Hi everyone
We (myself, my husband and my two pre-school age kids) are moving back to the UK from Canada and are currently trying to figure out where to move to. When I look up various towns on the internet this forum comes up so I thought I would post a question here.
We would need to be within about 2 hours from north London (where my parents live). I work in healthcare so would need a hospital to work at(ideally within biking/walking distance). We currently live in Banff, AB and value outdoor activities so would like to have easy access to the outdoors.
I would be grateful for your ideas.
Thanks
Joanna

The area just north of London (within your 2hr requirement) outdoorswise is one of the dullest in the UK imo. Head west or further north for outdoors stuff I’m afraid.

I’m also moving back to the UK, although trying to move back to the north.

Do you want to be 2hrs away by car, plane or train? If by train, then look at Manchester, Leeds or Sheffield. The Peaks and/or Dales are close by. Brizzle (and surrounding area) is also worth considering.

So much depends on how much money you have spend on a house, if you are buying. South of the capital is Surrey which is lovely but expensive. Further south into West Sussex is quieter but cheaper with good connections to N London.

Central Manchester mght be 2hr to central London by train but add on travel times either end and it well easily be 3 or more door to door if you are lucky.

The trains to that London from Manchester run through Stockport too, much easier access to the peak

Sod any of that – why the hell would you move back here from Banff!!

Oxford perhaps? Lots of healthcare jobs (big field I know) and good access to the chilterns for riding. The Welsh centres aren’t ‘that far’ away, nor is Shropshire.

Sod any of that – why the hell would you move back here from Banff!!

+1

I would also point out that my sister in law and little lad are visiting here this weekend. They live in flat, flat, flat Suffolk. 3hours door to door on a flight and they are at the start of the Highlands in Dunblane with us. Do you have to be within 2hours drive or would flight do?

Also, check out house prices as within 2 hours of London = HOW MUCH?!

Within 2 hrs of London, for any half decent outdoor places you are looking at Peak (IMO) – so Sheffield. Even that is more than 2hours most days.

Bristol is worth looking at.

2hrs to London + access to lots of outdoorsy stuff as well

Hants is under 2hrs by train and 2’ish in the car – still wouldn’t mere here from Banff…… and I live right on the coast in Hants!

Bristol – no contest

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. We are moving back to be closer to my quite frail parents and would need to be able to get to/from N London fairly quickly (and not too expensively) on a regular basis for visits and also for any emergencies. We would be renting, at least at first. I am a physio. and my husband is a mechanic so we are most definitely not rich!

Move your parents would be cheaper

Sheffield. National park within 20 minute cycle of town and two big hospitals.

Also lots of good climbing, walking etc.

And a lot cheaper to live than Bristol!

Note 2 hours (no traffic) from Bristol to London or Hampshire to London is not 2 hr to north London. London is a big place. People seem to be giving you train time journey times and low traffic journey times to London in general rather than north London as asked for. To be honest even getting across n. London can be 30 min plus in low traffic / good public transport times.

P.s. Hampshire is not very exciting outdoors wise, but has some odd small bits of fun.

Brighton?

Surrey – it’s nice, some nice riding, it’s expensive.

That advice on moving your parents? +1

Kent?

Decent woodland XC and good road riding. Water on three sides so good for beach / watersports. Lots of nice countryside. Much cheaper than Surrey, especially places like Ashford. Good motorway links towards London (M2 and M20) and links to the continent.

Also a reasonably high concentration of hospitals: East Kent, Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells, Medway, Darrent Valley Hospitals.

Don’t ever trust trains. Trains are like men, they offer you a pleasurable experience but either
don’t turn up, stop mid way and never live up to all the advertising.

(and usually leave you wading through a puddle when you go to the loo)

Trains lie

PS
IMHO

Cardiff is also worth a look too (train link to west London).

I would look at old town Stevenage. You are near the Lister hospital for work. The old town is quite pleasant. And it’s only 20 mins on a fast train to Finsbury park (North London).

Move your parents would be cheaper

+2

For the price of a small terrace in an iffy area of Home Counties or southern city, you could have large house with granny annexe and better older care North of the border, with usually better schools and acces to proper hills and outdoor sports….

Whereabouts in North London?
As already said, a 2 hour train journey from London can get you to some very nice places, but it could take half that time again to get out to the suburbs. Some areas are well served by transport links but some aren’t.

Brick – I quoted the actual time (bar delays) from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo with no changes.
Did it loads during a project at St Pancras – took nearly as long to get from Waterloo to St P!

