Glad your move went alright. Sounds like the new place is better overall. Besides, M31 is overated. Wait a few (billion) years 'till it's closer and get a really good shot.
I've never has a removalist that I'd rate as "great". Last time I moved, which was Sydney to Brisbane, I split the move and took everything delicate or valuable in a rented van myself, and left the bulky stuff (and about 75 PBO cartons) to the removalists. I'm glad I did, because the shape of some of those cartons on arrival was mind boggling. Thank God I didn't let them handle anything really breakable but even so, they still wrecked a couple of pieces of furniture (and this is a reputable company).
just in case anyone's interested, I rented a Mercedes Sprinter van through Europcar and found it quite easy to drive - I highly recommend it if you want to DIY.