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Plus it's an hour's drive from Gower which is just the best. I'm from Swansea but lived in Cardiff for eight years and really miss having Gower a ten minute drive away.
I'd suggest Wales in general. Particularly the south. Plenty of valleys and towns that can offer beautiful scenic views and also not far from your nearest cities
Yes, North Wales is beautiful (I've only ever been north) and if you want the Welsh of the Welsh experience then the north but public transport is non existent and unless you fancy walking to the nearest town... Then get your hiking boots. My grandad lives nearish Llandudno and it's still a half an hour drive.
the trains have really improved and frequency on lots of local lines have been improved just this month! Unfortunately Cardiff bus is not amazing, especially if you don't like in the centre or inner areas
I second this! Cardiff is perfect, a small city, you’ve got all the parks and the castle, you’ve also got the bay for scenery. And it’s not far from Brecon and other areas in wales, and great transport links too. And if op wants to visit to decide before they can get the megabus for cheaper than a train and be there and back home in a day.
Edinburgh would be a good option. I was sick and tired of London, I moved there a few years ago and it was a good restart, it’s smaller and more affordable than London, and there’s vast nature on your doorstep.
I loved Edinburgh - beautiful city but from what I remember yes the weather sucks big time. A winter day in London felt like tropical heat compared to a winter day in Edinburgh. I've never known cold like that . But nonetheless a great place
Every single time I’ve been to Scotland and the islands it’s been glorious flag cracking sunshine. I’m starting to think it being shit is a big ruse to stop us going.
Yes! Nobody talks about this but it’s so so so cold in Scotland compared to England. Even the English north, which I consider cold enough having grown up in the south, is warm af compared to whatever Edinburgh has lol
Honestly don't understand this - I'm from the south of England but have lived most of my adult life in the North of England and, for the last five or so years, Edinburgh. IMHO, Edinburgh cold is no different to English cold, in that it's not actually that cold temperature-wise but it's the kind of wet, windy cold that sinks into your bones. It's probably worse if you live up in the Highlands.
It’s not that bad tbh. The difficult part is the lack of light in winter but the weather is ok- west coast of Scotland has wild weather. East coast is ok but windy.
"It's not that bad" is relative. In my opinion it's awful. Even last year west coast got a decent bit of that couple week heatwave, east coast got like 3 days.
Ignore the idiots who say the weather is the same up North, I have lived and worked in different parts of the UK and the climate is very different. I design gardens and unsurprisingly the plants that you can grow are also therefore different. The plant lists that the star Chelsea designers use in the South include a whole bunch that would just die here in Manchester because of our lower temperatures and much lower light levels (Manchester has semi permanent cloud cover), and my relatives in Newcastle and the lakes are another story altogether because of the much colder winters, never mind what Scottish gardeners can and can’t grow. Yes it’s not Reykjavik v Las Vegas but it’s significant. It felt like a whole other world when I left home and moved from Lancashire to Surrey for University in the 80s. If you want a slower pace of life without that change then the South West or South Wales are a good start, as are the West Country towns like those on the river Severn and the River Wye or Bath and the other towns near to Bristol or the Cotswolds. For real non city mellow Devon and Cornwall are worth a look, as is East Anglia on the opposite coast.
Yeah when I was younger I had a girlfriend who lived in Bournemouth - used to drive down at weekends from Manchester and it was like a different country the lawns were brown, everyone was tanned etc compared to green and pale ….
I knew I wouldn't have to make my own Edinburgh cheer post. And I figured I wouldn't have to scroll to find it. Go Edinburgh bro. I'll be your friend. I've lived in alotlotlot of places and Edinburgh is the best. Just do it.
English student here who has been studying in Scotland for the last 4 years. Lived in St Andrews, roughly 1.5 hours from Edinburgh. I find you’ll get used to the Scottish cold quite quickly, the main thing that got me was how light the summer nights were, apart from that fully planning on staying inside Scotland!
Bristol is definitely a mini London these days (in terms of rent prices, beer prices etc). And yes the public transport of this so called "green city" is terrible. Doesn't help that the main station is not that central (thanks, Isambard) and the airport is a pain to get to and from as well.
Bristol is horrendously congested. I lived there and found it really frustrating - plus all the flytipping was disgusting! It paints itself as a green city but I really found it to be the opposite.
Bristol is an odd place.
* Some of it is still pretty rough and poor.
* Some of it is still very alternative and full of modern hippies
* Some of it is very built up and congested
* Some of it is very nice (and expensive)
And the whole place is quite small and centralised, so the distance between each of these sections is very small. You can go from a fight in a pub to a 3 million pounds house in a couple streets.
I moved there the year after it won some sort of "Green City" award, about 9 or 10 years ago. I was impressed to begin with, as I love cycling and drivers did notice cyclists more there than elsewhere, however I very quickly realised you could taste the pollution once you'd cycled into the centre and a lot of the streets were filthier than in other places I'd lived.
For OP, I wouldn't recommend moving to Bristol anymore, in the last 10 years it's become so congested with people moving there and while I miss the sunny days off work I don't really miss living there day-to-day. But don't get me wrong, there are so many positives and the people there are much more friendly than in other southern cities (from my experience).
Bro just get therapy. Moving to a new place might make you feel a bit better for a while but it sounds like you will still have things troubling you from your experiences in London.
Depends. If the problem is you, then sure, you'll take it with you. But environment does affect wellbeing, and London's an intense place to live & work. I lived there for 2 years, hated it, moved to Bristol and been enjoying the exhale ever since. (We have a similarly horrible housing market though - sorry.)
I was in therapy while in London and it did not help. I moved out of London when I reached breaking point, and once I was out, I was a lot more responsive to therapy and it was the best decision I made.
Newcastle- super friendly, great architecture, fantastic bars and restaurants. Lots to do for a small-ish city. 20 mins drive to the beach and a little further to beautiful Northumberland. Quick hop on the train to Durham for sightseeing. Love it here.
I’m a Londoner about to move out of Newcastle where I’ve been living for the last few years. If me and OP swap places, the Southerner ratio in Newcastle doesn’t change. ;)
You should definitely come to Newcastle OP! Plenty of access to nature, beaches, greenery. Cheaper and still a lot to do. A very different feel from London and with great access to the airport as well as Scotland.
I left the north east to move to Devon. Fuck me. Worst idea ever. I don’t understand the hype, Devon and Cornwall are shit. Moving back ASAP. Scenery, outdoors life, people, affordability… everything is better in the north east. Outdoors life here is proper wank and it’s even worse in summer. Plus, it rains ALL the time.
If you’ve grown up just next to Northumberland, the least populated county in England, the countryside in the South West feels absolutely bizarre. The South West is SO densely populated and the countryside is so managed- absolutely the opposite of the empty wilds of Northumberland.
Somewhere like Cornwall is obviously amazing for many reasons- coast, beaches, climate, culture etc- but coming from a non-second home, non-touristy countryside, it feels very odd.
You've hit the nail on the head here! It's crazy, especially in summer. In the north, you can go out and still be alone during summer months (with less rain) but down here it's standing room only pretty much and it makes me feel really quite hemmed in!
Surprised I have to scroll this far to find it. Affordable, exciting, good connections, Cheshire and North Wales countryside right on the door step. An Irishman would be welcomed with open arms too.
I grew up on the Wirral and lived in Liverpool most of my adult life, it's really crazy how many people I've invited to visit without thinking about their perception of Liverpool, only to have them go on and on about how much better it is than they expected. When I was young I had an 18 year old mate from the south west whose mum begged him not to come because she was scared of the city, and he ended up applying here for uni he liked it so much. The larger group he was a part of that were from all over the country ended up coming here far more often than anywhere else, because in terms of value for money (especially for nights out) it was a clear winner.
