I think I will feel better if I return to my home town

Returning to a childhood village/town could be a mistake - as others have said, changes, rose tinted specs, loved ones no longer there, etc.

However Whitton is in the London Borough of Richmond so there will be a ton of things you can do and participate in, plus all those marvellous green spaces e.g. Kew Gardens, Richmond Park, the Thames tow paths, etc.

And, free travel at 60

I recently read a story where two sisters returned to their childhood home to visit- The house was kept in the family and maintained without much change as was the town- They woke after their first night in sleeping in their rooms with the feeling that they could simply pick up and carry on as if they had never left- Enchanting story! And probably rare?

I just visited my hometown last week, a little one mile square borough- A sleepy little place in the 60's, now a tiny city with entangled traffic-

Oddly enough, where I live now is more like the place I grew up than the place I grew up-

Thanks for all your input!

How nice that my old school has been mentioned - I went to Twickenham County Grammar school too! I was born eleven years earlier in a house opposite the school, 'Clifden House' ... not sure why my Mother went there, rather than hospital. As a teenager I had a great social life in Twickenham, Teddington (The Clarence) and Richmond. Bird's Nest/The George/The Eel Pie/L'Auberge/Hawkes/Cheeky Petes! I haven't had a drink for twelve years - over imbibed on my 50ieth and went teetotal.

And Teddington - I left the BBC and worked for Malcolm Morris at Thames Television from '77-78. Loved The Anchor pub, never tried its little sauna.

But as so many of you have said, especially the poem! I must move forward, with hope.

I will just go home for a memory visit, and when I sell the house will rent somewhere on the south coast, and go exploring. The one complication is that my 23 year old daughter still 'lives' with me at the moment, but she will be job hunting in September and is talking of working in TV in Manchester.

Have a nice evening!

I’d dearly love to move back to Cambridge but I’m afraid funds don’t allow it ?

when we moved to Staffs and bought our first house- we knew returning to Surrey or SW London (we lived in Isleworth, then Putney and Roehampton- rented accom- and hospital shack!) - there is no way we could return there- as we couldn't afford a 1 bed flat. It was a 2.5 bed semi from the 40s - and our next house was 4 bed ... never could afford that in London! Our next and last UK house was a bit bigger with quite a very large garden.

You can tell from my pseudonym where I come from and when my future husband told me he lived in Whitton I had never heard of it and said I would never live in the south!
I have been here now for over 19 years and love it and although I love the north I would not think of returning there.
People have mentioned the airplanes but they are not there all the time and to be truthful I don’t really notice them.

I agree with those who suggest renting for a while before you decide.
Good Luck,Mosaicwarts
Please let us know what you decide.

PS I knew that my father had been born in Fulham and decided to find out more about my ancestors.
Imagine my surprise when I found out that my paternal grandmother,her mother and her grandmother were all born in Whitton!

Sorry you don't feel comfortable in Northumberland, mosaicwarts as it's my "home county*. But I know how it feels. We came back here (or very near) a year ago and
I feel 'at home'. It's a good feeling. The accent, the social attitudes etc.
So I advise, "get back to where you once belong!"
As the Beatles said:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=18SA6PTvwhI

Gabriella, you're right, there are some beautiful bits of Surrey and I'm very fond of them. I have happy memories of enjoying the countryside there, including walking with schoolfriends through The Chantries to St Martha's and on to the Silent Pool. I'm proud to have grown up there. But after so many years here I find the south of England too crowded and busy for me.

I would go for a visit, rent for a little while and then think about it. I made the horrendous decision to move back to my roots, and I didn’t fit in any more. I had changed and had to live there until I could afford to move back to the South. I went from North to South ,lived lots of happy years then felt the need to return home””. This was a mistake. Friends were long since gone, people had moved on and I felt lost. I absolutely hated my life. Please think carefully and consider other places. You mention the Isle of Wight. I have found people on the island lovely and friendly and when I was there they made me feel welcome. I was lucky and managed to ,move back to where I lived in the South and I am picking up the threads of my life. Think things through,rent,join different groups, and when you find what feels right for you, make that decision. Whatever you do - think about it.do not rush,as bereavement can make you think irrationally for awhile.With patience you will know what feels right for you.I wish you lots of luck

There's an old saying - you can't step in the same river twice. Would it be possible for you to rent somewhere there for 6 months? Then you would be better informed to decide if it's the place for you or not.

Why not rent in the area for a few months to make sure you would be happy to move back to an old area.

Love love love my old home town. I still have family that live there. But , and a big but , when I actually visit it now has many,many new housing estates where green fields used to be. The traffic is crazy and everyone is head down scurrying about.
The reality is it's not the great place I left 20 years ago.

I think it's hard to go back because everything and everyone has changed, moved away or perhaps died.

However, a trip down Memory Lane may well be very enjoyable.

What about moving to a small town in the area where you live?

I used to live in a certain area and it was great at that time. I left because I was needed in my old area. I thought I would move back later. Many years later when I was free to move other problems had shown up and it would not be a good idea to move to that area now because of a lack of facilities that I now need.
I moved back to where I had lived during my childhood and where I visited a lot as relatives lived there. It is awful. There are very different people here and those who were here all those years ago are desperately trying to re-write their history. I remember the true facts of what went on here.
However, there is the emotional pull of this being a family house for a very long time. I do see a need to remove myself from here. I just feel I am out of place. I suspect that people locally had an eye on the houses of the older generation as they died out.

If you like your current house. Stay. Travel more.

mosaic I too know Whitton, I have friends still living there. I lived in Sunbury for 22 years. DH worked in Isleworth & I worked in Kingston & then Staines.

After DH retired I took Early Retirement & we downsized & moved to Yeovil, Somerset. We spent more time exploring Dorset & Dorset coast than Somerset. Sadly 15 months after we moved DH died. I moved 2 years later to Devon to be closer to DD & DGS. I have the best of both worlds coast is only about 15/20 mins away & I'm on the edge of Dartmoor.

I was brought up in a small village in Yorkshire near the Yorkshire Dales. DM still lives there so I do visit, I love "going home" but could never live there again, it has changed, village is still very much the same but I know fewer & fewer people.

Do go back for a visit, perhaps a longer stay to get the feel of the area again. I also had to make new friends & join in new groups when I moved here, it takes effort but I love where I live. I have joined 2 Meet Up groups, my Home Town has lots of different Activity groups. Good luck with your decision but be prepared for a few surprises, good & bad when you revisit Whitton/Hanworth/Richmond/Twickenham

DH and I were both from Brighton but met and brought our children up in London.

When DH retired & youngest was at uni we went back to live in Brighton. When GC came along, I missed them do much that I persuaded DH to move back to London 3 years ago.

Thank goodness we did, because he dropped dead 6 months after our move back. So I am very near my children & GC. However, because Brighton is so near, and my closest friends live there, I often go down for the day.

I have friends and a life in London- I'm now a local authority councillor here- I still feel the pull to Brighton and the sea, even through it's become very scummy. My dog lives to swim there and i had my happiest last yeats there with DH.

Life is a journey, but I believe it's important to make a life for yourself where you actually live and not expect to go back to the same life where you had memories.