Commuting by train to Manchester Piccadilly

[MissElaineNeus]

Considering a potential move to the NW - can anyone help with ideas for towns and villages that are under an hour by rail to central Manchester? Short drive to a local station OK.

Two of us, no kids, one dog. We like hiking in the hills, riding bikes, photography, eating out.

Perfect scenario would be a small town with food shops, pubs and restaurants, ideally a cinema, with quick and easy access to beautiful countryside.

Does such a place exist outside my wildest dreams?

Have a look at somewhere like Disley? That seems to tick most of your boxes.

What's your budget?

Glossop, Macclesfield, anything on either the Hope Valley or Buxton lines.

No cinemas but Marple or Glossop?

Not that I want to put you off but I’d be careful regarding travel time as at the moment so many trains are cancelled so I’d aim for train and alternative transport rather than relying on train alone.

Thanks, plenty to look into there. Agree about alternative transport - I've been reading a few horror stories.

Budget not clear depending on what we do but I'd say at least 500K.

Roughly an hour by fast train; Stoke. Crewe. Stafford, Birmingham / Wolverhamptom.

Roughly 2 - 2 and a half hours each way by fast train: London, Milton Keynes.

The High Peak area close to Stockport has a direct train to Manchester - New Mills etc or Disley / Hazel Grove.

Or Greenfield / Stalybridge area.

Roughly an hour by fast train; Stoke. Crewe. Stafford, Birmingham / Wolverhamptom. Roughly 2 - 2 and a half hours each way by fast train: London, Milton Keynes.

None of these are in the NW??? 😑

I used to live in Haslington, small village between Crewe and Sandbach. Crewe has the rail links. Haslington is quiet, Sandbach a bit less so. Nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme has the cinema, etc.

Saddleworth. But I'd commute by tram not train.

Chester, Crewe, Northwich, Altrincham, Helsby, Delamere. Knutsford

Chorley (Lancashire) is really beautiful. We think that's going to be our next move. DP spent a few years working there and loves it too. Manchester train takes an average of 40 minutes from there. Surrounded by countryside with amazing hike trails, but also has a great town centre with everything you could need there. You could get an amazing property there with your budget.

Wilmslow? No cinema at the moment, but they're re-opening the Rex around Christmas time, so then there will be.

Hi - if it doesn't have to be strictly NW - how about Huddersfield, only half an hour by train (on a good day), lots of countryside nearby, reasonable town centre, lots of independent restaurants and shops across the area of Huddersfield. Holmfirth, Dales and Pennines nearby.

Ooh and you could buy a MANSION for that budget :D

I'd go Saddleworth/greenfield area

I would look around the rivington area - so horwich/chorley

Thanks again. Plenty to look at!

@AdamNichol - I actually rented a house in Haslington for a year or so! Then lived in Nantwich for a little while too!

The NW really meant Manchester, anywhere with that commute time is fine.

Although, having lived in Cheshire I'd probably prefer somewhere new to explore. And ideally wilder hiking.

Is the Trough of Bowland too far, no train? (Away from computer can't check...)

Ideal house (for which budget could be 700k) would be small Elizabethan Manor House with 3 letting cottages in the grounds. But that really is daydreaming!

Hebden Bridge or nearby - Sowerby Bridge, Todmorden. Lovely places and you could buy a palace for that. Easy commute to Manc or Leeds.

Thoroughly investigate actual commuting times and experiences, which can be grim!

Also depends where you’ll be working in Manchester as you’ll need to factor in commuting time at that end.

Saddleworth would really be ideal. It's booming at the moment so if you did have a property with rental properties included you wouldn't struggle to rent them out.
Property is expensive but you've got a decent budget. It's close enough to Manchester but you feel like you live in the country. There's always something going on.

Buxton is a 1 hour train ride into Manchester Piccadilly. So any of the stops between should work.

The service is ok, DH grew up in Buxton but went to Manchester Grammar so used the service every school day for 7 years.