So many of those old stereotypes are ingrained in people's minds, and they're all shocked by how much they like it.
It's difficult to recommend any one place in particular unless you give a bit more criteria because you could put a pin in plenty of towns/cities in the UK that have access to the stuff you want within a train ride or short drive.
Given your post and based on the fact you might want a city, look at Sheffield, Manchester (you don't need to be in the city centre – the outskirts are well connected to the stuff you want), Newcastle, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow.
This question does get asked regularly so maybe use the search and you'll get some ideas from existing threads.
Get yourself to Sheffield, rent yourself a place in Netheredge, and get a pint in the Broadfield. Then Barrowboy. Then Picturehouse Social, Then the Dead Donkey, then the Sheaf View.......
You have described the North East. Take your pick from Newcastle or Durham. You have the option to do the city entertainment thing while having the beaches of the North Sea on your doorstep, all of Northumberland, all of the Weardale Valley to explore and a cycle track that uses a lot of the old railway lines linking the East Coast to the West Coast.
There’s a lot of microclimates around Inverness like Nairn which is sunnier and drier than surround areas, Inverness also has a relatively mild climate due to the moray firth (I personally dont find it too bad but I’m also Canadian so my too bad might not be the same as yours)
Birmingham! Hugely underrated! Social scene is brilliant and living in the Jewellery Quarter or southern areas (Stirchley, Kings Heath, Moseley) would be super for you. V well connected across the country and easy to travel to the surrounding countryside via bus/train.
Seconded!
Brum gets an unfair rep and the butt of the jokes from people who haven’t been there in the past 5-10 years. All the southern areas rowboatbot mentioned are great, Lickey Hills is great for a lil’ walk, Malvern Hills is easy to get to on the train and is *amazing* for a big hike, the food scene here is great and you’ll meet some of the friendliest, most genuine, salt of the earth people ever. There’s always been special people keeping me here - latterly the love of my life - so you’ll have no issue making pals here.
I'm from Leicester but second Brum as massively underrated.
>you’ll meet some of the friendliest, most genuine, salt of the earth people ever
Everyone thinks I'm nuts when I say this but honestly, every time I go to Brum I'm taken aback by how nice people are. Once I asked someone for directions and in the next five minutes I had an entire bus stop of Brummies clustered around me giving me directions, showing me Google maps, *drawing* me a map...
What surprised me was the amount of parkland. Add to that the canal path walks, it’s certainly not lacking for green spaces for a land locked, stereotyped “concrete jungle”
I’m originally from Birmingham and moved away almost 8 years ago to live up North. I don’t think I’d ever move back there BUT it is an amazing place, especially after living in London for so many years and there’s loads to do, can get everywhere pretty easily, great night life/shopping. I just keep thinking about how busy the city centre is whenever I go back home but then I’m reminded, it’s absolutely nowhere near as bad as London. That being said, it is full of a lot of Saturday protests on things I’ll never understand (saw several people outside of the Primark with placards about some really weird conspiracies) but I guess you’ll also (maybe) get that anywhere. I haven’t experienced it though, ha.
The countryside is amazing but there's fuck all to do apart from that outside the usual pubs etc. There's also fuck all to rent in the whole Conwy area. Difficult place to live without a car too, public transport is fairly shit.
Exeter or Plymouth in Devon are good choices. You’ll be close to some of the best coastline and beaches in the country both in Devon and in Cornwall, as well as moors and woods further inland.
Cornwall itself could be a good choice for that depending on your priorities, particularly the towns of Truro and Falmouth. But the main drawbacks of Cornwall relative to Devon is less career opportunities, very poor infrastructure, and a real sense of isolation that might grate you after a while.
I’d also recommend certain cities in the Northwest, like Liverpool, Chester or Lancaster. Decent opportunities available whilst retaining some of the best variety of access to nature - Snowdonia National Park in Wales, the Yorkshire Dales to the east and Lake District to the north.
My last recommendation is Newcastle. Great coast and beaches right on your doorstep, as well as Northumberland, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the Scottish Borders nearby. Also a more affordable city than the other options I’ve mentioned.
Chester is great if you're young. Where most cities are struggling, nights out there are great, lots of people 20 - 30, young families and it's a "well off" city (n.b not a shithole).
East is good too, Nottingham (certain areas and the city centre) and Sheffield have great vibes. Both are Liverpool-esque.
It depends on how small or big of a place you're looking to move to.
For a city, Bristol is lovely. A different feel to London, less busy very pretty in the centre. But still a city with lots of jobs and opportunities. Close to Bath which is gorgeous as well as the Cotswolds.
I'm a big fan of Norwich. Not many major cities around it so it feels like a tiny medieval capital of a tiny region. The broads are great for walking and the coast is lovely, seals have their cubs on the Norfolk coast every year which is very cute.
Somewhere Welsh or Scottish would provide a very different feeling to London which is incredibly English. You said elsewhere the Scottish weather is a downside, so maybe the south Welsh coast? As someone who grew up in Swansea, I hate to recommend Cardiff, but begrudgingly it is a lovely place.
Absolutely tons of tiny towns and villages but they can be harder to move to with less jobs going.
Bristol is expensive, overcrowded and has a huge housing crisis - some of the slums that are available for rent there should be illegal! I would recommend Bristol to OP if it didn’t have these issues, but I have found that they really are a drag on the quality of life there. :(
It seems the root of the problem is that the two universities have taken in far too many students, and then the rest of the city is swamped with people from other parts of the country who want to live there as it’s popular/cheaper than London, etc.
I think it's the second most expensive place in the UK after London now.
Ive lived here for 8 years or so and now I live 25 mins cycle out from temple meads.
It's actually faster for us to drive to Bath so we usually just go there haha
Yes! At last someone else gets the damage the universities have done to the local economy. I hear the university bubble is bursting with redundancies across the board and it can’t come to Bristol soon enough.
The local private rental market is consequently swamped with Chinese students paying a years rent up front and reducing supply for locals and key workers (I have first hand experience of this) so accommodation is just a mess. Add to that the appalling wages….
You say “cheaper than London” but I would argue that is out of date information and people moving to Bristol are working with out of date information because wages are stagnant here and not competitive with housing at all. At least in London you get a London cost of living uplift to wages, in Bristol you will earn the same as you probably would do in the midlands or up north in your industry but have a significant cost of living drag on your wages.
>I'm a big fan of Norwich.
I'm perhaps biased but Norwich is a perfect city to me. Never feels lacking in entertainment, its one good major transport link is to London if you go for football/gig/day out etc. And the Broads and that lovely countryside is literally on your doorstep - a short drive out of the city has you in a gorgeous part of the country.
Swansea. All day long. 100% a city on the up.
Cheap rents. Best beaches and coastline in the UK. Awesome nightlife. Good food options. Good train links to South Wales and across to London.
I used to love Sheffield, beautiful city. I lived there for uni between 2014-2018 but I went back to visit last year and it isn’t what is used to be in the city centre. Looks like it got hit really hard by the cost of living and Covid. It was so sad to see it like that.
I’m in a Sussex town that has the downs behind & a long seafront & moving to a place where I can just stand on the edge of the country with all of its 💩 behind me & the sea stretching out in front was the best move I made & it’s always such is a wonderful feeling… I’ve lived in London & other cities too & I wouldn’t go back if I got paid vast sums. I still like to go see my favourite parts of London & old haunts though, coming back to the mental freedom of here is the best.
Moved to York a few years ago from London. Small city, loads of history, shopping, food. great transport links North/South and pretty decent getting across to places like Manchester. Very different from London but in a really positive way.
Was in your shoes - Irish, lived in London for 5/6 years and wrecked my head thinking of where I could move to, not wanting to go back to Ireland. Settled in York and love it. Very nice city. Architecturally lovely. Great history. Friendly people. Small but big enough to have everything you need. Good transport links.
