American Moving to the UK - Introducing Myself

Hi Guys!

I'm an American living in the States, and I'm looking to move to the UK soon! I have independent means to support myself without working (I'm an author, not telling who ) and I'm wondering how the process works. I also want to communicate with those who've recently made the big move from the states to see how they like it, experiences, etc. I'll be moving with my fianceè, and I want to live in the countryside, close to London, though. I love the village of Castle Combe, it's where I vacation when I come every couple months.

Any questions, just ask! I want to get to know many of you living in the UK. The more friends, the better!

-J.S.

-J.S.

John Salinger?!!

John Salinger?!!

J.D. Salinger died in 2010. I was at the memorial - very sad, so to answer your question, no, that's not me.

Well welcome! I'm the village idiot apparently.

Lived in Bristol for a while, and miss it all the time.

Well welcome! I'm the village idiot apparently.

Lived in Bristol for a while, and miss it all the time.

Lovely to meet you! Are you stateside again?

I've ended up in the UK countryside (a bit by mistake).  I like it here but I don't love it.

I hope to be a snowbird one day and live part of the year in the US and part of the year here.

I've ended up in the UK countryside (a bit by mistake).  I like it here but I don't love it.

Could you elaborate on that? What don't you like? What do you like? I really love it there, but I don't know about living there, though. I'm torn between there and London.

I miss convenience.  Stores close at 5pm where I am.

I miss casual get togethers with friends.  It costs a LOT to eat out here, so most people only eat out once or so a month.  So you have to "book in" well in advance.  I DO like that the table is yours for the night though.

I miss seasons.  Grey and 55 year round is not seasons.  One week of temperatures in the 70's is not summer.     Though summer is my favourite DAY of the year.   

I like the long days we get in the summer but the trade off is the short days in the winter.  Clocks went back this weekend and soon it'll be light-ish from 9am and pitch black by 4pm.

It's taken a lot of time to get some true friends here.  And I am proud that I have some British friends and all my friends are not foreigners, but it takes a LOT of time.  For the most part, the British are very polite but not friendly - there is a difference and I don't think you can understand that until you live here.

I have no work/life balance (corporate life).

I find the weather so draining that when I have vacation time, I get out of the UK.  I hate that I haven't explored more of this country.  But it's just what's happened.

I miss doing things after work - dance classes, extended learning, meeting friends.  Seriously it's like life stops at 5pm here.  Nothing after that time!

I miss outdoor activities.  There isn't anything other than walks here.  Which are nice, but I want more.

Crowds.  It is incredibly crowded wherever I go it seems!  I miss walking through a mall or art exhibition without being crammed in with every other person in the town.

I realise this all sounds very negative.  It isn't all negative.  But this is my toughest time of year when the days get short and all the holidays are happening in the US.  Christmas decorations have been out since September here.  To take your kid to see Santa books out in September.  It's all a bit much.   

Wow! It's definitely different from the "tourist" experiences that I've had. I've been to many of the small villages in England, but I never knew what it was like to live there. Do you work in the country or do you travel to London/a larger city? Do you think that would help your situation if you could travel to a larger city?

 I know what you mean about the polite/friendly difference. Not totally, because I've never lived there, but I've heard it. I've also heard nepotism is a big thing in the smaller villages.

Do you find that the country is more of the "traditional British" lifestyle you see so much of in pop culture? You know what I mean... afternoon tea, polite and classy people, stiff upper lip... or do you find that the small country areas are as progressive as London?

Thanks for all the great insight!

Welcome to the forum

Wow! It's definitely different from the "tourist" experiences that I've had. I've been to many of the small villages in England, but I never knew what it was like to live there.

That's the thing, really. Living in a country is very different to just visiting... it can be a massive adjustment.

I'm British (grew up only about 20 miles from Castle Combe, actually, though I haven't even been there for about 25 years!), and I spent a lot of time in the US as a teenager and in my 20s.

