Moving away from the South East
Discussion
defblade said:
Ffordd Ar Gau said:
South Wales is a big area…
Depending on where you go, you may have the option of a Welsh language education for the kids. Can you cope with that? (That’s not meaning that they’ll only speak Welsh btw!)
Much as I love Carmarthenshire - we moved here from Oxfordshire nearly 16 years ago now - this is one thing I would be very careful about for your children, especially primary age. There are now no primary schools with an English stream anywhere near us, and English steam secondary is limited. Some of the schoools give detention for speaking English at any time during the school day!! And children taught in Welsh, quite simply, don't do so well in GCSEs etc as those taught in English. This goes double in science and maths.Depending on where you go, you may have the option of a Welsh language education for the kids. Can you cope with that? (That’s not meaning that they’ll only speak Welsh btw!)
(My BinL is a teacher in Swansea, wife has been a part-time GCSE/A-level maths tutor, if you'd like some qualification for those statements.)
Happily, we got our daughter through with English streams closing up behind her, and drove her to a more distant secondary/6 form that taught in English.
Otherwise, it's lovely here - as others have said, make a tiny bit of an effort and you'll be welcomed.
(And if you move into a house with a Welsh name, learn to pronounce it. Don't change it to an English one... we've been told that's what all the (rural-ish) locals watch out for with in-comers - leave it Welsh and you're automatically half-way to OK before anything else!)
worsy said:
defblade said:
Ffordd Ar Gau said:
South Wales is a big area…
Depending on where you go, you may have the option of a Welsh language education for the kids. Can you cope with that? (That’s not meaning that they’ll only speak Welsh btw!)
Much as I love Carmarthenshire - we moved here from Oxfordshire nearly 16 years ago now - this is one thing I would be very careful about for your children, especially primary age. There are now no primary schools with an English stream anywhere near us, and English steam secondary is limited. Some of the schoools give detention for speaking English at any time during the school day!! And children taught in Welsh, quite simply, don't do so well in GCSEs etc as those taught in English. This goes double in science and maths.Depending on where you go, you may have the option of a Welsh language education for the kids. Can you cope with that? (That’s not meaning that they’ll only speak Welsh btw!)
(My BinL is a teacher in Swansea, wife has been a part-time GCSE/A-level maths tutor, if you'd like some qualification for those statements.)
Happily, we got our daughter through with English streams closing up behind her, and drove her to a more distant secondary/6 form that taught in English.
Otherwise, it's lovely here - as others have said, make a tiny bit of an effort and you'll be welcomed.
(And if you move into a house with a Welsh name, learn to pronounce it. Don't change it to an English one... we've been told that's what all the (rural-ish) locals watch out for with in-comers - leave it Welsh and you're automatically half-way to OK before anything else!)
When you say half an hour from London are you inside the M25?
£1500 a month mortgage will get you a decent house 20 miles outside of the M25 and you can get to the center in 40 mins if you pick a decent train line. Coming from Walthamstow/Hackney/Romford moving out 30 miles into Essex feels like I'm in a different country with none of the downsides.
£1500 a month mortgage will get you a decent house 20 miles outside of the M25 and you can get to the center in 40 mins if you pick a decent train line. Coming from Walthamstow/Hackney/Romford moving out 30 miles into Essex feels like I'm in a different country with none of the downsides.
defblade said:
worsy said:
defblade said:
Ffordd Ar Gau said:
South Wales is a big area…
Depending on where you go, you may have the option of a Welsh language education for the kids. Can you cope with that? (That’s not meaning that they’ll only speak Welsh btw!)
Much as I love Carmarthenshire - we moved here from Oxfordshire nearly 16 years ago now - this is one thing I would be very careful about for your children, especially primary age. There are now no primary schools with an English stream anywhere near us, and English steam secondary is limited. Some of the schoools give detention for speaking English at any time during the school day!! And children taught in Welsh, quite simply, don't do so well in GCSEs etc as those taught in English. This goes double in science and maths.Depending on where you go, you may have the option of a Welsh language education for the kids. Can you cope with that? (That’s not meaning that they’ll only speak Welsh btw!)
(My BinL is a teacher in Swansea, wife has been a part-time GCSE/A-level maths tutor, if you'd like some qualification for those statements.)
