anyone regret moving out of London?

[moonymama]

Hi all

We're living in Scotland at the mo and for a number of reasons want to move down south. Pre children (only 3 years ago!) we lived in Putney for 3 years. We now have a DD at 2.5 and a DS who is almost one. We are planning on selling up this year if we can and moving down south again. The question we are struggling with is whether to move back into London (thinking about the Teddington area) or further out to a place like Guildford and surrounding areas. We checked out TW and Guildford in the summer last year and tbh it all freaked me out a bit. Whilst I preferred Guildford to TW, I just wasn't excited by the prospect. It feels quite small. But then, living in say Teddington, we would have the aircraft noise and the London business but we would be spoiled by having the Thames nearby and both Bushy and Richmond parks. I suppose SW London isn't really in the thick of London though. When we were in Guildford, there wasn't actually that many parks we came across. Or did we not look hard enough?? I worry that if we decided to move out of London, it would be a bit of a gamble and I don't want to be constantly on the move. Is there a slower pace of life in Teddington compared to Putney? Anyone regret moving out of London and then moved back again? thanks peeps.

[WhatsWrongWithYou]

I still miss where we lived (Battersea 'between the commons') 8 years ago.
On balance, I don't dwell on whether I regret moving or not as it's pointless; but in terms of green spaces and lots of activities for los, plus convenience of getting into town, it's perfect.
You don't tend to get much garden unless you can pay £££ though.

[wallababy]

Do you have to live in Sw?? What about somewhere like Greenwich or blackheath, all the parks and none of the aircraft noise, close to town and easy to pop to Kent for a country pub lunch/ splash in the river in the summer..... I lived abroad for years but would always choose Greenwich if I could.

[moonymama]

I hadn't considered a move to the East. I suppose its just because I know the south west and love the walks by the Thames and a spot of rowing. I think i need to just settle down and get on with it without worrying about whether or not the grass is greener elsewhere. The reason why I want to get this move right I suppose. Are you an Aussie by any chance Wallababy? I lived in Sydney for 5 years and loved it, just a bit too far away for now.

[evenkeel]

We moved out of an area of London which we loved, but haven't regretted it. There are pros and cons, obviously, however. A major source of pain is the travel costs if you still have to work in the middle of London - we're really feeling these now, with the latest round of rail-fare rises (but then we're further out than Greenwich - about 30 mins by mainline train).

OTOH, I feel such a sense of relief to be able to come home and leave central London behind. We have a really big garden, garage (on-street parking was a major source of hassle when we lived in the smoke), and easy access to lovely countryside. The only way I'd go back is if we could keep our house here and have a pied-a-terre in town, like Kirstie'n'Phil's moneyed clients.....fat chance of that, though!

[minibmw2010]

Greenwich and Blackheath are both lovely areas, plus in Greenwich you do still get the Thames too. Blackheath apparently not good for schools though, they fall under Lewisham which can be fairly rough. A friend works in a private school in Blackheath and said the non-private schools are not great.

[Fiddledee]

Lots of people do move from Teddington to the Guildford area looking for better secondary (although the high prices are being jacked up by the rising popularity of Teddington school, George Abbott in Burpham is a very good state secondary and larger houses/garden for the same price than Teddington and access to open countryside.

Teddington is much quieter than Putney and is a good place to bring up kids. However, house prices have rocketed there due to the schools and its more expensive than most of the surrounding area. You typically get quite small gardens unless you budget heads towards a million. Hampton Hill is becoming increasingly popular and offers better value for money but transport is not that great. Commuting from Teddington is quite slow so it depends on the trains.

I've noticed there are not that many playgrounds in Guildford but the density of population is far less than west London plus you tend to have a bigger garden and the countryside surrounds you.

[LornMowa]

We lived in a very unfashionable London Borough and moved about 10 years ago to the midlands thinking how clever we were to get such a huge house for so little money. I have always regretted it. Unfortunately we can afford to move back there now. I missed my cozy little house - our new house immediately seemed to change the family dynamic. Our new garden is far too big for me to manage. I missed my friends and I think I went through a period of bereavement which I am only now managing to overcome. My biggest mistake.

[herhonesty]

i think you probably should keep looking until you find an area you are happy with, and also your post seems to suggest that you are not altogether decided what your priorities are?

fwiw also remember that if you compare an area you dont know to one you do its a very apples and pears? fwiw i dont live in guildford but know there is a lot to do in and around that area so perhaps you just need to do a bit more digging.

i'm london born and bred but moved out for husband and job and whilst i miss it, i wouldnt go back.

[moonymama]

thanks for your replies, lots of food for thought. Lornmowa, so sorry to hear that you have regrets. Very honest of you. Fiddledee, good to hear that Teddington is quieter than Putney and more family oriented. As for house prices, we are planning on renting initially to see if it's an area we like and then see what happens. We're hoping to take the equity out of our home and set up a business but that's a whole other story... Herhonesty, you're right. I don't know Guildford that well. We were there for only a couple of days in July and it rained the whole time! We're planning to go down to both Teddington and Guildford for a couple of weeks at the beginning of April. I'm hoping this will resolve our dilemma. Really appreciate the posts.

[bibbitybobbityhat]

Have you considered East Dulwich?

Very green, very nice, vibrant, busy, on a par with Teddington in house-price terms, 11 mins to London Bridge on the train.

[Bearcat]

We're in TW and have raised both our boys here. Both went to local comp ( not always the most popular school and now an academy).
Both did very well and went on to a top UK university.
Eldest has now graduated and living at home for the moment (which is great) and working in Canary Wharf and youngest just about to start his second term at university.
If we had lived out of London eldest would never have come home and life would have been much duller for DH and I.
We're very happy to have our boys with us for a bit longer in their lives. We're going to be alone for long enough in the future!
For me that is the best thing about living on the edge of London that if your kids work there and you have a good relationship with them they may be with you a little longer.