Advice on moving to Durham

[Shivva]

Hello everyone,

I don’t have kids but have been told this is a great place to get information.

I moved to the uk from Ireland almost four years ago for a job in Romford. Sadly the job has come to an end and now I’m considering moving up north (Durham) for cheaper housing as it’s so expensive down here. But I’m really nervous & unsure whether it’s the right move or not! I’ve been for a week to Durham it seems like a friendly place.

My main questions would the people of Durham be friendly to outsiders? I’m not being rude asking this question, but unfortunately people aren’t always nice to outside people. So would like to know before going down route of buying something as it’s a lengthy process and I’m moving by myself.

Also what’s the nicest & safest areas to buy in for a single person with a dog?

Thanks in advance

What about further North, South Shields is a great place. On the coast, short metro ride into Newcastle or bus journey to Sunderland.
The coast is amazing and perfect for a dog,
This place is right on the coast, where you are within walking distance to the beach
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/97334495#/
Where as this one is maybe about a 5 minute walk to the coastal paths www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/103974626#/
Everyone is welcoming and there is a great community spirit. The town centre like most places is on deaths door and tbh I don’t really go there often as there is no need, but I’m at the beach every day.

Chester-le-Street could suit you well.

For dog-walking the Riverside Park is nice and you can easily get to Waldridge Fell or Hamsterley Forest or Causey Arch etc. for more choice. I love Beamish Museum so you could buy a season ticket and walk the dog round there too.
Here are some more ideas:
www.purepetfood.com/blog15-delightful-dog-walks-in-durham

www.beamish.org.uk/plan-your-visit/dogs/

Chester-le-Street is also very good for motorway access and for public transport so easy to commute to work in Newcastle, Sunderland or Durham. Newcastle would be my choice for work, it's a beautiful city and easy to go out with friends after work.

V easy to drive to coast, Seaham is quickest beach.

Generally NE England is friendly and if you have an Irish accent you may find that is more welcome than a Southern English accent but tbh shouldn't make much difference.

As to area of Chester-le-Street if possible stay on riverside of train line but don't buy too close to the river due to occasional flooding. So for example the location of this house www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/79245798#/ is better than this house www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/90244840#/

Can you attack it from the other end? Get a job in the wider NE area (Teesside, Durham, Newcastle, Darlington), and then look for somewhere to live?
It's great up here!

Those areas in the NE with really great high streets/town centre (eg independent grocers/nice coffee shops etc) come with hefty house prices.

Most high streets are charity shops/betting shops/Subways. But equally, you get decent homes for a good price and live amongst nice people.

I really like Low Fell, reasonable high street, close to Saltwell Park, easy access to A1 and Newcastle and the coast. Go back a street or two from the main thoroughfare and you will get something in your budget (a nice 2bed 1920s garden flat or a fair sized 3bed 1980s built house)

Pity Me is not very interesting, just the side of the A167 really. Arnison Centre very handy though! And Tap & Spile pub quiz night is friendly. I am not sure if that pub is closed just due to Covid or longer-term.

Framwellgate Moor is more expensive as it has good schools which you don't sound like you would use.

But both are only really good for commuting to Durham, whereas you would have more choice of jobs in Newcastle.

Belmont is nice but again only good for Durham commute.

I don't know Carrville well.

I like Low Fell too

If you choose next to coast like N or S Shields you may find it very cold with winds from North Sea!

Low Fell is nice, as is Chester le Street both are well situated for bus links and transport into Durham or Newcastle. CLS also has a lovely park and countryside walks around it.

I grew up in Belmont although moved away a long time ago. Was a nice place to grow up and walking distance if you fancy it into Durham but certainly when I was young not much going on there. Has shops, library etc and everything you would need in a residential area but not the most exciting of places.

I had friends living in Carrville but the vibe wasn't as nice as Belmont certainly.

Things may well have changed since then though.

Regardless of which town or village you move to, be prepared for the shorter days in winter. Earlier darkness can affect moods etc, and much as I loved the area when I lived there in the 1980s, that is why I would never consider going back there.

