Good spot to live in the Uk?

Soldato
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@Dr House

I would suggest the Hampshire, Wiltshire, East Dorset area.

Some of your criteria make it challenging re hospital access and schools.

It depends what your property expectations are but for example around the East Dorset area you can get good sized 2000-3000sqft+ properties in budget, still have 2 hospitals close by, good communication links (A31 / Regular 2hr trains to London Waterloo / Southampton Airport), good private schools etc etc.

There are pockets in the Hampshire/Wiltshire Ringwood - Salisbury - Winchester - Fair Oak - Northern Southampton regions too but hospital access isn't always as easy.
Salisbury hospital is pretty good in my experience. They seemed to handle the pandemic pretty well anyway
 
Soldato
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Moving...
What's the need for 2 A+E's? I get the reason for wanting to be near 1, but why 2? I'm guessing based on your name it might be work related.

What sort of requirements are you looking for in the house? 900k could buy you a shed with loads of land in the middle of nowhere, or could also buy you a 6 bedroom apartment in the middle of town.
 
Soldato
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Quite like South Derbyshire myself, there are some nice little towns/villages around (Melbourne, Belper etc). You're 45 minutes from the Peak District and within an hours commute of Brum, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby so plenty of work options. Plus you can get to pretty much anywhere in England or Wales pretty easily.

Added bonus....if you nip up the A50 you can experience the Stoke Stink
 
Soldato
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Quite like South Derbyshire myself, there are some nice little towns/villages around (Melbourne, Belper etc). You're 45 minutes from the Peak District and within an hours commute of Brum, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby so plenty of work options. Plus you can get to pretty much anywhere in England or Wales pretty easily.

Added bonus....if you nip up the A50 you can experience the Stoke Stink
Great pies in Melbourne
 
Soldato
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Great pies in Melbourne

There's a pie stall at the Thursday market? I think they're based somewhere else though. Loads of good food and drink options in Melbourne either way. Great sports facilities. Just a bugger to buy here as property so rarely goes on the market, and when it does, it's gone in a day.
 
Soldato
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Another place I really like, the other half is from Glossop, so I spend a lot of time there. Really great spot nestled in the Peak, but with a 30min train into Manc. Got some infrastructure problems, but a really nice place. Only problem is the in-laws otherwise I'd be keen ;P
 
Caporegime
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On the road....
Taunton, Somerset.

Beautiful countryside on your doorstep, nice vibrant town centre that still has good shopping and entertainment, not far from the coast and warm friendly people.

Whilst I don’t live there, I’ve been visiting all my 50years, love the place.
 
Soldato
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Back to the original problem though, you're going to have an absolute mare trying to find two properties in a desirable rural location at the moment with that sort of budget. Everyone I know that bought London property >10 years ago is in the process of cashing out and moving to the country.....
 
Man of Honour
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I should have added that Guildford is a historic and reasonably attractive town, has a great shopping area, cinema, good road and rail transport, is well situated for Heathrow and Gatwick, is located on the River Wey for boating, close to the South Downs, is commutable into London and has excellent schools and a university. It's a little far from the south coast but you can still be in Brighton in about an hour and twenty minutes.

It's not as rural as several areas mentioned. But it will certainly have more space than your current zone 2 location.
 
Caporegime
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Would second Bath - anywhere in the south is in pretty easy reach even London more or less and a nice place in itself.

If I was looking for access to the UK, a pretty area and that budget I'd also be looking at this area.

If I had that budget I'd be looking at a big plot of land in West Wales myself! :D
 
Soldato
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Bristol
Bristol. Can choose between urban or rural (15 minutes outside) for those price brackets, plenty of open and green spaces plus bustly neighbourhoods, and we've got the largest concentration of independent schools outside of London.

Oh and two major hospitals barely 20 minutes apart, both leaders in various fields. And 1h 30m to Paddington if you're leaving any friends or family behind.
 
Soldato
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Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
Another place I really like, the other half is from Glossop, so I spend a lot of time there. Really great spot nestled in the Peak, but with a 30min train into Manc. Got some infrastructure problems, but a really nice place. Only problem is the in-laws otherwise I'd be keen ;P

Lovely place but i'm not sure i'd ever want to live there due to the traffic issues as you mention.

Maybe even somewhere like Clitheroe/Whalley, would get a hell of a house and Blackburn A&E is fairly decent i believe. Really close to the M65/M6/M61 too for getting around.
 

NVP

NVP

Soldato
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#Solihull. There are some surrounding villages which are absolutely lovely, plus you're right next to Brum for that city life. Or even Stratford-Upon-Avon and its surrounding villages, lovely areas.

Also your kids would grow up in a multicultural environment, aspects of city life but in a safe setting and avoid becoming country bumpkins.
 
Soldato
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Aberdeen
Any other suggestions? There seem to be nice houses around Cambridgeshire.

Property prices in Aberdeen have crashed and you could afford two decent houses in the better areas for under £1M. And the Aberdeen Grammar School is good enough that you won't need an independent school, though we have good independent schools. Buy in Rosemount to be in the catchment area of the grammar and in walking distance of Robert Gordon's.
 
Man of Honour
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I wouldn't mind living in Bath either. Lovely place although it did seem a bit tattier when IU went there recently compared to a few years ago.

Somewhere on the north Norfolk coast would be nice too.
 
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