Relocating - where is the best place to look??

[0310Star]

I posted last year asking how many people have relocated to be able to achieve their dream of having an equestrian property along a few other questions, and the post was very successful and helpful!

I now have a slightly different question - where is the best place in the UK to consider for value for money, and quality life - work/life balance?

Our situation has changed in that I am now over 4 months pregnant but it means that moving for more space is even more important to us. We currently live in Kent so staying here and affording our dream home is virtually impossible. But we don't want our child to grow up living on an estate with not much outside space, we want them to have space to play and run around, OH wants to have some sheep/pigs etc and I want to have some horses at home.

We're planning to move at the end of next year and both have done lots of research on where we would like to move to but we cant seem to work out how to narrow it down!

I like Norfolk and Lincolnshire, OH likes Devon and Cornwall, we've also toyed with the idea of Wales, Scotland and Ireland, but I am slightly concerned about the weather in places like Scotland, Ireland and Wales and I am not a fan of rain and rubbish weather! Of course living in England this wont be too different wherever we go but going somewhere ultra rainy wouldn't be ideal.

Can I please have some tips and advice on some good places to investigate?

I am not looking for a massive house with 100's or acres, we literally want a 3 bed-ish house with a couple acres for us to play with, with a budget of between £250-£300k. Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[FDLady]

I moved into the lincs/norfolk area a couple years ago now with a similar budget with the goal of keeping the horses at home. Didnt want anything fancy but minimum of 2 acres and 3 bed detached (own a biiiiig hunter so she needed to actually stretch her legs). While it is more than possible at that budget all i can say from my experience from searching is you have to compromise on something, either the land was great but it came with a small bungalow or 2 bed (eg 5 acres), the house was great but the land was minimal (an acre), or the house/land was great but the location was near enough on the A47/A17/A16 or miles in the middle of nowhere. We found you really had to watch the market closely for the little gems to pop up amongst some shocking properties (all i can say is a viewing with 22 dogs in one house still gives me the shivers). The closer up towards Boston you go though it seemed the more you got for your money! Murrow, Terrington & Spalding also have some gems that pop up!. Its a lovely friendly area to move to that is MEGA horsey so you never have to go far for anything.

 

[BallyJ]

I Currently live in Lincoln and love it it is a mission to get anywhere though! as road links aren't that great

 

[0310Star]

I moved into the lincs/norfolk area a couple years ago now with a similar budget with the goal of keeping the horses at home. Didnt want anything fancy but minimum of 2 acres and 3 bed detached (own a biiiiig hunter so she needed to actually stretch her legs). While it is more than possible at that budget all i can say from my experience from searching is you have to compromise on something, either the land was great but it came with a small bungalow or 2 bed (eg 5 acres), the house was great but the land was minimal (an acre), or the house/land was great but the location was near enough on the A47/A17/A16 or miles in the middle of nowhere. We found you really had to watch the market closely for the little gems to pop up amongst some shocking properties (all i can say is a viewing with 22 dogs in one house still gives me the shivers). The closer up towards Boston you go though it seemed the more you got for your money! Murrow, Terrington & Spalding also have some gems that pop up!. Its a lovely friendly area to move to that is MEGA horsey so you never have to go far for anything.

Thanks FDLady, that's really helpful. We have friends in Norfolk and I've loved it when we've gone to stay with them. The whole atmosphere is so different to Kent, people actually seem quite friendly and talkative! But it does seem more expensive than the likes of Lincolnshire/Wales/Scotland etc.
OH is set on Devon/Cornwall but again that seems like finding what we want with our budget would be tricky.

We are more concerned about the outside space than the house. OH wants a project so having something with potential but with the outside space we crave would be fine.

I love the look of Scotland, the weather just really puts me off!

 

[0310Star]

Can I also ask where are the best places to look for equestrian houses? The only ones I really know of are Rural scene and H&H

 

[AFB]

How about the Midlands (Derbyshire/Staffordshire) - good transport links, reasonable property costs and plenty of space.

 

[0310Star]

How about the Midlands (Derbyshire/Staffordshire) - good transport links, reasonable property costs and plenty of space.

Yes, we'd be quite open to looking anywhere in the UK really!

 

[FDLady]

Can I also ask where are the best places to look for equestrian houses? The only ones I really know of are Rural scene and H&H

glad i could be of some help yes it is a completely different atmosphere. Everyone is so friendly and most pretty down to earth which makes my job as a freelance groom so much more enjoyable! Sounds ridiculous but we found zoopla the best place to search. All the equestrian based sites/estate agents were mega money in comparison. If you go to zoopla and click advanced search... where it says keyword type in "acre" and it will bring up all the houses with land. Most on rural scene etc are on there anyway.