Happily, we got our daughter through with English streams closing up behind her, and drove her to a more distant secondary/6 form that taught in English.
Otherwise, it's lovely here - as others have said, make a tiny bit of an effort and you'll be welcomed.
(And if you move into a house with a Welsh name, learn to pronounce it. Don't change it to an English one... we've been told that's what all the (rural-ish) locals watch out for with in-comers - leave it Welsh and you're automatically half-way to OK before anything else!)
Up here, there is the option of welsh speaking schools but 95% of schools are English led. Obviously there is compulsory Welsh language study but that is addressed in the same way Modern languages are provisioned.
On the face of it, it can't be a Wales policy as there simply isn't enough Welsh speaking teachers to do that.
SultanOfSwing said:
Chris Type R said:
SultanOfSwing said:
I am utterly sick and tired of the cost of living here. We pay almost £2000 to rent a 2 bed property. And we very rarely have cash left over at the end of a month.
I might be out of touch, but £2k seems a lot for a 2 bed property. Is it a good location/good London transport links ?1 bed was £1175 and two bed is £1475.
2 years later the 1 beds are £1500 and the 2 beds are £2000.
Nothing special, badly insulated 70s build, no outside space.
Thankfully my landlord has offered me a further year with no increase.
A mate nearby has had his rent increased by £400 to £2300 for a small 2 bed.
I've got friends who pay £1000 just for a room in London. It's bonkers.
I've just spent 5 weeks 'living' in Tenerife and you can rent a 2 bed for £400 outside one of the Spanish non tourist towns.
I'm 61 and seriously thinking of moving there as I think it may well be survivable on the UK pension alone.
The SE is overcrowded, no fun to drive in or use a motorbike plus ludicrously expensive.
Good luck with your move
I moved out of London over 15 years ago but am (temporarily back) as staying with parents for a bit.
Unless you have ties to a particular area then you have a wide range of places to choose from if your only criteria is cheaper than the South-East, access to good countryside, and not too far from friends and family. You have mentioned South Wales and while that may be the cheapest of the options you have looked at I would be put off unless I had family in the area simply because it is outside England and you also have further to travel if you need to visit places like London.
In the end I settled in Swindon and that offered a good compromise for me. There is a good train link into London and it is 2 hours by car to the South East of London if the roads are clear, but it is also significantly cheaper than the South East and there is easy access to countryside, though the prettiest walks tend to be 20-30 mins by car.
The centre is poor, but then that is true of many towns and cities, but crucially Swindon has been open to development so it is ringed by housing estates built over the past 30 years and a number of them are very pleasant places to live. I have bought a two bed coach house in a nice area for £184K so that gives an idea on pricing relative to the South-East.
So really what I am saying is that if you are not tied to any particular place then you can explore and find the place that is right for you and perhaps rent before you buy.
Unless you have ties to a particular area then you have a wide range of places to choose from if your only criteria is cheaper than the South-East, access to good countryside, and not too far from friends and family. You have mentioned South Wales and while that may be the cheapest of the options you have looked at I would be put off unless I had family in the area simply because it is outside England and you also have further to travel if you need to visit places like London.
In the end I settled in Swindon and that offered a good compromise for me. There is a good train link into London and it is 2 hours by car to the South East of London if the roads are clear, but it is also significantly cheaper than the South East and there is easy access to countryside, though the prettiest walks tend to be 20-30 mins by car.
The centre is poor, but then that is true of many towns and cities, but crucially Swindon has been open to development so it is ringed by housing estates built over the past 30 years and a number of them are very pleasant places to live. I have bought a two bed coach house in a nice area for £184K so that gives an idea on pricing relative to the South-East.
So really what I am saying is that if you are not tied to any particular place then you can explore and find the place that is right for you and perhaps rent before you buy.
I’m Welsh, live just outside Cardiff, have many English friends who came to Cardiff uni and stayed as they love it here, haven’t heard of any of them getting cold shoulder, all are very integrated and settled. Great city and very safe and friendly when compared to London, Manchester, Birmingham etc. loads to do; nice parks, decent shopping, modernised city centre, Cardiff bay, short drive to decent beaches, loads of trails, close to Brecon Beacons, close to Pembrokeshire for family weekends away. Property will be much cheaper than SE. Nice areas being llandaff, Pontcanna, Victoria park, lisvane, Rhiwbina, cyncoed, Whitchurch, radyr, penylan. There’s also penarth, dinas Powys and Knap (Barry) just a little further away.
