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Hi there,
I'm British and still here (for now!)... but, I would never consider living in London myself, for the reasons you are describing. Sorry to those friendly londoners, I don't mean you! But, I worked there for a couple of years and that was enough!

Living in towns (not small villages) where it is less busy, the focus is different and more about 'having a life', and in most cases it's cheaper, etc., you find people have more time for you and are less rude, and you're generally not squashed up to them on trains and buses when travelling to/from work. I find a good selection of things to do in the towns, some great restaurants, theatres / cinemas, pubs, large gyms, etc., and you can find towns like that close enough so you can pop into London regularly to do those things that can only be found in London. Living in cheaper (often better) housing ouside of London, frees up money to make those trips and you can still earn good money relative to London wages / cost of living, etc.
Regarding friendliness, my husband and I rarely manage to go into town centre without having people acknowledge us or stop for a chat.
Anyway, I know of someone who moved to Spain from London, a few years back and she loves it - wouldn't look back. Obviously the weather is a real plus and that's why so many brits have left UK for Spain. There are the horror stories I've seen on TV documentaries about property just being taken from you because of change of law and if not property, land, etc., but I suppose you just got to fully research all of that first and be careful about the different laws and the way people operate ober there. But, there are huge fun-loving, laid back, British speaking communities there so hopefully you could integrate quite easily. It depends on your type of work, but often sun worshipping Brits go there to retire or open cafes, clubs and similar.
So yes, I think if warmer weather is the main reason for leaving, Spain wins v London hands down. But, if it's mainly the friendliness issue - maybe try another place in England or you could live in UK for 6 months and then Spain for the other - I know people who do that sort of thing. All depends on your particular situation.

E

Thanks E for your prompt and thought out response...
I guess we are very undecided at this stage..Yes a better enviroment within the UK might work for us...being from California meant that we had a terrible time adjusting to the weather but all in all i can say we have pretty much adjusted..and what bothers me a bit is the fact that we now have made the physical adjustment and it would be sad to think we might have to pack it in and move somewhere else and start over again.

May i ask you what "small towns" come to mind when you were referring to better places to live within the UK ?

Would Essex be one of them ? I know a person who moved there and seems quite content . Something in the region of 1.5 hours away from London might work for us but we really dont know which towns to look into .

Many thanks
Zu

Hi.
Sorry I have only just logged on again since Sunday.
I hope you do find somewhere that suits your life-style needs and there are places that are better in terms of the things that you're not happy with.
Colchester (Essex) is about 45 mins from London. I think London is just so very different from most towns that surround it, so you could check out any number of them. It's worth checking housing and other costs first though and the advantages of each town.  For example, Reading is more expensive than Colchester but, there are lots of technology jobs in Reading, less in Colchester I'd say. But, you're artists, and I'd say if you want to stay close to London, the East should provide you with that and some very inspirational places. The East coast is not beautiful, blue, warm sea - no some places are cold, grey and uninviting. Still in the Summer, they're much more appealing, but, they're very atmospheric.  Also, you have beautiful quaint villages - some of the oldest places / buildings in the UK to visit, but as said you don't need to live there, pop in, in about 1/2 to 1 hours to any number of totally different places.
As said, you can easily pop into London for a theatre / show, etc., but other towns do have events going on too.  I think it's worth looking at each day and seeing what sort of things you do, because each town has a variety of clubs, theatres, cinemas, a selection of restaurants and pubs, some more friendly than others. From Colchester you can get to many lovely places around Suffolk and Essex (do a search on google). Cambridge and/or Oxford are other towns/cities I'd recommend that are still reasonably close to London, and where there is plenty to do and some character in or around them.

But, whatever you do, I wish you look.  If you still can't get on in the UK, then I wish you luck with your move.

We're thinking of going to New Zealand, because we can!  Because my company has an office there, so I think it'd be a good idea to try somewhere else. But, it's difficult, because I'm not unhappy with the UK, in fact all is going very well here. It'll be exciting to experience living somewhere else, but it's not a necessity. The UK has a lot going for it, but London, well, great for the odd visit (for most).

E

Hello,

I am Canadian, and we have moved outside Barcelona a few months ago.  It is fantastic here.  The people are warm and friendly and helpful and we are having a good time.  The weather is certainly better, there is an amazing arts scene, both on a big time level, and also locally, because the Catalan government is throwing cash around to develop and support Catalan culture.  Personally, I wouldn't really want to spend all my time in a British enclave..nothing personal, but I like the opportunity ot learn the language and meet people.  We have met many artists and artisans and just folks.  Learn a little Catalan, and a little Castillian and you are in like flint.

I've been posting about some of our experiences, and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.  (That I can)  I would rent first, rather than try to buy property.

Good luck.