Advice please: relocating to the Wirral / North Cheshire

[user1463748596]

Hi everyone. I'm new to mumsnet but have found the threads about relocating really helpful in the past. I currently live in North Wales and start a new job in Liverpool in August (my husband works there already) so we're busy trying to find somewhere nice in the West Wirral / North Cheshire area that is still commutable to Liverpool but semi-rural and nice for families. We're struggling to find good schools with places for our 5 year old son so have had to rule out living in Heswall, West Kirby, Barnston and Gayton. So we're now looking at the outskirts of Ellesmere Port - Great Sutton & Little Sutton. Does anyone live there / has lived there that could give me some advice please on what these areas are like? Thank you!

[traceyed1]

I live on the Wirral in Prenton. Have you considered greasby or irby? Both lovely places.

[user1463748596]

Thanks. Yes, we like these areas but a lot of the rentals coming up are in Upton, is that nice too? DH likes the idea of being close to Hooton so we can the train in to work, which is why I'm trying to get advice on living around Ellesmere Port.

[traceyed1]

Ellesmere Port isn't the nicest of areas so would probably steer clear of there. Hooton is quite far out and not much round there afaik. Upton is nice in areas. Prenton where I live is nice too and has great transport links. What is your rental budget if you dont mind me asking?

[traceyed1]

Neale Drive, WIRRAL
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-54040387.html

This is in a very nice area :-)

[Mookbark]

I grew up in E. Port. Moved away at 18 and would never move back. From what I see when I visit friends and family, it hasn't changed for the better at all.

[user1463748596]

We can go up to about £950. Thanks for your views on Ellesmere Port. Would you say the same about Great Sutton, Little Sutton, Little Neston? There seems to be more we can afford (when we're ready to buy) in those areas. Thanks again.

[Fatcakes]

I second Greasby or Irby. There will be nice rentals in your price bracket too.
Not sure about getting a place in Greasby Primary though, as it is excellent (friends DS goes there).
Irby has a nice "village" vibe and is close to Heswall and West Kirby for shops, bars, restaurants, beaches and walks.
I know it seems a long way off ( it will fly by), but Wirral still has 11+ system and both Greasby and Irby have good access to grammar schools....
Don't know anything about Great Sutton etc. Little Neston is ok.

[user1463748596]

Mookbark - would you mind sharing your thoughts on why Ellesmere Port is bad? We've found a good school in Great Sutton but don't know whether to apply. Is Bromborough okay at all?

[ExtremelyConfidential]

I grew up on the wirral. I'd agree with views already expressed on Ellesmere port...and Irby. Bromborough there are some nice bits and not so nice bits....good cheeky Indian restaurant, that's for sure

Have you looked at Willaston and Thornton Hough at all? Thurstaston or Raby Mere?Nice semi rural / rural feel in all those places....

Oxton would give you good links, not really rural but some great schools (lots private) and plenty of magnificent houses at very good value in my opinion. Also parts of Prenton (next door) are lovely.

[angstybaby]

I agree about ellesmere port and bromborough - avoid.

i grew up in irby and it does have a nice village feel. it has a library and cafe and a range of ever-changing shops. it also has a very good italian restaurant (it's in the good food guide) called da piero. irby primary is ok, i think (my nieces and nephew) go there and the grammar schools are good. i went to west kirby girls and i loved it: it's academic which suited me. my nieces go to pensby and love that too.

irby is also surrounded by lots of fields and there's the wirral way too, which is great for walking, cycling, running etc. oh and royden park too is lovely. it's pretty small so you'd be able to walk to school, the library, the park etc.

transport to liverpool is ok: regular buses or you can drive in about 20 mins.

Thurstaton is nice. caldy: nice but v expensive (footballer territory, as is heswall a bit)

so i think it's fab, in case you hadn't noticed....i will shut up now.

stick with west wirral and avoid the east.

good luck!

[angstybaby]

why don't you try chester? you can get the train to liverpool and n wales, and it's a shorter drive than the wirral to wales.

[Mookbark]

E.Port is, er, how do I put this politely? A dive. If I were sweary I'd call it a fucking godawful dive.
Have you driven down Whitby road, through the main shopping areas, to the railway bridge? It is very tired and run down.
Admittedly, I haven't lived there in almost 30 years, but my Dad still lives there and I can see very little improvement. The secondary school I went to was so bad they knocked it down . I don't know what the new, big amalgamated school is like.
One good thing about it, the housing is really cheap but there's a reason for that.

[SeasonalVag]

OP, we moved here a year ago and have just been talking bout how much we love it here. recommend greasby frankby irby or west kirby. WK is like victorian seaside resort and is my personal fave, although we never ended up living there

[pieceofpurplesky]

Frodsham/Helsby

[Mookbark]

Now, having an ice cream at Parkgate is great, many happy childhood memories of that.

[traceyed1]

Nice carvery in the old quay in parkgate then a gorgeous ice cream afterwards 😊

[ExtremelyConfidential]

Ice creams at Park Gate. One of the few thoughts that makes me feel homesick. Beautiful.

[pieceofpurplesky]

Frodsham is only a couple of miles from Ellesmere Port and a lovely village with good schools and access to Helsby high when older

[user1463748596]

Thank you everyone for your wonderful advice. By way of an update we've had to rule out Irby and Greasby for now as we can't find anywhere to rent and we can't get a school place without proof of address. Heswall, WK, Thurstaston etc are all lovely but realistically out of our price range and the good schools are full in DS year group. I fell in love with Parkgate and Neston but DH thinks it's too far to commute still to Liv Uni which is where we will both be working. Had a better look around Ellesmere Port outskirts and have ruled this out now too. Have heard good things about Bromborough, Eastham, Spital and Higher Bebington and think we can afford it there but again it's proving impossible to find any Ofsted 1/2 schools with places. So the search continues.....

[Flambola]

Spital is nice and Higher Beb is ok. Good transport links to Liverpool too.

I'm not a fan of Bromborough and I grew up there.

[Flambola]

I'm in Prenton atm and I love it. I'm close to Oxton St Saviours Primary which is an Ofsted rated 1 school. Others in the area are 2.

[MeAndTheMajor]

I wouldn't discount Neston or Parkgate - lot's of people live there and commute to Liverpool. Would you be driving or using public transport? If you're going by train, would Willaston be an option? Only 5 minutes to Hooton station.

[rallytog1]

As others have said, I'd go a bit further East and look at Frodsham or Helsby. Both are really family friendly places to live and have excellent schools (although I'd check catchment areas carefully as there are a couple of less good primaries).