 

[Mrs B]

This sort of thing? It's only 2 beds, (South Wales) but it's a period cottage 3.5 acres with outbuildings ... inc old stables, pig sty and woodstore

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/d...7184fbd6376d5c5f94064aaf6#dKtDZ4GkhXcPgj88.97

 

[be positive]

glad i could be of some help yes it is a completely different atmosphere. Everyone is so friendly and most pretty down to earth which makes my job as a freelance groom so much more enjoyable! Sounds ridiculous but we found zoopla the best place to search. All the equestrian based sites/estate agents were mega money in comparison. If you go to zoopla and click advanced search... where it says keyword type in "acre" and it will bring up all the houses with land. Most on rural scene etc are on there anyway.

I have been looking and also found zoopla useful also onthemarket gives options of smallholding searches, my budget was similar to yours and unless something changes you will be unlikely to find anything in budget in devon, cornwall, dorset or somerset unless you buy something that is a major project and they are very rare or has off lying land, even in Wales, which is where I am buying, there is very little under £300k that doesn't require major work although there are a few if you can act quickly.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I think you might need to rethink the amount of land you need, if you want horses, sheep and/or pigs. In fact pigs can really plough your land up quickly. Lincolnshire is about the cheapest area of England because transport links are poor. So, if you can run a business from home that will work but if you need to commute, you might to look somewhere like Shropshire where property prices are still reasonable but transport links are a bit better. Scotland and Wales both have more land available for your money.
IMO the best thing you can do is to look at what's available all over the country and then decide which properties will work for you and your family.

 

[attheponies]

I think you will really struggle to find anywhere in Norfolk with a couple of acres for that budget. You might just find something out in the fens past King's Lynn towards Wisbech, but as others have said you might have more luck in Lincolnshire.

 

[sunshine100*]

Wales is good value for money -speak to this guy--http://www.geraldvaughan.co.uk/properties/land.html

the scottish borders have some lovely villages and it does not rain every day! the trick is to get good fields and well draining when it does
https://www.rettie.co.uk/property-for-sale/borders--keep us posted!

 

[0310Star]

Thank you everyone. That house in wales is 100% the sort of thing we’d be looking for, it’s beautiful!
Lincolnshire is probably one of the better options for work as OH is a lorry driver and there is a lot of that kind of work in that area, but that said his profession does mean we can look at living almost anywhere which is a bonus.

Cornwall/Devon/Somerset is what I thought it probably would be, our budget would have to be much higher.

. As I say we don’t mind having work to do as the house will hopefully be our home for a fair few years to come! We just want space more than anything, that really is the most important thing.

How has people found moving from England to Wales? Is it a big change, is it a fairly friendly place to settle?

 

[windand rain]

Another vote for Lincolnshire if you want land for your budget. Anywhere that has tourists will cost you probably more than double. Lincolnshire has some of the lowest rainfall and highest sunshine hours in the uk. Bits of it are flat and boring but there are very pretty bits too which correspondingly more expensive but not hugely so. Only weather is it is often windy and that wind can be very cold if it comes from the east but is usually dry (not this winter it has been horrid but not as bad as most places). Lincoln City is beautiful and has come a long way into the 2100s since the development of the University it has everything you could wish for. We can compete every weekend in a variety of disciplines if we want and have miles of off road hacking although I believe this is not so easy to do in the south of the county. Needless to say I live in a very pretty area north of Lincoln and I love it a warm welcome awaits most people. There are statistically more horses per head of population in Lincolnshire than anywhere else in Europe or at least that was the case a few years ago

 

[sunshine100*]

Thank you everyone. That house in wales is 100% the sort of thing we’d be looking for, it’s beautiful!
Lincolnshire is probably one of the better options for work as OH is a lorry driver and there is a lot of that kind of work in that area, but that said his profession does mean we can look at living almost anywhere which is a bonus.

Cornwall/Devon/Somerset is what I thought it probably would be, our budget would have to be much higher.

. As I say we don’t mind having work to do as the house will hopefully be our home for a fair few years to come! We just want space more than anything, that really is the most important thing.

How has people found moving from England to Wales? Is it a big change, is it a fairly friendly place to settle?

msge cremdemonthe on here -lives in wales!