Education is good, don’t listen to the whole ‘forced to speak Welsh’ stuff, it isn’t true, Welsh is approached similar to learning French. However, I’m a non Welsh speaker but put my 2 through full Welsh school as the education is better, both were fluent in both Welsh and English at a very young age, made learning other languages much easier, they picked up French very quickly.
Why not do an Airbnb in one of the areas mentioned for a long weekend, get out and explore, get a feel for it. Go to castle, bay, shopping, Bute park, museums.
Education is good, don’t listen to the whole ‘forced to speak Welsh’ stuff, it isn’t true, Welsh is approached similar to learning French. However, I’m a non Welsh speaker but put my 2 through full Welsh school as the education is better, both were fluent in both Welsh and English at a very young age, made learning other languages much easier, they picked up French very quickly.
Why not do an Airbnb in one of the areas mentioned for a long weekend, get out and explore, get a feel for it. Go to castle, bay, shopping, Bute park, museums.
Edited by Boom78 on Tuesday 23 January 08:52
JagLover said:
I moved out of London over 15 years ago but am (temporarily back) as staying with parents for a bit.
Unless you have ties to a particular area then you have a wide range of places to choose from if your only criteria is cheaper than the South-East, access to good countryside, and not too far from friends and family. You have mentioned South Wales and while that may be the cheapest of the options you have looked at I would be put off unless I had family in the area simply because it is outside England and you also have further to travel if you need to visit places like London.
In the end I settled in Swindon and that offered a good compromise for me. There is a good train link into London and it is 2 hours by car to the South East of London if the roads are clear, but it is also significantly cheaper than the South East and there is easy access to countryside, though the prettiest walks tend to be 20-30 mins by car.
The centre is poor, but then that is true of many towns and cities, but crucially Swindon has been open to development so it is ringed by housing estates built over the past 30 years and a number of them are very pleasant places to live. I have bought a two bed coach house in a nice area for £184K so that gives an idea on pricing relative to the South-East.
So really what I am saying is that if you are not tied to any particular place then you can explore and find the place that is right for you and perhaps rent before you buy.
Unless you have ties to a particular area then you have a wide range of places to choose from if your only criteria is cheaper than the South-East, access to good countryside, and not too far from friends and family. You have mentioned South Wales and while that may be the cheapest of the options you have looked at I would be put off unless I had family in the area simply because it is outside England and you also have further to travel if you need to visit places like London.
In the end I settled in Swindon and that offered a good compromise for me. There is a good train link into London and it is 2 hours by car to the South East of London if the roads are clear, but it is also significantly cheaper than the South East and there is easy access to countryside, though the prettiest walks tend to be 20-30 mins by car.
The centre is poor, but then that is true of many towns and cities, but crucially Swindon has been open to development so it is ringed by housing estates built over the past 30 years and a number of them are very pleasant places to live. I have bought a two bed coach house in a nice area for £184K so that gives an idea on pricing relative to the South-East.
So really what I am saying is that if you are not tied to any particular place then you can explore and find the place that is right for you and perhaps rent before you buy.
I spent 15 years there and eventually moved back home for the same reasons the OP suggested.
We moved from the south east (Tunbridge Wells) five years ago. I am from west mids and my wife only ever lived in Kent and worked in London, never went north of M25 etc.
We moved because everything was stupidly expensive, it was overcrowded and rural areas being concreted over. Where we lived is barely recognisable now with the endless development.
We were both nervous about the move however after a bit of a shaky start we both love it and wouldn't have it any other way. We bought a small holding, so 12 acres of land and big old farmhouse with pretty much same mortgage we had in Kent.
We live on Herefordshire Worcestershire border. I love Wales some beautiful places but it is not ideal for travel. I need transport to London for work once or twice a month so not bad where I am. I would struggle from Wales as rail links there are pretty poor. Also Wales is impacted by poor NHS, ludicrous 20mph speed limits etc. I would not want to live under that and the risk of punitive taxation.
But, move away you will love it. Space, clean air, no traffic stress, rural schools etc.
