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      06-05-2021, 04:29 PM   #1
SantaEugence
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If you could live anywhere in the UK, where would it be?

So circumstances are such that I can work remotely anywhere (has to be in the UK) and I currently have the freedom of being able to move from the current base near Bristol. I was looking at other places locally but it got me thinking… where would be your choice of location? Doesn't have to be long term, I could rent a place just for 6 months. Rather avoid London or anywhere on the upper end of rental costs.

So where would it be, an isle off Scotland? Cornwall? Wales? Only caveat is I'd need a decent net connection
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      06-05-2021, 04:33 PM   #2
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Basingstoke.
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      06-05-2021, 04:48 PM   #3
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For about 13 years I lived in fairly central London as I needed to be at my desk in the City by 7am, so any further away just meant a tricky commute rather than 20 minutes by car.

As soon as I could, I moved to my favourite place in the UK - the Lake District. I wondered for a while if moving to a place which I enjoyed as a tourist would actually work out as a permanent home, but that was about 17 years ago and it has. It’s been fantastic and I can’t imagine living anywhere else in the UK.

Of course a key part of this is my love of mountains. If they’re not you’re thing then it wouldn’t be for you! I always have in the back of my mind that I might one day move to the Highlands if tourism gets too much here, but while the mountains are great up there, it’s pretty cut off from everywhere else.

In terms of getting decent broadband, as I live in a pretty remote area, it could have been tricky. So I set up a Community Fibre Partnership and enrolled my (few) neighbours and forced Openreach to get their act together. After much resistance they spent nearly £100k getting fast broadband to 7 houses!
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      06-05-2021, 04:50 PM   #4
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Somewhere in the home counties or Midlands, off a country lane in the middle of nowhere surrounded by acres of land with no neighbors.

That is my idea of sheer bliss and my retirement plan, (along with a second home somewhere in the middle east.)
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      06-05-2021, 04:57 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JD6 View Post
For about 13 years I lived in fairly central London as I needed to be at my desk in the City by 7am, so any further away just meant a tricky commute rather than 20 minutes by car.

As soon as I could, I moved to my favourite place in the UK - the Lake District. I wondered for a while if moving to a place which I enjoyed as a tourist would actually work out as a permanent home, but that was about 17 years ago and it has. It’s been fantastic and I can’t imagine living anywhere else in the UK.

Of course a key part of this is my love of mountains. If they’re not you’re thing then it wouldn’t be for you! I always have in the back of my mind that I might one day move to the Highlands if tourism gets too much here, but while the mountains are great up there, it’s pretty cut off from everywhere else.

In terms of getting decent broadband, as I live in a pretty remote area, it could have been tricky. So I set up a Community Fibre Partnership and enrolled my (few) neighbours and forced Openreach to get their act together. After much resistance they spent nearly £100k getting fast broadband to 7 houses!
How do you find negotiating that 8 series around the tight roads up there JD6?

I am off to Eskdale on the 14th and I usually go over Wrynose and Hardknot, but it might be a bit of a ballache in the 840, used to love doing it in the Elise though
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      06-05-2021, 05:09 PM   #6
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Just spent a week in the Lake District - coincidentally saw several 8 series.
Extremely nice area, but the NT farmhouse overlooking Rhossili / Llangennith beach would be my dream home.
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      06-05-2021, 05:13 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Sennen View Post
How do you find negotiating that 8 series around the tight roads up there JD6?

I am off to Eskdale on the 14th and I usually go over Wrynose and Hardknot, but it might be a bit of a ballache in the 840, used to love doing it in the Elise though
Right now, with the huge influx of staycationers, the roads are a bit tricky. Urban dwellers who don’t seem to recognise that road widths can vary or that not all roads have white lines.

I do have the Mini as well and on the busiest days I’m more likely to take that for a shorter trip.