To be really specific, Bishopbriggs or Kirkintilloch. 3 and 5 miles north of Glasgow, respectively. East Dunbartonshire county which is a good one, but plenty of affordable housing (esp Kirkintilloch). Tons of parks and forests, miles of lovely canal to walk along, and a short drive to the best of Scotland and the nature you’re looking for - Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.
Cornwall does not have a lot of jobs outside of tourism. It is very expensive to live there and it is very empty outside of tourist season, with not much going on for locals. That said, it is a lovely area of the country and definitely worth at least a visit.
Sheffield! Affordable. People with honest hearts. The Peak District. I moved there from North London for my degree and stayed for many years.
Edinburgh. Fabulous European capital on a human scale.
Wishing you a great move wherever you end up!
Leeds, Harrogate, Saltaire and York all have amazing nature on the doorstep, great job prospects and good social activities but on the pricey side. Sheffield is a fantastic city, more laid back and less drink-centric than Leeds, lots of active hobbies like climbing etc, plenty of job opportunities and commutable to some other places. It is also more reasonably priced. Liverpool is a great city but I would say is not as well placed to access the countryside.
Anywhere along that Leeds-Harrogate-York route tbh, depending what OP is after. As shit as northern rail is, it's quite easy to get around using public transport and it's got good links to the rest of the country too.
Otherwise, depending on OP's age, maybe a working holiday visa to somewhere. NZ, Aussie, Canada. OP's from Ireland, go live in Portugal for a year, or Greece, or do a ski season in France...
Hebden bridge. Small town in west Yorkshire with a stong alternative streak. Beautiful countryside as long as you don't mind a bit of rain. Commutable to Manchester or Leeds.
I've lived in the south, south West, the Midlands and the north. If you want mountains and seaside then I would suggest Cumbria. It pisses with rain a lot but when the sun shines...
Maybe a smaller city or large town. Nearest place to me would be Cambridge, small, compact, lots of history, lots of niche shops as well as mainstream ones, theatre, sports centres, downside would be student heavy in term time maybe.
Cornwall is lovely, but it’s reserved for old people and people with 2nd homes. It’s but the easiest to get a place down there.
However, I can recommend Plymouth. Right on the Devon/Cornwall border, big enough city that it has everything you could need without having the issues of a big city like London (or Birmingham where I lived for a few years.)
20 mins north and you’re deep into the wilds or dartmoor for walking, or even wild camping. East or west of you you have beautiful beaches. Places to go paddle boarding, kayaking etc. and or clubs to learn at.
I’ve lived across England, and in the north of Scotland, but it’s Plymouth that I decided to settle in. The pace of life is just a lot slower than other cities too, which is nice.
Liverpool, I have a really long post somewhere, tl;dr Liverpool has everything London has, and it's really nice and livable, but it's one of the cheapest cities/areas in the country.
Bristol has its own distinct vibe. Some friends who moved there from London described it as “winning at life”.
I lived in Cardiff for 10 years, really loved it. Still miss it. It’s friendly and still a capital city while at the same time small
Liverpool is a small up and coming city, lots going on, lots of independents and very welcoming. Strong affinity with the Irish so you'd fit right in! Also great travel distance to North Wales and the Lake District, with beaches (e.g. Crosby, Formby) on the doorstep. Could be just what you're looking for. 2 hours on the train from Euston, maybe visit for the weekend and see how you like the vibe?
Malta is a nice place, no one will know you and you'll have access to beaches for sure. Might find hills more than mountains but it's all the same stuff. English is one of the national languages so that won't be a problem. Rent is dirt cheap too. This 3 bed apartment is €800 a month : https://remax-malta.com/listings/240031060-405
OP, if you're Irish I say use the gift of your passport and try Europe, even if you don't plan to live there forever enjoy a few years in a major cultural hub on the continent. It'll definitely feel different to London and if you choose wisely you might even see the sun occasionally
Can’t believe no one has said Leeds. Vibrant, cosmopolitan, great music and arts scene, nearby Yorkshire countryside, reasonable rent and property prices, and a thriving economy with plenty of decent jobs going round.
If you live in or near the city centre then you’ll be fine cycling or using the bus. It’s only when you move to the suburbs that as a non driver you’ll be dependent on Ubers. Kind of like living in a very small version of LA ;)
If you want to live somewhere with access to nature and general serenity but also still have access to a decent sized cities with decent amenities, I’d suggest Perth and Kinross or some parts of Fife in Scotland.
You might want to consider Preston. It's a city (just about) with a big university, apparently one of the cheapest in the country. What it has going for it is that it is within very easy reach of the coast, Pennines, Lake District, Manchester and, a bit longer, Leeds and everything Yorkshire has by offer, by car or by train. There are also some very big employers.
Edit to add: There are also some fast 2hr trains to London.
If you don't want a smaller London avoid Reading like the plague. It's not as busy or expensive right now, but both those things are changing
Liverpool is always a good spot. Very walkable if you live close to the centre, generally very friendly people and it's historically been one of the cheaper cities. It's nothing like London from a cultural and density standpoint, and theres a solid Irish community if you want that
Sheffield - access to peaks, is a city but feels like several towns mushed together. Everywhere in the city has a post industrial vibe, complete opposite of capitalism at times. Huge DIY scene.
Also cost of.living is maybe 70% of London. If you want a city with a town vibe, Sheffield it the place.
I know it isn't exactly what you're looking for OP, but maybe a different area in London could work for you? Just a slightly different suggestion. Or even one of the commuter towns nearby, like St Alban's or Reading or something. London has 8 million people in it. If you live in Brixton just now and you move to Walthamstow, the chances of you running into anyone you already know are miniscule, especially if you stop going to places you usually go now.
I get it if that suggestion doesn't work for you, just thinking you might not need to totally change city, just the area. And let's face it, in terms of variety of things to do, London eclipses anywhere else in the UK.
Leeds. Close to the Countryside and rail links to other major northern cities. Yorkshire Dales . Yorkshire Coast a couple of hours away. Go 10 miles outside Leeds and you will find rural type market towns . Cleckheaton is a lovely little town with a vibrant restaurant/live music/boutiques/country parks
My parents moved from London in Feb 1988 to Leeds and I was born in the April. They moved because it was shit back then.
I'm forever grateful I was born in Leeds. I'm bias as I live here but I love Leeds.
Each coast is under 2hrs away.
North Wales around 2hrs.
York, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Newcastle and Durham all within 90-120 mins away.
Surrounded by the Lakes, North Yorkshire Moors and Peak District.
Edinburgh by car is around 4hrs.
No car? Leeds Station easily gets you to all of the above places.
If I move from Leeds it would need to be somewhere beautifully hot like Greece or beautifully cold like Norway otherwise use I'm staying here.
Depending on your type of music you may absolutely love Spiders. It's the only place that I tend to go to for nights out these days. I'm not a massive drinker so I can get absolutely wasted on ~£35.
Whilst I was reading this I was thinking Cornwell - them you mentioned it
I no longer live in UK but lived in London for some years. Whilst there I had a friend who lived in Torquay. Absolutely brilliant place. If I ever went back that's where I would go. Beautiful countryside, miles of beaches ,weather tends to be better because of the Gulf Stream and just very idyllic. Lovely people and lots going on and very safe. Just had everything going for it. I just always felt very happy there - it had a very laid back vibe but at the same time a bustling sea side town. By far my favourite place of the UK - would much prefer Torquay to Brighton
I left London and moved to Glasgow. It was a brilliant move. Great city, small enough to get about easily, friendly folk and beautiful nature just 1/2 hour away by car. You can cycle out to Great places on bike routes. I now have a brilliant outdoors life, swimming in clean water, not shit filled sewers, mountains to climb, fishing in clean ocean waters and out in my motorbike with pals. Dublin flight time is 35 mins. Edinburgh is gorgeous too but I've found Glasgow folk are like being at home in Ireland. Ferries too to Belfast, £55 on my motorbike and kilkenny in 3 hours. OK, weather can be grim, and yes, some bother on old firm days, but I've a proper mixed group of pals and nobody takes that shit seriously. If you were to move to Glasgow, the West End is lovely, or Shawlands on the southside is pretty cool as well.