We moved because everything was stupidly expensive, it was overcrowded and rural areas being concreted over. Where we lived is barely recognisable now with the endless development.
We were both nervous about the move however after a bit of a shaky start we both love it and wouldn't have it any other way. We bought a small holding, so 12 acres of land and big old farmhouse with pretty much same mortgage we had in Kent.
We live on Herefordshire Worcestershire border. I love Wales some beautiful places but it is not ideal for travel. I need transport to London for work once or twice a month so not bad where I am. I would struggle from Wales as rail links there are pretty poor. Also Wales is impacted by poor NHS, ludicrous 20mph speed limits etc. I would not want to live under that and the risk of punitive taxation.
But, move away you will love it. Space, clean air, no traffic stress, rural schools etc.
Boom78 said:
I’m Welsh, live just outside Cardiff,
Education is good, don’t listen to the whole ‘forced to speak Welsh’ stuff, it isn’t true, Welsh is approached similar to learning French. However, I’m a non Welsh speaker but put my 2 through full Welsh school as the education is better, both were fluent in both Welsh and English at a very young age, made learning other languages much easier, they picked up French very quickly.
It's probably not true just outside Cardiff, but I assure you it's 100% true out here in Carmarthenshire. You're looking at at least a 10-12 mile drive from our house to find a primary with an English stream... if you can get in at all from out-of-catchment (spoiler: probably not. They're oversubscribed.) Education is good, don’t listen to the whole ‘forced to speak Welsh’ stuff, it isn’t true, Welsh is approached similar to learning French. However, I’m a non Welsh speaker but put my 2 through full Welsh school as the education is better, both were fluent in both Welsh and English at a very young age, made learning other languages much easier, they picked up French very quickly.
Even the Welsh speakers at my work (which is pretty much all of them) are horrified at the way schools around here are dealing with English - one has 2 detention streams - one for bad behaviour, and the other for speaking English at school! They are the first to say it's not fair on kids who have no Welsh-speaking background; and it's important to note they don't draw a distinction there between English or Welsh families, just talking about what is spoken at home.
Yes, I agree with your point that learning a second language makes learning further ones easier. Backfired a bit though in our case, as our daughter (6 at the time) picked up Welsh very quickly, but had her confidence destroyed when the other children made fun of her accent and she soon refused to speak it at all.
Not London but my wife and I lived in a good sized town prior to moving to the countryside.
We have about 12 acres as well, decent 4 bed house and good internet, they fitted fibre to the house and we now get 150/50. That has enabled my working from home to be a lot better as I'm not reliant on shaking 4mb internet anymore.
It is worth thinking about the negatives, how will others be when alone in the house. I know it took my wife a while to be happy at home on her own.
In the winter and with bad weather sometimes things can get a bit harder, be prepared to be stranded. We keep a contingency of Fray Bentos pies in the cupboard for those times when you are stuck. Probably should invest in a 4x4 at some point but 10 years on and still haven't. The most we've had is 5 days when it snowed. For reference we are east of Worcester but all around here seems pretty nice. Always enjoy a trip over to the Malvern Hills or into Wales.
I wouldn't move back to any kind of town city life in a rush. I love being out here, the nature etc is so relaxing. There is always stuff to do in the garden but I love spending a sunday pottering about in the garden and then taking a seat in the afternoon and just taking it all in.
We have about 12 acres as well, decent 4 bed house and good internet, they fitted fibre to the house and we now get 150/50. That has enabled my working from home to be a lot better as I'm not reliant on shaking 4mb internet anymore.
It is worth thinking about the negatives, how will others be when alone in the house. I know it took my wife a while to be happy at home on her own.
In the winter and with bad weather sometimes things can get a bit harder, be prepared to be stranded. We keep a contingency of Fray Bentos pies in the cupboard for those times when you are stuck. Probably should invest in a 4x4 at some point but 10 years on and still haven't. The most we've had is 5 days when it snowed. For reference we are east of Worcester but all around here seems pretty nice. Always enjoy a trip over to the Malvern Hills or into Wales.
I wouldn't move back to any kind of town city life in a rush. I love being out here, the nature etc is so relaxing. There is always stuff to do in the garden but I love spending a sunday pottering about in the garden and then taking a seat in the afternoon and just taking it all in.
