Where to move too - up north

[Defrack]

Hi all, would love some personal opinions and advice on where to go.

Currently live in London, and looking to move out before we start a family as tbh we're both fed up of London.

Our jobs are portable, we can work from home all the time, so commuting isn't a worry however we do like to go find libraries, cafes and parks to sit and work in as well.

We are thinking of moving well out of the South East, and heading north.
We really like city living but then love hiking / and being out and about as much as possible.

At the moment we are thinking of Newcastle, Leeds, Huddersfield.

My family lives in hull so we don't want to be too far from them, maximum 2 and a half hours.
Our budget would be 300k max, prefer 250k.

West Yorkshire's great, have a look at the villages around Huddersfield. Beautiful countryside and close to m62- straight run to Hull in just over an hour.

Plenty of properties to the West of Leeds within your price range, OP, with good access to both Leeds and Hull, but also in the countryside/with good access to the countryside - just go to Zoopla and have a look!

Northumberland! Short drive away from beautiful coastline... countryside and Newcastle city centre. There are plenty of big towns here where you would get a huge house for that money

You've pretty much described Sheffield. You'd probably like living near endcliffe park area for wonderful parks that you can walk right through till you're in the peak district, and some really pleasant shops, cafes and cars. 10 minutes drive from the edge of the peak district.

I love it but they only problem with Sheffield is that the city centre itself is a perennial disappointment. You wouldn't really need to use it if you live where I suggest and it's a fantastic place to live, but if you really want a decent city centre Leeds might be a better bet.

NE nr county and beach lots of walking routes if youre on outskirts places like great ayton, Stokesley Guisborough. Tynemouth is lovely too but but further. Newcastle would take longer to get to Hull but theres places like Subderland too.

Parts of Huddersfuled are nice. But i second what someone said about being nr to family when raising children. Mine are 2 hours away. I miss them being close

Villages I would look at close to Huddersfield are Meltham, Marsden, Slaithwaite or Skelmanthorpe, Scissett and Debby Dale on the Sheffield side. These are areas we looked at when we relocated here.

Denby Dale

Chester is great. Close to the hills in North Wales, not too far from Manchester and Liverpool.
Has plenty of shops, cafes and fab new library with loads of work space.
In the nicest areas a 3 bed detached would cost around 300k.

We live in Newcastle and you'd get a lovely house for that. I love the fact we can be at the beach or in the countryside very quickly. Also transport links are great. Our families live all over. Under 3 hours on train to London and a 1hr budget flight for the in laws in Devon. Although it's further we seen to be able to get places more easily than my brother in Yorkshire.

I'd vote York for everything you want. Lovely city with lots going on, within budget, the moors on your doorstep and not too far from Hull and the coast for days out.

Wow thanks all for the amazing suggestions, given us so many things to think of.

I was originally from hull, but we moved out at 5, so don't really know the area well but my parents have moved back there so I would like to be close like I said, but not too close if you get my drift

York sounds promising, as does Sheffield.
We have already visited Newcastle and loved loved loved it, the only few things holding us back is distance to family as it's a few hours. However it's an amazing city.
Leeds we loved as it's cosmopolitan, close to family, amazing countryside, however house prices seem expensive even to a Londoner .
Huddersfield, close to countryside, easy train to Leeds, easy ish train to Manchester, and cheaper housing but it doesn't feel cosmopolitan and lively tbh.

You can see why I'm asking for advice can't you

we live in North Tyneside which is next to Newcastle ( we live closer to the coast ) it's lovley here Newcastle is busy city centre you have all the coast lovley beaches and can go I to Northumberland for loads of country walks and things your budget would get a nice house aswell

I visited York last year for a day/ night and it was just awful. Packed full of drunk stag/ hen parties from about 12pm onwards. By early evening it was unbearable and intimidating - and I’m saying that as someone that lives in London. And there were no decent restaurants either.

@areyouactuallykidding

Wow that sounds bad, however it could have been a one off, and we probably won't go to the city centre at night that much anyway, maybe once a week or so.

Thanks @sleephead1.

I live in Tyne Valley & commute to Newcastle - it’s fantastic. I have the best of both worlds. The only time i have travelled to Hull from here is for a course on the train & it took a while!

Sheffield would be a great choice for what you're after. Easy access to the Peak District and you could drive or get the train to Hull. It's very well-connected. House prices vary wildly - if you want the leafy south-western suburbs, you will have to pay for it, but there are lots of lovely places which are cheaper if a bit further from city living.

Do look at transport links - if you want regular access to the motorway network, the east/south of the city is better than the west side.

That hasn't been my experience of York at all - it is lovely, though the city centre may be best avoided on Saturday nights!

Given your wish to be near the family who are in Hull, I would say it had to be somewhere in God's Own Country, probably York. Easy for the family in Hull to have a day's escape visiting you.

Sheffield

York ticks all your boxes. (Also strongly disagree with the pp who said there are no decent restaurants-there are many excellent ones! The hen/stag dos are annoying, but I think you get them anywhere, and I’m far too old to want to go clubbing on a Friday night now, so they don’t bother me personally.)

Leeds is the place for you ! 😄

Manchester any day! Great motorway links, public transport, centre of the Northern Powerhouse, schools, music scene, creative. Close to Peak District, Yorkshire dales, Pennines, southern Lakes, coastal walks etc etc etc!

Thanks all for the suggestions and advice, just to say I don't want to be too close to family , up to 2 hours is fine as it takes longer then that now and I cope.

Was having lunch in a pub in Ripon on Thursday and a family were in from Essex
They loved it up here.
Loved all our little towns and villages. Said they don’t have that in essex

I said ‘ did you come up here to escape the heat.’ 😂
See. We are a friendly bunch as well.

If you need to be in Hull, you want to be in one of the towns off the york ring road.1237 I think it is. Wiggington, haxby that way.

( then you can add to the rush hour traffic when I’m trying to get to monks cross or vangarde retail parks) 😂

Love York. We spend 4 days a week at our caravan here.
Once you’re here, so cheap to live
We found a lovely 2 course, all home made food for a tenner in one of the little villages.

My friends daughter is wanting to move from her £750k house to a million pound house near Woking,
She’d get two up here of the same calibre for that.