Best town

[1mrcabbage]

Suggestions please for the best town to move to in England. I say town because I would like all the facilities of a town close to hand (cinema, theatre, arts, pubs, restaurants, etc) but not a big city that is full of suburbs. I want low crime levels, good job market, close to nice countryside, able to get to London for occasional daytrips, not too snobby and good communications links (motorways, airports, etc).

[kiss2u]

I live in a place called Bracknell which is in Berkshire (not too far from ascot / windsor). We've got a multi-cinema, bowling ice skating, clubs loadsa pubs and resterants. The M4 motorway is about 2 miles away - that will take you straight into London (about 50mins). There is a main train line running from London Waterloo to Reading. Heathrow is about 30 mins away, Gatwick is about an hour. For more info go to http://www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/index.htm. P
.S Bracknell has a below average unemployment level and good education facilities for children and adults.

[rja211077]

Bracknell?!!?!? It's a hideous place! It's like a slightly more cramped Milton Keynes! How about Windsor? Guildford? Oh I don't know there's so many. Why don't you get a job first, then move to where the job is?

[Obo]

Thank you rja I was just thinking the same myself, if Bracknell is the best town in England to move to.... God help us! I personally think that there is not beating London town... as Samuel johnson said "if you are bored of London, you are bored of life (something the residents of Bracknell must be aware of!)

[1mrcabbage]

Thank you very much for the good answers so far. I feel I need to add more to get an even better answer. I know Bracknell and, if you can ignore the facelessness of the place, I have to agree that it does sound as though it fits my requirements very well. Which just goes to show how difficult it is to put my thoughts in writing. I was hoping for somewhere a bit smaller (market town) with all the good facilities. Somewhere with an identity and character that makes it typical (and proud to be part of) a particular area. My work is freelance and I now have a lot more leisure time, therefore I want plenty of things to do, nice people to make friends with, great scenery that I can easily escape to (no offence against the lovely countryside around Cambridge but I had something more stunning in mind). Can anyone help me further??

[mikewith]

How about Kings Lynn? Handy for the North Norfolk coast and the Greatest Team The World Has Ever Seen.

[rja211077]

Somewhere like Dorking in Surrey - fits your market town/easy access to scenery criteria but is quite expensive and not very 'happening' (eg. plenty of restaurants but no nightclubs). You're not going to get 'stunning' scenery in easy reach of London but plenty of pleasant scenery. For stunning scenery you need a national park (or Scotland)

[hlawes]

Bath fits the bill perfectly. Good arts festivals, lots and lots of restaurants and pubs, a theatre three cinemas, excellent parks, wonderful architecture and so on. I can walk into the countryside from my front door in five minutes, and walk into the centre in twenty minutes. Close to the motorway, and a regular train to London. And before anyone jumps in it isn't snobby at all, has a wide range of people from all sorts of backgrounds and is a gerat place to live - I have lived here for 20 years and still love it.

[LynneMcF]

I agree with Bath. Very close to Bristol for big city stuff, lovely countryside very near, good arts, restaurants & entertainment and small enough to walk everywhere.

[RobertMee]

You need to move much further out of the capital. The East Midlands is ideal, if only because we have some of the cheapest property prices in the country, but are still only 2 hours by train from London. I'm near Ilkeston, a small market town which I certainly would not recommend to live in - but any of the scores of villages around it (half way between Nottingham and Derby) are ideal. And as for access to the countryside - I work less than an hour away in the Peak District - the most beautiful region of England as far as I am concerned. Good hunting!

[SunnyBar]

How about Doncaster in South Yorkshire? It is a bona-fide town (pop. 293,000) because it has twice failed in its bid for city status. There are two cinemas (a traditional town centre Odeon and an out of town multiplex), two theatres and several more close by in Sheffield (less than 20 miles away). There are more than 50 town centre pubs, bars, clubs, etc. Restaurants - Thai, Chinese, Indian, Italian, French, Tex-Mex, English etc. Employment is not what it was but we are home to big name companies like BT, P&O, Tesco. Crime levels are pretty low (the whole town is covered by CCTV), the Peak District and Yorkshire Dales are a short drive away (and there is plenty of countryside around Doncaster). Doncaster is on the East Coast Main Line (one and a half hours to King's Cross/ 3 hrs to Edinburgh) and is one of the best connected rail towns in the country. The town is linked to the motorway system by the M18 and A1 and the M62 and M1 are also close by. We are close to Leeds and Sheffield too. There are plans to build an International Airport, expected to be approved in the not too distant future. It is certainly not snobby - Doncaster people are among the friendliest you could wish to meet. And our football team is currently top of the Nationwide Conference. What more could you want?

[Noel McCann]

Bedworth in Warwickshire "Heaven on earth"! We are surrounded by Stratford upon Avon, Warwick with it's famous castle, Kenilworth and Royal Leamington on Spa. 90 mins from London by train, 30 mins from Birmingham International Airport and the M6 is right next door. Down the road Nuneaton, birthplace of the author George Elliot and 8mls from Coventry birthplace of Lady Godiva. History at your fingertips. Why live anywhere else? The countryside is just over your doorstep.