What's it like living in the Lake District?

[Chupchup]

Good morning! Dh and I are pretty sure, after lots of thought, that we would like to move to the Lake District. We have 2 primary dc and a very average budget. We want some scenery and a community feel.

Obviously it's a big area and the next step is to identify exactly where. So where is good, but also where can we discount immediately? Is it a lovely way of life? Where we currently live is very aggressive and crime ridden and for the sake of the dc we really owe them a better way of life.

I would be looking to find work there, and dh would need good road links.

Any help appreciated.

A friend grew up there, near a touristy bit. It’s a good childhood if they like hillwalking and have enough disposable income to shop in booths but none of the ones who went away to uni ever came back home.

Another one with a vote against Barrow. The people I know or have met from there are all actively trying to leave.

Whitehaven is mentioned most in the bbc local new online for drugs, attacks, robberies I’ve noticed

@Verily1 There’s an Asda, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Morrisons in Kendal (as well as a Booths)

You don’t have to shop in Booths

There’s a Tesco metro and a Co-Op in Grange too.

I worked at Sellafield for a few months. The west coast towns and villages are not Cumbria at its best, and that coast roAd used to get very congested at shift changes.

Avoid towns like Workington, Whitehaven etc like the plague. They're really not nice places to grow up. They are really lacking investment and have none of the benefits that come with the Lake District.

Cockermouth is great, but a bit of a commute if your DH is working in Lancashire - unless he's working in, say, Preston or Lancaster. Then he could drive to Workington & get the Barrow-Lancaster-Preston-Manchester train. Although Northern TOC couldn't organise a pissup in a brewery.

But either driving or trains, it's a good 2 hour commute to Preston.

So you may really need to be rather a lot further south & a bit east. Kendal, Milnthorpe, Burton, or look at the Lune Valley - Hornby, Caton way.

Thanks everyone. I'm going to compile a spreadsheet of all the recommendations. I feel quite at peace just knowing that it can be done! Lots of research to do!

Yes, it can definitely be done. I think you’re making a good choice for your kids too, it’s a very safe place to grow up (as long as you avoid Barrow, Whitehaven etc).

I grew up in Lancaster and laughed at it being described as a “city”. I know it is technically but must be one of the smallest in the country.
I also laughed at Windermere and it’s “dark underbelly” I live not too far from there now and it’s all relative when the OP is talking about gun crime in her area. I accept there is a small drug problem, but it’s nothing like Barrow’s for example.
I would strongly agree that if your husband is going to be commuting to Lancashire regularly, you’d be best looking around Lancaster/Kendal/Grange and surrounding villages.
Grange is known locally as Gods Waiting Room. Full of old people’s homes and 80 year olds driving 10 miles an hour. It’s a very lovely place though, especially to give kids an idyllic upbringing.
Barrow is truly awful, grey, windy, deprived, depressing. I occasionally go there to shop and always can’t wait to escape!
Lancaster schools are very good, well the Grammars are and Ripley. Ripley requires regular church attends though, and both Grammars are selective, not sure on the current rules about catchment areas, they have tightened up since I was a teen. The other secondary schools aren’t brilliant though to be honest.
Lancaster would give the best of both worlds in some ways, very close to the Lakes, but decent choice of shops and restaurants, some soft play, youth groups etc. Lovely big park. Brilliant train links to Manchester and London. Friends who still live there often go to Manchester for the day on the train.
It is a really lovely part of the world.

I'm also near Cockermouth and 20 minutes away from views like this. Love that we can decide at 5pm that we fancy a swim and head to a lake as we did today. Ok, it's only warm enough a handful of days a year, but we learn to make the most of those days!
Also know a family that moved from Cockermouth area to Kendal and love that just as much, so you won't go far wrong with that area too and probably better for your DH commute.

Yes, OK, Oxenholme is the W Coast mainline train station, but to deny that the town of Kendal isn't really on that is deliberately obtuse.
Avoid Barrow. It's a hole! I have to say, the crime here is relatively benign in comparison to Toxteth... There's no need for scaremongering about dark underbellies.

SnugStars, thanks for taking the time to post, lots of info.

SchoolNightWine, how lovely! We were at coniston not long ago and the dc were desperate to swim in the lake. It was boiling hot weather and we had a cracking storm.

I used to know someone who lived outside Cockermouth and stayed a few times. He said the lack of light could be s problem and cause depression. Not sure if that's true, but could definitely see that could be the case. I remember it being lovely. We went to walk the dog round a lake one evening, perhaps it was that one.

My photo today was of Loweswater - much less touristy than the rest of the lakes.
I've never thought about the lack of light, or ever heard anyone else mention it actually. Even on dull days the views round here are amazing and constantly changing so I guess that outweighs everything else for me.

Try silverdale - close to m6, village has its own railway station (to Lancaster, lakes & some go through to Manchester direct), right on morecambe bay and designated AONB in its own right.

I used to live in Barrow, it was great for a young family, plenty to do, with Coniston twenty minutes away. I think it's getting a bad press here, there are obviously better areas than others. We spent most weekends wandering around Coniston, Tarn Hows, Windermere, Grasmere etc.

If your DH is an engineer, BAE Systems could work for him perhaps?

Look at the Eden Valley, outside the Lakes, Appleby in Westmoreland. Good access to the Yorkshire Dales too and A66.

Lack of light seems odd to me. I live down South but my family is all in the area you’re interested in. When I go to visit I’m always amazed about how much more daylight we get in the evenings up there-about an hour extra?

I quite often see a mini aurora borealis type phenomenon from my parent’s house!

Have you looked at the area around Kirby Lonsdale and Korby Stephen?

@SnugStars there’s actually quite a full family community in Grange and although there is an older population it is not totally over run, and actually quite nice

@lakes

Probably one of the reasons it’s so safe, clean and pleasant.

@LakesandTarns Yes I realise that, I have family and friends that live there with young kids, and especially with all the new houses being built there’s bound to be more and more moving in. It is lovely I agree, bit too quiet for my liking though.

OP I live near Ambleside and it's lovely. Yes, its busy in the holidays and housing is expensive but lots of things make up for that. The scenery is spectacular, people are laid back and outdoorsy, the quality of life is great, the crime rate is low.

I grew up in a more urban location and love living in the countryside. I was in London last week and found myself wondering how people can thrive in such busy, urban, densely populated spaces. I'd much rather live somewhere surrounded by natural beauty. Having said that it's a fairly accessible area and you can get to big cities quite easily; we have to go to Manchester frequently and it's fine and the west coast mainline has a decent service to lots of cities.

I've said this on other threads and will say it again; people always seem to wonder what we do for jobs here but most of the jobs you get in any area are needed here. Friends are teachers, social workers, builders, accountants, administrators etc. We're not all working in farming and tourism

Just to add to yesterday's post. If your DH needs to get to Lancashire then maybe look at villages around the southern edge of the National Park with easy access to main roads; Levens, Brigsteer, Sizergh and maybe Witherslack and Crosthwaite. Agree with PP that Staveley is worth considering too.

I’m a bit late to the party. I grew up in Ulverston, it is mostly nice but does have a rough area and also a bit of a druggie underbelly. I’d go for one of the villages towards Kendal and Grange too. Villagey community feel but also good access to transport.