Musings on The Move

So it's been four months since we left the bohemian suburb of Chorlton for the Cheshire life in Wilmslow now. We went back to Chorlton yesterday and today I spent the day in Wilmslow (took this pic in my new secret roof garden cafe) so it was easier than ever to compare and contrast.

The move was a bit upheaval for us and a difficult decision to make back at the start of the year. We had lived in Chorlton in our cosy terrace for over four years and it had really captured our hearts. We would have happily stayed there. But we knew we wanted a bigger house eventually and a garden and there just wanted the volume of suitable places close to the area of Chorlton around the green we loved so much.

Plus the school thing was looming and although Squidge would only be joining preschool, it felt like the timing was right to settle in our final resting place for her school life to be consistent. I moved schools a lot when I was younger and as she's highly likely to be an only one at this moment in time, I wanted her to have the best shot at making friends in the area she would stay with through to senior school.

So we selected Wilmslow. A bit of a wild card initially as we'd scanned the neighbouring Cheshire haunts of Hale, Altrincham Bramhall etc. but the dream house just hadn't turned up. I kept widening my search on Rightmove and finally something caught my eye in Wilmslow.

It didn't tick all our boxes in that it wasn't close to the action with "doorstep buzz" which is something we enjoyed about Chorlton but it ticked so many more. It was the top of our budget but big enough to extend later down the line, it was in a green leafy secluded safe spot on a cul-de-sac, the neighbouring school was great and Alderley Edge was close by.

And it's turned out to have been a great decision. It's so clean and peaceful here. Everything feels really safe and it is quite honestly the perfect place to bring up a happy family. It's close to other Cheshire villages and the restaurants and amenities are fantastic. It's only 20 minutes to Manchester by train and 30 minutes in the car on a good day. Plus London is suddenly a lot closer as it's on the main line.

I see children walking back from the senior school every day in groups and they look happy and bright kids. There's even a sixth form at the same school. The local pubs and shops are full of Saturday girls and boys earning pocket money. It's a ready made family life basically.

On the downside, the commute can grate. We haven't made any friends yet so it can feel a bit lonely and there's a slight aloofness amongst some of the older generation here. But the main thing I miss is the soul of Chorlton, it's quirkiness and bohemian side. In the little terraced streets around Beech Road there was an amazing community. It was as though everyone there knew how special it was.

I don't expect we'll find that here, it's just a totally different place so I hope we can still go back and get our fix often. In the meantime, Squidge is happier than I have ever known her with all the space, her garden, her new school and as that's the reason we moved I can't argue with that....