Community Discussions
Explore the latest discussions and community conversations related to this domain.
What downsides have you found when moving (to Wales/the North) to find more space?
Main Post:
Hi,
We're desperate for more space (family of 5) but staying local doesn't seem possible with house prices, so if we're going to move might as well get closer to the Lake District (open to other areas with nice landscapes etc too), looking at places like Penrith, Carlisle, Wigton, Whitehaven, Seascale etc, the closer to a mainline station the better for work/convenience.
Have anyone of you done something similar (we currently live in a little market town in the Midlands, pleasant enough and waaaay nicer than where I grew up in Birmingham)? If so: any regrets? What are the downsides? Anything you didn't anticipate (good or bad)?
Thanks in advance!
Top Comment: We did that recently, we moved to a small village in the Yorkshire countryside, very near a train station, with a train that goes to Manchester in 30 mins Benefits- You get a lot more house for your money, compared to a city, for the price we paid for our house, we’d get nothing close to that in a big city. It’s so much safer, I’d be happy to walk around the village at any time of the night. There’s very little antisocial behaviour, I once left my garage door wide open overnight, and everything was still there in the morning! There’s a real sense of community, it’s hard to describe, but I really love it. Individual people can make a huge difference to the village. I love being outdoors, so for me, the fact that it’s right on my doorstep is amazing. It’s SO quiet at night, if you live in a city, even a “quiet” night in the city is nothing like the country. Downsides- Lack of delivery options, we used to be so reliant on getting food delivered, we’d probably get something once a week when feeling lazy. But thats much harder in the countryside, and the ones that do exist only deliver on the weekends. Most of the things to do will be outdoors, so you have to embrace the rain a bit. You’ll be much more reliant on a car. If you’re not white (like me), you’ll really notice the lack of diversity. Don’t underestimate the impact this will have on you. There are fewer roads, so if a road is closed, you could be looking at a 30 minute diversion. Having a train is useful, but the line will be low priority, so trains will get cancelled a lot (unless you live on a major line) This isn’t an issue for us right now, but there is only one high school that we’re in the crachement area for, so if it’s not good for our kids, then we’ve got no alternative. —— For us, the downsides are outweighed the positives, especially with little children. Also, not all vilages are equal, ours has quite a lot of tourists visiting, so there’s a lot of things to do. But there are villages that have nothing other than one pub and a Londis
What should I know before moving to Swansea or Wales in general?
Main Post:
I'm an ignorant Englishman and I want to learn more about Wales and it's culture before moving over there. I'm afraid I don't know a lick of Welsh or how to pronounce half the street names I've seen. Only thing I know is it's in a better area that Cardiff objectively speaking and it's very good for the nerds, which is exactly what I want given my work.
Plus I want to know more about your city as well! I've admittedly heard different things from different people but from the looks of things it's a really lovely town, and I want to join you guys over there.
But yes, please give me anything and everything I should know before moving. Make it a crash course or Savvy Guide to Swansea!
Top Comment: When questions like this get asked, there's always a small number of responders that will absolutely revel in telling you how shitty and depressing it is, saying things like 'the town centre is crap', 'it's got a drug problem' etc... It's almost as if they've never set foot outside of Swansea and seen how many other towns and cities are facing the same problems. I'm from Swansea and I've lived here for most of my life and I absolutely love it, but I think you have to spend some time away to get a true perspective on how good it really is. We have 19 beaches, starting in the city itself, to Mumbles and wrapping right around the Gower coast. Drive 30 mins in the other direction and you have the Swansea valleys - great for cycling, mountain biking and hiking. If you are into shopping, admittedly the town centre is a bit shit (I'll allow that), but 20 mins up the road in Bridgend you have McArthur Glen, an outlet mall, and a further 20 mins away is Cardiff, the capital city of Wales with all the shops you could need. If you fancy popping to London it's 2.5 hours away on the train, direct from Swansea with no changes - easy peasy! We've recently had a new arena open which has attracted a number of big performers and bands such as Jimmy Carr and Bullet For My Valentine. If you like eating and drinking, Wind St has plenty of choices for a big Saturday night out. If you want something a bit less lively, there are tons of other pubs and restaurants dotted around the city. We've got two big cinemas in spitting distance from each other, plus a number of new venues like Ninja Warrior UK and a rock climbing centre in the town centre. If you're into things like gaming and DnD type stuff, we have two dedicated boardgame cafes and the Gamers Emporium on High St is really popular. Also on High St are a number of independent venues like the Jam Jar for live music, Elysium an independent art gallery/bar and music venue and Hippos which hosts DJs and bands too. We've got loads of affordable (and more pricey) gyms, plus a number of swiming pools, including an olympic sized one! I guess it all depends on your outlook, but if you're depressed here, then you'll be depressed wherever you live.
When people talk about traveling around UK, i don't hear Wales mentioned much. any reasons for this?
Main Post:
usually people mostly explore england, scotland, and ireland. doesn't wales have it's own charm? or am i mistaken?
Top Comment: Wales doesn't necessarily have a big city attraction. Cardiff still has attractions, but isn't on par with London, Edinburgh, and even many smaller cities in England. However, Wales has some beautiful countryside, and a lot of people visit Wales for that reason. Snowdonia in particular is notorious.
What are the cultural differences between England and Wales?
Main Post:
Hello!
I'm a non-European here who trying to research cultural differences between each regions in the UK (not include Northern Ireland).
I can find a lot of difference between England and Scotland. However,I have a harder time finding differences between England and Wales. Any British or even non-British living in the UK who can help?
Thank you.
Top Comment: Ask the sheep
English lad attempts to walk through the entirety of Wales ...
Main Post: English lad attempts to walk through the entirety of Wales ...