I seriously wouldn’t look to work in London – yes the rates might be slightly better BUT you will lose any benefits of that in travel costs, times, fuel, etc.

TBH – you are not going to find what you are asking for here. Not IMHO, especially after being spoilt by where you are now.
IF it was me I’d move the parents to Banff – I really would. Far less upheaval for all concerned.
Parents get to live in somewhere lovely with you guys.
OR you, husband and kids are living somewhere you don’t know.
Making new friends.
Finding new work, new colleagues, etc.
Renting new property.
Etc
Etc
Etc.

Although I do know of a nice house to rent in Huddersfield for a ridiculously reasonable price.

Another Bristol vote. Plenty of healthcare work. Good access to the wild west and south Wales. On a good day you can be in north west London in 2 hours by car or train.

If you want direct to North London, your best bet is to find a place that comes in to either Kings Cross or Euston. MK ticks that box and so does Cambridge.

Mind you, Cambridge is flatter than a flat thing, so may not tick your boxes. it’s also pretty expensive to buy here. MK is cheaper and has Woburn and Chicksands nearby and is also on the M1 for easy access north.

Banff you say? Well be there in about a month. You wouldn’t happen to know if there are any IT Security jobs going there would you?

The Chilterns – easy 1 hr or less by train or car to north london plenty of work but expensive housing, trouble with moving parents to some where they don’t know anyone is that they would straight away be 100% reliant on you

Brick – I quoted the actual time (bar delays) from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo with no changes.

That’s my point. Waterloo != north London. Defiantly not n London housing area.

+1 for Chilterns & Bucks.

Bristol is one of the fasted rising housing markets and getting a lot of job investment with firms moving out of london.

But the traffic and useless mayor who makes it worse are 2 very good reasons to stay away.

Plenty of out doors stuff around and not the grim north though.

I think cardiff could be a good shout, not sure how long the train takes to London but decent health care potential there due to the Welsh Assembly and you have some of the best countryside in the country on your doorstep.

Berkshire

i live in North London .For regular visits,I would look at Hertfordshire . Maybe as far north as Hitchin ..won’t compare to Banf though . 🙂 IMO Herts is a lovely county,loads of green space. The train line to kings x is quick and the A1 isn’t a bad way into town as most folk are stuck on the M1 ,M25 and M11 .
I work in Stevenage and wouldn’t live there. 😉

I left Enfield, North London for Stroud, Gloucestershire and whilst its not perfect, it is lovely, and a fantastic place to raise children, i’d never wish to move back. Google maps has it as a 2hr 10min drive via M4 from Stroud to Enfield, Bristol is 40 mins away, Cheltenham & Gloucester on the doorstep. Move here.

I would suggest look closer at what sort of outdoors lifestyle you want and choose from that as nowhere I can think of (or others have suggested) has it all. Bristol is a great place with lots on your doorstep and even more not too far away.

If you are looking to live/work in same place and then travel to N London occassionally Bristol is doable but I wouldnt recomend it if you need to travel a few times a week. Really depends on where in N London you need to get to and how well connected it is. Not sure how long you been away but driving this or most other 2 hour journeys in the uk is a lot more stressful and unpredictable than 2 hours on an highway in Canada and whilst trains are generally more reliable can be expensive (and ridiculously so at peak travel times).

Best of luck with wherever you choose but probably best to accept that staying within 2 hours of North London is always gonna feel at least 7000km away from Banf.

For what it’s worth my sister did the same thing and was back in Albeta within a year….

Bristol is definitely more than two hours by car; I live in Chippenham, the M4 is three miles North, and the very best I’ve done, under good conditions, is exactly one hour thirty minutes from the filling station just along the road to King’s Mall in Hammersmith.
I’m pretty sure it would require more than another thirty minutes to get up to north London, and from Bristol, unless you’re right on the M32/M4, I’d reckon on about forty-five minutes at least as well, so a good three hours.
I’d possibly look around Cambridgeshire, or the edge of Wiltshire, somewhere around Marlborough or Hungerford, or maybe between Swindon and Oxford, which would allow access to plenty of hospitals, etc.

Thanks again everyone for your ideas. It is a tricky one for sure! Sadly, my parents would never move here. It is far too cold for them and my Dad loves to garden (only a possibility for a few months of the year). They live in Muswell Hill (between Finsbury Park and Highgate). Willard, I don’t know of any IT jobs but I am sure you can find something. Alberta has been hit fairly hard by the drop in oil prices. Lots of people laid off at the moment. If you do move here, there might be a nice three bedroom townhouse with great views for rent …..

I’m very close to muswell hill , you should move in with them !!!!