Sford said:
Not London but my wife and I lived in a good sized town prior to moving to the countryside.
We have about 12 acres as well, decent 4 bed house and good internet, they fitted fibre to the house and we now get 150/50. That has enabled my working from home to be a lot better as I'm not reliant on shaking 4mb internet anymore.
It is worth thinking about the negatives, how will others be when alone in the house. I know it took my wife a while to be happy at home on her own.
In the winter and with bad weather sometimes things can get a bit harder, be prepared to be stranded. We keep a contingency of Fray Bentos pies in the cupboard for those times when you are stuck. Probably should invest in a 4x4 at some point but 10 years on and still haven't. The most we've had is 5 days when it snowed. For reference we are east of Worcester but all around here seems pretty nice. Always enjoy a trip over to the Malvern Hills or into Wales.
I wouldn't move back to any kind of town city life in a rush. I love being out here, the nature etc is so relaxing. There is always stuff to do in the garden but I love spending a sunday pottering about in the garden and then taking a seat in the afternoon and just taking it all in.
Other downside is you put more miles on your car as everywhere is a drive. Isolation is a good point. We nearly bought a place that was very remote. Actually glad we didn't as it could be a bit lonely if I was away for any time with work. We had criteria of land, outbuildings, woodland and a pub that is easily walkable. We are the opposite side of worcester to you!We have about 12 acres as well, decent 4 bed house and good internet, they fitted fibre to the house and we now get 150/50. That has enabled my working from home to be a lot better as I'm not reliant on shaking 4mb internet anymore.
It is worth thinking about the negatives, how will others be when alone in the house. I know it took my wife a while to be happy at home on her own.
In the winter and with bad weather sometimes things can get a bit harder, be prepared to be stranded. We keep a contingency of Fray Bentos pies in the cupboard for those times when you are stuck. Probably should invest in a 4x4 at some point but 10 years on and still haven't. The most we've had is 5 days when it snowed. For reference we are east of Worcester but all around here seems pretty nice. Always enjoy a trip over to the Malvern Hills or into Wales.
I wouldn't move back to any kind of town city life in a rush. I love being out here, the nature etc is so relaxing. There is always stuff to do in the garden but I love spending a sunday pottering about in the garden and then taking a seat in the afternoon and just taking it all in.
defblade said:
Boom78 said:
I’m Welsh, live just outside Cardiff,
Education is good, don’t listen to the whole ‘forced to speak Welsh’ stuff, it isn’t true, Welsh is approached similar to learning French. However, I’m a non Welsh speaker but put my 2 through full Welsh school as the education is better, both were fluent in both Welsh and English at a very young age, made learning other languages much easier, they picked up French very quickly.
It's probably not true just outside Cardiff, but I assure you it's 100% true out here in Carmarthenshire. You're looking at at least a 10-12 mile drive from our house to find a primary with an English stream... if you can get in at all from out-of-catchment (spoiler: probably not. They're oversubscribed.) Education is good, don’t listen to the whole ‘forced to speak Welsh’ stuff, it isn’t true, Welsh is approached similar to learning French. However, I’m a non Welsh speaker but put my 2 through full Welsh school as the education is better, both were fluent in both Welsh and English at a very young age, made learning other languages much easier, they picked up French very quickly.
Even the Welsh speakers at my work (which is pretty much all of them) are horrified at the way schools around here are dealing with English - one has 2 detention streams - one for bad behaviour, and the other for speaking English at school! They are the first to say it's not fair on kids who have no Welsh-speaking background; and it's important to note they don't draw a distinction there between English or Welsh families, just talking about what is spoken at home.
Yes, I agree with your point that learning a second language makes learning further ones easier. Backfired a bit though in our case, as our daughter (6 at the time) picked up Welsh very quickly, but had her confidence destroyed when the other children made fun of her accent and she soon refused to speak it at all.