@peak2021

Regardless of which town or village you move to, be prepared for the shorter days in winter. Earlier darkness can affect moods etc, and much as I loved the area when I lived there in the 1980s, that is why I would never consider going back there.

This interested me so I did a quick comparison.

On the shortest day of the year there is 25 minutes of extra darkness before sunrise in Gateshead compared to Brighton. And 24 minutes of extra darkness after sunset in Gateshead compared to Brighton. Per day (obvs reduces seasonally).

@DancesWithDaffodils

Can you attack it from the other end? Get a job in the wider NE area (Teesside, Durham, Newcastle, Darlington), and then look for somewhere to live? It's great up here!

I agree with doing it this way. You could probably find somewhere nice, in budget around most of the cities in northern England (Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Hull) as well as Newcastle/Durham. York can be expensive though.

You can probably also find somewhere with access to both the city and countryside and good for work, depending on what you do.

And as for welcoming non locals, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool at least are multicultural cities and Leeds and Liverpool especially have a long history of welcoming people from Ireland (I don't know enough about Hull and Newcastle to comment).

In normal times, the airports have loads of cheap flights to Ireland if you need to go back (I've been on day trips to Dublin for work meetings for £20 return from Leeds more than once).

If you're looking to move soon, maybe look to rent somewhere in the middle, say around Leeds and then you'll be well placed to visit all these cities for day trips, job interviews etc and to just get a feel for how it is around here. Then once you find work, you'll be in a good position to move closer and maybe buy somewhere without risking committing to an area that you don't like, or can't find a job.

All those places are decent. Look at Newton Hall, too.

Where was it?

Where was what?

Last message was meant to be for @Newuser82 which place is it that you moved to that’s great?

I really appreciate all the feedback on here there is so much info provided thanks so much. Plenty to look into.

One more thing I forgot to ask about a lot of people down here are saying I’m mad moving up that way that the weather will be absolutely rubbish year. Am I being optimistic here or is that a load of nonsense? Considering I’m Irish it’s not much of a problem but do like a bit of dry weather now and again.

Thanks 😊

I’m not going to lie, it’s raining right now but it’s not been too bad today!

We get more wind than rain, really and it's a couple of degrees cooler, on average than the rest of England. Outdoor wear isn't frowned upon as much as in some other places!

It's generally pretty dry, but wetter than London as cities have their own micro-climate. Definitely a lot drier than NW e.g. Manchester or Liverpool! Not so windy inland but I remember working in N Shields and the trees round the office had guy ropes holding them up and were still at an angle!!

Outdoor wear is famously not the dress code for a night out in Newcastle! I like to think of it as a sort of Finnish sauna type experience, you go to a club where it is hot and you don't have to queue for the cloakroom if you don't have a coat and can start having fun straight away, then you go outside and are cold then go to the next club. Honestly NE is great. If you are not a clubber and post-Covid anyway means yes feel free to wear a coat in outside bars! Quayside is a lot of fun on a night out and people are v welcoming of strangers.

Sunderland is also very friendly but without wishing to offend any Mackems the city architecture is not as pretty as Newcastle. But it has a beach!

All this said I would also like to say Liverpool is great if you want to think of NW instead - lovely city, friendly and funny people, beaches galore

I live in Durham City and spent most of today outside in lovely sunshine. I have a 3 bed spacious house 20 mins walk from the centre that cost less than 150k a few years ago. You can drive to several bits of coast within 20-30 mins and there's the river to walk a dog around. Agree with others that it's not at all insular, but the town centre shops have taken a bit of a downturn in the last couple of years.

The east of England is drier than the west. I think it is all drier than Ireland. There's plenty of warm, dry weather too. It hasn't rained for weeks here and there's none forecast in the next week or two either.

Take what people from the south of England say about the north with a pinch of salt. Many seem to seriously believe we don't even have electricity or running water up here, never mind several large cities with all the amenities that brings.

The north east is wonderful. I live London but I miss it a lot! It's a great place to live and super affordable housing.