Happy Places

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Pat
Posts: 2555
Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:42 pm
Location: West Wiltshire (Wessex)

Happy Places

Post by Pat »

A BBC news report of a survey reckons Bath and NE Somerset is where most people are satisfied with their life nowadays!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18973923
And Wiltshire is where people are the 4th happiest with yesterday.

Any coincidence that it's a cvrda stronghold?
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solentgal
Posts: 466
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:01 pm
Location: twixt Chichester & Pompey

Re: Happy Places

Post by solentgal »

Having traveled back and forth across Wilts to Bristol from Havant for a year or so recently, I think most of the "Happy" feeling must come from the beautiful countryside and the pretty villages...very uplifting :) ...it's on our list of possible retirement areas if we have to move from this area....if we can afford it!
Sami.
chris
Posts: 2474
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:43 pm
Location: somerset

Re: Happy Places

Post by chris »

Not surprised at all!

Chris, (just south of Bath)
davidh
Posts: 3166
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:43 am
Location: Ventor Isle of Wight

Re: Happy Places

Post by davidh »

I agree it is a lovely area but the water up there is funny - (you can drink it for starters) whereas the water around the isle of wight is the proper salty stuff......

D
David H
roger
Posts: 3031
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 12:08 pm
Location: Frome Somerset UK

Re: Happy Places

Post by roger »

davidh wrote:I agree it is a lovely area but the water up there is funny - (you can drink it for starters) whereas the water around the isle of wight is the proper salty stuff......

D
I wouldn't drink Shearwater out of choice :shock:
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Rupert
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Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: Happy Places

Post by Rupert »

Hmmm, I found that Shearwater water tastes almost as strange as the salty stuff, but for less healthy reasons. I blame the fishermen and the amount of bait I've seen them chucking in - quite revolting.
Rupert
Rupert
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Re: Happy Places

Post by Rupert »

As for a happy place to live - Wiltshire not bad, but did the survey get it totally backwards? Maybe people who are generally content with their lot either stay or migrate to the countryside/market town type places, and those who are generally discontented strive in the cities?

After all, I doubt a teenager hankering for the bright lights finds living in the back end of nowhere very happy-making. But they will leave as soon as they can, and then strive for a while, get a well paid job in the city, then find they hanker after the small town they left, but can't afford to move back to. So they are discontented in the city, too. Then the kids grow up, they can afford to go back either home or somewhere like it, and are content.
Rupert
Nessa
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Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:16 pm
Location: East Angular

Re: Happy Places

Post by Nessa »

I am happiest on Exmoor.....part of Somerset. I love the Wiltshire countryside but am pretty miserable whilst there - too many bad memories.

I loathe and detest Cambridgeshire. It is not proper countryside - not trees, ho hills, just flatlands.
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Obscured by clouds
Posts: 715
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 3:23 pm
Location: north Wales

Re: Happy Places

Post by Obscured by clouds »

after scooting around the UK and a bit of Europe for years, I finally settled back in my own home area of the Llyn Peninsula in NW Wales.

I can't afford to live in the village of my birth [Abersoch] or of my upbringing [Llanbedrog] but I do have the next best - Pwllheli

We are a bit out on a limb up here and it's at least 3 -5 hours to get anywhere significant, but I have clean salty water on my doorstep, no pollution, no commercial traffic, long sandy beaches with few people on them, surf over at Hells mouth and the mountains of Snowdonia as a backdrop and only a half hour drive away.

The standard of living here is quite low and job prospects pretty abysmal, but the quality of life is up there with the best IMO.
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Meryl
Posts: 59
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2008 5:35 pm
Location: Chippenham

Re: Happy Places

Post by Meryl »

Yep another Wiltshire resident, more by accident than design 40 years ago (aghhh help :shock: ) not a bad place, but would prefer not to have the A420 outside my door. And agree Cambs is boringly flat, but I did learn to sail at Cam SC
phil58490
Posts: 203
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2012 1:23 pm
Location: Kellow, Looe, Cornwall

Re: Happy Places

Post by phil58490 »

I was born and raised in Kent, spent my teenage years living and sailing in Whitstable and thought it was great. Moved away thirty odd years ago for work and have managed to live in some of the nicer villages south of Canterbury after a not so pleasant couple of years in Ashford.

I had the chance to move back to Whitstable five years ago but after house hunting for a while realised that it was not the place I remembered. Now it is full of yuppies, a lot of the houses are Londoners' weekend and holiday homes and parking near the town and yacht club is a nightmare on summer weekends. I witnessed an incident of car park rage as I vacate a space one sunny Sunday, as two motorists squared up to each other for the space I was just leaving.

Kent is also out on a limb, everywhere you want to go seems to involves a trip round the M25 and I have lost count of the times I have looked at things on Ebay when they have come up as close to me only to find they are in Essex, just need to add over a hundred miles for the return journey, to the distance Ebay thinks it is!

We will stay in the villages until we can move west for our retirement or before if we get lucky with work options.
Just across the Tamar in South East Cornwall

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Stephen Hawkins
Posts: 534
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:41 am
Location: The much maligned Swindon Town

Re: Happy Places

Post by Stephen Hawkins »

In Wiltshire.

Lived in Basingstoke and Barnstaple (North Devon).

The only place I would rather be is the North Devon side of Exmoor.

However, here (Swindon) I am in the middle of nowhere, but not far from anywhere - except, perhaps, the Llyn Peninsula.

And I have 4 sailing clubs to choose from at last count, withing 15-20 mins drive where I can always park and/or camp.

What could be better?

And when I finish sailing I do not have to wash the salt off.....
Steve Hawkins

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Garry R
Posts: 856
Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2004 1:01 pm
Location: Chapel Allerton Somerset

Re: Happy Places

Post by Garry R »

Now in Chapel Allerton near Cheddar and a member of BCSC. They do drink the stuff after it has been passed by Bristol Water management. I prefer Wilkins cider myself. Happy to be in Somerset.
chris
Posts: 2474
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:43 pm
Location: somerset

Re: Happy Places

Post by chris »

Although I'm in North Somerset now, please don't knock the flatlands! I was brought up in the Fens on the Lincs/Cambs boarder. Tydd St. Mary with a population of under 500 was probably below sea level and back in the fifties there were very trees too. I loved the S P A C E ! could see for many miles.
The trouble with many places now is that we live in places that don't have enough space. Square-footage per person we live in the smallest houses in the whole of Europe (Well according to QI any way).
Much easier to use a unicycle on the level rather than the hilly end of the Mendips!
solentgal
Posts: 466
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:01 pm
Location: twixt Chichester & Pompey

Re: Happy Places

Post by solentgal »

Funny you should mention space per person Chris......I was walking the little Google man round Byron Bay, Australia, yesterday whilst chatting with my daughter who is out there at present......I commented to Lynne how open and spacious it looked, and somehow less stressful, as there are no parking issues, bigger plots and more personal space.......and for me (in particular) personal space is the thing that makes me happiest.....so maybe that is one of the keys to happiness in the western region....more space.....and more trees/plants....great believer in greenery as a stress reliever......I can feel myself relax the moment I get away from our estate and up into the south downs........aaaah! :)
Sami.
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