Wrynose and Hardknott aren’t really 8 Series territory! - I think they would be a complete PITA at the moment in anything larger than a Mini. I think I would take an alternative route unless very early or late. Eskdale is nice, if rather remote!
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      06-05-2021, 05:21 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by JD6 View Post
Right now, with the huge influx of staycationers, the roads are a bit tricky. Urban dwellers who don’t seem to recognise that road widths can vary or that not all roads have white lines.

I do have the Mini as well and on the busiest days I’m more likely to take that for a shorter trip.

Wrynose and Hardknott aren’t really 8 Series territory! - I think they would be a complete PITA at the moment in anything larger than a Mini. I think I would take an alternative route unless very early or late. Eskdale is nice, if rather remote!
I think so too so I will come in from the south I think.

I have been going to the same place in Eskdale nearly every year since the late 80's, i love it up there, due to Covid my last trip was back in July 2019 so nearly 2 years. Really looking forward to it
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      06-05-2021, 05:24 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JD6 View Post
For about 13 years I lived in fairly central London as I needed to be at my desk in the City by 7am, so any further away just meant a tricky commute rather than 20 minutes by car.

As soon as I could, I moved to my favourite place in the UK - the Lake District. I wondered for a while if moving to a place which I enjoyed as a tourist would actually work out as a permanent home, but that was about 17 years ago and it has. It’s been fantastic and I can’t imagine living anywhere else in the UK.

Of course a key part of this is my love of mountains. If they’re not you’re thing then it wouldn’t be for you! I always have in the back of my mind that I might one day move to the Highlands if tourism gets too much here, but while the mountains are great up there, it’s pretty cut off from everywhere else.

In terms of getting decent broadband, as I live in a pretty remote area, it could have been tricky. So I set up a Community Fibre Partnership and enrolled my (few) neighbours and forced Openreach to get their act together. After much resistance they spent nearly £100k getting fast broadband to 7 houses!
Beautiful up there isn't it. Really should visit more, it's only an hour up the M6 for us. Like to come up for a drive every now and then but not often enough.

Funnily enough got a couple of customers up there, one that's got a house right on Lake Windermere near the ferry crossing and another one that's got a place at Coniston.
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      06-06-2021, 12:37 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sennen View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by JD6 View Post
Right now, with the huge influx of staycationers, the roads are a bit tricky. Urban dwellers who don't seem to recognise that road widths can vary or that not all roads have white lines.

I do have the Mini as well and on the busiest days I'm more likely to take that for a shorter trip.

Wrynose and Hardknott aren't really 8 Series territory! - I think they would be a complete PITA at the moment in anything larger than a Mini. I think I would take an alternative route unless very early or late. Eskdale is nice, if rather remote!
I think so too so I will come in from the south I think.

I have been going to the same place in Eskdale nearly every year since the late 80's, i love it up there, due to Covid my last trip was back in July 2019 so nearly 2 years. Really looking forward to it
Been off work this week and up to the lakes twice (two hours up the M6 from me.

First time was to Wasdale via hard knott pass in the g30, and while the car coped fine (xdrive helps on the mega gradient cambered hairpins), it's the traffic coming the other way that makes it tricky, but even more so the huge holes in the road. Not joking when I say 6 inch plus deep, car wreckers if you weren't paying enough attention and a wheel fell in one.

Did wrynose yesterday on the way back from Buttermere, no issues.

I think the lakes would also be my ideal place to live, as I too like mountains. Currently ticked off 54 Wainwrights as of yesterday.
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      06-06-2021, 12:41 AM   #11
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We're currently away for a few days, up in Perthshire.

About 2 miles from Kinross - the M90 is less than a mile from where we are, Perth is less than 15 miles away. Edinburgh is less than 30 miles away. Good broadband, but the only noise is birdsong. No traffic noise at all. Red deer in the field over from me earlier on too.

Winter it's probably pretty bleak though, imagine that easterly wind off the North Sea cuts straight through you !
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      06-06-2021, 01:17 AM   #12
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The Lakes - my favourite place in the UK. But could i tolerate the tourists (oh, wait, i am one!)

