Where to move in the uk!!

zweton

Ok I know this is a very open question but where do most head for in the u.k, is it mainly london? Looking for a change in terms of where I live and as the uk is handy for home I could pop back quite a bit. I work in I.t and have 5 yrs experience. What other good cities would you recommend besides London?

Cheers

ancapailldorcha

What are you looking for in a new city? Why the aversion to London?

To answer your question, I'd suggest you consider the bigger cities like Manchester (London of the north) or Birmingham. You could also look at Edinburgh. Liverpool, Sheffield and Nottingham might also be options for you.

Long Gone

What do you plan to work at ? ?

zweton

i.t (specifically network admin/support)

wildefalcon

What sort of weather do you like? What sot of countryside? It's a big place, lots of options. Even smaller cities are big enough to have a lot of choice, Exeter, Reading, Durham, Nottingham, Newport, Cardiff, Glasgow, Hull, Inverness.....

The south east is drier and warmer, the south west is wetter and warmer. The east coast is colder. The west coast of Scotland is milder, but wetter.

Fratton Fred

If you are in it, the Reading/Berkshire area is plentiful work wise.

zweton

ah ok, whats reading like as a place to live. Im looking for something large enough to have plenty to do( restaurants, pubs etc) and then like have nice countryside to escape to when the weather is good. Does this sound like reading?

ancapailldorcha

I'd say Reading would be a good choice. Berkshire's meant to have some really nice countryside. Also, you're close to London which is nice.

Fratton Fred

zweton wrote: »

ah ok, whats reading like as a place to live. Im looking for something large enough to have plenty to do( restaurants, pubs etc) and then like have nice countryside to escape to when the weather is good. Does this sound like reading?

That's Reading in a nutshell.

It's not all roses, it has a fairly rough element to it, but it is pretty big with a Dundrum type shopping centre, all the other stuff like cinemas, gyms, good pubs and restaurants and plenty of nice countryside as well.

It's also easy to get to Heathrow, Gatwick and Southampton airports. Plus it is the centre of the UK's silicon valley.

Santa Cruz

zweton wrote: »

ah ok, whats reading like as a place to live. Im looking for something large enough to have plenty to do( restaurants, pubs etc) and then like have nice countryside to escape to when the weather is good. Does this sound like reading?

Manchester would be a good choice. Easy access to countryside but a great city for nightlife, sports, transports links to London/Dublin/continent. Good old Irish community but loads of young Irish also

jonnny68

Have previously lived in London (too much of a rat race) and Leeds which is much better but Yorkshire people or rather some Leeds people love the sound of their own voice Manchester for me as used to go out there a lot as Leeds only an hour away.

cashback

zweton wrote: »

ah ok, whats reading like as a place to live. Im looking for something large enough to have plenty to do( restaurants, pubs etc) and then like have nice countryside to escape to when the weather is good. Does this sound like reading?

Not sure if you're still considering moving but Sheffield might be a good option. Nice friendly city with the Peak district right on the edge, great place for walking/climbing etc .

ancapailldorcha

cashback wrote: »

Not sure if you're still considering moving but Sheffield might be a good option. Nice friendly city with the Peak district right on the edge, great place for walking/climbing etc .

Good shout. Sheffield's a cracking city with 2 of my all time favourite pubs (Flynn's and Fagan's).

PLL

Dear God don't go to Birmingham, I grew up there it is a hole. My best friend moved from there to Reading for Uni and never left, she loves it. So another +1 for Reading.

ancapailldorcha

PLL wrote: »

Dear God don't go to Birmingham, I grew up there it is a hole. My best friend moved from there to Reading for Uni and never left, she loves it. So another +1 for Reading.

I've recently realised that my long term future may lie there. Hearing actual Brummies say things like this is disheartening to say the least.

dd972

Fratton Fred wrote: »

That's Reading in a nutshell.

It's not all roses, it has a fairly rough element to it, but it is pretty big with a Dundrum type shopping centre, all the other stuff like cinemas, gyms, good pubs and restaurants and plenty of nice countryside as well.

It's also easy to get to Heathrow, Gatwick and Southampton airports. Plus it is the centre of the UK's silicon valley.

Is it rough there? I know there's a Kyle Show element there like you get in all big English towns plus the weekend p***head aggro which is also ubiquitous but I wouldn't think of Reading as a particularly dangerous place.

Santa Cruz

Norwich/Ipswich are doing nicely, good countryside, sea coast etc.

Fratton Fred

dd972 wrote: »

Is it rough there? I know there's a Kyle Show element there like you get in all big English towns plus the weekend p***head aggro which is also ubiquitous but I wouldn't think of Reading as a particularly dangerous place.

Some parts are rough, others not so, others very nice. Just like any large town/small city.

I'm not sure what a Kyle show element is, but if you are getting your opinion from the police chase drama documentaries, then don't. Visit the place.

cashback

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Good shout. Sheffield's a cracking city with 2 of my all time favourite pubs (Flynn's and Fagan's).