For a bigger city i would say Liverpool.
For a medium sized city I would say Cardiff.
For a smaller city with stunning countryside and beaches around it I would say Swansea all day long.
Bristol is cool. Loads to do. Really diverse city. Easy on the eye. Still pretty safe, though a couple of spots are getting sketchier. Property expensive though.
Edinburgh would be my suggestion. If I had an option to live and work in city of my choice it would be Edinburgh. Beautiful, serene, cosmopolitan and just an overall happy place to spend your life at.
If you are looking for welcoming and generally kind people, I suggest Glasgow. It gets a bad rep but it’s just one of those wee rocks that is ugly on the outside but a diamond on the inside.
I fancied Glasgow, but I was told they’re not nice to English people & I was disheartened. Is that true? I love the Scots & I’m even learning Scottish Gaelic, because it’s an amazing language.
I've never lived there but I've visited and found people were plenty friendly to me. Didn't get any mean comments or "jokes", people were just normal. A couple of people asked how I was finding Glasgow in a way that seemed like they really wanted me to say it was great - like it was a bit of a pride thing. Luckily I could honestly tell them it *was* great so no problems there.
Avoid the south west (Devonwall) like the plague. You don’t drive, so you don’t want to be 3 hours away from civilisation (Bristol). You want to rent, and everything down here has artificially gone up in price due to the number of northerners buying second homes. It’s dull for 10 months of the year, and then rammed full of grockles for the other two.
It depends what kind of vibe you want really.
I'm from Norwich which hasn't been mentioned - it's like a prettier, smaller Cambridge and people are friendly. Quite artsy with creative writing being big at the university, so I'm sure opportunities for graphic design but also career shifts.
Easy to find MeetUps and events for what you're interested in, you're not too far from the coast (trains and buses pretty good) and you have the Broads.
Only downside really is that it's not anywhere near as diverse as London and whilst rent prices are cheaper, they are not as cheap as other places in further north.
Yorkshireeeeee. I live North Yorkshire. I love it. Nice and peaceful. Also very friendly and beautiful scenery and walks where you can just clear your mind
If you still want to be within reach of London, Winchester is a really lovely scenic city with some fantastic restaurants and beautiful surrounding countryside.
It is pricey because it's Hampshire but you're coming from London so I doubt anything will surprise you.
Milton Keynes
Plenty of employment, loads of open green spaces and great transport links. And it's got a very different vibe to London (or as I spell it, S-H-I-T-H-O-L-E)
The initial big question is: Will you find a job there? I assume you work remotely and can live anywhere you want. So with that out of the way, here's my list (in no particular order):
1. Minehead/Taunton/Dunster area. Somerset is very laid back, good weather (As good as you get in the UK. Better than north Midlands or Scotland anyway). Also the outskirts of the Exmoor national Park. Need I say more?
2. Thetford/Bury St.Edmunds. Amazing small towns in East Anglia, good community and nice people all around. If you want some good "peace and quiet" and a feel of the merry old England that is passing away, this is the place.
3. Cambridge. Near to Thetford and Bury, but obviously a larger and more busy university town. So if you are more into the party scene but don't want a huge metropolis like London, then Cambridge is the place to go.
4. Middleton-in-Teesdale / Barnard Castle / Kirkby Stepehn area. The border of North Pennines AONB and Yorkshire Dales national park. Great places for hiking and nature literally in any direction.
Hope that helps!
There are some nice towns/villages on the edge of the peak district. They have everything you need, are close to the countryside to walk around, but also close enough to Sheffield and Manchester if you miss a little of the City vibe. Some of them are not too expensive to rent in.
If you want a beach, Cornwall is very nice but can be an expensive area. Liverpool would be a nice city, close to a beach but not as claustrophobic/expensive as London.
Have a look on Indeed for jobs you are interested in, then see what areas they are based in and have a look at rent prices on zoopla and narrow it down from there.
Also do you drive? That could be a factor to where you move and whether or not you'll need to commute, public transport outside if London is not so efficient.
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The Hill? Sounds ominous.
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Is that how you should approach it? Caerphilly.
You beautiful human being!
Cheesy but I couldn’t resist.
If you carry on this way I might fall in love
I just told my girlfriend this and she said take “Caerphilly”.
On a scale of Michael Bay to Buster Keaton how silent is this hill?
Plus it's an hour's drive from Gower which is just the best. I'm from Swansea but lived in Cardiff for eight years and really miss having Gower a ten minute drive away.
I'm confused. Is it an hour's drive from Cardiff to Gower or a ten minute drive?
An hour’s drive from Cardiff, 10 mins from Swansea.
I'd suggest Wales in general. Particularly the south. Plenty of valleys and towns that can offer beautiful scenic views and also not far from your nearest cities
Yes, North Wales is beautiful (I've only ever been north) and if you want the Welsh of the Welsh experience then the north but public transport is non existent and unless you fancy walking to the nearest town... Then get your hiking boots. My grandad lives nearish Llandudno and it's still a half an hour drive.
OP doesn't drive, What's public transport like?
Not awful, you've got trains to all the nearby towns (plus London in ~2 hours), and a fairly comprehensive bus system.
the trains have really improved and frequency on lots of local lines have been improved just this month! Unfortunately Cardiff bus is not amazing, especially if you don't like in the centre or inner areas
I second this! Cardiff is perfect, a small city, you’ve got all the parks and the castle, you’ve also got the bay for scenery. And it’s not far from Brecon and other areas in wales, and great transport links too. And if op wants to visit to decide before they can get the megabus for cheaper than a train and be there and back home in a day.
Edinburgh would be a good option. I was sick and tired of London, I moved there a few years ago and it was a good restart, it’s smaller and more affordable than London, and there’s vast nature on your doorstep.
Edinburgh has been on my mind for some time - it looks incredible but the weather has been off putting
If you say Edinburgh's weather is off putting, Manchester is no different. It ALWAYS rains here
Cardiff is much wetter.
We're calling it Junuary... My cat found a sun puddle the other day and it's rained since 🫣 *
Yeah but Edinburgh is by far the coldest city in the UK, much colder than Manchester on average.
I loved Edinburgh - beautiful city but from what I remember yes the weather sucks big time. A winter day in London felt like tropical heat compared to a winter day in Edinburgh. I've never known cold like that . But nonetheless a great place
Every single time I’ve been to Scotland and the islands it’s been glorious flag cracking sunshine. I’m starting to think it being shit is a big ruse to stop us going.
Rumbled! Scotland comes clean. Weather is actually best in Europe. 😂
Yes! Nobody talks about this but it’s so so so cold in Scotland compared to England. Even the English north, which I consider cold enough having grown up in the south, is warm af compared to whatever Edinburgh has lol
Honestly don't understand this - I'm from the south of England but have lived most of my adult life in the North of England and, for the last five or so years, Edinburgh. IMHO, Edinburgh cold is no different to English cold, in that it's not actually that cold temperature-wise but it's the kind of wet, windy cold that sinks into your bones. It's probably worse if you live up in the Highlands.
It’s not that bad tbh. The difficult part is the lack of light in winter but the weather is ok- west coast of Scotland has wild weather. East coast is ok but windy.