 

[0310Star]

Another vote for Lincolnshire if you want land for your budget. Anywhere that has tourists will cost you probably more than double. Lincolnshire has some of the lowest rainfall and highest sunshine hours in the uk. Bits of it are flat and boring but there are very pretty bits too which correspondingly more expensive but not hugely so. Only weather is it is often windy and that wind can be very cold if it comes from the east but is usually dry (not this winter it has been horrid but not as bad as most places). Lincoln City is beautiful and has come a long way into the 2100s since the development of the University it has everything you could wish for. We can compete every weekend in a variety of disciplines if we want and have miles of off road hacking although I believe this is not so easy to do in the south of the county. Needless to say I live in a very pretty area north of Lincoln and I love it a warm welcome awaits most people. There are statistically more horses per head of population in Lincolnshire than anywhere else in Europe or at least that was the case a few years ago

Thank you, that's really helpful!! As I say Lincolnshire would probably be the most sensible option for OH to find work and I see you can get quite a lot for your money. We are very outdoorsy people and we want to live somewhere beautiful and friendly!
I know we have a while until we are planning to move but #I cant help but get excited, its my dream to have outside space and horses in the garden!!!

 

[Mrs B]

Also don't forget the option of moving to somewhere you like but is more expensive and looking to rent a bit of land: we had your budget and found a little cottage with a big garden about 10 mins away from the sea in East Devon. It needs a fair bit of work which is the only reason we could afford it, but there are train links directly to London (via Salisbury and Basingstoke) and Exeter from a station 15 mins away and the drive to Bristol is straightforward.
Importantly, round here it is relatively easy to find bits and bobs of land to rent, so maybe that could be a stepping-stone to your eventual dream-home with land, which still gets you in the place you wish to live and also somewhere for your OH to look for work

 

[0310Star]

Also don't forget the option of moving to somewhere you like but is more expensive and looking to rent a bit of land: we had your budget and found a little cottage with a big garden about 10 mins away from the sea in East Devon. It needs a fair bit of work which is the only reason we could afford it, but there are train links directly to London (via Salisbury and Basingstoke) and Exeter from a station 15 mins away and the drive to Bristol is straightforward.
Importantly, round here it is relatively easy to find bits and bobs of land to rent, so maybe that could be a stepping-stone to your eventual dream-home with land, which still gets you in the place you wish to live and also somewhere for your OH to look for work

I hadn't actually thought of that as an option, so thank you! We do really like Devon/Cornwall, that is OH dream to live down there so I am sure he'd be happy to look at our options that way!

 

[Orangehorse]

Wales is another country! Depends on you job of course but it is easy to end up halfway up a Welsh Mountain if you are not careful! If you live in the country with children every time they want to go somewhere you have to get the car out, and if it is too remote they will have a long journey to school if they catch the school bus. Wales is wet,but I suppose Lincolnshire gets the east wind!

 

[Trules]

Staffordshire/Shropshire. Beautiful countryside reasonable prices. Friendly folk. Great central road access.x

 

[Jack110]

Hi good luck, I live in cornwall property/land is very expensive also wages are very low. If you do look here please come down and do research. Several people have moved here after a lovely holiday and found the reality somewhat harder. Not trying to be negative just give you info xx

 

[Trules]

I would agree with Jack. I know a few people who have made the move to Cornwall/Devon only to come back again. I think lack of opportunities being remote is the main issue.x

 

[0310Star]

Hi good luck, I live in cornwall property/land is very expensive also wages are very low. If you do look here please come down and do research. Several people have moved here after a lovely holiday and found the reality somewhat harder. Not trying to be negative just give you info xx

That's really helpful to know! We have some time to really look into things so we're going to really do some research! Needs to be the right place.

 

[Polos Mum]

Lincolnshire is much more accessible for work. Grantham is only 1h10 to London and when I lived there I am sure I saw people on the train almost everyday

 

[OldieButGoodie]

There are usually quite a few equestrian properties for sale in South Lanarkshire (where I live). Weather isn't horrendous either as you're more east than towards the wet west but in general it is colder/wetter than Kent that's for sure. In this area you're close enough to the M74, big towns and also not far from Edinburgh and Glasgow (as I'm in the middle Edinburgh and Glasgow are a 40 minute drive away.). Equestrian properties around here seem to range from £300k to £500K for stables, 4+ acres and an arena. The only thing to watch for is the Scottish stamp duty - its pretty hefty!

