Where in the UK might fit our needs?

If we had to compromise on our list, it would be the weather first.  The house with yard is a must have.  It does seem the extreme southern coasts might be out of our range for what we want. 

Anyone know anything about Norwich?  Wiki makes the town seem pretty interesting.  This house appears to be something that we could live with.

http://www.homes24.co.uk/property/homes-for-sale/4-bedroom-house-detached-tasburgh-norwich-norfolk-nr15-818422

@juliloew - thanks for the tip, I can check out that area but we're not looking to buy just now.  Just trying to get a feel for different areas.

Suffolk is lovely but keep in mind it is very rural.  They have no motorways so if you are planning on commuting it can be slower than most, but then you might have less traffic.  There really isn't much to commute too either.

Suffolk is lovely but keep in mind it is very rural.  They have no motorways so if you are planning on commuting it can be slower than most, but then you might have less traffic.  There really isn't much to commute too either.

Rural is good, we like rural. 

Rural is good, we like rural. 

My in-laws live in Suffolk.  The problem is that no trains, no motorways to get places fast and no good bus links means getting to work or the store or somewhere just to get some milk can be difficult.  It depends on where in Suffolk of course.

My in-laws live in Suffolk.  The problem is that no trains, no motorways to get places fast and no good bus links means getting to work or the store or somewhere just to get some milk can be difficult.  It depends on where in Suffolk of course.

My in-laws also live in Suffolk, near Bury St. Edmunds. They swear they see more sun than elsewhere in the country, and in my experience they might be right!

If rural is good, then you might like it there. Suffolk has a very different feel, in my opinion, than the rest of (Southern) England. Things seem very slow, and it takes ages to get anywhere. The landscape is very flat, and the sea is not too far away. The air is ripe with barnyard smells, too! 

So where is Suffolk?
Just kidding I'll try and find it on the the map.
Looking at the spelling of Norwich and I think it is the UK version of Arkansas. They are not pronounced as they are spelt. Same with Edinburgh. We have I think covered this  subject already.

Rural is good, we like rural. 

Rural is good, in fact its lovely in many parts of England....but if you have to work for a living...then its not always easy to commute to a job that pays a decent living.

The trade off is....living somewhere nice (cheaper with a larger house) and having to travel far to get to work vs. living somewhere closer to the towns/cities for work and having to compromise on the area/house.

Don't take communting times lightly, especially in the SE. That is something to really check out whether its by car or train. That said, I would really consider the train for work due to major car conjestion during rush hour.

I feel like I'm always the one to pipe up about this, but don't forget Scotland! The east coast gets a significant amount of sunshine, and is a wonderful place to live. I live in Fife, which is mostly rural, but has good commuting times to Edinburgh, Dundee or Perth depending on where you stay. Scotland is cheaper to live in than much of England as well. The temperatures are generally cooler in the summer up here (very rarely above 25C), but there is so much light for so long! If you're interested in looking up here, I'm happy to answer any questions.

Yep I agree with Superl,
I too live in Fife. It seems that folks sometimes forget we up here in Scotland exist. Fife is great. Its got easy connection to motorways. You can get both rural and town. Summer evenings are lovely when it stays light till ten pm.
We really aren't far from anywhere here in Fife.. you can live rural and be easy commute to a larger town etc for groceries or whatever.
I'd choose Scotland over England ANYDAY but thats just me and my opinion. When i moved to the UK intially for my work permit. I only considered Scotland and im glad with my decision. Differant strokes for differant folks i say

I would agree and say go with Scotland.  HA! 

Anyone know anything about Norwich? 

Norwich is a nice city - my husband is from there, and my in-laws still live there.  Like Suffolk, Norfolk tends to be on the rural side - without motorways, etc.  Look at the geography of it - it's kind of isolated out there in the east by itself.

I'm not sure about the days of sunshine there.  It's near the North Sea coast & they do tend to get walloped with both rain and snow from storms coming off the North Sea.

I'm from Kansas originally, and Norfolk reminds me a lot of Kansas - flat, with lots of farmland.  Although clearly it's not landlocked like Kansas is.

There are some very nice seaside communities, beaches & nature reserves in Norfolk.

Thanks all, you're giving me lots to think about and I appreciate all the recommendations/advice.  It's true, I never would have thought of Eastern Scotland.  I'll give it a look. 

Anyone know anything about Norwich?  Wiki makes the town seem pretty interesting.

I will definitely put in a plug for Norfolk, which I think might satisfy quite a few of your criteria.

Being on the east coast we have low rainfall compared to many other parts of the country.  Winter temperatures are often a few degrees lower than the west, but the winters are drier on the whole (even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes!). 

House prices have been climbing rapidly in recent years, but are still much better value than you'll find anywhere in the southeast.  As with all areas, there are certain neighborhoods which are more pricey, but on average your pound will go much further here.

The county is largely rural with small towns and villages, and the density of population is way below the English average, so we have plenty of space and fresh air.   The crime rate is consistently below the national average too; in fact the last statistics I saw for my district (North Norfolk) our overall crime rate was only about half the average.   

I'm not a big city person, but as cities go, Norwich is certainly far more pleasant than many.  Like all larger cities there are a few residential areas best avoided, but as far as just commuting and working are concerned, there's very little to worry about.   There's a huge new hospital on the west side of the city which opened just a few years ago to replace the old one which was in the city center:

http://www.nnuh.nhs.uk/

There are dozens of villages around Norwich which are a very easy commute.   I'm right on the coast in a tiny dot on the map about 20 miles northeast from Norwich, and it's about 45 minutes drive into the city from here.  Also, as much as we "country hicks" might like to avoid the city during rush-hour because of the "heavy traffic," in reality it's nowhere near as bad as in most places.   Once you get out into the countryside congestion just isn't a problem.

The main downside for a lot of people to this area is finding work due to it being a small town/rural county, but if you're willing to travel into Norwich for work I would think you shouldn't have too much trouble.

I'm not sure about the days of sunshine there.  It's near the North Sea coast & they do tend to get walloped with both rain and snow from storms coming off the North Sea.

We seem to do quite well on sunshine in the summer, but the coastal parts can certainly be a little windswept in winter (I'm literally right on the coast - my backyard runs onto the sand dunes above the sea defenses on the beach).  The little country backlanes can also end up rather muddy at certain times of year when the tractors have been trundling in and out the fields and it's been raining.   

There are some very nice seaside communities, beaches & nature reserves in Norfolk.

A couple of miles from me:

http://www.seapalling.com/

...(even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes!)...

Hee - the in-laws are always moaning about how miserable & cold the weather is there! And some of the times I've been, I'd have to agree.    (not any colder than The North though)

A couple other nice Norfolk places:

http://www.wells-guide.co.uk/

http://www.holkham.co.uk/html/beach.html
(this one appeared in the film Shakespeare in Love)

 

In my village in Sheffield there're a few 4 bed detached houses going fom £180k+, but you're not going to get much land and you're definitely not going to have room to expand.

If you know the villages of houses you're looking at you may want to check out Up My Street for more information on the area.