Pretty, clean, safe place to live commutable to Manchester?

[GotMooMilk]

We currently live in a desirable suburb of Manchester close to the city but recently it’s lost its shine. So much litter everywhere, so so busy with cars, it feels scruffy and run down. We would like to be near somewhere with more green space that’s generally well kept and pleasant to live in. We have small kids so need to consider schools.
Any suggestions or anyone live somewhere lovely they would recommend?

Marple

What about Hebden Bridge? Depends if you like the hipster aspects of Chorlton!

Marple Bridge. It's very pretty, lots of great pubs and restaurants, surrounded by countryside and has a regular train into Manchester. I believe driving from there is a bit of a pain though.

This ^^ if your driving go a bit further into Rossendale.

I think the first rule is, take what anyone tells you about commuting times with a bucket of salt. It amazes me the number of people who claim to be able to get home to Knutsford/Lymm/wherever in 45 minutes. They have to drive past my area to get there, and it takes me a good hour to get home in rush hour.

Ramsbottom

This also. On these thread, people invariably give the travelling time as what it would take at 3am on a Tuesday morning.

Stockport esp Bramhall, Marple, Marple Bridge
Poynton (pricey)
Disley (awkward for driving but train to Manchester ok)
Parts of Macclesfield

I’m in hazel grove SK7 which is not amazing but family friendly and more affordable than the above- High school and most of the primaries are excellent

Rossendale Valley if you are not fixed on 9-5 commuting.

Thanks all I think commute is the biggest headache as currently we use public transport which is great!

Schools in Glossop are dreadful.

Clitheroe is lovely

Check out Marple and Romiley, really quick regular trains to Manchester and you will get what youre looking for for £600k 🤩

I think with commuting by train/tram you’re sometimes better living further away but near or at the start of the train line - so you have a longer commute but more comfortable and you get a seat. I’ve been left behind on platforms, crammed in, and then over time I now get a ridiculously early train just to avoid the peak times. So I’m theory I’m close to Manchester and my commute is easy but it’s a source of daily stress.

Edgworth, Egerton, Bromley Cross, Summerseat, Harwood, Lostock. All North Manchester. Train route to Mcr and close to Lancs moors. After that, Langho, Wilpshire, whalley, Clitheroe.

Whorsley but it comes with a price tag

Leafy Culcheth in Cheshire?

I lived in chorlton for many years with children, know exactly what you mean as go back occasionally for the unicorn and barbican and it looks filthy!
Marple, you have two train stations to get to manchester in half an hour, decent schools, lots of green space with a good park for children, new swimming pool being built (the artist impressions look like the one at Hough End) and good shops, you'd get a lovely detached house for 600k ( don't agree re Romiley as the shops/centre is grotty, sorry😳).

I used to get the train through Knutsford for work. It was garbage. Not only was there only one train an hour, it was cancelled at least twice a week, leaving me stranded and needing a taxi! On Sundays it's once every 2 hours and you'll be lucky if it even arrives.

OP your budget is enough for a nice place in Marple/Romiley so no need to even consider where I live but our trains, twice an hour, always reliable. If not, bus to Manchester comes once every 15 mins (supposedly 10 but obviously delays etc).

https://trains.im/ppm/
Can check train reliability
Also make sure you actually make the journey yourselves, don't rely on what people tell you.

clitheroe is lovely, and has a grammar school doesn’t it?

Hebden Bridge or Todmorden if you want your money to go further. Good schools/community, more countryside than you can shake a stick at.

You’d get an unbelievable house in Standish nr Wigan for that

Traffic can be an issue, but multiple trains per hour from Wigan into Manchester - and close to M6 if you decided to drive, but you’d want to be on it by 7am

Ramsbottom. Great schools & tram to Manchester from bury town centre.

Bromley Cross, Entwistle -North of Bolton, good train links. Saddleworth, Littleborough, Hebden Bridge, Belmont, Egerton. All on the edges of Greater Manchester and with nice moorland scenery. Nice places in North Cheshire too. Mobberley, Knutsford etc but South of Manchester is much more expensive than North.

There's no public transport in Culcheth worth mentioning, you would have to drive to Birchwood, just like lots of other people. It's one road in and the same one out.

People saying Hebden Bridge, what about the flooding?