Never been to the North really but pls tell me where to live

Liverpool and Manchester are both in the government north west region so, yes they are.

It really isn't. It's just a pricier than average suburb and won't seem too different to London. South Manchester is highly over-rated. The north as a whole has a lot of over-priced housing, partly because of Southerners coming up here with £750k to splash about

You could buy this lovely house in York it’s 2 hours from London on East Coast main line

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147587981

@PiperBurrito I would agree on that - also relatively inner areas like Didsbury and Charlton that others rave about we thought were 'ok' but expensive and not as nice as I thought they would be for the money - we looked at one point and decided against as was as expensive as some areas in south that I thought were more me if I'm honest - if I was going to NW I would def be going a bit further out as it's still expensive but to me had more space and green

There are some nice, stone built villages on the northern fringes of Manchester. I used to live in one and my commute to the city centre was 40 mins. Holcombe, Helmshore, Ramsbottom spring to mind, and there are others.

Birmingham is not part of the north!

Nantwich would absolutely fit you. It’s a lovely market town in Cheshire.

Mossley
Disley
Slaithwaite
Congleton
Whaley Bridge
Kettleshulme
Whaley Bridge
Poynton/Adlington

All lovely and all really different. All have a doable commute (by train) to Manchester. Depends on what you're looking for!

I live in Manchester, and can recommend it. However, do your research. We’re lucky enough to live in one of the nice areas of South Manchester, but it’s not cheap by a long shot. I sometimes think the problem with Manchester is that everywhere is either really nice, affluent and therefore expensive, or a shithole. There aren’t many place middling places that are just “fine”.

That house in west Kirby is in the same road as West Kirby grammar school for girls I went there although that area has the 11 plus. I am from the Wirral but now in Yorkshire must admit some areas always reminded me of hyacinth bouquet ( Heswall ). I think south liverpool is a better bet as the Wirral is no good when you have teenagers wanting nights out in liverpool getting back is a problem as taxis don’t want to go through the tunnel

I found this property on the Rightmove Android app and wanted you to see it: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/151271828

Just as an example. Very easy commute to Liverpool from here.

The Wirral! With that budget you will get something fantastic and super easy to commute into Liverpool

Newton is ok but with that budget I think South Warrington is better.

Lymm
Chester
Wirral
Altrincham
Knutsford
Wilmslow
Urmston
Didsbury
Formby

I lived there as a student. And still enjoy the shops and bars in Chorlton. Live a couple of miles further out now x

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147597008#/?channel=RES_BUY

just one example of loads of houses in your price range in Chester.
There isn’t really a place to avoid in Chester but areas I would recommend are Upton, Handbridge, Boughton, Hoole. Hoole might feel a bit too city centre for you though.

Upton would be good if close to Bache train station for commuting purposes.

Chester, some of the suburbs have a village feel and with your budget you can get something very nice.
Chester itself is beautiful and has lots going on for a city, but Manchester and Liverpool both within commuting distance via car or train.
I miss Chester dearly.

@Hobbesmanc

Thanks.

Just thought it sounded a nice place for someone moving up from London, ie not too remote and therefore not a huge shock to the system.

You’ve got a good budget so it depends on what you actually want or will accept
3 or 4 beds?
detached or not?
kerb appeal?
period proerty or not?
There are definitely things you can find in places closer to London

Nantwich is a lovely area and very “up and coming”. You’d get a lot for your money at the moment, certainly a large detached in a nice village such as Wrenbury, wynbunbury, or Audlem, all of which are lovely. There’s also a direct train into Manchester and Crewe station is nearby which goes literally everywhere - London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham etc.

The new bypass makes it well connected for the M6, Liverpool/birmingham/manchester 1-1h30 by car so depends where the office is and how often you have to go in. It also means there’s loads of nice places within easy reach - Shropshire, wales, Shrewsbury, Cotswolds, Lake District, Peak District all within two hours.

The high street is lovely with lots of great restaurants and bars, independent shops etc. it has an upmarket and affluent feel without getting into the ridiculous prices of Wilmslow/knutsford/alderley edge. The schools are really good for primary and secondary and there’s also a really good selection of childcare, which is actually a lot cheaper than when I lived in greater Manchester. Loads of nice pubs and beautiful countryside. Would highly recommend as an area to live and raise a family.

Northwich? The Hartford end is nice.

I'm struggling to imagine how much your mortgage already is if your budget is up to £850k up north. Holy hell

I grew up in Crewe just down the road from Nantwich, and still have lots of family and friends there.

Nantwich itself suits a lot of what you’re looking for, plus you have Crewe’s transport links a 10-15 min drive away. Lots of nice shops, restaurants, walks nearby. Areas of Willaston/Wistaston might also be worth a look.

How the hell is Durham a commutable distance to Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool???

I think The Wirral and the train into Liverpool is the most bang for your buck, OP

My mistake. I misread the OP and interpreted it as meaning he would be working remotely but might visit those offices on occasion.

Apologies.

Just saw you have friends in Wilmslow/Alderley Edge, so I double my recommendations. We live in one of the villages I named and spend a lot of time in both of those towns for baby/toddler classes, shopping or meeting friends. Knutsford would also be a good suggestion. Lovely town, decent shops and supermarkets, a nice park/lake, community events.

Nantwich is lovely, small and cute and feels really nice and friendly. The only reason we didn't move there is it's just that bit too far from the Wilmslow/Alderley area where our friends are. But it's only an hour so if you see those friends at the weekend it's perfectly doable.

I live in Cheshire, about 40 minutes from Manchester. There are so many villages near here where you can get the rural feel while still being a short drive or train ride from a town.

Holmes Chapel is a village, but has amenities (schools, supermarkets, hairdressers, various small shops, a Costa etc) and is about 45 minutes to Manchester. Your budget would get you Alderley Edge or Prestbury as well, which are basically a quiet villages with a high street. Or Wilmslow, which is a decent sized town but the residential areas are quiet and it's also very close to lovely countryside.

Or there's Goostrey, Chelford, Sandbach on the Crewe-Manchester and myriad other small villages (Mobberley, Peover, Plumley) which are more rural but short drives to quick train lines.

Best for commute to London is obviously Birmingham as its not The North, but The Midlands and you can get from New Street to Euston in an hour and 20. However if I wasn't born here and had all my people here I wouldn't choose to live in the Midlands. Too far from the coast and lacks the warmth and character of the proper North imo. I dont particularly love Birmingham as a city either, horrible mash up of architecture with little of real beauty (she says looking out of the office window). I love Liverpool personally.