To relocate up north

Thisss !!!!

I think this is a reverse!! How can any say that the whole of THE NORTH is poor. Maybe like me, 🙃we want to keep the nice places for ourselves 😉

The whole of the north is poor, dirty, unwelcoming and just a horrible place to live full time, especially those places that seem lovely on a quick visit.

(Northerner here, fed up of southerners moving up and then complaining about sheep in the garden, the stench at muckspreading time "shouldn't be allowed!" etc.)

I'm a southerner who loved living up north.

I found the North-east so much easier than the north-west because of the weather. Broadly, north is colder, south is warmer, west is wetter, east is drier. I was from the South-East and fine with the cold of the NE, or with the rain of the SW, but the combination of rain and cold in the NW is a challenge for me.

I am likely to have to live there one day and will be looking for somewhere which is so beautiful it still looks lovely in the rain! This is a big deal for me because I spend so much time outdoors. Twenty years ago my key-factor would have been about access to opera and ballet and galleries. You need to identify what matters to you, of course.

Quitting your job to explore the area seems risky though. It could take months for a purchase to go through, and for all that time you'd need to pay for your accomodation and for furniture to be in storage. You'd be in danger of burning through savings at an alarming rate.

I would do lots of investigating online, so that you can narrow down how many areas to explore. You can probably afford a much nicer lifestyle up there. You just need to be cautious when moving to a region you know little about - like anywhere else, there's good and bad.

I'd be looking at N Yorks, somewhere around J48 of the A1, specifically. There are some gorgeous villages.

Oh are they? The entire North is poor is it?

Dear oh dear, such ignorance 🙄

Lol 😂

Ridiculous

Try it, you can always relocate again.
Just make sure you buy in a decent area where the resale value of your property remains high. There are fantastic areas and very poor areas, and where you buy will shape your experiences and enjoyment.
I moved north, stayed a decade and then moved south again. I still often holiday in the north, but I love where I live now.
Research thoroughly. And remember it doesn’t need to be an irrevocable decision.

Sheffield is a good starting point. Lots of threads on here about good areas. It's got lots going on in the city but easy to get to gorgeous countryside, and is a good base for both exploring the north and getting down south with relative ease.

I would, in your position. Depends which area or town of course but so many great areas in the north and you sound due an adventure.

Yes the whole of the North is very very poor 🙄🙄

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145092023#/?channel=RES_BUY - semi detached cottage in Leek, assuming you drive it's easy enough to get to Manchester, Staffordshire, Derbyshire (not even that far from South Yorkshire) nice town. Trains are a bit rubbish though.

@StonwEd the North basically covers Nottingham up to Scotland. From Lancaster over to Whitby. Over half of the country.
Just saying "The North" doesn't really help..

Don't be ridiculous. How ignorant.

We moved North from the SE a few years ago and love it. We’re less than an hour from the coast, less than an hour from York, one of our favourite places, the North York Moors are perfectly doable as a day trip, as are The Pennines. We’re older than you OP, our DC no longer at home, we bought for far less than we sold our SE home for, so mortgage free.
It’s taken us a while to make friends (not helped by lockdown) but we’re getting there and as we’re both retired (early), we have plenty of time for hobbies and getting out and about.
We’re mortgage free thanks to buying a house for far less than we sold in the SE for.
There are some beautiful towns and villages so I think your idea of spending a fair amount of time looking around various areas is a great one. Sometimes we just have to follow our hearts, if we’re in a position to do so.

I grew up in Sheffield and loved being in a beautiful green city with easy access to the Peak District. Best of both! I have now moved to North Yorkshire and it really is so beautiful. I can be at York park and ride in 15 minutes but also at the beach, moors and dales within 45 minutes . Again it doesn’t feel like a huge compromise. This side of the Pennines is definitely not as wet if that is something that would bother you,

God yes the whole of the North is grim and living in poverty 🙄

There's a lot more rain on the west side of the country, so add that into your location search.

I'd go to Northumberland if I could move, but my DC are all quite nearby and I see a lot of them, which I wouldn't if we moved away. I'm in the west and I get sick of the rain.

Definitely do it. It's great up here, despite nonsense posted by a PP.

Many places in Yorkshire or Greater Manchester in particular can be quite rural, but be only half an hour from the centre of Leeds, York or Manchester, so big city amenities and opportunities.

I won't name specific areas, because the choices really are endless and your plan to spend a bit of time just touring around and seeing what you find is a great one.

North- east Derbyshire might for the bill OP. On the edge of the Peak District but near enough to Sheffield.
There areas of 'the north' which experience social deprivation but as is often pointed out, 'the north' is a huge area.

Maybe get a home working job and enjoy some holidays in a few places?

You could afford a great house in Manchester, Leeds or Sheffield and have easy access to surrounding national parks. Ignore the ridiculous negativity in the previous answers. You have enough money to live in a decent area, not a poor ex mining town!

"The North"

Lol, do you mean Burnley or do you mean Windermere - quite a variance.

Might shock you to know that you can't buy a house for three quid and a bag of chips as soon as you pass Watford gap