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General Discussion Thread

Whino

Bench
Messages
3,202
Hey all - I am looking to move (in about 2 years) to the UK for a few years and was looking for suggestions on the best place for me to look to live.

I will probably not have to commute to work (as my job there will be in the literary field and will only have to submit articles/updates online), but was wanting something with a country feel as I'll be drawing a lot of inspiration for my writing from the UK's landscape.

Any suggestions would be brilliant (also the barbs about wanting to move over there in the first place are more than warranted, so send them flying).
Lakes district generally seems a nice spot, although I've only visited for some mountain biking, never lived there. Hope Exeter works out for you.

The Lakes District is gorgeous.
Also, Rannock Moor in Scotland is distant but picturesque. Same with the Cairngorms. Glenfinnan is lovely.
I have kin out in Perthshire. It is called the "Big Tree county" another nice area.

Pommyland I would stick to the coast if you don't want the rat race. Some lovely seaside places there. Cornwall is nice.
 

PANTHERMIKE

Juniors
Messages
1,412
Hey all - I am looking to move (in about 2 years) to the UK for a few years and was looking for suggestions on the best place for me to look to live.

I will probably not have to commute to work (as my job there will be in the literary field and will only have to submit articles/updates online), but was wanting something with a country feel as I'll be drawing a lot of inspiration for my writing from the UK's landscape.

Any suggestions would be brilliant (also the barbs about wanting to move over there in the first place are more than warranted, so send them flying).

I lived in a town called Seven Oaks, Kent for a little. Far enough from London without being too far (30-40kms). A bit toffy nosed but great countryside and stunning surrounding counties. Small population but plenty of pubs lol
 

ACTPanthers

Bench
Messages
4,697
I lived in a town called Seven Oaks, Kent for a little. Far enough from London without being too far (30-40kms). A bit toffy nosed but great countryside and stunning surrounding counties. Small population but plenty of pubs lol
Now you're talking! ha ha

Thanks for all the replies! I have a phone meeting with an estate agent @ 10pm tonight. COVID restrictions allowing, this may actually happen sooner than I originally thought!
 

Kilkenny

Coach
Messages
13,135
Edinburgh is a beautiful city but perhaps not the cheapest city to live in. Depends what your budget is I guess.

London likewise, but it is a great place to live, I wouldn’t be put out off living in London by suggestions to the contrary. Tunbridge Wells is 30 miles south east of London, semi rural and only an hour on the tube/rail line. My niece lived there and I stayed with her when back in the UK it is very nice. St Albans north of London is worth considering, close to London but again quaint and quiet.

I lived in Frodsham in the UK before emigrating to Australia, it is in the county of Chester and any of the villages in Chester are very safe, nice, close to Liverpool and Manchester.

The rail system in the UK is very extensive so you really can get any where fairly quickly and relatively cheaply.

I think any decision you make depends on your needs in respect of your family situation, whether you want to enjoy a cosmopolitan city lifestyle or a more sedate semi rural life style.

Personally, I would steer clear of the cities in the North East ie Newcastle, Sunderland, Hull etc they offer nothing other than there football sides.
 

ACTPanthers

Bench
Messages
4,697
Edinburgh is a beautiful city but perhaps not the cheapest city to live in. Depends what your budget is I guess.

London likewise, but it is a great place to live, I wouldn’t be put out off living in London by suggestions to the contrary. Tunbridge Wells is 30 miles south east of London, semi rural and only an hour on the tube/rail line. My niece lived there and I stayed with her when back in the UK it is very nice. St Albans north of London is worth considering, close to London but again quaint and quiet.

I lived in Frodsham in the UK before emigrating to Australia, it is in the county of Chester and any of the villages in Chester are very safe, nice, close to Liverpool and Manchester.

The rail system in the UK is very extensive so you really can get any where fairly quickly and relatively cheaply.

I think any decision you make depends on your needs in respect of your family situation, whether you want to enjoy a cosmopolitan city lifestyle or a more sedate semi rural life style.

Personally, I would steer clear of the cities in the North East ie Newcastle, Sunderland, Hull etc they offer nothing other than there football sides.
Thanks mate! No, nothing really of a budget so I'm pretty lucky in that regard - I'm predominantly looking rural but as you say, the public transport there seems to be pretty good so we could make our way into the "city" areas when needed.

I'm pretty much sold on this property in Exeter so will be a bit upset if I don't get it ha ha
Every town in the UK has plenty of pubs. So ACT won’t have an issue there.
Phew! ;)
 

Kilkenny

Coach
Messages
13,135
Thanks mate! No, nothing really of a budget so I'm pretty lucky in that regard - I'm predominantly looking rural but as you say, the public transport there seems to be pretty good so we could make our way into the "city" areas when needed.

I'm pretty much sold on this property in Exeter so will be a bit upset if I don't get it ha ha

Phew! ;)
I can’t really offer any personal experiences of Exeter I’m afraid although I have been on day trips to Plymouth and Torquay which are nearby.

