Best market towns/villages in the UK - not South

[LittleMissRum]

Hi,

Already have this running in Property, but giving it a go here too.

So we're currently in the east of England, Cambridgeshire way, in a quiet village. It's fine, but I'm not really happy tbh. Can't put my finger on why, it just doesn't feel like home. We were thinking about doing more to the house, but I just don't see the point anymore. It's not the house that doesn't feel like home. It's the area.

Only been here a couple of years, but it's gone up in value by 30%. Saying that, we can't actually move until dc has completed their GCSEs next year, so that could drop by the time we're actually free to move. You never know with the housing market do you?

Anyway, we're all drawn to historic market towns with a buzz about them. Lots of coffee shops, delis, pubs, restaurants and ideally, some art shops. Also would need a good college for dc. One that's particularly known for art.

Two places we absolutely love are Stamford and Helmsley, North Yorkshire. It could be a large village, but with plenty going on. Needs to be a friendly, inclusive area.

Don't want to be too far south, but North Yorkshire would be as far north as we'd go. I know this is a bit vague 😬 but a little bit clueless and just looking for some inspiration and advice.

Top budget would be around the 650k mark, but more comfortable at the 550k mark. Needs to be an area we could afford a detached house with at least 4 bedrooms and a decent size garden.

Thanks very much 🙂

Beverley and the surrounding villages?

Malton is better than Helmsley for the things you’re talking about as for the kids it’s 22 mins on the train to York

Shrewsbury? It's completely beautiful. Good transport links and property isn't expensive. See also Chester.

Market Harborough in South Leicestershire ticks all your boxes, not sure about the college though. It’s expensive for the East Midlands because it’s on the Midland Main Line, less than an hour to St Pancras

Warwick. Well connected to London and Birmingham, easy to get to the countryside, loads of independent businesses. Lovely place to live.

I was going to say Preston, but that might be too much "hard North" for you. But Kendal or Lancaster tick your boxes (and Lancaster is a hidden gem).

Oswestry in north Shropshire for a small market town, good links to Chester, Birmingham and Liverpool. Shrewsbury is close for shopping too. But don’t come, Shropshire is the Uk’s best kept secret as we are the friendliest and most beautiful county.

Do you just mean England when you say UK, @LittleMissRum or do you actually mean all of the UK? That may affect the answers you get. It’ll also help people not waste their time and will focus their responses.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions so far.

@JingsMahBucket , actually probably just England. Thanks for highlighting that!

I agree about Malton. Not as pretty as Helmsley but much more practical - transport links, supermarkets etc.
Pocklington, Ripon, Beverley, Pickering and Easingwold are all lovely too! Although Ripon and Easingwold are expensive, I think.

Ripon?

I came on to suggest Beverley.

Thirsk or Richmond .

Leek in Staffordshire is lovely. Pretty market town (went through a bt of a depressed post-industrial moment when the mills closed) up and coming now - lots of lovely independent shops, cafes, pubs. Arts centre (the Foxlowe) with a gallery, and another gallery in the town, nice markets, arts festivals etc. Leek School of Art (now part of the Buxton and Leek College, itself part of Derby Uni) has a good reputation I believe. Beautiful countryside, five minute drive from the Peak District. Extremely affordable housing, especially in comparison to Cambridgeshire.

I second Shrewsbury.

Preston? A nice market town? On what planet?!

Are there any nice/quiet places left? It makes me laugh to hear middle-class people from the cities talk about “retiring to the countryside, somewhere nice and peaceful.” Good luck with that! Most market towns are now ringed by hideous new build housing estates crammed with rabbit hutch houses. Developers manage to squeeze twelve houses onto bits of land that are fit for only two or three. And villages aren’t much better. I live in the countryside, and all the villages around here have had to turn over a certain amount of land for new build estates. The roads are also a nightmare. All evening and well into the night all you can hear is the screaming and popping of boy racer cars with modified exhausts. I sometimes think it would be more peaceful in central London.

Came on to echo some of the other comments - lots of North Yorkshire towns tick your boxes but I wouldn’t immediately suggest Helmsley. With a teen you probably want to be on a good train/bus link to York (not just for college, but jobs and socialising too) so would suggest Malton or Thirsk.

Malton has a great foodie scene and some interesting small shops, and you can always head to York for more specific art shops.

Somewhere like Poppleton could also tick your boxes - it’s a smaller village on the outskirts of York but would give you quick access to the city for the bustle you’re after.

l was also going to suggest Beverley

Malton for me, I regularly look at houses to buy but can’t convince DP to move… it’s only 30-40 mins away for me though so not too far

Warwick is nice. I did a graphics/art course at Warwickshire college years ago which was very good.

Not Ripon. Ripon itself is lovely but the area is renowned for its sink holes. Houses just crack up and fall in - not every day, granted. But I wouldn’t risk it

I’d say Malton too. Sounds perfect for what you’re after.

Lichfield. There is a college but I think it only does creative and performance based courses, Tamworth would only be a short bus ride away with a wider range. Or you can get the train into Birmingham in half an hour for a choice of colleges.

I forgot Ripon's sink holes, but other than that it's great!! I do have a few friends who live there and it doesn't bother them in the slightest, even when one was only a street away from one of them!

Thinking about it, you might want to look at Barnard Castle. It’s a really lovely little town