A place to call home: where next?

[Francoisvander or else]

We moved to Long Melford in Suffolk 10 weeks ago after living all my 55 years in Basildon. We are within walking distance of Sudbury and 25 minutes from both Colchester and Bury St Edmunds. I can’t believe we only stumbled upon the area by chance whilst having a drive during lockdown. We have 8 pubs/ restaurants, 2 Indians, a Chinese/ chippy and a Thai but no kebabs or Pizza . We are 10 minutes walk from our local brewery which has a cracking tap room over looking the fields. I’m missing my mates but not missing Basildon

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

I’ve loved Kent since I was a kid, despite spending very little actual time in the county. The pockets of loveliness I found so enchanting are relatively unspoiled by contemporary development. It’s one of those places that makes you feel at home as soon as you’re there.

That's exactly the feeling I got when I first came down here. It took me three years from when I started seeing my missus to moving out of London and living down here. I still miss certain things about London but I love it down here.

The main Rochester High Street and Castle Gardens are ok, but cross the A2 to the other side of the High Street, it's a dump. Medway towns really aren't 'lovely'.

Try living in Tottenham and Wood Green, you'd still pick the Medway towns over them. I know I would.

[Shabu]

TBF, the main Medway towns are right on top of each other - Rochester, Chatham, Strood, Gillingham - and apart from the bits right on the edge of the area, it's a ****ing ****-hole.

The main Rochester High Street and Castle Gardens are ok, but cross the A2 to the other side of the High Street, it's a dump. Medway towns really aren't 'lovely'.

Yeah they are. You're just a snob

[-DL-]

Try living in Tottenham and Wood Green, you'd still pick the Medway towns over them. I know I would.

Well yes, but they are still a ****-hole. You'd pick Tottenham and Wood Green over Kiev at the moment, so it's hardly indicative.

Yeah they are. You're just a snob

Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester - mostly tight Victorian terraced roads ( thought the top half of Gillingham and Twydall isn't too bad I suppose), Darnley Road area of Strood and the 'tree' estate of Strood is yuck. Wainscott, Frindsbury, Hoo and out to Grain are alright - as is most of Rainham, and Maidstone Road.

Then you've got Luton Road. Oh dear Lord. Makes Wood Green and Tottenham look tempting. I think you can also add Orion Road Estate in Warren Wood to that too.

St Mary's Island is also ok, a new build private estate on the site of the former dockyard - although it's massively overpriced. Capstone, Hempstead and Wigmore is where the money is. Lordswood, well, that's quite nice too, but from experience of driving a bus through there very often, it's populated by self entitled arse-holes.

[Chavs]

It's simply getting overcrowded, I look out at the back garden every day just to check they haven't started building a block of flats on it.

The whole town changed the day they slapped the Sainsburys in the Town Centre. Traffic queues all along the Ongar road, and down Warley Hill going up to Kings road. Ingrave road the same.

Brook st roundabout ? Can take 20 mins to get on and off.

The big plus remains a good service on the rattler going in to London, otherwise, it's not great.

Too many people, not enough variety on the high st, doormen on pub doors, the odd stabbing here and there.

Basically it's Romford with a bit more greenery.

I live in Brentwood - think its fine tbf - traffic is a bit of a pain on those roads sometimes but its not anything thats too bad, plenty of decent pubs about within a 20 min walk of me (i can count 10 of the top of my head), solid food options on the high street and a decent high st thats not got a load of shops boarded up, banging links into London with trains every 8 mins and then the mega fast line from Shenfield

High street is aggy on a Friday and Saturday but thats calmed right down since the sugar hut closed, worst gaff is the Yaya ice cream gaff where the kids all park on the pavement and as you rightly say Brook St is a proper pain in the arse!

Best town to live in Essex IMO by a fair bit

[Crouchend_Hammer]

Seriously considering upping sticks to Porthleven in Cornwall
No idea how it would work, but love it down here and the desire to jack it all in and take the plunge increases every time i come

[btajim - mcfc]

Wales is my eventual aim but it needs investment. The trains especially are terrible.

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

Well yes, but they are still a ****-hole. You'd pick Tottenham and Wood Green over Kiev at the moment, so it's hardly indicative.

That'd be a real tough one but I think the abundance of top quality kebab shops in Tottenham and Wood Green would sway it but it'd be a close run thing!

Then you've got Luton Road. Oh dear Lord. Makes Wood Green and Tottenham look tempting. I think you can also add Orion Road Estate in Warren Wood to that too.

Luton Arches ... Jesus ... now that is a ****hole. What is it with places called Luton being absolute shitholes?

[S-H]

I've only ever been to Ashford in Kent, my word, I reckon Chernobyl is a more welcoming place.

[Turns to Stone]

Seriously considering upping sticks to Porthleven in Cornwall
No idea how it would work, but love it down here and the desire to jack it all in and take the plunge increases every time i come

We had a week down just outside St Austell in June, and I started looking at jobs at Falmouth University as soon as I got back. To be honest, I'm not sure we could make it work, and we have everything we need where we are plus we're an hour from London which means if my work ever goes tits up, I will always have options.