St Albans is really worth a look, it is on the Thameslink Line. It is 30 miles or so driving distance on the M1 which will take an hour drive, but they have direct service into London, high speed on the train which only takes 30 minutes or so.

At the end of the day, there would be hundreds of equally valid suggestions for quaint scenic semi rural lifestyles in the UK you just need to find a location that meets all your needs. It is a great place and I envy you in many respects, I emigrated aged ten and while I have been fortunate to go back there on numerous occasions I haven’t lives there. Would have liked to thou Even if only for a few years.
 

Pomoz

Bench
Messages
2,856
Thanks mate! No, nothing really of a budget so I'm pretty lucky in that regard - I'm predominantly looking rural but as you say, the public transport there seems to be pretty good so we could make our way into the "city" areas when needed.

I'm pretty much sold on this property in Exeter so will be a bit upset if I don't get it ha ha

Phew! ;)
Well, much as I love the Scotland and the North of England, the weather there means you will get fewer and fewer days of sunshine the further North you go. Stick to the South unless you prefer colder, wetter and darker. Don't sign a long lease, then you can move if you want to at the lease renewal date.

Open a UK bank account ASAP and don't close you aussie account. Then you can subscribe to apple, amazon in the UK and Australia. They won't let you have accounts without a bank account in the relevant country. I regret closing my UK account. I cant get BBC iplayer to watch soccer without performing jiggery pokerey with vpns.

NRL is no problem subscribe to NRL watch and you get every game live and SOO. I'm in Thailand and haven't missed a game in years. You can replay games at your convenience to. Its better than Foxtel.

Last thing make sure your property has a good broadband/cable connection. 5g will make that irrelevant but that's a way off yet. You need to be connected!!!
 

ACTPanthers

Bench
Messages
4,697
Well, much as I love the Scotland and the North of England, the weather there means you will get fewer and fewer days of sunshine the further North you go. Stick to the South unless you prefer colder, wetter and darker. Don't sign a long lease, then you can move if you want to at the lease renewal date.

Open a UK bank account ASAP and don't close you aussie account. Then you can subscribe to apple, amazon in the UK and Australia. They won't let you have accounts without a bank account in the relevant country. I regret closing my UK account. I cant get BBC iplayer to watch soccer without performing jiggery pokerey with vpns.

NRL is no problem subscribe to NRL watch and you get every game live and SOO. I'm in Thailand and haven't missed a game in years. You can replay games at your convenience to. Its better than Foxtel.

Last thing make sure your property has a good broadband/cable connection. 5g will make that irrelevant but that's a way off yet. You need to be connected!!!
Thanks for that @Pomoz mate! I wouldn't have thought about the bank account - After speaking to the agent last night and then discussed with the missus this morning, we've decided to put an offer on the house 😎
 

Abacus

Juniors
Messages
2,093
Thanks for that @Pomoz mate! I wouldn't have thought about the bank account - After speaking to the agent last night and then discussed with the missus this morning, we've decided to put an offer on the house 😎
Congrats mate. Just post the address so where we know where to lob up when we're in the UK 😉
 
Messages
3,614
I can’t really offer any personal experiences of Exeter I’m afraid although I have been on day trips to Plymouth and Torquay which are nearby.

St Albans is really worth a look, it is on the Thameslink Line. It is 30 miles or so driving distance on the M1 which will take an hour drive, but they have direct service into London, high speed on the train which only takes 30 minutes or so.

At the end of the day, there would be hundreds of equally valid suggestions for quaint scenic semi rural lifestyles in the UK you just need to find a location that meets all your needs. It is a great place and I envy you in many respects, I emigrated aged ten and while I have been fortunate to go back there on numerous occasions I haven’t lives there. Would have liked to thou Even if only for a few years.
Late to this thread so sorry for not responding sooner, but I actually live in St Albans; I can confirm it is lovely, easy access to London, very rural on the outskirts and 47 pubs for a population of about 20k; it is the pub capital of the UK. We could start a PantherExile group.

Having said that Exeter is also stunning so if you have your heart set on there you have made an awesome choice. A bit more remote, but what is great is it sits between the coast and some amazing inland scenery. And to confirm the comment from above, won’t have problems finding pubs anywhere in the UK!!
 

ACTPanthers

Bench
Messages
4,697
Late to this thread so sorry for not responding sooner, but I actually live in St Albans; I can confirm it is lovely, easy access to London, very rural on the outskirts and 47 pubs for a population of about 20k; it is the pub capital of the UK. We could start a PantherExile group.

Having said that Exeter is also stunning so if you have your heart set on there you have made an awesome choice. A bit more remote, but what is great is it sits between the coast and some amazing inland scenery. And to confirm the comment from above, won’t have problems finding pubs anywhere in the UK!!
Thanks mate! Good to know there's a Panthers fan or 2 over there - We'll have to catch up for a beer in one of the many pubs brother :)
 
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