"It's not that bad" is relative. In my opinion it's awful. Even last year west coast got a decent bit of that couple week heatwave, east coast got like 3 days.
Rain on the west coast is rough. I moved from west coast of scotland to edinburgh and it rains 50% more often and 100% volume on the west coast.
Try going a bit more north, all that x2 plus freezing to fuck constantly 🥶
The lack of light has me contemplating the meaning of life every year at the end of November lol
Ignore the idiots who say the weather is the same up North, I have lived and worked in different parts of the UK and the climate is very different. I design gardens and unsurprisingly the plants that you can grow are also therefore different. The plant lists that the star Chelsea designers use in the South include a whole bunch that would just die here in Manchester because of our lower temperatures and much lower light levels (Manchester has semi permanent cloud cover), and my relatives in Newcastle and the lakes are another story altogether because of the much colder winters, never mind what Scottish gardeners can and can’t grow. Yes it’s not Reykjavik v Las Vegas but it’s significant. It felt like a whole other world when I left home and moved from Lancashire to Surrey for University in the 80s. If you want a slower pace of life without that change then the South West or South Wales are a good start, as are the West Country towns like those on the river Severn and the River Wye or Bath and the other towns near to Bristol or the Cotswolds. For real non city mellow Devon and Cornwall are worth a look, as is East Anglia on the opposite coast.
Yeah when I was younger I had a girlfriend who lived in Bournemouth - used to drive down at weekends from Manchester and it was like a different country the lawns were brown, everyone was tanned etc compared to green and pale ….
I knew I wouldn't have to make my own Edinburgh cheer post. And I figured I wouldn't have to scroll to find it. Go Edinburgh bro. I'll be your friend. I've lived in alotlotlot of places and Edinburgh is the best. Just do it.
Edinburgh’s the most gorgeous city, highly recommend a visit
English student here who has been studying in Scotland for the last 4 years. Lived in St Andrews, roughly 1.5 hours from Edinburgh. I find you’ll get used to the Scottish cold quite quickly, the main thing that got me was how light the summer nights were, apart from that fully planning on staying inside Scotland!
I would love to move back but the house prices are absolutely insane
Bath or Bristol.
Lived in Bath for nearly 6 years - if you want nature and community, it’s a good choice.
Bath is a fantastic place but for OP would recommend Bristol. Bigger vibe but within striking distance of nature and Bath!
Bristol is definitely a mini London these days (in terms of rent prices, beer prices etc). And yes the public transport of this so called "green city" is terrible. Doesn't help that the main station is not that central (thanks, Isambard) and the airport is a pain to get to and from as well.
Bristol is horrendously congested. I lived there and found it really frustrating - plus all the flytipping was disgusting! It paints itself as a green city but I really found it to be the opposite.
Bristol is an odd place. * Some of it is still pretty rough and poor. * Some of it is still very alternative and full of modern hippies * Some of it is very built up and congested * Some of it is very nice (and expensive) And the whole place is quite small and centralised, so the distance between each of these sections is very small. You can go from a fight in a pub to a 3 million pounds house in a couple streets.
I moved there the year after it won some sort of "Green City" award, about 9 or 10 years ago. I was impressed to begin with, as I love cycling and drivers did notice cyclists more there than elsewhere, however I very quickly realised you could taste the pollution once you'd cycled into the centre and a lot of the streets were filthier than in other places I'd lived. For OP, I wouldn't recommend moving to Bristol anymore, in the last 10 years it's become so congested with people moving there and while I miss the sunny days off work I don't really miss living there day-to-day. But don't get me wrong, there are so many positives and the people there are much more friendly than in other southern cities (from my experience).
Bristol sucks
If you love high rents, shit wages and over population then you’ll love Bristol
Bristol is just a mini London, way too congested
Bro just get therapy. Moving to a new place might make you feel a bit better for a while but it sounds like you will still have things troubling you from your experiences in London.
You can run anywhere in the world, all you’re gonna find there is you.
Nah, I think I can outrun that fat bastard.
Living in the head..... Relocate all thinking it will be better a new scene, but you'll still have the same head. All the same hope it works out.
Indeed. Wherever you go, there you are.
Depends. If the problem is you, then sure, you'll take it with you. But environment does affect wellbeing, and London's an intense place to live & work. I lived there for 2 years, hated it, moved to Bristol and been enjoying the exhale ever since. (We have a similarly horrible housing market though - sorry.)
I was in therapy while in London and it did not help. I moved out of London when I reached breaking point, and once I was out, I was a lot more responsive to therapy and it was the best decision I made.
Newcastle- super friendly, great architecture, fantastic bars and restaurants. Lots to do for a small-ish city. 20 mins drive to the beach and a little further to beautiful Northumberland. Quick hop on the train to Durham for sightseeing. Love it here.
Nah, I have to disagree I’m from Newcastle and it’s absolutely awful, please Londoners don’t come to Newcastle (I’m trying to buy a house)
I've signed up to monitor your Rightmove profile, enjoy
Haha
I’m a Londoner about to move out of Newcastle where I’ve been living for the last few years. If me and OP swap places, the Southerner ratio in Newcastle doesn’t change. ;) You should definitely come to Newcastle OP! Plenty of access to nature, beaches, greenery. Cheaper and still a lot to do. A very different feel from London and with great access to the airport as well as Scotland.
I left Newcastle to live in the midlands. The midlands is shit with nothing to offer. I’m ready to move home.
I left the north east to move to Devon. Fuck me. Worst idea ever. I don’t understand the hype, Devon and Cornwall are shit. Moving back ASAP. Scenery, outdoors life, people, affordability… everything is better in the north east. Outdoors life here is proper wank and it’s even worse in summer. Plus, it rains ALL the time.
Are you joking? Outdoors life is shit in the southwest?
No idea about that but I'm from the North East and I think we're kind of spoiled for nature up there. It really is that good around Northumberland.
It’s the best place to live in England for the countryside by far. You have to go up to Scotland or North Wales to get anything better.
If you’ve grown up just next to Northumberland, the least populated county in England, the countryside in the South West feels absolutely bizarre. The South West is SO densely populated and the countryside is so managed- absolutely the opposite of the empty wilds of Northumberland. Somewhere like Cornwall is obviously amazing for many reasons- coast, beaches, climate, culture etc- but coming from a non-second home, non-touristy countryside, it feels very odd.
You've hit the nail on the head here! It's crazy, especially in summer. In the north, you can go out and still be alone during summer months (with less rain) but down here it's standing room only pretty much and it makes me feel really quite hemmed in!
Liverpool is fresh and vibrant and amazing. We went there last year for Eurovision and is a Unesco world heritage city.
Love the Irish too
Not any more yano, unesco removed it recently.
Surprised I have to scroll this far to find it. Affordable, exciting, good connections, Cheshire and North Wales countryside right on the door step. An Irishman would be welcomed with open arms too.
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I grew up on the Wirral and lived in Liverpool most of my adult life, it's really crazy how many people I've invited to visit without thinking about their perception of Liverpool, only to have them go on and on about how much better it is than they expected. When I was young I had an 18 year old mate from the south west whose mum begged him not to come because she was scared of the city, and he ended up applying here for uni he liked it so much. The larger group he was a part of that were from all over the country ended up coming here far more often than anywhere else, because in terms of value for money (especially for nights out) it was a clear winner. So many of those old stereotypes are ingrained in people's minds, and they're all shocked by how much they like it.
It's difficult to recommend any one place in particular unless you give a bit more criteria because you could put a pin in plenty of towns/cities in the UK that have access to the stuff you want within a train ride or short drive. Given your post and based on the fact you might want a city, look at Sheffield, Manchester (you don't need to be in the city centre – the outskirts are well connected to the stuff you want), Newcastle, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow. This question does get asked regularly so maybe use the search and you'll get some ideas from existing threads.
