Calling all in Sheffield!

[dustydog34]

We are living in Canada at the moment and DH has just seen a job he likes the look of in Sheffield. We are from Newcastle/Durham and don't know Sheffield at all. I need some advice, we must live within twenty minutes drive, maximum, from the Northern General Hospital. I am a country girl and want to live in a rural area. Can anyone tell me any areas I can look at that will allow us to live out of the city but still get DH into work on a busy Saturday morning within 20 minutes?
We have two kids 8 and 5 and the move to Canada has been very hard on them. We moved because of DH's work and no one wanted to leave the UK apart from him! I want to make the right choice for them on area and school. I don't think they could take being moved into school in the UK and then be moved again, this really has to be the last time, so would really appreciate any advice you can give?
Thanks

[Orangeanddemons]

Not sure there is any countryside near the Northern General. I'm Sheffield born and bred, and can't think of anywhere.

There is lots of lovely countryside in and around Sheffield, but I don't think it's with 20 minutes of that particular hospital

[Bunbaker]

Look at the Penistone area and surrounding villages - Wortley and Thurgoland. Semi rural/rural, great schools - primary and secondary. Straight down the A61 and left at Hillsbrough for the Northern General. Realistically, I doubt you would get to the hospital inside of 20 minutes from a rural area. Or you could consider Howbrook, which is a lot nearer. I don't know what the primary schools are like in that area, but it is currently in the catchment area for Penistone Grammar School, but with all the new housebuilding going on I think the catchment for PGS will shrink.

[dustydog34]

Orangeanddemons, I wondered about Loxley and Stannington to the north west of the city centre. I can imagine rush hour traffic being pretty bad but wasn't sure about the driving time to the General. Any idea if it would be possible? All I have to go on is Google maps who give three different routes the longest taking 21 minutes, but that doesn't allow for traffic.

[Hulababy]

I live in Lodge Moor, S10. Its on the edge of Sheffield and very close to open countryside. Within 2 minutes walk I am surrounded by hills, fields and woodland. Pictures attached to show how close.

It is 5 miles from NGH and, according to Google Maps, it will currently (5pm, rush hour) take 25 minutes to get there.

[PulpsNotFiction]

The area around the Northern General is rough. I'll be the one to say it as it doesn't look like anyone else has. .you don't want to live around there, it's high crime and not safe.
Country side links are really on the other side of the city, you'd make it in 20 min on a Saturday morning but not midweek. I live two & a half miles from the city centre where I work, and midweek it takes me 20-30 min to drive to work.

[MrsReacher85]

I live near the NGH and agree with those who said you won't make it to the countryside inside 20 minutes. You could look at the outskirts of grenoside as that's fairly close/on the edge of the countryside.

I think 25 minutes from lodge moor in rush hour is massively optimistic but I could be wrong!

[Bunbaker]

"It is 5 miles from NGH and, according to Google Maps, it will currently (5pm, rush hour) take 25 minutes to get there."

That's optimistic. We have friends who live near Lodge Moor and I doubt very much that the journey is doable in 25 minutes.

I work in Sheffield and this close to Christmas my half hour journey home is taking an hour.

Pulp is right. You don't want to live near the hospital. It is so worth adding an extra 10 minutes to your journey time and living somewhere nice.

As the Northern General is to the north of the city you should be looking north. Once you get past Grenoside it is rural.

[Orangeanddemons]

Oh, yes, lots of lovely places at the other side of the city. lodge Moor, Fulwood, Stannington, Rivelin. But I don't realistically think you will get there in 20 minutes. Sheffield has no proper ring road, so you have to go across town. And it is busy, very busy.

I would allow 1/2 an hour to get there is you want to live in a rural area. Pennistone is nice, but Hillsborough is terrible for traffic.

[Orangeanddemons]

Grenoside is semi rural and really nice, although not sure about the schools. Anywhere past there is rural, but you are almost in Barnsley at that point

[Serafinaaa]

I'd make it to the northern general within 20 mins from the Walkley area but it's not exactly rural. We have some rural views!