The targets of a million Welsh speakers can happen but not by these means as it is just going to sour their attitudes, especially young kids. I know people who have been raised predominantly in Welsh all their lives, and even they say that there’s nothing without the English tongue. It’s a ‘passport’ to better opportunities because, let’s face it Wales never has nor never will be the centre of the world for high level and skill employment. There’s a reason the youngsters go across the border to get better jobs or go to university. If they’re being raised afraid of, or with a lack of, the English language then it’s going to seriously degrade their future chances, no matter what the die hard Welsh language promoters say. Unless you are going to be staying in your home village your entire life, you need a good level of English. I’m sorry, it’s just a fact. As it stands, we are still a United Kingdom as much as some don’t like that, it’s a fact. And it’s a fact that there are better employment and education opportunities in other parts of this United Kingdom which require a good level of English!
defblade said:
It's probably not true just outside Cardiff, but I assure you it's 100% true out here in Carmarthenshire.
As likely accurate as your comments are, they really probably aren't important to the OP - most English family with young children moving to Wales with no previous ties would not move to Carmarthenshire. Even the M4 decides to quit before it reaches that area 
defblade said:
It's probably not true just outside Cardiff, but I assure you it's 100% true out here in Carmarthenshire. You're looking at at least a 10-12 mile drive from our house to find a primary with an English stream... if you can get in at all from out-of-catchment (spoiler: probably not. They're oversubscribed.)
Even the Welsh speakers at my work (which is pretty much all of them) are horrified at the way schools around here are dealing with English - one has 2 detention streams - one for bad behaviour, and the other for speaking English at school! They are the first to say it's not fair on kids who have no Welsh-speaking background; and it's important to note they don't draw a distinction there between English or Welsh families, just talking about what is spoken at home.
Yes, I agree with your point that learning a second language makes learning further ones easier. Backfired a bit though in our case, as our daughter (6 at the time) picked up Welsh very quickly, but had her confidence destroyed when the other children made fun of her accent and she soon refused to speak it at all.
Just the kind of child abuse you should expect from a third world country.Even the Welsh speakers at my work (which is pretty much all of them) are horrified at the way schools around here are dealing with English - one has 2 detention streams - one for bad behaviour, and the other for speaking English at school! They are the first to say it's not fair on kids who have no Welsh-speaking background; and it's important to note they don't draw a distinction there between English or Welsh families, just talking about what is spoken at home.
Yes, I agree with your point that learning a second language makes learning further ones easier. Backfired a bit though in our case, as our daughter (6 at the time) picked up Welsh very quickly, but had her confidence destroyed when the other children made fun of her accent and she soon refused to speak it at all.
bennno said:
And in a single post there’s your issue. The ‘open and broad minded Welshman’ not recognising that Welsh is spoken by less than 30% of the Welsh population and therefore expecting everybody to speak it (70% of the Welsh don’t / can’t), demonstrating a xenophobic dislike of the southern English, believing 20 years of devolution is a success despite terrible relative performance of Education and NHS due to labour mismanagement.
Attitude is more common in places like Carmarthenshire, Ceridigionshire, Gwynedd less so in Monmouthshire and South Pembrokeshire.
The fact that you can’t even get the county names correct… Attitude is more common in places like Carmarthenshire, Ceridigionshire, Gwynedd less so in Monmouthshire and South Pembrokeshire.
OP or anyone considering Wales, for god sake don’t believe this utter crap^
Yes, it’s a well-known fact that there’s only about half a million Welsh speakers in the country. That’s people who class themselves as being able to confidently speak the language. That doesn’t mean the other two and a half odd millions have absolutely no clue about the language at all!! FFS. I like this idea of everyone expecting everyone to speak it
if it were the case, even in “Ceridigionshire”, a typical Welsh speaker wouldn’t be able to go about their daily business in shops, education, doctors or healthcare services as these services are often not manned exclusively by only Welsh speakers. In case you are wondering, the correct term for the county often Anglicised to Cardiganshire is ‘Sir Ceredigion’, or Ceredigion in English.