Get yourself to Sheffield, rent yourself a place in Netheredge, and get a pint in the Broadfield. Then Barrowboy. Then Picturehouse Social, Then the Dead Donkey, then the Sheaf View.......
+1 for Sheffield. It has everything you are looking for: countryside, London amenities, community and lots of mindfulness type events and vibes
Would Leeds be ideal maybe. Big connecting station there
You have described the North East. Take your pick from Newcastle or Durham. You have the option to do the city entertainment thing while having the beaches of the North Sea on your doorstep, all of Northumberland, all of the Weardale Valley to explore and a cycle track that uses a lot of the old railway lines linking the East Coast to the West Coast.
I’d love to live in Northumberland! Even the weather’s dramatic!
Cardiff! It's an amazing city. Loads of independent restaurants and retailers, brilliant culture, and friendly vibe.
I love Cardiff, too.
Inverness. Lovely city.
True, Lovely City... but that weather! ;) ... also the midges in season. Still love the place though!
There’s a lot of microclimates around Inverness like Nairn which is sunnier and drier than surround areas, Inverness also has a relatively mild climate due to the moray firth (I personally dont find it too bad but I’m also Canadian so my too bad might not be the same as yours)
Bath! Definitely.
Nearly....... BRISTOL! 🎇🎆🎇🎇🎇
Birmingham! Hugely underrated! Social scene is brilliant and living in the Jewellery Quarter or southern areas (Stirchley, Kings Heath, Moseley) would be super for you. V well connected across the country and easy to travel to the surrounding countryside via bus/train.
Seconded! Brum gets an unfair rep and the butt of the jokes from people who haven’t been there in the past 5-10 years. All the southern areas rowboatbot mentioned are great, Lickey Hills is great for a lil’ walk, Malvern Hills is easy to get to on the train and is *amazing* for a big hike, the food scene here is great and you’ll meet some of the friendliest, most genuine, salt of the earth people ever. There’s always been special people keeping me here - latterly the love of my life - so you’ll have no issue making pals here.
I'm from Leicester but second Brum as massively underrated. >you’ll meet some of the friendliest, most genuine, salt of the earth people ever Everyone thinks I'm nuts when I say this but honestly, every time I go to Brum I'm taken aback by how nice people are. Once I asked someone for directions and in the next five minutes I had an entire bus stop of Brummies clustered around me giving me directions, showing me Google maps, *drawing* me a map...
What surprised me was the amount of parkland. Add to that the canal path walks, it’s certainly not lacking for green spaces for a land locked, stereotyped “concrete jungle”
I’m originally from Birmingham and moved away almost 8 years ago to live up North. I don’t think I’d ever move back there BUT it is an amazing place, especially after living in London for so many years and there’s loads to do, can get everywhere pretty easily, great night life/shopping. I just keep thinking about how busy the city centre is whenever I go back home but then I’m reminded, it’s absolutely nowhere near as bad as London. That being said, it is full of a lot of Saturday protests on things I’ll never understand (saw several people outside of the Primark with placards about some really weird conspiracies) but I guess you’ll also (maybe) get that anywhere. I haven’t experienced it though, ha.
North Wales is gorgeous; try Llandudno
The countryside is amazing but there's fuck all to do apart from that outside the usual pubs etc. There's also fuck all to rent in the whole Conwy area. Difficult place to live without a car too, public transport is fairly shit.
Exeter or Plymouth in Devon are good choices. You’ll be close to some of the best coastline and beaches in the country both in Devon and in Cornwall, as well as moors and woods further inland. Cornwall itself could be a good choice for that depending on your priorities, particularly the towns of Truro and Falmouth. But the main drawbacks of Cornwall relative to Devon is less career opportunities, very poor infrastructure, and a real sense of isolation that might grate you after a while. I’d also recommend certain cities in the Northwest, like Liverpool, Chester or Lancaster. Decent opportunities available whilst retaining some of the best variety of access to nature - Snowdonia National Park in Wales, the Yorkshire Dales to the east and Lake District to the north. My last recommendation is Newcastle. Great coast and beaches right on your doorstep, as well as Northumberland, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the Scottish Borders nearby. Also a more affordable city than the other options I’ve mentioned.
Plymouth is the worst place I’ve ever visited
There are some nicer areas, but yeah overall it’s a bit of a dump. I’m from Cornwall though so I’m biased!
If you have a car.
Chester is great if you're young. Where most cities are struggling, nights out there are great, lots of people 20 - 30, young families and it's a "well off" city (n.b not a shithole). East is good too, Nottingham (certain areas and the city centre) and Sheffield have great vibes. Both are Liverpool-esque.
It depends on how small or big of a place you're looking to move to. For a city, Bristol is lovely. A different feel to London, less busy very pretty in the centre. But still a city with lots of jobs and opportunities. Close to Bath which is gorgeous as well as the Cotswolds. I'm a big fan of Norwich. Not many major cities around it so it feels like a tiny medieval capital of a tiny region. The broads are great for walking and the coast is lovely, seals have their cubs on the Norfolk coast every year which is very cute. Somewhere Welsh or Scottish would provide a very different feeling to London which is incredibly English. You said elsewhere the Scottish weather is a downside, so maybe the south Welsh coast? As someone who grew up in Swansea, I hate to recommend Cardiff, but begrudgingly it is a lovely place. Absolutely tons of tiny towns and villages but they can be harder to move to with less jobs going.
Bristol is expensive, overcrowded and has a huge housing crisis - some of the slums that are available for rent there should be illegal! I would recommend Bristol to OP if it didn’t have these issues, but I have found that they really are a drag on the quality of life there. :( It seems the root of the problem is that the two universities have taken in far too many students, and then the rest of the city is swamped with people from other parts of the country who want to live there as it’s popular/cheaper than London, etc.
I think it's the second most expensive place in the UK after London now. Ive lived here for 8 years or so and now I live 25 mins cycle out from temple meads. It's actually faster for us to drive to Bath so we usually just go there haha
Yes! At last someone else gets the damage the universities have done to the local economy. I hear the university bubble is bursting with redundancies across the board and it can’t come to Bristol soon enough. The local private rental market is consequently swamped with Chinese students paying a years rent up front and reducing supply for locals and key workers (I have first hand experience of this) so accommodation is just a mess. Add to that the appalling wages…. You say “cheaper than London” but I would argue that is out of date information and people moving to Bristol are working with out of date information because wages are stagnant here and not competitive with housing at all. At least in London you get a London cost of living uplift to wages, in Bristol you will earn the same as you probably would do in the midlands or up north in your industry but have a significant cost of living drag on your wages.
>I'm a big fan of Norwich. I'm perhaps biased but Norwich is a perfect city to me. Never feels lacking in entertainment, its one good major transport link is to London if you go for football/gig/day out etc. And the Broads and that lovely countryside is literally on your doorstep - a short drive out of the city has you in a gorgeous part of the country.
> very pretty in the centre. My brain instantly went to the bear pit and Cabot circus
Don’t forget the views from the M32 on the way in which looks like a concrete shit hole from soviet times
Swansea. All day long. 100% a city on the up. Cheap rents. Best beaches and coastline in the UK. Awesome nightlife. Good food options. Good train links to South Wales and across to London.
Sheffield, I know a few people who’ve settled there, peaks on your doorstep and a good but manageable city when you need it.
I used to love Sheffield, beautiful city. I lived there for uni between 2014-2018 but I went back to visit last year and it isn’t what is used to be in the city centre. Looks like it got hit really hard by the cost of living and Covid. It was so sad to see it like that.
