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.

I live in York and it's fine. It does have many stag and hen nights (as will all the other cities you mention) but these are only really a problem on a Saturday afternoon and night, and only on certain streets. Locals don't tend to go into town on Saturdays as it gets very busy with tourists. The PP who said there are no decent restaurants didn't look very hard or has exceptionally high standards - there are dozens of good ones, as well as loads of nice pubs.

Look at some of the West Yorks/North Yorks border villages.

I’m 20 mins train from Leeds, and 1 hr 50 from Hull (yep, very exact - we used to do the journey often!)

One additional thought, if you're moving from London but may want to get back there to visit friends etc, is the good train routes - east and west coast main lines in particular. That might be another tick for York.

Thanks, my worry with York is it is a little small and doesn't look extremely fun and lively.

Whereas Newcastle and Leeds feel more city like.

York is a small city and feels like it. It's definitely not as lively as Leeds, Manchester or Newcastle, though Leeds is easily accessible. You'd probably be closer to the city centre on your budget in York though. York may also be a tad close to Hull if you want family at a distance if you plan to have children - it's definitely commutable for an enthusiastic grandparent!

That's my worry that York may be a bit too small.

On the parents side, we Get on but they can be overbearing at times , so a bit of distance would be nice.

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.

I don’t go clubbing anymore either - they bothered me because from about 4pm the town was full of shouting, leering, half naked drunks! And by the time we left the restaurant later at night there was an aggressive vibe. I disagree you get that anywhere - you certainly don’t in London!

@areyouactuallykidding.

But you do, if you go out late at night in London, then there's half naked drunks who are a nuisance, let's not paint London as a sweet little rose garden.

Tynemouth and Whitley bay near Newcastle is a lovely coastal area.
Have you looked at Chorlton/Didsbury in Manchester?

Cheshire, Chester and West Wirral are very nice.

Bear in mind your priorities may change drastically once you do have kids ... doesn't apply to everyone of course.

Derbyshire

Thanks all so much, what area of Leeds would 300k get a decent sized house?
Preferably detached with a decent garden (asking too much?) And the same for Newcastle?

Leeds! Its got some lovely areas and the centre is a bit more cosmopolitan than Huddersfield and arguably Newcastle too
But its still fairly reasonable to buy and rent there..
York is ridiculously expensive to live within walking distance to the centre...
Leeds has a much more spacious feel as well and tonnes of lovely parks...
I used to live in Headingley and really really miss it

So many gorgeous places you could choose. In Northumberland there's hexham or Alnwick for lovely market towns with bookshops, cafes and a good social life. Newcastle is a really lively city - galleries, theatres, etc, with stunning coast and countryside just minutes away. Sheffield is another lively city on the doorstep of stunning walks.

DH and I love Ramsbottom - brilliant hsops and restaurants, gorgeous walks, steam railway and Manchester a few minutes away if you need a big city.

Then there's Durham, Lancaster, Harrogate (bit expensive), Ripon... I love all of those cities.

If you are happy to get right away fromt eh capital, the choice of stunning cities and cheap, gorgeous houses is vast.

Thanks both, yes I'm practically waiting to sprint from London .

@defrack I disagree. Clearly you can get drunk people everywhere but in big cities I’ve never experienced that same Magaluf vibe small towns and cities seem to get where large groups of very drunk people are careering around trying to fight! Of course London isn’t a rose garden but neither is it a small provincial town or city where this kind of thing seems to happen.

You might want to bear some of this in mind when choosing somewhere too - apparently the North East might be particularly hard hit.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/04/brexit-greatest-negative-impact-regions-outside-london

It would be Newcastle every time from me! Great small city with a real buzz and great nightlife. The metro is cheap and frequent. You have the river, the countryside and the sea on your doorstep.

Sadly, I live in the SE

@Defrack Loads! This is a search of houses between 250-300K

5 bedrooms here, for £289,995

4 bedrooms here, with a swimming pool!

Holmfirth.
A stones throw from Leeds, for your budget you get a decent size house in a lovely area.
www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/48440155?search_identifier=44e7eb6cfe834b58b5e9d81530d02885

Buxton, Harrogate or Lancaster.

@BIWI. Only your last link worked