Moving from London to Cheshire

[Tak2018]

Hi everyone, I wonder if anyone could advise me on good/bad areas to move to in Cheshire.

My budget would be around £230k. My older son is currently working at Heathrow and will hopefully get a transfer to Manchester Airport, youngest is currently in his 3rd year apprenticeship, I've contacted South Cheshire College and he can transfer his apprenticeship and finish it in Cheshire, they'll find his employer too.

The reason for my house being on the market is simply as a single mum of two with a massive mortgage, it's no longer financially viable for us to stay.

We've lived all our lives in the South in a busy area, lots of people etc. and are looking forward to starting a new life up North, we came up last year and saw a few properties in Winsford. Alot of mixed reviews on Winsford, but seemed very quiet from what we are used to. Not that, that is a deal breaker, as long as Manchester Airport is about 30/40 mins by train.

We don't want to be near any schools, our house currently backs o to a school playground, and its very noisy, would like to be near amenities, but ultimately we'd like to be in a good and safe area. Is there anywhere which is multicultural for instance?

Areas I've thought of, just looking on Rightmove, are Winsford, Middlewich, Sandbach, Leighton, Crewe etc. On my budget, seen some lovely detached houses. But I know nothing of what it's really like.

Apologies for such a long message too, but I would be so grateful for any i formation that would help me.

[crimsonlake]

I have lived in Sandbach, a small market town, left some 12 years ago and I think it has been growing since then. Too small for me and everyone seemed to know each other whilst I prefer to be anonymous having grown up in a small town. It lies by J18 of the M6 which is a notorious junction for delays, roadworks and serious accidents. I would say no to Crewe and Winsford. Nantwich, Knutsford and Altrincham are lovely and have more going on, but property is expensive. Have you looked at South Warrington, although the commute whilst not far would be horrendous?

[Super123]

Have you considered Chester?

[Tak2018]

Hi, Super123 (loving the name) yes, I have considered Chester, from what I've read there are some areas to avoid like Blacon. Do you live in Chester, what areas should I avoid in your opinion? Definitely think Chester would suit us, given we're used to the busyness of living near Heathrow Airport. Found some of the properties on rightmove to be out of my budget range though. If I saw a property on the market for 250k, I would put an offer in for 230k,hopefully someone will appreciate a cash offer, instead of waiting for someone to get a mortgage. Is Chester multicultural?

[Tak2018]

Thanks Crimsonlake (again a great name, mines pretty boring) thanks for your insight on Winsford/Crewe. I also think Sandbach might be too small, but at this point I'll be happy with a nice area, oh and safe, i. e crime wise. Where I am atm, London, crime is pretty high, we wake to the sounds of police sirens most days, infact its virtually all the time, definitely won't miss that. Out of interest why would you say no to Crewe, Winsford?

[WowserBowser]

Nantwich is nice, although maybe too small for what you are looking for. Definitely not Crewe.

Chester is lovely. I've lived there twice. Try Hoole budget wise.

[Tak2018]

Haven't really considered Warrington, having read some negative comments on previous threads on mumsnet

[Tak2018]

Thanks Bowserwiser, will check properties in Hoole on rightmove.

[Tak2018]

Does anyone know anything about Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port?

[Super123]

I've not lived in Chester, but visited many times.
According to The Student Room, it's the least multicultural city in the country!
Have you considered Liverpool? South Liverpool is really nice and Manchester would be accessible.
Also, the Wirral, just over the River Mersey has everything; beaches, country parks, lovely coastal walks and is so handy for Chester and Liverpool.
DH says look at Little Sutton, which is on the border of Cheshire and Ellesmere Port, but he thinks that after living in London, Liverpool is your best option. It's really multicultural, with loads of amenities and the people are great! (He's married to a scouser)!

[Tak2018]

Thanks Super123 for the information. I'll check out Little Sutton and Wirral. Not to keen on moving to another big city like Liverpool or Manchester, but would like to be close to them, especially for work, older son will hopefully transfer from Heathrow Airport to Manchester Airport.
Which areas in Chester did you visit and what was it like? Are there areas to avoid in Chester, Wirral and South Liverpool?

[PhaedrasChocolate]

I moved to Crewe from London 15 years ago, and I've never regretted it. I'll be honest, Crewe is turning into a bit of a ghost town, but is on the up due to HS2. Although it's a bit rough in areas, I'm happy here.

The best thing about living here, practically, is you can get anywhere from Crewe station, and there is fabulous countryside on your doorstep.

[Super123]

I only really know Chester City.

Areas to consider in South Liverpool are Woolton, Aigburth and Calderstones.

On the Wirral New Brighton is worth considering for amenities and proximity to Liverpool.

How about Southport/ Birkdale, 20m miles north of Liverpool?

[Super123]

Would your son consider a transfer to Liverpool Airport, which is in South Liverpool?

[Tak2018]

Hi Super123,

I don't think there's a world duty free in Liverpool, only at Manchester, according to his team leader at Heathrow

[Tak2018]

I will check all the places mentioned and search for properties on rightmove.

Thankyou all for your invaluable insight.
Keep it coming, the more info to help the better.

[Tak2018]

Hi PhaedrasChocolate, I've read alot about Crewe, and alot of people's advice is not to move there, main reasons seem to be the overall crime rate, in your opinion which parts of Crewe need to be avoided? Which are are the good areas. Is Leighton a good area for instance.