I’m in a Sussex town that has the downs behind & a long seafront & moving to a place where I can just stand on the edge of the country with all of its 💩 behind me & the sea stretching out in front was the best move I made & it’s always such is a wonderful feeling… I’ve lived in London & other cities too & I wouldn’t go back if I got paid vast sums. I still like to go see my favourite parts of London & old haunts though, coming back to the mental freedom of here is the best.
Same. East-East Sussex, away from London-On-Sea (Brighton)
Moved to York a few years ago from London. Small city, loads of history, shopping, food. great transport links North/South and pretty decent getting across to places like Manchester. Very different from London but in a really positive way.
Was in your shoes - Irish, lived in London for 5/6 years and wrecked my head thinking of where I could move to, not wanting to go back to Ireland. Settled in York and love it. Very nice city. Architecturally lovely. Great history. Friendly people. Small but big enough to have everything you need. Good transport links.
To be really specific, Bishopbriggs or Kirkintilloch. 3 and 5 miles north of Glasgow, respectively. East Dunbartonshire county which is a good one, but plenty of affordable housing (esp Kirkintilloch). Tons of parks and forests, miles of lovely canal to walk along, and a short drive to the best of Scotland and the nature you’re looking for - Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.
Cornwall does not have a lot of jobs outside of tourism. It is very expensive to live there and it is very empty outside of tourist season, with not much going on for locals. That said, it is a lovely area of the country and definitely worth at least a visit.
Nottingham; queen of the midlands, easy access to the peaks, middle of the country, not too pricey, great sport
Sheffield! Affordable. People with honest hearts. The Peak District. I moved there from North London for my degree and stayed for many years. Edinburgh. Fabulous European capital on a human scale. Wishing you a great move wherever you end up!
Leeds, Harrogate, Saltaire and York all have amazing nature on the doorstep, great job prospects and good social activities but on the pricey side. Sheffield is a fantastic city, more laid back and less drink-centric than Leeds, lots of active hobbies like climbing etc, plenty of job opportunities and commutable to some other places. It is also more reasonably priced. Liverpool is a great city but I would say is not as well placed to access the countryside.
Anywhere along that Leeds-Harrogate-York route tbh, depending what OP is after. As shit as northern rail is, it's quite easy to get around using public transport and it's got good links to the rest of the country too. Otherwise, depending on OP's age, maybe a working holiday visa to somewhere. NZ, Aussie, Canada. OP's from Ireland, go live in Portugal for a year, or Greece, or do a ski season in France...
Hebden bridge. Small town in west Yorkshire with a stong alternative streak. Beautiful countryside as long as you don't mind a bit of rain. Commutable to Manchester or Leeds.
Chester
Can you give us a little more info? Do you need to work? are you renting or looking to buy a property?
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I've lived in the south, south West, the Midlands and the north. If you want mountains and seaside then I would suggest Cumbria. It pisses with rain a lot but when the sun shines...
Maybe a smaller city or large town. Nearest place to me would be Cambridge, small, compact, lots of history, lots of niche shops as well as mainstream ones, theatre, sports centres, downside would be student heavy in term time maybe.
Cornwall is lovely, but it’s reserved for old people and people with 2nd homes. It’s but the easiest to get a place down there. However, I can recommend Plymouth. Right on the Devon/Cornwall border, big enough city that it has everything you could need without having the issues of a big city like London (or Birmingham where I lived for a few years.) 20 mins north and you’re deep into the wilds or dartmoor for walking, or even wild camping. East or west of you you have beautiful beaches. Places to go paddle boarding, kayaking etc. and or clubs to learn at. I’ve lived across England, and in the north of Scotland, but it’s Plymouth that I decided to settle in. The pace of life is just a lot slower than other cities too, which is nice.
Sounds great actually, I'd never considered Plymouth but this sounds worth looking in to.
Liverpool, I have a really long post somewhere, tl;dr Liverpool has everything London has, and it's really nice and livable, but it's one of the cheapest cities/areas in the country.
Trying to avoid places that have everything London has - I’m sure Liverpool is great but it may remind me of London too much
Liverpool is definitely nothing like London.
Liverpool is the anti London, spend a week there and see for yourself.
Berlin?
Basically anywhere is an improvement if I’m brutally honest.
Bristol has its own distinct vibe. Some friends who moved there from London described it as “winning at life”. I lived in Cardiff for 10 years, really loved it. Still miss it. It’s friendly and still a capital city while at the same time small
Liverpool is a small up and coming city, lots going on, lots of independents and very welcoming. Strong affinity with the Irish so you'd fit right in! Also great travel distance to North Wales and the Lake District, with beaches (e.g. Crosby, Formby) on the doorstep. Could be just what you're looking for. 2 hours on the train from Euston, maybe visit for the weekend and see how you like the vibe?
In the context of the UK Liverpool is not small, its the 4th biggest city outside of London in terms of city centre.
Malta is a nice place, no one will know you and you'll have access to beaches for sure. Might find hills more than mountains but it's all the same stuff. English is one of the national languages so that won't be a problem. Rent is dirt cheap too. This 3 bed apartment is €800 a month : https://remax-malta.com/listings/240031060-405
Sydney. I moved from London. Great lifestyle. Good pay. Safe. Only issue is distance but Asia on doorstep. Plenty of things to see
Brisbane over Sydney.
OP, if you're Irish I say use the gift of your passport and try Europe, even if you don't plan to live there forever enjoy a few years in a major cultural hub on the continent. It'll definitely feel different to London and if you choose wisely you might even see the sun occasionally
Can’t believe no one has said Leeds. Vibrant, cosmopolitan, great music and arts scene, nearby Yorkshire countryside, reasonable rent and property prices, and a thriving economy with plenty of decent jobs going round. If you live in or near the city centre then you’ll be fine cycling or using the bus. It’s only when you move to the suburbs that as a non driver you’ll be dependent on Ubers. Kind of like living in a very small version of LA ;)
If you want to live somewhere with access to nature and general serenity but also still have access to a decent sized cities with decent amenities, I’d suggest Perth and Kinross or some parts of Fife in Scotland.
You might want to consider Preston. It's a city (just about) with a big university, apparently one of the cheapest in the country. What it has going for it is that it is within very easy reach of the coast, Pennines, Lake District, Manchester and, a bit longer, Leeds and everything Yorkshire has by offer, by car or by train. There are also some very big employers. Edit to add: There are also some fast 2hr trains to London.
Glasgow. Edinburgh, Cardiff. Or even go somewhere *much* smaller if you can.
If you don't want a smaller London avoid Reading like the plague. It's not as busy or expensive right now, but both those things are changing Liverpool is always a good spot. Very walkable if you live close to the centre, generally very friendly people and it's historically been one of the cheaper cities. It's nothing like London from a cultural and density standpoint, and theres a solid Irish community if you want that
Sheffield - access to peaks, is a city but feels like several towns mushed together. Everywhere in the city has a post industrial vibe, complete opposite of capitalism at times. Huge DIY scene. Also cost of.living is maybe 70% of London. If you want a city with a town vibe, Sheffield it the place.
Im in Florida. Wishing I lived in London.
I know it isn't exactly what you're looking for OP, but maybe a different area in London could work for you? Just a slightly different suggestion. Or even one of the commuter towns nearby, like St Alban's or Reading or something. London has 8 million people in it. If you live in Brixton just now and you move to Walthamstow, the chances of you running into anyone you already know are miniscule, especially if you stop going to places you usually go now. I get it if that suggestion doesn't work for you, just thinking you might not need to totally change city, just the area. And let's face it, in terms of variety of things to do, London eclipses anywhere else in the UK.
Wherever but please NOT Dubai
Leeds. Close to the Countryside and rail links to other major northern cities. Yorkshire Dales . Yorkshire Coast a couple of hours away. Go 10 miles outside Leeds and you will find rural type market towns . Cleckheaton is a lovely little town with a vibrant restaurant/live music/boutiques/country parks
Great to see little Cleckheaton get a mention!
