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Sssshhhh! Or you’ll attract more of metropolitan elite.
Our experience is so similar, moved here but thought we might return to London but now couldn’t imagine that. A sense of community, amazing outdoor activities, fresh local produce, mortgage greatly reduced compared to London.
Also a train ride can get us to London if needed. What’s not to like?
dancing james
Turd_Fergurson
Late to the party here but as a life time Londoner we left town in 2013 for my partners work. We thought we'd only be gone a couple of years until she had the experience to come back and get the job she was after... long story short we are still here and love it.
We live in the top of town in Stroud. We've both found jobs locally we really like, affordability is crazy - we own our own place now and the mortgage is 1/3 of what we ever paid in London renting. the countryside is lush, the riding is fantastic, I even joined a road club and the vibe is great and I've made some great friends. The local resources are fantastic. There's 2 markets on a Saturday, one for the tourists and another where you can do your weekly shop for less than a super market and buy local and organic if that's your thing.
In terms of getting back to London it's 1.5 hrs on the train, easy. It's a century so not even a days ride. It's so well connected. I used to go down and play polo in Bristol after work for a while and it was easy. Wales is a stones throw away too, holidays/touring/long day rides sorted. other cities are available. I was convinced I wanted to go super rural straight away but Alice told me to chill. I'm glad she did. Stroud has a real community, and an open minded community at that. If you are after more twee cotswold vibe then there are the outer villages near the commons with pretty stone buildings and churches. There is an inevitable lack of multiculturalism, but that is both a reflection of the english countryside and the towns industrial past. What makes Stroud stand out from the rest of the cotswolds to me though is that there is some diversity in it's residents; culturally, economically and politically, which does give it a sense of depth that you don't get when visiting some of the surrounding picture box villages and towns.
Both our work could take us more rural, and as we both work in conservation land management it sometimes feels inevitable, but the community we've found in the area is what has kept us from moving away.