I've lived in a few different places, Shropshire, Wales, Leeds, central London and Manchester, even Chester and Wales and easy to get to London (2 hours 20 on the train).
I do feel very at home in Manchester and very friendly people and you're very close to Leeds and Liverpool, the Lakes, the Peak District etc...
I've always liked Brighton and the south coast, beautiful countryside and I love the sea.
I suppose it depends what you're looking for, are you more for city life, what kind of area do you want to live in?