Good Guinness to be had in both. Sheffield is a pretty great city for beer, real ale pubs everywhere.

gucci

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I've recently realised that my long term future may lie there. Hearing actual Brummies say things like this is disheartening to say the least.

i have to say i agree with your post a hell of alot more than the previous one.

obviously i have no idea what it was like years ago, but i have been living in the area for guts of 5 years now give or take and I would encourage anyone to consider it. cost of living is quite good for us, and the city infrastructure and lifestyle options has improved every year.
I think its a great city and anyone who has came to visit me has been surprised by it in comparison to the negative stereotype it is often tarred with.


plus GREAT CURRY!

ancapailldorcha

gucci wrote: »

i have to say i agree with your post a hell of alot more than the previous one.

obviously i have no idea what it was like years ago, but i have been living in the area for guts of 5 years now give or take and I would encourage anyone to consider it. cost of living is quite good for us, and the city infrastructure and lifestyle options has improved every year.
I think its a great city and anyone who has came to visit me has been surprised by it in comparison to the negative stereotype it is often tarred with.


plus GREAT CURRY!

To be fair, people talk about it like it was a non-violent Chechnya. I was there once for a night out and thought it was miserable. That said, there is the bullring, people seem fairly sound and the cost of living isn't inflated to ludicrous levels.

dmaor

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

To be fair, people talk about it like it was a non-violent Chechnya. I was there once for a night out and thought it was miserable. That said, there is the bullring, people seem fairly sound and the cost of living isn't inflated to ludicrous levels.

My wife is from Birmingham and I lived there for a while about 10 years ago. The city centre is fine, with the Bullring etc. Outside that a mixed bag but I suppose that is true of just about every city. My take more generally though is that if you want to live in or near a city but aren't sure which one, then I would try the London area as it has the most opportunities and things to do, and later on if you don't like it look at other options.

brummytom

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

To be fair, people talk about it like it was a non-violent Chechnya. I was there once for a night out and thought it was miserable. That said, there is the bullring, people seem fairly sound and the cost of living isn't inflated to ludicrous levels.

Birmingham's just got this reputation from the 1970s/80s that it can't shake. It's a shame. Unlike the inhabitants of a lot of cities, Brummies are very affable but have no civic pride at all. I think "It's a shíthole" suits the accent.

Bucking the trend, and as someone who now spends most of my time in Manchester; Birmingham's great. It's got the most green belt land of an city, the whole place is full of gorgeous parks, the shopping centres are great, it's gaining a very good reputation for its food, and there's nightlife and culture to suit anyone.

Like most places, it's terrible. I live in quite an affluent area, so my experiences of it would be different to someone who lives in Newtown or Aston, but it's no worse than any other big UK city by any means.

Most people who think Birmingham's hell on earth went once to a conference in the 90s, or have just heard it's terrible. I'm usually the first to say "yeah it's shít", but in all honesty, it's not at all.

ancapailldorcha

brummytom wrote: »

Like most places, it's terrible. I live in quite an affluent area, so my experiences of it would be different to someone who lives in Newtown or Aston, but it's no worse than any other big UK city by any means.

Most people who think Birmingham's hell on earth went once to a conference in the 90s, or have just heard it's terrible. I'm usually the first to say "yeah it's shít", but in all honesty, it's not at all.

What do you mean by "like most places, it's terrible"?

I was there for a night out and we spent most of our time in the city centre. I'd not been in the UK for long at the time. I thought it was quite grim and depressing though a few of the pubs we ventured into were quite nice in retrospect.

I'm sure there are good and bad areas but the reputation has certainly permeated several websites.

brummytom

Whoops, I meant "Like most places, it's terrible in some areas"!
Around Broad St, and the newer developments in the Arcadian Centre, there's some really good nightlife.

It's not just websites that the feeling's permeated. If any British tv show/comedian slags off Birmingham, it gets a huge laugh and round of applause, and I can bet half the people laughing have never been. It's the butt of plenty of jokes, but I honestly don't think it's deserved.

The redevelopments over the last few years have been huge, there's so many great buildings around town now. It's a shame it's still got this reputation as being grey, concrete and lifeless.

ancapailldorcha

brummytom wrote: »

Whoops, I meant "Like most places, it's terrible in some areas"!
Around Broad St, and the newer developments in the Arcadian Centre, there's some really good nightlife.

It's not just websites that the feeling's permeated. If any British tv show/comedian slags off Birmingham, it gets a huge laugh and round of applause, and I can bet half the people laughing have never been. It's the butt of plenty of jokes, but I honestly don't think it's deserved.

The redevelopments over the last few years have been huge, there's so many great buildings around town now. It's a shame it's still got this reputation as being grey, concrete and lifeless.

I've always fancied visiting again and giving it a second opinion. I can see why you're annoyed. I've been to Broad street and it was quite lively.