At 24 I moved to the US for a PhD, having already spent 6 months visiting family there over the years, and also having lived there for 10 months as an international exchange student. I loved it during my visits and even during my 10 months, because it was an adventure.

However, moving there for potentially 4-6 years was a massive adjustment - and I found I hated it second time around. I couldn't get on with the food (didn't know how to cook with US ingredients), the TV annoyed me, the politics frustrated me... I was miserable, and ended up moving back to the UK after only 8 months.

I still love to visit the US (I go back every year or two), but I don't think I could live there again.

or do you find that the small country areas are as progressive as London?

You know it's not just London and The Countryside, right?

You mentioned Castle Combe... London is 102 miles from Castle Combe. In UK terms, that's not very close at all... it's essentially the other side of the country .

However, there are several large cities even closer to Castle Combe than London that are progressive and urban:
- Bath (pop. 88,000) is only 15 miles away, and while small, it has good amenities (though it's pretty touristy)
- Bristol (pop. 450,000, with 1 million in the metro area) is 20 miles away
- Cardiff (pop. 350,000, with 1 million in the metro area) is 55 miles away
- The smaller towns of Oxford and Reading are both about 60 miles away (both pop. 160,000)

With all those cities nearby, you wouldn't have to go all the way to London to get the 'city' experience.

Personally, I couldn't live in London - it's too busy and stressful for me. However, I love Bristol and would live there in a heartbeat. Sadly, my job is in Lincoln, and the nearest company office to Bristol is in Oxfordshire which would be a nightmare commute (I work day and night shifts), so I'm unlikely to get back to Bristol any time soon .

Ha! Yeah, I know it's more than just the two. Sorry, for "reference" reasons, I usually refer to 'The country' and 'London' as the two landmarks that people most often know. I forget that present company is, indeed, the exception.

Yeah, I really like the idea of being close to Bath or to Bristol. I don't know that I could deal with the area shutting down at 5... that's a little early, even for me. Luckily, I've had the privilege to set my own hours and work my own schedule as a writer, so I'd have plenty of time to explore. I think it's a good balance that's important.

Speaking of which, moving away from the American 'politics' is at the TOP of the list for me. I don't keep up with British politics like I probably should (I mean, the big stuff like Brexit), but it HAS to be better than the massive pile of flames that we find ourselves in.

Yeah, I really like the idea of being close to Bath or to Bristol. I don't know that I could deal with the area shutting down at 5... that's a little early, even for me.

It depends where you live though. Sure, the local village shops might close that early, but elsewhere they close later, so if you were willing to drive a few miles, you would have more options. The smaller convenience stores (like Spar, Tesco Express etc.) are generally open longer hours too.

There are several supermarkets within 6 miles of Castle Combe which are open until 10 pm every day (except Sunday).

Cribbs Causeway shopping mall (150 stores) is just 30 minutes drive and is open until 9pm Mon-Fri and 8 pm on Saturday (and 10pm M-F, 9pm Sat in the run-up to Christmas). The main shopping centre in Bristol (Cabot Circus - 90 stores) is open until 8 pm Mon-Sat.

You are pretty lucky that you aren't tied in to living in one place for work, and perhaps not schools as you didn't mention kids.  People who have to be near decent transportation links to a city for work or near schools usually have to pay insane prices for a place to live. 

Still, you should consider transport since this is a tiny country made even tinier by the mideval transport system.  You should decide if you are going to drive or not and choose your location accordingly.  If you can't drive or get a UK license, then it's got to be near the misery of a big city.

If you want to be able to drive to Europe (even a day trip is possible) then you should consider the south coast or on the motorway line to Dover.  This would include the village of Sevenoaks, where Paul McCartney and the CEO of Exxon choose to live. 

How about living in Hay, where the literary festival is?  I don't know much about it but for a week a year you would be set. 

My personal favourite is Twickenham, or Richmond if you've got some money.  Leafy green suburbs 20 minutes from London by train.  Most importantly, along the river with endless walking and bike opportunities.  Consider any of the towns along the river in West London except Staines.