! London

[Benny]

Bristol / Bath very nice but if you've got young kids you have to consider the accent you could leave them with. It's a bit like the Brummie accent whereby it just makes anyone sound like a village idiot.

I doy fink that is well bostin, I yav lived many 'eass in Burminum an' it's luvlye.

[OwlHoot]

I'd also consider where your (or Mrs RH's) parents live, because when bringing up kids if you are both working and/or spend time away it's cheaper if your parents can look after the kids and keep an eye on your house, and that's harder to arrange or impossible if they're the other side of the country.

Obviously the basic snag with choosing a place is that if its handy for you to commute into a large town then it also is for a lot of others, and the prices reflect that.

I like the idea of living in the SW, but like the North (as someone mentioned) contract rates for work there are usually rubbish.

Have you considered Kent, towards Dover? No idea what it's like, but I'd guess there are good rail links to London.

Also Reigate is nice, but quite expensive being in the stockbroker belt. Round Camberley isn't too bad either, and handy for the M3 and M4.

[Troll]

I'd also consider where your (or Mrs RH's) parents live, because when bringing up kids if you are both working and/or spend time away it's cheaper if your parents can look after the kids and keep an eye on your house, and that's harder to arrange or impossible if they're the other side of the country.

That is such a selfish attitude, why do so many couples imagine that their parents are a free source of childcare?

[bogeyman]

That is such a selfish attitude, why do so many couples imagine that their parents are a free source of childcare?

Maybe because many parents see children as a free source of old-age care.

[scooterscot]

Bath is my recommendation.

WHS - although gets a little sticky in the summer and tourist can be a problem. That said the quality of living on offer is rather nice.

[OwlHoot]

That is such a selfish attitude, why do so many couples imagine that their parents are a free source of childcare?

Er, I never said anything about free childcare. But most couples with the room welcome the chance to have their grandkids to stay, and look after them, up to a point. So as long as you cover their expenses everyone benefits.

[Bob Dalek]

Oxfordshire is the centre of the Universe, with one or two towns still relatively nice to live in... moving back there next summer, thank God; Hertfordshire's too flat and contains both Hatfield & Stevenage.

[Olly]

witney's not one of them..

...used to be though

With my house budget of 250Kish and the need for a garage and at least a semi, options are limited but I've been asking myself the same questions. Bournemouth is figuring highly, just because it's really nice and I have friends there, but I think the chance of decent contract work there is fairly slim.

Southampton looks more promising and it's a straight (but long) road to London and still within a drive of the coast.

Truth be told, I think it's a YES or NO thing to London, you either leave and move somewhere with its own (more limited) employment or stay very close to the mothership and pay a lot for somewhere and have a long commute.

Hate to say it, but Basingstoke offers a lot of bang for buck and there's a fair amount of work there and within 30 or 40 mins drive.

The sad truth is that london's where the contract work is.... shame it's crap for bike riding, farkin expensive, pretty bad for commuting and there's no sea!!

[Bagpuss]

I'd also consider where your (or Mrs RH's) parents live, because when bringing up kids if you are both working and/or spend time away it's cheaper if your parents can look after the kids and keep an eye on your house, and that's harder to arrange or impossible if they're the other side of the country.

Obviously the basic snag with choosing a place is that if its handy for you to commute into a large town then it also is for a lot of others, and the prices reflect that.

I like the idea of living in the SW, but like the North (as someone mentioned) contract rates for work there are usually rubbish.

Have you considered Kent, towards Dover? No idea what it's like, but I'd guess there are good rail links to London.

Also Reigate is nice, but quite expensive being in the stockbroker belt. Round Camberley isn't too bad either, and handy for the M3 and M4.

East kent is quite poor, I had my cheapest ever b&b there (£13 a night en suite). The rail link was sheet, 90 mins to london and the whole area had a grim decay about it plus it was full of illegal immigrants, which is the usual sign of an area in decline.

Some areas near Camberley are nice, if you have a spare 10 million. Camberley, Aldershot et al are def not.

Camberley pikey street party

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUGWMml63oE

[Stan.goodvibes]

The sad truth is that london's where the contract work is.... shame it's crap for bike riding, farkin expensive, pretty bad for commuting and there's no sea!!

I used to live in Putney n bike along Cheyne Walk and Embankment to Mansion House pretty well most of the year. In Summer theres the Thames path from Putney to Richmond and then up to Richmond Park, and some good MTBing not far from London itself. Great place for biking IMHO.

And if you want the sea how could you go past Sarfend?

;-)