I don't like where I live

secretsam

I live in Aylesbury, Bucks

I am not a happy bunny right now...

- It's full of Daily Heil-reading, knuckle dragging Tories who zoom around in cars
- The local authority somehow managed to get cycle city status, which involved them putting up two sets of bike racks in town and painting a few bike symbols on pavements and putting up a few blue signs
- Houses are expensive and there's only a few nice ones
- They spent a fortune running a bypass past a village of 10,000 people but didn't run one past Aylesbury, which has 100,000 people, so lorries trail right through town

But above all...

I dislike it because it's at the bottom of a vale/valley, it's flat and there's ALWAYS a horrid, swirling wind which is NEVER behind me and ruins every other ride

Cafewanda

Who trod on your big toe?

Stone Glider

I do not like Aylesbury as it is the home of Equitable Life. 'Nuff said.

Moodyman

Why don't you move?

Jay dubbleU

Try living here :roll:

greg66_tri_v2.0

SecretSam wrote:

I live in Aylesbury, Bucks

You chose ... poorly.

Stevo_666

Moodyman wrote:

Why don't you move?

+1

This country is not short of places that are full of knuckle dragging labour voters.

veronese68

I love where I live. Close to Richmond Park, close to Kingston town centre (which I avoid like the plague), close to work, easy to get up to proper town, can ride 4 miles to my parents house almost entirely off road, neighbours are good, lots of good pubs within a short walk (and some awful gastro-pubs). Only down side is it's very expensive but I got around that by moving here 16 years ago before it got really silly. I paid less than 25% of the current value.
A bloke came to by a motorbike off me last week. He lives in a 'nice' village in rural Oxfordshire and couldn't believe how quiet it is here. Commented on the nice community feel as a couple of different groups of neighbours said hello as they passed. Said where he lived they were all far too stuck up themselves to talk to anyone.

MaxwellBygraves

I'd move, life's too short to live somewhere your not happy. Admittedly easier said than done.

PO Paul

I'd swap you with Croydon anyday!

Brakeless

How can you say it's flat? You've got the Chilterns on your doorstep you've also got some great countryside around Tring and Ivinghoe. I can think of much worse places to live than Aylesbury.

lost_in_thought

I love where I live. Love love love. It's a little way beyond that copse.

rjsterry

Brakeless wrote:

How can you say it's flat? You've got the Chilterns on your doorstep you've also got some great countryside around Tring and Ivinghoe. I can think of much worse places to live than Aylesbury.

This. I have friends in Aylesbury, and granted the town centre doesn't do much for me, but wandering around the edge of the Chilterns watching the red kites circling, or pootling along the canal, then a nice pub lunch was lovely.

Not perfect, but you could do a LOT worse.

rick_chasey

He's allowed to not like it guys!

SecretSam - anywhere you fancy living instead?

rjsterry

Rick Chasey wrote:

He's allowed to not like it guys!

SecretSam - anywhere you fancy living instead?

True, I wasn't sure whether he wanted suggestions for a move or "there, there, it's not that bad" sympathy.

meanredspider

I adore where I live too. It's always windy but (as I was pedalling hard to do 22mph down a hill I can normally hit 30 at without thinking) I'm surprised how used to that I am now. So not that many of the locals cycle, so they aren't very considerate, but people are generally soooo much more friendly than in the SE of England where I'm from.

suzyb

I don't like where I live either. It's not really the country but it's not a proper town either.

rick_chasey

rjsterry wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

He's allowed to not like it guys!

SecretSam - anywhere you fancy living instead?

True, I wasn't sure whether he wanted suggestions for a move or "there, there, it's not that bad" sympathy.

Yeah.

When I said I wasn't keen on living in the UK I got a "don't let the door hit you on your way out!" response from some people, which seemed a bit much.

mudcow007

I quite like where i live. We moved into our house just over a year ago now (our first house) its in Childwall, Liverpool

quite funny in that most people from North Liverpool think its snobbish etc, but our house only cost £125,000 plus its a council tax rate B (cheap as chips)

i ride to work on a traffic free route, granted the track goes through a part of Liverpool that is twinned with helmand province - even the road signs have been shot with handguns and shot guns :shock:

MRLEON83

i guess its always good to explore new places.... I'm from northampton and though there are some nice little routes, though I got really jealous when I went walking (funnily enough) in Ivanhoe, there was a group of cycalists going past looked like great fun

SimonAH

I really like where I live - and that surprises me hugely as I moved here for practicality and expected to hate it.

Great facilities, vibrant town, excellent cycling. OK - bit short on half decent restaurants, but I love to cook

secretsam

rjsterry wrote:

Brakeless wrote:

How can you say it's flat? You've got the Chilterns on your doorstep you've also got some great countryside around Tring and Ivinghoe. I can think of much worse places to live than Aylesbury.

