To move to Yorkshire from the south coast on my own?

Yorkshire is the country's biggest county. And as such has a lot of variety. Maybe you could narrow it down a bit.

I moved to Harrogate a few years ago and, as an outsider, find it extremely pretentious and cliquey but it really depends on which part you live in and the circles you mix in. I live south side and there is a lot of wealth around here but I find it all very ostentatious (not jealousy, we are extremely comfortable financially but just don’t show it off quite so much!).

Harrogate is a great town though. Always feel very safe, have fantastic walks from my doorstep, loads going on. Easy to get to Leeds and York. I find traffic isn’t that bad here on the south side. It’s much worse in York for example.

I don’t really know or go to Bilton but it’s likely to be much more down to earth than the south side. Worse for traffic though I think.

I don't know about Yorkshire but I do know about upping sticks and moving somewhere totally new and I'd say do it. Friends from before who are good friends will stay in touch remotely, come and visit occasionally etc. And you will have a chance to have a new, exciting existence based around your wants and needs. My key tip is choose somewhere where there are opportunities to meet people with similar interests or hobbies and of your age (my parents moved somewhere beautiful on a whim but ended up in a place where everyone was 20 years older than them so ended up moving again soon after). Moving eg to a town or village where there is a local sports club, knitting group, wine aficionados etc will give you a good way to meet people.

I used to live in Saltaire and wouldn't recommend it. I found it too restrictive with the grade 2 listings and the properties were often damp, cold and dark inside. The pavements get slippery when it rains and parking is a nightmare. Saltaire is nice for a visit but not to live in.

I didn't move far though. Have you looked at Bingley? It's one stop on from Saltaire but I think it's much nicer to live in.

Very close to Keighley town Center, which is not great tbh. It's run down and the shopping is dire. Look more towards skipton or beyond towards the dales. Ilkley, Menston, burley in wharfedale would be much nicer

I am also in the south and intend to move north when I retire. It is not just the cost of living, but experiencing a new place having lived in the south for the last 20 odd years. Climate change wise I would rather live somewhere cooler too.

It’s bloody lovely. I lived there for three years and I’d return in a heartbeat.

I’m from London, currently in Singapore, but moving back to York. I hope it’s nice!

I think OP wants somewhere with plenty going on, but not a city, if she needs it or quick access to the 'broad acres' for beauty and space, walking etc. Harrogate and its hinterland tick those boxes, with good links to big cities - Leeds and Bradford - and easy access to the Dales etc. And she seems to like it round there. Yorkshire's a very big county so you could get a bit befuddled looking everywhere.

Places like Settle are nice but much more remote by comparison.
It all comes down to what OP really wants in her life.
PP's comments about the weather seem a bit minor - the difference is not that great.

I don’t see any downsides!

My only concern would be the ‘when the time comes’ element. Bear in mind that your mother might live to be 100 - I don’t think you can assume, unless she is terminally unwell, that she will die at a time convenient to your long term plan. I wonder if you might not be better off persuading her to move with you?

I used to live in that area and agree with you. The A65 is horribly busy though, so living near a station is a better idea.

honest quite grim for much of the year
No it's not. It depends how high up and exposed you are. Plus: Yorkshire is a big place.
Plus, it's God's own country 😁

Would you not miss the weather? It's noticeably colder, grey and to be honest quite grim for much of the year in that part of the world. You probably don't realise how much lack of sunshine every day affects your mood, if you've always lived in Brighton. I really struggle and would give anything to live down south near the sea. For large parts of the year the sky will be grey.

Having said that I have a friend who moved up north from Brighton and is so happy she did. She loves the countryside, and was happy to leave Brighton behind.

I spent my childhood in Ripon. I still day dream about it, love North Yorkshire!

Yep it’s ridiculous. I am a single parent, but kids almost all grown up now hence I’m finally able to think about leaving the South East. I love living here, I love London but I’ll be able to visit often as I’ve got a team in south London and so I’ll be coming back to visit them frequently anyway so can get my London fix then. It will make no sense for me to stay here once youngest at Uni and pay so much. I am on a good salary but 1/3 of it is spent on rent right now so I need to move back north.

my work (civil service) is going the other way and wants people in 60% of the week now, subject to there being space in the buildings. It’s likely political / economy driven

There's a lot more places in Yorkshire than Harrogate, Thirsk and all the other places that people go on about.
There's just as many fabulous places in the south of west Yorkshire and indeed, in south Yorkshire.
Broaden your search op.

I live in Leeds. Otley is lovely. Lots of social stuff to get involved in. Ignore the negative vibes.

I wouldn’t rule it out, but as a Yorkshire person:

a) The weather really is rougher up here; make sure you experience a winter here before making the decision.
b) Public transport in the North is dreadful and especially if you are moving to a rural or semi rural location. You need to confident driving on rural winding roads including at night. You also need a plan B if you develop health issues that stop you being able to drive safely at some point.
c) Your daughter may be hinting that she doesn’t want to spend time in Yorkshire. Are you OK with this? My experience of people who move to some completely different location after their kids leave the nest is that everyone (friends etc) says they will come and visit, but seldom do. Kids may visit a lot less if they don’t have the pull of “familiar hometown where I grew up and have friends” to draw them.
d) You get out of a move what you put in. Even if you are happy with your own company a lot of the time, you need to actively engage with a new place and make friends.

Burley in wharfedale haas train station and it's about 30 mins to Leeds or Bradford so I'd choose that over otley or pool, both of which are quite congested.

Precisely why so many people have left London - the housing market there is laughable! If the pandemic had one silver lining it’s that many people can now work from home with just occasional trips to the capital. I know so many young families who’ve moved up here for bigger houses and gardens and a better quality of life.

Bilton is particularly lovely now that the old railway line has been turned into a path/cycle path - you can do great walks to Knaresborough and Ripley from there. It's cheaper than many other parts of Harrogate, because it doesn't have a station and isn't in the catchment areas for the more sought after secondary schools. You're on the edge of countryside, but not far from the town centre either.

We moved from the SE to North Yorkshire 8 years ago, and we've never looked back.

Swapped our two bed terrace for a 5 bed, 4 bathroom, 2 reception rooms with garden.
We've got amenities on our doorstep, brilliant schools, and have become part of an amazing community.

I'm Scottish, but Yorkshire folk are just the business. I absolutely love it here.

Don't move to keighley it's a hole! Look at Haworth, oxenhope, east Morton, riddlesden instead. Or further into North Yorkshire, skipton, settle, gargrave. All lovely.

Skipton is really nice, gateway to the Dales. On the main train line to Leeds and in the other direction Carlisle and Lancaster. It's surrounded by lots of lovely villages - Embsay, Gargrave, Carleton and Cononley to name a few.