Reading this thread and talking to people, I've learned that in many ways, that 'the place' doesn't matter so much. It's the element of control. Being somewhere where you 'want to be'. DL is desperate to get out of Kent, Dan is desperate to be in Kent. And the thing is neither are wrong - it's just about the desire in being somewhere else. Being where you want to be. I've always been lucky in that I have no family to worry about. I've always been able to go where I wanted. Not worry about my parents or siblings - and as such, it's given me freedom, but not everyone has that. Genuinely though, I've learned that life's too short to spend it somewhere you don't like. You'll find work, you'll make friends (if you want to), you'll do whatever - but I promitse you will be fine. Just do it and you'll be proud of yourself.

[S-H]

My Grandad, left London for St Austell in his 60's, his wife at the time didn't want to move, so he said fine, and went without her, because it was always his dream to retire down there.

Until his health deteriorated he volunteered on the lighthouses, took up painting and spent most of his time just walking, he bloody loved it.

[EvilC]

Seriously considering upping sticks to Porthleven in Cornwall
No idea how it would work, but love it down here and the desire to jack it all in and take the plunge increases every time i come

It is interesting. I have had a hellish year at work, insanely busy, my boss is an utter ****ing freak and impossible to work for, the company has made a f*** load of money and there is no way I’m going to be compensated what I deserve given all of this. I’ve done 25 years of the rat race and for the first time it is taking its toll. I don’t think I’m the only person around my age to feel this way, all remaining barriers between work and not work have gone and my company seems to think I’m on call 24/7.

I am likely to inherit a significant sum over the next year to 18 months that will largely take out my mortgage. My kids have additional educational needs so I don’t want to f*** with their schooling but I am thinking about changes. I am halfway through two weeks sat by a pool and am thinking about options to buy a villa or whatever.

Either way, my current situation isn’t really sustainable. I guess if my mortgage is cleared then doing the job might become easier because it counts for a lot less.

[Turns to Stone]

Yeah - the current flexi-working seems to be having an impact all the time now. My Head Teacher - who constantly talks about 'live to work' sent me a text on Saturday asking for something that I didn't get to him (I was out with my kids at the time). He sent a follow up at 7am on Sunday morning asking for the same thing. It's ludicrous. And due to Covid, I feel like I now go from doing a fairly decent 8 hours a day, to now doing a pretty rubbish 14 -15 hours a day, because I'm constantly available.

I actually long for a job where I am on the clock to be honest. 8 - 6. Stacking shelves or flipping burgers would do me if I could afford the mortgage with it (I can't). I'm just pissed off with never switching off. And when I do take leave, I constantly live in fear that I've missed something and it's going to come up. I'm more stressed out of work for those reasons than I am in work. I'm genuiny envious of my Dad's generation before mobile phones and e-mail, that when he was done he as done.

Anyway - off-topic but pace of life is definitely something on my agenda right now.

[EastBrisHammer]

I've always been lucky in that I have no family to worry about. I've always been able to go where I wanted. Not worry about my parents or siblings - and as such, it's given me freedom, but not everyone has that. Genuinely though, I've learned that life's too short to spend it somewhere you don't like. You'll find work, you'll make friends (if you want to), you'll do whatever - but I promitse you will be fine. Just do it and you'll be proud of yourself.

I partly moved to get away from my family but the bloody sods all followed me, all of them!

[EastBrisHammer]

Yeah - the current ****ing seems to be having an impact all the time now. My Head Teacher - who constantly talks about 'live to work' sent me a text on Saturday asking for something that I didn't get to him (I was out with my kids at the time). He sent a follow up at 7am on Sunday morning asking for the same thing. It's ludicrous. And due to Covid, I feel like I now go from doing a fairly decent 8 hours a day, to now doing a pretty rubbish 14 -15 hours a day, because I'm constantly available.

I have made it clear that I do not respond to any messages outside my hours. They keep arranging meetings on my days off and I just hit the decline button. They've got used to it now but it took a lot of ignoring them for them to understand. I work hard when I am at work so they don't complain. I do show some flexibility if it is something that is really important, but really critical stuff only happens once a year. The other so called panic mode stuff I totally ignore.

[Turns to Stone]

I have made it clear that I do not respond to any messages outside my hours. They keep arranging meetings on my days off and I just hit the decline button. They've got used to it now but it took a lot of ignoring them for them to understand. I work hard when I am at work so they don't complain. I do show some flexibility if it is something that is really important, but really critical stuff only happens once a year. The other so called panic mode stuff I totally ignore.

I've got a meeting with a Brazilian family that I'm doing at 7pm tonight because of the time difference - and I'm always happy to do it, I just got the hump this weekend after being chased twice at the weekend.

I'v probably made a rod for my own back though.

[EastBrisHammer]

I've got a meeting with a Brazilian family that I'm doing at 7pm tonight because of the time difference - and I'm always happy to do it, I just got the hump this weekend after being chased twice at the weekend.

That sounds fair enough.

I try to be available if we have visitors over from our other offices. Though they do have a tendency to come over on a wednesday which is my day off! I'm sure they do it on purpose.

[simonpaulthomas]

Stay out of the South West, you bloody rabble.

[Eastcote]

Seriously considering upping sticks to Porthleven in Cornwall
No idea how it would work, but love it down here and the desire to jack it all in and take the plunge increases every time i come

Really everytime?

[Eastcote]

Seriously considering upping sticks to Porthleven in Cornwall
No idea how it would work, but love it down here and the desire to jack it all in and take the plunge increases every time i come

Really everytime? :arry: