Can't decide where to live!

[TheLastScone]

Any help or advice appreciated.
Due to work, we have two choices and a move to make. We are currently in the north west and will be renting for 1 or 2 yrs. Not a huge commitment for the time being but still v important.
Offer one is a lovely cottage in Shrewsbury just outside the town in Belle Vue. The other is just outside the centre of Ambleside in Cumbria. So both houses are similarly placed and convenient, and both are equally attractive to us.

But such different places! I have visited both frequently in my life and am aware of most differences, but we can't figure out which to go with. I appreciate Shrewsbury would have more going on, more access to stuff, etc, but very busy. Ambleside will be chock full of tourists and the roads might be hell.
We love nature and would prefer semi rural but for the time being this is our lot. We don't have kids so no school concerns and I wfh.

Any experience? The good the bad and the ugly?? wwyd?

anyone? worth a bump.

@TheLastScone you should post in property/DIY and put the names of both places in the subject line.

Shrewsbury for the reasons you have given.

We went to Ambleside in the summer. It was lovely for a holiday but I can't imagine there is much going on on the winter. I've never been to Shrewsbury but it also los lovely but bigger with a lot more going on and easy access to countryside or city. I think I would choose Shrewsbury.

Having grown up in a touristy, countryside town I’d pick Shrewsbury.

I'm in Shrewsbury, on the edge of Belle Vue towards the town centre.
Most houses in Belle Vue don't have parking. You have to compete for on-street spaces, and some of the streets are very narrow. It's pretty, though, and Shrewsbury is quite lively.

I have never seen a narrower town with crazier parking issues than Ambleside!

I could paste this into DIY section if that's ok with MN?

I think access to nature is the important thing. Having spent a LOT of time in the Lakes I know it like the back of my hand - the walks are great and quite accessible.
I am less familiar with the countryside parts of Shrewsbury though and having been in the town it was difficult to imagine how to get to them without a long drive. I could be wrong. I don't like to be car dependent and would love to walk to my nearest countryside.

You can get to bases for walking in the Shropshire Hills by train (Craven Arms and Church Stretton). There are several nature reserves in Shrewsbury (Rea Brook [very close to Belle Vue], Old River Bed/Bagley Brook) and large areas of open ground for walking along the river banks, but there are certainly more interesting places outside the town that you would have to drive to (Haughmond Hill, Lyth Hill) and some that are 5-10 miles away or more (Snailbeach, The Bog, Stiperstones, Hawkstone).

The locals look happier in shrewsbury than south lakes. I always notice things like this.

Look at broadband speeds in the area, that may need some consideration. Due to WFH and not just needing an excel spreadsheet or two we need belt and braces Wi-Fi.