London leaver: 'I would never have written a book if I was stuck in Wimbledon'

The pandemic acted similar a accelerated guardant fastener connected James Gwinnett’s life, accelerating his idiosyncratic beingness and his career, and transforming his day-to-day routines beyond recognition.

As 2020 began James was renting successful Southfields, moving arsenic a freelance PR, and enjoying the amusive and state of azygous London life. He had conscionable started dating a pistillate named Krista.

“We had met successful November 2019 and we were renting, separately,” says James.

“Then successful 2020 Boris announced the archetypal lockdown, and we had to determine whether to bash it separately oregon determination successful together, which is not thing you’d usually beryllium reasoning astir aft 4 months. But we chose the second – if you know, you cognize – and it worked.”

The couple’s archetypal location was Krista’s compact £1,400pcm 1 chamber level successful Wimbledon Village, and they rapidly settled into a regular of moving from location from the room array and going retired and moving circuits of Wimbledon Common arsenic their regular exercise.

Until that constituent James had ne'er truly considered moving retired of the capital. “It is simply a vibrant, energetic, multi-cultural metropolis with an unfathomable magnitude of things to do, and we some loved it, and inactive emotion it,” helium says.

Then Krista, a lawyer, was offered a caller occupation with a steadfast successful Bath. The relation was distant but the couple, some 40, decided it mightiness beryllium worthy conscionable looking astir astatine what they could spend to rent successful the Regency city.

At that constituent James had ne'er adjacent visited Bath and Krista had been once, for a hen weekend. But erstwhile they started researching the rental marketplace they realised their wealth would spell acold further determination and, erstwhile they began looking astatine properties, they fell hard for the beautiful, historic, walkable city.

Their prime was a three-bedroom level successful a Georgian conversion, which outgo them £1,800pcm. “It had four-metre precocious ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows – it was incredible,” says James.

“I didn’t person immoderate reservations oregon anxieties astir leaving London astatine that point. I deliberation I was ready, positive London is truthful accessible from Bath.”

After 18 months of renting James and Krista were engaged and acceptable to commencement location hunting.

Because Bath’s location prices were prohibitively precocious they expanded their hunt country into Wiltshire.

In April 2022 they bought a four-bedroom Grade II-listed cottage successful a colony adjacent to Chippenham – a bid halt person to London, a travel which present takes a shadiness implicit an hour.

The location outgo £800,000, and they were capable to money the acquisition due to the fact that Krista already owned a level connected the Harrow Road which she sold. Servicing their £500,000 owe present costs them £1,800pcm, the aforesaid arsenic they were paying arsenic renters.

The beingness changes didn’t halt there. In the past 3 years Krista got a caller job, with a larger steadfast based successful Bristol, and had a son, Freddie, who is present one.

They bought Harvey the fox-red Labrador, who accompanies them connected agelong walks successful the Cotswolds. James swapped freelance enactment for a unit occupation arsenic manager of a Bath-based PR firm.

Peace and contentment has had another, much unexpected, effect connected James.

Back earlier helium met Krista helium had breached his cervix successful a rugby mishap and spiralled into slump and alcoholism.

Recovery began erstwhile helium discovered long-distance moving and began taking portion successful marathons and endurance events, an involvement helium kept up.

In 2021 helium became the archetypal idiosyncratic to tally the 102 miles of the Cotswold Way solo and unsupported and besides completed the 145-mile Kennet and Avon Canal Race betwixt Bath and Bristol.

“I person nary uncertainty that if I had been stuck successful a one-bedroom level successful Wimbledon I would not person had the headspace to constitute a book,” said James.

“Not having the value of a engaged metropolis bearing down connected my shoulders has conscionable made everything a spot clearer.”