This. I have friends in Aylesbury, and granted the town centre doesn't do much for me, but wandering around the edge of the Chilterns watching the red kites circling, or pootling along the canal, then a nice pub lunch was lovely.

Not perfect, but you could do a LOT worse.

I'd had a really bad ride experience.

Aylesbury's OK, and as you say, there's nice hills and it's easy to get to other places, the town centre is...vile (apart from the nice bit around the church), but hey, so are a million places. And the red kites are...actually bloody noisy, there are more of the beggars than pigeons here.

Where would I prefer to live? Nice bits of Bristol (my home town), York, Oxford (used to live there too), Vancouver (the only city I've ever been to and loved instantly).

rick_chasey

What's holding you back from moving?

Family/job?

thelawnet

SecretSam wrote:

I live in Aylesbury, Bucks

I am not a happy bunny right now...

- It's full of Daily Heil-reading, knuckle dragging Tories who zoom around in cars

Are you sure?

WTF are you doing in Buckinghamshire anyway? Try Gerrards Cross or somewhere like that for comparison. The shops don't open Sundays and they spent 14 years campaigning against a Tesco being built there, John Prescott insisted it would be because he hates Tories with the passion you evidently share, and then the tunnel built to facilitate the Tesco caused the railway bridge to collapse and the line collapsed.

I know someone in Aylesbury and it's really not particularly Tory by the standards of the Home Counties, not at all, it's an ugly town for one thing, with lots of kebab shops and cheap boozers, and unlike most of the shires it has Labour councillors too.

- The local authority somehow managed to get cycle city status, which involved them putting up two sets of bike racks in town and painting a few bike symbols on pavements and putting up a few blue signs

Why is this negative? Bike racks are essential for everyone. Also it seems they built a new bridge for cyclists, cycling levels have increased and bike routes get more people cycling.

- Houses are expensive and there's only a few nice ones

They are cheap compared with many home counties towns. The high price of housing is not really an Aylesbury problem, not specifically anyway.

But above all...

I dislike it because it's at the bottom of a vale/valley, it's flat and there's ALWAYS a horrid, swirling wind which is NEVER behind me and ruins every other ride

Ok fair enough.

As noted, move if you don't like it.

meanredspider

SecretSam wrote:

Vancouver (the only city I've ever been to and loved instantly).

What was it that you liked about Vancouver? I know it often comes top of polls but I'm not sure I've ever understood that. Maybe I've just been there at the wrong time of year. My brother lives there and I often joke with him that it's always raining. Had a good time skiing at Cypress but Whilster was nicer. The city itself seemed unremarkable to me. Even the expensive houses on the shore seemed wedged in together. I haven't really got it.

Giraffoto

I live in Aylesbury and love it because of the hills around it - I used to live in Hemel Hempstead, and the last bit of every ride was uphill! Also Hemel town centre always reminds me of the scene in Star Wars where we first meet Han Solo and Chewbacca in the alien pub, except no one looks like a young Harrison Ford.

secretsam

Giraffoto wrote:

I live in Aylesbury and love it because of the hills around it - I used to live in Hemel Hempstead, and the last bit of every ride was uphill! Also Hemel town centre always reminds me of the scene in Star Wars where we first meet Han Solo and Chewbacca in the alien pub, except no one looks like a young Harrison Ford.

Fairy 'nuff, Hemel is worse and it's got that insane roundabout :shock:

And I live here because I used to work here, we have family here and the kids are settled in school.

I'm not unhappy about it any more, I'd just had a bad ride and was just a little p1553d off

And good friends of ours read the Heil and probably vote Tory, ha ha (I actually couldn't give a shoot about people's politics, it's a personal thing like religion - provided you don't try to convert me :evil: )

secretsam

Giraffoto wrote:

I live in Aylesbury and love it because of the hills around it

You don't live round Bedgrove and ride a Spesh do you?

Torvid

meanredspider wrote:

SecretSam wrote:

Vancouver (the only city I've ever been to and loved instantly).

What was it that you liked about Vancouver? I know it often comes top of polls but I'm not sure I've ever understood that. Maybe I've just been there at the wrong time of year. My brother lives there and I often joke with him that it's always raining. Had a good time skiing at Cypress but Whilster was nicer. The city itself seemed unremarkable to me. Even the expensive houses on the shore seemed wedged in together. I haven't really got it.

That's exactly what i thought of Vancouver, Victoria on the island is really nice though.

Giraffoto

SecretSam wrote:

Giraffoto wrote:

I live in Aylesbury and love it because of the hills around it

You don't live round Bedgrove and ride a Spesh do you?

I do! This is so cool, I've always wanted a stalker!

Far more seriously - yes I do, either a black Tricross or a red Hardrock, but I see so many Specialized around you'd think they were made in the town.

waddlie

I was born and bred in Aylesbury. The town's a shoitehole and seems to be getting worse every time I go back. Moved to Bristol, which is mostly awesome, but planning a move to Cumbria in a couple of years time.