Relocating

All lovely areas but I would chose Dorset if I had no ties anywhere else - more rural and maybe more in alignment with where you are now. Swanage and Bridport are lovely places and have smaller villages such as West Bay, Beaminster, Dorchester etc depends whether you would like a coastal location or one not far away or more inland.
South Downs and Hampshire will probably have more commuters etc. Good luck with it all. I always start with Rightmove and look at houses - type and what you can expect for your money etc.

How I envy you! We moved away from Hampshire many years ago and I would love to go back home.
However, the area is pretty busy traffic wise, the villages are lovely, but as Welshwife says look at what you can afford to buy, then look at the reviews on Google, most villages and towns now have websites and forums and then make your decision.
Don’t forget the tourists if you are going coastal.
Good luck with the move.

My DH comes from Wimborne and we would happily have retired there if our adult DC and their families had not all lived in Berkshire. It is a friendly ,compact little town dominated by the beautiful Minster church.Some of our friends who went to school with DH have lived there all their lives. No reason to leave.

You will not be able to recreate your living experiences in Shropshire in the counties you mention. All of them are part of the highly populated south east, that does have its oasis of quiet, but you pay a lot for them. A house like you describe is very much in demand from city types and highly paid professionals commuting to London. They are VERY expensive. I would study Rightmove long and hard and google maps to get a really good idea of what you can get for your money.

Better still, rent a house in the area for a year so you really ge to know it before house buying.

I would say the best areas to look for what you want are within the South Downs National Park that stretches from Winchester to Eastbourne, north of the coastal strip, or further north the North Wessex Downs AONB which runs from Calne in Wiltshire, nearly to Reading and encompasses parts of north Hampshire. But housing in these protected areas is pricey.

I know that area slightly because I have a very good friend who retired there, and we visit a few times a year. It is horrendously expensive! I also have good friends in Shropshire, and think you will notice the difference.

I strongly echo M0nica's advice about renting. My experience is that only by living somewhere can you pick up the smaller bits of information about where suits you.

Have you visited much? If not, I would go and stay a week or so, and have a good look around, and try to find somewhere to rent.
Of course we don't know what your financial situation is, whether your current home is rentable, or your time scale.
I would say it seems a lovely area, we have been on some lovely walks. My friend is well off, and getting into London is important to her, so she lives near a station. I gather that further away from the stations, it is rather more affordable.

I always suggest driving by the house you are planning to buy at odd times - 11/midnight on a Friday / Saturday, Sunday afternoon, rush hours etc.

Just doing this. Moving from Lancashire to Pewsey, North Wiltshire to be nearer family. We have spent many hours house hunting in Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire looking for a small town large village with good transport links, so we can come back up North to see friends, but also with Doctors dentists and enough going on to make a new life and more important friends. It has not been easy and will be a huge change but more sensible now we are retired! We have had enough of the M6! Good luck.

Dorset has some very pretty towns and villages, Wimborne has already been mentioned and I would agree it is a very pretty town with a good community feel to it. The village of Wool, midway between Dorchester and Wareham, is served by a railway station and close enough to the coast to enjoy days out. Sherborne is a town rather than a village, but again it's on the rail line and is a lovely little town.

I have lived in both Dorset and Sussex Alfriston is lovely and there are lots of rural villages in the Weald around Uckfield my GP lived in Hadlow Down and had a lovely old keepers cottage with a 6 acre wood and a small orchard it was perfect for me as a small child!
In Dorset any of the villages around Swanage but although Wimborne is lovely it’s more a small town and very expensive

A Dorset born and bred resident told me that Shropshire is like Dorset used to be. I know and have lived in both areas and if you are at all able, stay put. If you settle in Dorset, look very carefully at proposals for future building; many of the small towns and villages are under threat of having thousands, and I mean thousands, of new homes inflicted on them. Some small villages are preserved in aspic; pretty, exclusive, full of holiday homes but lacking shops, pubs, public transport and services.The Jurassic coast area is more protected, but consequently more expensive.

Can I ask if you are not familiar with the areas you mention why have you chosen them? Would it not be easier to relocate to another area you know or at least have some knowledge of. How do you know you will like where you move to, or if it is suitable for your lifestyle, maybe at least have a few breaks in your new area or even consider short term renting for a while to see how you get on.

I would echo what Eazybee has to say. I live near Wimborne and whilst it is a lovely town and has excellent schools etc., there is already extensive housebuilding underway and more in the pipeline for the surrounding areas. Trying to get into Bournemouth or Poole is a nightmare with the roads already at bursting point. The holiday traffic only makes things worse.
Good luck with your search

Hi, it seems a shame to be relocating to an unfamiliar area if your heart is not in it and you are doing it reluctantly. Perhaps renting a short while before selling your existing home, if you can afford to, might be a better option so that you can truly assess if it will really be the best thing to do. Good luck.

Hi,
I'm relocating as my husband has got a contract in Hursley in Hampshire and my daughter lives in East Dulwich so we would like to be no more than 2 hours away from her. I also need to be nearer to Gatwick or Heathrow as my other daughter lives in the US and we have just been made grandparents for the first time so want to visit more frequently. My London daughter is thinking of starting a family soon and now seems like a good time to go, albeit reluctantly. Shropshire is beautiful but we have found it difficult to make good friends although we know a lot of people and we are very sociable. All our 'good' friends (long term) live in the South
. I know the property down there is much more expensive so we are willing to downsize to 3 bedrooms. It's all very daunting and any help or advice is truly appreciated - thank you.

I reckon someone would need to sell two (maybe three) average houses in Shropshire to be able to afford a house like you seem to be looking for in the South East.... Good advice on this thread to research on Rightmove and Google Earth and also to rent for, say, six months to see if you like it.

Good Luck!

Newatthis......We are just in the middle of relocating.......5 - 6 weeks time from the North of England down to Kent.....to be nearer our two children and their four children. We've found a house in a beautiful village which appears very friendly, lots going on, good bus service etc so are going for it, don't know anyone in the area but will be so much nearer to our grandchildren. I'm quite scared by the prospect as we've lovely friends where we live....lived here for almost 30 years..... but am going to be positive and hopefully will make new friends and settle into life. I know I will miss having coffee \lunches etc with friends but being able to visit family within a day will be fantastic. And theres always Gransnet if I feel lonely and want a chat. Good luck to you.
Also made me feel more positive reading your comments Sabresprint......good luck to you too. It's a difficult, stressful and emotional time but for us the positives weigh out the negatives. I think I know every cats eye on that ** A1 !!!!

Do let me know how things progress!!

Xx

The reason we have chosen these areas are because the cost of properties any closer to London is unaffordable. We don't know the area but they all looked nice, however, estate agents have a way of describing everything as 'idylic'. HELP!!

newatthis I’m from a village a few miles from Hursley, have you looked at Romsey? It’s a lovely small market town, good roads to the New Forest and the coastal towns, not too affected by holiday traffic as it has a bypass. Not too far from Southampton with all of its hospitals, airport and shops.
Close and easy to get to Hursley from there. Lots of houses going up in Chandlersford, but lots of small villages close by. If you want more info PM me.

I live on the outskirts of a village near the market town of Petersfield. This is a lovely area in the National Park and has mainline to London in 1 hr 5 mins, Heathrow and Gatwick are both under an hour away. The sea is 20 mins. Hurley is 40 mins by car. We’ve lived in our lovely character house with views over the fields for over 30 years....and we’re for sale! Pm me if you’d like the rightmove link ?