[Bunbaker]

There's nothing wrong with Barnsley. 80% of BMBC is rural. Obviously, like parts of Sheffield, there are parts of Barnsley that aren't very nice, but as long as you stay West of the M1 there are some lovely villages with nice housing.

[Orangeanddemons]

Some bits of Walkley are a bit rural! Round the Bolehills and the top part of Rvelin/Hagg Hill way

[Hulababy]

Bunbaker

I get to Meadowhall in less than 30 minutes, more like 25m - and NGH is closer. Certainly when I went first thing in a morning - had to be there for 9am - took less than 25 min.
I tend to drop down and go the back roads via back of Crookes/Walkey and then head across the A61 - so no big main roads that way. Probably makes a big difference at rush hour.

Slowest part is Lodge Moor with the slow drivers!!!

[Orangeanddemons]

How far is it from Bradfield? Those little villages are lovely. I know there's nothing at all wrong with Barnsley! I was just saying that the area past Grenoside wasn't part of Sheffield

[dustydog34]

Ah well I guess I was being optimistic. We can not be more than twenty minutes from the hospital, DH will be on-call from home and will have to get there within that time frame. Thanks for all your input. I'll keep looking.

[Hulababy]

Takes DH less than 20 minutes to get home from centre of town late rush hour/morning rush hour. It really does depend on which roads you use. My work trip to Hunters Bar usually takes longer than his, simply due to traffic.

But I agree - factor in a driving radius of 30 minutes and you have a far better chance.

[Hulababy]

dustydog - I'd check. Is the 20 minute a definite? We have several medics living round here who do on-call at RHH and NGH.
Also, is on call generally off peak traffic time such as at night? That will make a difference?


To make your choices a bit less - do you have any housing requirements? Schooling? Budget?

[Orangeanddemons]

I live in Fulwood. I know there are on call people round here. At night, or when there is no traffic you can be there in 15 minutes

[Catmint]

This thread is making me miss Sheffield so much!

For all of you still there!

[dustydog34]

Hulababy - Your right, most of the time it will be during the night, but there will always be the Saturday mornings.
We want a 3/4 bed with decent garden, and along with everyone else, a good primary school that feeds into a good secondary.
Our budget is about 250-300k if we sell our house in Durham.
We are living in the suburbs at the moment in Canada, but were living near the North Pennines in County Durham and I am from the Suffolk coast. I miss the countryside. This move is supposed to be the last, we need to put down some roots somewhere.

[Orangeanddemons]

I think there will be loads of docs at the Northern General who are just on the edge of the 20 minute thing. Realistically all around the NG is pretty unsafe even though it may be within the 20 min thing. Not sure many docs would live round there. Please don't flame me!

[SarahBeenysBumblingApprentice]

Orange- I was just typing the same but my phone lost it! I'm a medic and my family are from roughly that area of Sheffield and if they put a 20min response time in for consultants they would have no staff . Maximum response time for a consultant surgeon where we work now is 40min.

I bet you could get in easily from Crookes/ stannington/ loxley but you would have to know the back routes because hillsborough traffic is awful. It's also awful coming towards the northern general from meadowhall.

40 minutes takes you into the Peak District proper.

[dustydog34]

Orangeanddemons - Really? so where the heck do they all live? We just want somewhere nice, low crime, good schools, with some sort of community with things going on. Since Gareth Malone I've always fancied joining a choir!! Perhaps thats just a midlife crisis thing (randon thought).
Have to go out and pick the kids up from school. Back soon.

[Bunbaker]

According to google map it takes 17 minutes to get from Howbrook to the Northern General, and 18 minutes from Wortley.

[dustydog34]

SBBA - love your name, ha ha!

Wow that was so good to read. They say you must live within a ten mile radius but this has been translated, certainly in the Newcastle hospital areas as living no more than twenty minutes away. This is what DH is basing this all on. I will have to get more information from him. But thanks thats given me some hope.