heard of Sir John Betjeman.
In bright suburban homes, with care,
Their wives frizz out peroxide hair
and dry it in syntheic air
And paint their nails
He wrote that around 65 years ago...
Alex Buell
> I'd have to use the Range Rover, instead.
Aha, a man with most impeccable taste.
--
Top posters will be automatically killfiled.
Jules Bromley
"Spotted Dick" <daveD...@man.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:3BCEE788...@man.ac.uk...
That's correct. Unfortunately I have an allergic reaction to smiley's
which causes me to temporarily lose sanity, strip myself naked, run around
making pre-Neanderthal noises, and invariably committing acts of terrible
violence upon whomsoever strays into my path. :-)
Arrrgggh, a smiley........grunt....snuffle.....snarl.....etc.
Julian.Edge
news:200110182...@zetnet.co.uk...
[Sluff]
> There are days when the whole town smells of them molishing Mars® bars
:-)
And when the wind blows the other way it stinks like paint from the ICI
factory.
:-(
No leper jokes.
Linz
> Linz wrote:
>
> > Tell us where you don't want the posts to go and people might
> > consider removing that group from the posts. Just saying "leave
> > us out of it" without saying where you are is no use whatsoever.
>
>
> Okay Linz, point well taken and my mistake this time. Posting from
> people.parents.uk do not, for the most part, need to know about caravans
> and the likes when the question in the header is about someones request
> for a nice area to move to within 2 hours of London and with decent
> schooling.
Ah, well, in every newsgroup thread drift occurs.
> As an aside, some of the other postings are quite funny also.
>
> Thanks for the pointers Linz,
No problem!
--
I'm all heart, me.
This makes tying shoelaces more than a little tricky.
(Ancipital, urs)
Linz
> The message <j2ctsts2e9ihc21h2...@4ax.com>
> from Simon Pleasants <ple...@hotmail.com> contains these words:
>
> > >York!
> > >
>
> > I thought that was more than two hours from London?
>
> You thought wrong.
> It's *exactly* 2 hours from King's Cross to York on the East Coast Main
> Line.[1]
Hah! On a good day, perhaps! I can still remember the painful journey
I suffered from King's Cross to York on the East Coast Main Line. 6
hours. The only highlight was that Leon Brittan, who had obviously
been booked into 1st class on the previous, cancelled, train, had to
stand in the 2nd class smoking coach.
> [1] In the 1999 timetable. I CBA to go downstairs to check a more recent one.
Theoretically, according to the Railtrack website, there's a service
that takes 1hr 51, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Joe
news:3BCC40DC...@bikerider.com...
>
>
> Dave machin wrote:
>
> > > 1. London max. 2 hours car/train away (but beyond commuter-land)
towns
> > > 4. Good local community, with a bit going on and relatively young
> > > population
> > >
> >
>
> You've just described anywhere in E. Sussex.
>
> Alex
What like Hastings? Pikey capital of the UK & not too much of a heroin
problem!!!!!
Joe
news:3bce5e5...@news.freeserve.net...> >Essentially, just a really nice but lively place to live, that has good
> >local facilities and is relatively accessible.
>
> Northampton is a cheap pocket within two hours of London, but the
> schools aren't necessarily that good.
>
> Oxfordshire is brilliant - but housing isn't cheap around here. My
> sister's boyfriend has just bought a three bedroomed semi on a very
> run down estate near Didcot for about 85 000 but that's way cheap; you
> are looking for 120 + for similar in the other cheaper pockets.
> Schools around here are generally very good. Schools in Oxford itself
> can be dodgy, can be good. Housing is very expensive there, but it is
> one of the best, most vibrant places to live.
>
> Glenys
>
Didcot - right that'll be that HUGE power station on your doorstep then?
And Broadway on a Friday night is perfect for getting glassed in the face.
Joe
"Jules Bromley" <jules....@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:9qk0co$q4l$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com...
> Thanks Iain
>
> I'll do the 'Up My Street' thing as and when we start to home in on a few
> locations.
>
> We were actually up in Oxfordshire (edge of the Cotswolds, Chipping
Norton,
> Banbury) the other week. There are some beautiful villages this side of
> the Cotswolds (Kingham, Hook Norton etc.) and access to London is perfect
> for us - i.e. just too far for commuters!
>
> The thing that worried me was how little was going on in those villages.
> After 12 years in London, and because I work from home, I'm worried we
might
> all go stir crazy! Over towards Banbury looked a bit more lively, but
> needless to say the countryside wasn't quite so appealing.
>
>
> Jules
>
>
You could try just a few miles just outside Oxford - best of both worlds
then.
W K
> >
> >It's that bloody great queue of 30 cars that you're causing.
>
> No-one should be allowed to tow a caravan with a car of less than
> 3 litres.
And no-one should be allowed to drive a car with more than 3 litres.
Simon Pleasants
>> >York!
>> >
>
>> I thought that was more than two hours from London?
>
>You thought wrong.
>It's *exactly* 2 hours from King's Cross to York on the East Coast Main
>Line.
Aha, you've fallen for the old trick - believing the timetable.
Simon
Simon Pleasants
<stephen....@physiol.ox.ac.uk> wrote:
>> I won't have Dundee knocked, thank you.
>
>What about the biting cold? It's f-f-f freezing up there! I had to go to
>bed wearing a wooly jumper and a hat when I lived on Nethergate. And the
>wind! What about the Haar?
I lived in a double glazed, central heated flat and kept it at a
temperature suitable for T shirt wearing all year round.
But you're right - it's only just outside the Artic Circle (or
certainly feels that way) and temperature was a significant factor in
deciding to move.
Dodging the polar bears was getting onerous as well.
Simon
Simon Pleasants
wrote:
>On Thu, 18 Oct 2001 12:54:46 +0100, Simon Pleasants wrote:
>
>>When the new high speed rail link is complete
>
>Touching faith in the rail authorities you've got there.
Then I refer you to a previous post (included below) :-)
Simon