 

[hollyandivy123]

Wales is good value for money -speak to this guy--http://www.geraldvaughan.co.uk/properties/land.html

the scottish borders have some lovely villages and it does not rain every day! the trick is to get good fields and well draining when it does
https://www.rettie.co.uk/property-for-sale/borders--keep us posted!

why did you have to put the rettie website on..............can someone explain the Scottish offers over system to the uneducated?

 

[OldieButGoodie]

why did you have to put the rettie website on..............can someone explain the Scottish offers over system to the uneducated?

You're supposed to offer over the asking price usually about 10%. However rural properties up for sale nowadays aren't selling very quickly, so you usually offer under the asking price / home report value.

 

[Annagain]

Wales is a pretty big place so you'll get almost as much variation in atmosphere, weather and prices as you will in England.
I don't really know North Wales very well but know most of South very well as have travelled around the area with work.

The nice thing is that the cities (Cardiff, Newport & Swansea) are fairly small so you can have rural areas that are pretty close to civilisation. It's therefore good to get jobs and still have space and the rural lifestyle. Cardiff in particular is lovely as it's fairly small (350,000) but as it's a capital city it has lots that a city its size doesn't normally have. The Vale of Glamorgan for example is only about 30mins out of Cardiff and has lots of lovely coast line and countryside. It's pretty expensive though and you'll struggle to get anywhere with land for that budget. HRT and Watts and Morgan (both in Cowbridge) are the main rural estate agents in the area. Monmouthshire is very well placed, being so close to the English border with excellent transport links if you need to go to work every day but again you might struggle on that budget although it's usually a bit more affordable than the Vale.

Pembrokeshire is beautiful but due to tourism is pretty expensive especially in coastal areas and is very busy in summer and very quiet in winter. North Pembs is much nicer (in my opinion) than the South and is less affected by tourism although St Davids and Solva are very expensive, with lots of second homes. Carmarthenshire could be a good bet. It's a nice areas with decent riding but isn't overrun with tourists so a bit cheaper and is a bit closer to the M4 than Pembrokeshire. The house mentioned above is in Carmarthenshire. It's a fairly reasonably priced area but still within about 45 minutes of Swansea and 90 of Cardiff. Ceredigion (where Crèmedementhe is) is similar but a bit further away and the roads aren't so good but the house prices are pretty affordable there.

The one area that might be worth looking is in the S. Wales Valleys, particularly the further north you go towards Brecon. It seems a bit odd as most people think of the valleys as being very industrial but the coal mines have gone and nature has reclaimed a lot of the land now. Away from the main towns there are some lovely little villages and house and land prices are pretty cheap. There are areas of deprivation but also some lovely communities and nowhere is further than about 45 minutes from Cardiff (traffic permitting, the A470 can be a problem in rush hour).

The good thing about anywhere in Wales is even if the local school has a lot of kids from deprived homes (not saying it's a bad thing but a high percentage of free school meals often means lower performance for the school) you'll always have a choice of schools as there will be Welsh medium schools as well as English in the area (except Gwynedd and Anglesey where all primary schools are Welsh medium and some rural areas where schools will be bilingual as they don't have the numbers for one or the other). They tend to perform better as parents have made an active choice to send their children there and teachers have made an active choice to teach there so it's a very committed environment. It doesn't matter if you/they don't speak Welsh to begin with, they pick it so quickly. My parents don't speak Welsh but I went to Welsh nursery at 2, then all the way through school. I'm completely bilingual, don't favour one language over the other and don't ever remember learning Welsh. It's pretty handy for jobs these days (if you stay in Wales, of course!) too.

Weather wise, the further west you go the wetter and warmer it is. Being on the eastern side of a mountain / hill range tends to protect you a bit from rain. Mid and North Wales tend to get more snow than the South but even then they get very little in reality. S. Wales is very similar to Devon / Cornwall weather wise.

 

[curiosity101]

In terms of sites to search on, I've used this before: http://www.uklandandfarms.co.uk/

East Midlands is great as a general area, especially if you're a little bit further out from the main cities. Savills seem to cover a lot of farm type sales in the area.

Slightly over budget (and already sold) but... 4-6 acres and 3 bedrooms in Chesterfield http://www.uklandandfarms.co.uk/rur...st-midlands/derbyshire/chesterfield-b3ydntbl/

29 Acres, 3 bed cottage in West Wales - http://www.uklandandfarms.co.uk/rural-property-for-sale/wales/west-wales/llanon-17016_7460550/