After that maybe South Deeside around Ballater or the East Neuk of Fife
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      06-06-2021, 02:53 AM   #13
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Derbyshire.

Where I grew up and where my best memories are. Been up this week dog sitting and will be back permanently once life allows.
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      06-06-2021, 02:53 AM   #14
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We are in a similar situation to the OP, so we've agreed the sale of our house and the purchase of one in Perth.
It's not quite in the highlands, but it's on the edge of where they start, but is a great transport hub for the road network, and an hour to Edinburgh airport.
It has just the right balance of outdoors lifestyle on your doorstep, but without compromise for daily living and WFH with regular travel. It's also where my family and friends are.
Once I'm retired though, and I plan to relatively early, I'd like to move properly up in to the highlands, somewhere on the West coast with easy access to sea and mountains. It's not a place I'd want to live permanently, rather for a few months of the year.

Right now we are in a cottage near Glenelg, with the most stunning view, right from the front door. Something like this would do quite nicely.
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      06-06-2021, 03:02 AM   #15
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Devon first, Perthshire second. Would be happy with either.
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      06-06-2021, 03:36 AM   #16
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Dorset - love the Jurassic coast
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      06-06-2021, 04:00 AM   #17
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We love it around Lancashire. Where we are you're 45-60 Minutes from Manchester or Liverpool city centres, same again to both Airports which give you some decent travel links. We're about 25 minutes from the sea too, and 10 minutes away from the M6, M61 and M65. We'd considered Southport but you're a good 30 minutes away from any decent transport links out.

House prices aren't bad either, but can be steep in some of the little villages about (Probably a bargain compared to London like)
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      06-06-2021, 04:23 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sennen View Post
How do you find negotiating that 8 series around the tight roads up there JD6?

I am off to Eskdale on the 14th and I usually go over Wrynose and Hardknot, but it might be a bit of a ballache in the 840, used to love doing it in the Elise though
you need to watch the Harry's Garage video where he backs out of an attempt to take a Mercedes SLR McLaren 'MSO' over those two.

HTML Code:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhYGgid82yE
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      06-06-2021, 04:43 AM   #19
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I think a lot depends on an individuals age and circumstances and need for education for family members etc.

I am now in my late 60 sixties and although I hope many years off, I am beginning to think about where I would live when I am no longer able to drive. that would seem to I would then be thinking about a large country village or market town on the national rail network. The place has too large enough to offer most facilities. I had that In West Sussex apart from the amount of building on the coastal plain, south of Downs National Park changing the very nature of the place. alternatives might be somewhere like Wareham in Dorset or Woodbridge in Suffolk
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      06-06-2021, 05:04 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by SkyJawa View Post
Dorset - love the Jurassic coast
I'm lucky enough to live in Dorset however over the last week we've almost felt trapped. The traffic and visitor numbers have been punishing. The A31 / A35 have been gridlocked literally from Hants to the Devon Border . We have a joke that the queue for Devon starts at Ringwood.

Purbeck is usually a 15 minute drive away but we wouldn't even contemplate it. We have great beaches nearby but the car parks and access roads have been have been swamped.

If I look back over the last 30 years we have now got into a routine of doing everything coastal out of season when there are no 'Grockles' and then its superb. As you say the Jurassic Coast is something else. (not being a Nimby - of course the area benefits greatly from tourism)

Back to the original question we've been looking at Devon for some time now, the South Hams area is just stunning.
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      06-06-2021, 05:32 AM   #21
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Back to the original question we've been looking at Devon for some time now, the South Hams area is just stunning.
Agreed. I used to live in a small hamlet called Membland, just outside Newton Ferrers. Lovely place to grow up.

We plan to retire back down to Devon (from West Sussex). Probably closer to Dartmoor though. Tavistock area is very nice.
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      06-06-2021, 05:38 AM   #22
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Interesting views on here and most are specifying areas they like rather han family and friends. That’s the bit I struggle with is moving to where I grew up and houses are cheap versus where the kids will settle and the houses are expensive and life is noisier and busier..
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