When Ripon Ray’s offer was accepted on a stunning new home overlooking the River Wey in Surrey, he felt on top of the world.

The debt consultancy CEO, 44, had lived in London his entire life, first in Tower Hamlets and then in Hackney.

But in April last year, he realised he could no longer tolerate the ‘hustle and bustle’ of an ‘overcrowded’ city life, and after a terrifying robbery on the doorstep of his £1.8 million home in the East End, he made the move.

Hoping to escape breathing difficulties from the grimy city air, Ripon bought a home in Weybridge, an exclusive Surrey town populated by celebrities and billionaires.

‘You’ve got others who are also very wealthy living there. I thought, well, it’s great, why can’t I live there?’ he told the Daily Mail.

But after making the move to his idyllic four-bed home, worth almost £2 million, with his partner in April last year, Ripon quickly realised that he hated the ‘boring area’ and his new, slower-paced style of living that he had so readily signed up for.

‘It was a shock to me,’ Ripon said while recalling the evenings spent with ‘tears in his pillow’, saying, ‘I suddenly realised I had to get used to silence… and I hated it.’

The self-described busybody quickly learned that Weybridge’s food scene had nothing on Hackney’s ‘vibrant and diverse’ offerings, while its small community barely catered to his interests, making him feel like he’d unknowingly ‘left behind’ major parts of his identity in London.

However, after mingling with locals, he quickly realised that there was something even more alarming at play than him trading off parts of his personality – not being accepted into his new community.

Ripon, who is of Bengali heritage and felt at home his whole life in Hackney, a melting pot of cultures where ‘anything and everything goes’, found himself receiving uncomfortable ‘stares’ from locals, and his fears intensified when he met individuals supporting political viewpoints pitted against his own.

Ripon also met neighbours who attended Tommy Robinson’s recent Unite the Kingdom march.

‘The white setting of Weybridge made me feel really insecure, which was a shock when I had so much community in Hackney,’ he said.

The realisation that he could no longer purchase world foods and engage his ‘varied taste palette’ hit him like a ton of bricks. ‘There’s a limit here… it’s not as much as I’m used to.’

‘I think it’s the diversity I miss… diversity in people and diversity in food,’ he said, adding, ‘That’s what I yearn for, especially since I was brought up in that setting.’

He found himself isolated in an area so different from the ‘urban jungle’ that he once knew, and when he searched for distractions, he was met with silence. ‘I was looking for that busyness around me, but all I was seeing was more trees.’

‘It was also really boring – I have ADHD and I need a lot of stimulation, which you don’t really get in a quiet countryside town.’

‘In Hackney, you have lots of creatives, you have graffiti everywhere, you’ve got artists everywhere, you have inspiration everywhere, and I felt I was part of it. That’s why, when I moved, it was a shock to my system.’

The process, he admitted, was comparable to mourning a great loss. ‘It’s like a grieving, bereavement process.’

Now living over an hour’s car journey from London, Ripon was also experiencing a disconnect from his friends and family, all while struggling to make new social circles.

Before he knew it, Ripon realised that he had to find a reason to spend time in the capital, and so he established his current debt consultancy business, providing him with a legitimate excuse to travel back to London three times a week.

‘I set up my own business in London, which basically takes me back to the place that I left behind,’ he said, adding, ‘The travel made it easier, in a sense of, I can still get out, but it still isn’t the same because there’s a huge physical difference between London and Weybridge.’

Ripon was also forced to look into his past when socialising, connecting with old friends and travelling to and from London to chat with familiar and friendly faces, or asking them to get the train to Weybridge.

‘It’s quite hard, actually. But what I did was gradually reconnect with my friends. There’s a lot more planning that goes on. Before, it would be like, ‘What are you doing tonight? Let’s go to the party or something.’

‘Now, if I want to meet my friends, we need to plan it… check the calendar and book it in.’

The ordeal left him reconsidering whether the move was worth it in the first place, and he questioned ‘several times’ whether he and his partner should move back to London and live the life they always knew.

But even after all the late-night tears and questions about whether he should move back to London, Ripon forced himself to remember who he is as a person and why he moved in the first place, encouraging him to stay put.

‘I had to overcome (difficulties) because I’m not white… but I left behind the place where everything and all shades go.’

‘So, I have to adjust and the locals have to adjust because I’m here to stay,’ he said, adding, ‘I have a strong attitude and personality… and I’ve got the confidence to talk. I think that shifted the narrative.’

‘Yes, when I’m in a café, I might stick out like a sore thumb. I carry that with me. But what can I do? Am I meant to feel sorry for myself? That’s just boring.’

Fortunately, Ripon has invested time into himself and his hobbies, and has taken to photographing Weybridge’s peaceful scenery and enjoying boat rides in his new motor. ‘It’s a new world, but it’s a great thing to explore. ‘

He’s turned to his neighbours to find relationships in close proximity, and is now part of a WhatsApp chat with a group of ‘friendly’ locals willing to build new bonds and show Ripon what Weybridge is all about.

Though he’s traded a bustling nightlife, eclectic dining out scene, and lifelong friends, Rippon is adjusting to life in the quiet country, admiring the nature around him and learning that fast pace need not correlate to fulfillment.

All of course, while still visiting his native London, where possible. ‘I don’t think I’m ready to let go of London just yet,’ he said. ‘It’s good to have that breath of fresh air, but I still want that urban connection.’