[Tak2018]

Does anyone know if the Leighton area of Crewe has alot of properties that are rented due to Leighton hospital being in the area, i'm just not keen to move to an area where there are alot of rentals, lots of student rentals etc.
Sorry for all the questions, relocation to a different county is such a massive move, I'm so keen to get it right.

Thanks all

[Tutlefru]

Avoid Crewe. It’s not too bad but nothing there nowadays! Town centre is dire. It is quite a poor town.

Leighton area isn’t too bad, but I would still say look at Nantwich, though prices are higher. Alternatively Wistaston and Willaston/Shavington are all nice.

I live in a little village nr Audlem whilst it’s not within walking distance to anywhere the surroundings and rural living are lovely.

[Eatmycheese]

Hale and Altrincham are lovely

[Zampa]

I moved from South London to the south of Manchester (Cheshire border) several years ago, via Chester. One of the biggest culture shocks is that I now rarely see a non-white face. I don't think you'll get the multi-culturalism you're used to unless you go to a bigger city like Manchester or Liverpool.

[LMDC]

I'd definitely recommend the Wirral; lots to do and see without venturing too far, yet still close enough to Liverpool, Chester & Manchester if you want to get that city buzz. Lovely parks, cinemas, swimming pools, restaurants, etc. I especially like Heswall & New Brighton for meals/drinks. Central Park in New York was inspired by Birkenhead Park which is lovely. Lots of places to see for everyone ranging from young families to elderly people.

Avoid Neston at all costs. Weird place.

Little Sutton & parts of Great Sutton are nice, and closer to Chester & Cheshire Oaks (which is fab!)

I liked Ellesmere Port but cousins who grew up there all moved away as it was very 'everyone knows everyone' if you grow up there, although it didn't feel that way to other family members who moved to the Port as adults. They have a huge 24/7 Asda there (showing my working class status here, haha!)

There is definitely a World Duty Free in Liverpool Airport which is also easy to get to from the places I've mentioned above.

[Tak2018]

Thanks for the updates everyone, definitely alot to think about. Praying I get a buyer soon so I'll have a clearer idea of what my financial situation will be.

On Rightmove the places you all mention certainly have a wide array of nice properties.
When my son and I visited Cheshire last year, we found the people up North to be very friendly, welcoming. Main concern was being Indian, would we fit in? Have to say we felt very much at ease and everyone was friendly, meaning no one was staring at us. Stark contrast to London,meaning alrhough it's very mixed here, not as friendly as the North.

I guess we are used to living in a diverse cultural setting, where it's brimming with people and up North it certainly won't be the same, given we don't want to relocate to another city, to be 20/30 minutes away would be ideal, I'm sure we'll get used to the quiet, fingers crossed.

I read somewhere that Crewe was undergoing some sort of big regeneration due to HS2, this should make the town more appealing.

I will definitely look at property prices in Middlewich, Sandbach, Winsford, Leighton, the Wirral and little Sutton. Which parts of Great Sutton should be avoided.? Thanks for the heads up on avoiding Neston.

Looking at this relocation as an adventure, but at the same time, a little scary, I guess it's the fear of the unknown.

Loving this site because I can get information from all of you who have actual knowledge of areas.

A big thankyou to all who have taken the time to post comments, please keep the updates coming, it's incredibly useful.

[millymae]

Whatever you do, don’t rely on the advice you’ve been given here about the Wirral and Chester. Neston doesn’t need to be avoided because it’s weird - it isn’t weird at all and it’s certainly a lot more pleasant than some other places that have been mentioned. My reason for avoiding it would be because daily travel to either Manchester or Liverpool John Lennon airports by public transport would test the patience of a saint and cost an arm and a leg. Similarly Chester, Little Sutton’s and Great Sutton.
Although property would probably be more expensive have you considered somewhere like Sale, Timperley or Altrincham which would make travel to Manchester airport fairly straightforward yet be close enough to Manchester City centre for you not to feel isolated. I’m sure there would be a College close by that your other son could transfer to .
If your son ends up working at Liverpool John Lennon I think I would try and look to move to the Liverpool side of the River Mersey rather than anywhere on the Wirral or in Cheshire. My knowledge about the Liverpool side isn’t great but there are certainly some nice residential areas outside of the city centre.

[Tak2018]

Thank you Millymae, I will certainly look again at the ares you mentioned.

[Jessy85]

Sorry to tell you this, but your son traveling by train from South Cheshire into Manchester airport within 40 minutes is not a strong plan. The train routes that run into Manchester Airport all start at Manchester Piccadilly. None of them pass through Cheshire*. Trains from Piccadilly to the airport take 30 minutes and trains from the towns you mention take about 45 minutes to reach Piccadilly, so a typical total traveling time will be more like 90 minutes.

Also, Middlewich does not have an operational train station.

Some parts of Crewe are rough, but it's hardly downtown Caracas. The more famously upmarket areas are overpriced, so I recommend abusing the government deprivation map data to find out which are the 'rough' (deprived) areas to avoid. You can use the link below to access the mapped data.

dclgapps.communities.gov.uk/imd/idmap.html

I can also recommend getting in touch with local estate agents for their advice on 'up and coming' areas and areas which they might recommend for families in your situation. A lot of the areas recommended here attract a disproportionate number of elderly and/or southern white people, which pushes the prices up so you get a much poorer quality of house for your money. In contrast, there are areas like Sandymoor (where I live), Great Sankey and Northwich which contain more large new build houses and tend to be more attractive to younger and slightly more ethnically diverse buyers, since they aren't as willing to pay for pointless features like 'dry stone walls' or 'rich local history'.