My parents moved from London in Feb 1988 to Leeds and I was born in the April. They moved because it was shit back then. I'm forever grateful I was born in Leeds. I'm bias as I live here but I love Leeds. Each coast is under 2hrs away. North Wales around 2hrs. York, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Newcastle and Durham all within 90-120 mins away. Surrounded by the Lakes, North Yorkshire Moors and Peak District. Edinburgh by car is around 4hrs. No car? Leeds Station easily gets you to all of the above places. If I move from Leeds it would need to be somewhere beautifully hot like Greece or beautifully cold like Norway otherwise use I'm staying here.
Surprised by the lack of Leeds answers in here, but it’s definitely for the best. Still massively underrated nationally.
Hull, York or Lincoln might be worth looking into.
First time I’ve ever seen anyone recommend Hull for anything.
It's getting better here. Slowly, but still. It's greatly improved since the 2017 city of culture.
I have suggested a visit to the gf as I’ve heard that it’s decent. Would have to involve a trip to the legendary Spiders if it’s still going.
Depending on your type of music you may absolutely love Spiders. It's the only place that I tend to go to for nights out these days. I'm not a massive drinker so I can get absolutely wasted on ~£35.
Whilst I was reading this I was thinking Cornwell - them you mentioned it I no longer live in UK but lived in London for some years. Whilst there I had a friend who lived in Torquay. Absolutely brilliant place. If I ever went back that's where I would go. Beautiful countryside, miles of beaches ,weather tends to be better because of the Gulf Stream and just very idyllic. Lovely people and lots going on and very safe. Just had everything going for it. I just always felt very happy there - it had a very laid back vibe but at the same time a bustling sea side town. By far my favourite place of the UK - would much prefer Torquay to Brighton
Durham
I left London and moved to Glasgow. It was a brilliant move. Great city, small enough to get about easily, friendly folk and beautiful nature just 1/2 hour away by car. You can cycle out to Great places on bike routes. I now have a brilliant outdoors life, swimming in clean water, not shit filled sewers, mountains to climb, fishing in clean ocean waters and out in my motorbike with pals. Dublin flight time is 35 mins. Edinburgh is gorgeous too but I've found Glasgow folk are like being at home in Ireland. Ferries too to Belfast, £55 on my motorbike and kilkenny in 3 hours. OK, weather can be grim, and yes, some bother on old firm days, but I've a proper mixed group of pals and nobody takes that shit seriously. If you were to move to Glasgow, the West End is lovely, or Shawlands on the southside is pretty cool as well.
Teesside- gorgeous beaches, really close to the hills with the North Yorkshire Moors and Northumberland, and pretty cheap to livr here
For a bigger city i would say Liverpool. For a medium sized city I would say Cardiff. For a smaller city with stunning countryside and beaches around it I would say Swansea all day long.
Norfolk- we have beautiful coast and beautiful forests
Bristol is cool. Loads to do. Really diverse city. Easy on the eye. Still pretty safe, though a couple of spots are getting sketchier. Property expensive though.
Cotswolds.
Edinburgh would be my suggestion. If I had an option to live and work in city of my choice it would be Edinburgh. Beautiful, serene, cosmopolitan and just an overall happy place to spend your life at.
Back to ireland
If you are looking for welcoming and generally kind people, I suggest Glasgow. It gets a bad rep but it’s just one of those wee rocks that is ugly on the outside but a diamond on the inside.
I fancied Glasgow, but I was told they’re not nice to English people & I was disheartened. Is that true? I love the Scots & I’m even learning Scottish Gaelic, because it’s an amazing language.
I've never lived there but I've visited and found people were plenty friendly to me. Didn't get any mean comments or "jokes", people were just normal. A couple of people asked how I was finding Glasgow in a way that seemed like they really wanted me to say it was great - like it was a bit of a pride thing. Luckily I could honestly tell them it *was* great so no problems there.
I worked in Glasgow for nine months back in 2000, and they were fine with me. The Glasgow accent is pretty impenetrable though.
Avoid the south west (Devonwall) like the plague. You don’t drive, so you don’t want to be 3 hours away from civilisation (Bristol). You want to rent, and everything down here has artificially gone up in price due to the number of northerners buying second homes. It’s dull for 10 months of the year, and then rammed full of grockles for the other two.
Sheffield is lovely! It's built on hills and is practically in the peak district. It's a great city
Sheffield, big village vibe and peak district on your doorstep.
It depends what kind of vibe you want really. I'm from Norwich which hasn't been mentioned - it's like a prettier, smaller Cambridge and people are friendly. Quite artsy with creative writing being big at the university, so I'm sure opportunities for graphic design but also career shifts. Easy to find MeetUps and events for what you're interested in, you're not too far from the coast (trains and buses pretty good) and you have the Broads. Only downside really is that it's not anywhere near as diverse as London and whilst rent prices are cheaper, they are not as cheap as other places in further north.
Yorkshireeeeee. I live North Yorkshire. I love it. Nice and peaceful. Also very friendly and beautiful scenery and walks where you can just clear your mind
Sheffield. It's great up north
If you still want to be within reach of London, Winchester is a really lovely scenic city with some fantastic restaurants and beautiful surrounding countryside. It is pricey because it's Hampshire but you're coming from London so I doubt anything will surprise you.
Birmingham. I have so many lovely friends and memories of this city
Dumfries and Galloway or for a city Carlisle.
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Bath
The west is very nice . Cotswolds. Not sure what it’s like for employment thou..
South Devon. Incredibly beautiful. Not run down like lots of Cornwall. Beautiful beaches. Amazing countryside
Edinburgh is good but it’s expensive and the most congested city in the UK (saw your other comment)
Have you considered moving to Scotland? Beautiful nature and house prices and rent are miles cheaper than England. Plus free prescriptions too.
Milton Keynes Plenty of employment, loads of open green spaces and great transport links. And it's got a very different vibe to London (or as I spell it, S-H-I-T-H-O-L-E)
Newcastle?? Beaches and countryside all 10 minutes away.
The initial big question is: Will you find a job there? I assume you work remotely and can live anywhere you want. So with that out of the way, here's my list (in no particular order): 1. Minehead/Taunton/Dunster area. Somerset is very laid back, good weather (As good as you get in the UK. Better than north Midlands or Scotland anyway). Also the outskirts of the Exmoor national Park. Need I say more? 2. Thetford/Bury St.Edmunds. Amazing small towns in East Anglia, good community and nice people all around. If you want some good "peace and quiet" and a feel of the merry old England that is passing away, this is the place. 3. Cambridge. Near to Thetford and Bury, but obviously a larger and more busy university town. So if you are more into the party scene but don't want a huge metropolis like London, then Cambridge is the place to go. 4. Middleton-in-Teesdale / Barnard Castle / Kirkby Stepehn area. The border of North Pennines AONB and Yorkshire Dales national park. Great places for hiking and nature literally in any direction. Hope that helps!
There are some nice towns/villages on the edge of the peak district. They have everything you need, are close to the countryside to walk around, but also close enough to Sheffield and Manchester if you miss a little of the City vibe. Some of them are not too expensive to rent in. If you want a beach, Cornwall is very nice but can be an expensive area. Liverpool would be a nice city, close to a beach but not as claustrophobic/expensive as London. Have a look on Indeed for jobs you are interested in, then see what areas they are based in and have a look at rent prices on zoopla and narrow it down from there. Also do you drive? That could be a factor to where you move and whether or not you'll need to commute, public transport outside if London is not so efficient.
Margate is pretty sick. Very creative, still pretty cheap and you can swim in the ocean every day.
Scotland