Btw, Cardi’s often can’t understand Pembrokeshire Welsh
The notion that Pembrokeshire is less ‘Welsh’, presumably because it’s a more touristy area, is rubbish. Clearly you are just anti labour. This is not a political post, but I will say that I could never vote for the Welsh tories, despite agreeing with some general tory policy. The Lib Dem’s, and greens are s
t wherever they are, and Plaid are in my opinion a step too far very often. But would I vote for labour… honestly, no, not right now. Gaining devolution was the success, instead of having people living on a different planet in London making decisions all the time. I didn’t say everything was rosy, but devolution is not as bad as people try to portray, particularly being pedalled by tories trying to win votes
Ffordd Ar Gau said:
The fact that you can’t even get the county names correct…
OP or anyone considering Wales, for god sake don’t believe this utter crap^
Yes, it’s a well-known fact that there’s only about half a million Welsh speakers in the country. That’s people who class themselves as being able to confidently speak the language. That doesn’t mean the other two and a half odd millions have absolutely no clue about the language at all!! FFS. I like this idea of everyone expecting everyone to speak it if it were the case, even in “Ceridigionshire”, a typical Welsh speaker wouldn’t be able to go about their daily business in shops, education, doctors or healthcare services as these services are often not manned exclusively by only Welsh speakers.
In case you are wondering, the correct term for the county often Anglicised to Cardiganshire is ‘Sir Ceredigion’, or Ceredigion in English.
Btw, Cardi’s often can’t understand Pembrokeshire Welsh The notion that Pembrokeshire is less ‘Welsh’, presumably because it’s a more touristy area, is rubbish.
Clearly you are just anti labour. This is not a political post, but I will say that I could never vote for the Welsh tories, despite agreeing with some general tory policy. The Lib Dem’s, and greens are st wherever they are, and Plaid are in my opinion a step too far very often. But would I vote for labour… honestly, no, not right now.
Gaining devolution was the success, instead of having people living on a different planet in London making decisions all the time. I didn’t say everything was rosy, but devolution is not as bad as people try to portray, particularly being pedalled by tories trying to win votes
Your original post captured an anti English sentiment, mine just captured a spelling mistake.OP or anyone considering Wales, for god sake don’t believe this utter crap^
Yes, it’s a well-known fact that there’s only about half a million Welsh speakers in the country. That’s people who class themselves as being able to confidently speak the language. That doesn’t mean the other two and a half odd millions have absolutely no clue about the language at all!! FFS. I like this idea of everyone expecting everyone to speak it
if it were the case, even in “Ceridigionshire”, a typical Welsh speaker wouldn’t be able to go about their daily business in shops, education, doctors or healthcare services as these services are often not manned exclusively by only Welsh speakers. In case you are wondering, the correct term for the county often Anglicised to Cardiganshire is ‘Sir Ceredigion’, or Ceredigion in English.
Btw, Cardi’s often can’t understand Pembrokeshire Welsh
The notion that Pembrokeshire is less ‘Welsh’, presumably because it’s a more touristy area, is rubbish. Clearly you are just anti labour. This is not a political post, but I will say that I could never vote for the Welsh tories, despite agreeing with some general tory policy. The Lib Dem’s, and greens are s
t wherever they are, and Plaid are in my opinion a step too far very often. But would I vote for labour… honestly, no, not right now. Gaining devolution was the success, instead of having people living on a different planet in London making decisions all the time. I didn’t say everything was rosy, but devolution is not as bad as people try to portray, particularly being pedalled by tories trying to win votes
Devolution is demonstrably an unmitigated failure, devolved services categorically performing worse than UK equivalent services.
In contrast to your post southern Pembrokeshire has been more closely aligned to England from a language and culture perspective for centuries....
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsker_Line
Contrary to most people's opinions on here, I can't imagine anything worse than living out in the sticks. We've done plenty of holidays to Wales, Scotland, SW England etc. and while it's great for a bit of detoxing from London life, I could never imagine actually living there.
Things like driving 30 mins to a supermarket, most shops/restaurants closed on a Sunday, slow internet and general lack of things to do wouldn't be tolerable for me personally.
Things like driving 30 mins to a supermarket, most shops/restaurants closed on a Sunday, slow internet and general lack of things to do wouldn't be tolerable for me personally.
Shaoxter said:
Contrary to most people's opinions on here, I can't imagine anything worse than living out in the sticks. We've done plenty of holidays to Wales, Scotland, SW England etc. and while it's great for a bit of detoxing from London life, I could never imagine actually living there.
Things like driving 30 mins to a supermarket, most shops/restaurants closed on a Sunday, slow internet and general lack of things to do wouldn't be tolerable for me personally.
Being outside the South-East does not necessarily equal living in the sticks. Things like driving 30 mins to a supermarket, most shops/restaurants closed on a Sunday, slow internet and general lack of things to do wouldn't be tolerable for me personally.
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