I can't think of anywhere I actually want to live!

[AhCheeses]

In a year and a bit's time we're going to be looking to move house and for the first time in almost 20 years, we get to decide where we want to live!
The problem is, I have no idea where I want to settle down...
We'll have two teenage children, I'd like to live in Yorkshire, no more than an hours drive from the North East coast, not too far away from a city but other than that... no idea!
Help me out, oh wise ones... where in Yorkshire would you move to?

Where on the coast do you want to be an hour from exactly?

I don't mind. Just want to be within an hour drive of a beach 😊

Ripon. Well placed for great countryside

What are your interests? Sport? Culture? Countryside?

How much do you have to spend?

My dream is Bakewell in the Peaks - never gonna happen though. Why don’t you take some weekend breaks over the summer and try places out?

Beverly is amazing

How old are your teens and what are their educational and social needs in the foreseeable?

If they are late teens (if not they will be soon) do they need public transport or will you be on hand to drive them or a car available when they pass their tests?

If they are off to uni soon how much of the move do you need to compromise to meet their needs or would you consider a two step move for when they move on?

Do you (or OH) need to work?

What’s your budget? What sort of property and surroundings do you want?

@Saltyslug Ripon looks lovely. I remember visiting there as a child but don't remember much about it. Just been having a little nose around on Google maps!

Will have a look at Beverly and Bakewell, too.

That's kind of why I asked for some ideas, so we can visit some places and have a look on Rightmove, etc.

We've never had the luxury of choosing where we want to live, just moved where the job takes us, and that's been in the south for close to 20 years now!

I'm tempted to throw caution to the wind, stick a pin in a map and head there... 😁

What are the needs of the teens?

What stage education? Do you need schools?

Whitby?

@Sssloou one will be mid teens, the other just hitting his teens when we make the move.

I don't think we could live in the middle of nowhere. DH isn't a very peopley person but the rest of us like people around us, somewhere with a bit of life and good transport links!

I can't even think about the DC leaving home yet... my babies! 😁

Just interested in people's opinions of nice areas at the moment rather than property.
Wondering where in Yorkshire people would move to, if they had no ties to keep them in one place...?

@Wondermule oh my gosh, Bakewell looks idyllic! 😍
What a beautiful place.
Never even heard of it before!

Will one be just starting Yr 10?

I wouldn't move during Yrs 10 and 11, and some schools start the GCSE curriculum in Yr 9.

Easy...York.

Teens won’t thank you for moving to the sticks, however pretty. Loads going on in York but easy for you to get to the coast, gorgeous countryside and pretty villages.

How about York? Its a vibrant city with plenty going on, but also small and not overwhelming. Its only about 3 hrs by train to get to London. Its about an hour from the moors and an hour from the beach. There are plenty of lovely rural villages surrounding it if you'd prefer village life.

@RainingBatsAndFrogs no, eldest will be just finished GCSEs. Summer baby so will still be 15.

@MuttsNutts

Teens won’t thank you for moving to the sticks, however pretty. Loads going on in York but easy for you to get to the coast, gorgeous countryside and pretty villages.

York is definitely somewhere to look at. I've only ever been into the city centre though. Not sure about places on the outskirts. Somewhere with a village feel but near with good links into the city would be good.

I keep saying to DH we'll just have to get Kirsty and Phill onto it!
My whole adult life I've been told where we're living... feels very strange to think we'll pick somewhere ourselves! 😁

I would rent somewhere first - gets you into the schools / colleges you need and you can take a risk with the location / type of property without all the headache and heartache of a big financial and emotional commitment.

See the rental costs as a return on investment in getting the final location exactly right. There is so much you get to know and see when you are living in an area that you couldn’t know by just visiting.

If we ever moved to Yorkshire it would be to Harrogate. Nice town, lovely countryside, near enough to Leeds. An hour and a half to Whitby or Scarborough though.

@Sssloou

I would rent somewhere first - gets you into the schools / colleges you need and you can take a risk with the location / type of property without all the headache and heartache of a big financial and emotional commitment.

See the rental costs as a return on investment in getting the final location exactly right. There is so much you get to know and see when you are living in an area that you couldn’t know by just visiting.

That sounds like a sensible idea.

We've thought about this for many years now, but as it gets closer and closer to actually doing it, it all feels a bit overwhelming!

How do you just pick a place to live when you're not drawn to any one place!?
We definitely can't stay down south, it's just too expensive for us, and we have family further up north, so it would be nice to be closer, but I just don't know where I want to be!

Just been looking at houses in Richmond... any opinions about that area?

Harrogate is great and not far from Leeds for City life
Not sure it’s an hour from the coast though and it’s very expensive

@whiteroseredrose

If we ever moved to Yorkshire it would be to Harrogate. Nice town, lovely countryside, near enough to Leeds. An hour and a half to Whitby or Scarborough though.

Harrogate looks lovely. It's on my list of places to visit for sure. I like that it's near Leeds for the DC. They've grown up living close to cities so definitely don't want to move them to a tiny village with rubbish public transport links.

Newcastle is brilliant, IMO!

Excellent city, so attractive, hop on the Metro and be at the seaside at Tynemouth in half an hour. Lovely places within an easy drive, St Mary's Lighthouse, and all the way up the fabulous Northumberland coast - Bambugh is an hour's drive, and lots of lovely places in between
Fantastic moorland close by, The North pennines, Northumberland National Park, all within an hour.

Great culture - theatres, galleries. Fantastic city parks.

I might move here www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/58012071/?search_identifier=cdafc663e6fbd071dc816c34bfa89375

Or here www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/56444135/?search_identifier=fbcfd6ccf6ba1685773ae3637a77237d

I keep saying to DH we'll just have to get Kirsty and Phill onto it!

Joking aside, do give that some thought. DP and I went on Escape to the Country, and although it didn’t find us the right place, it was enjoyable and very helpful.