CARLISLE ??? (moving to...)

[ARoomSomewhere]

Thinking of moving to Carlisle..
(looking for a city centre victorian terrace type house max c200K to spend)
(moving from rural scotland and need more life about us - me, wanting to work as a counsellor, and two older autistic teens who will need pt college / pt work / some sort of ASD friendly support / social life). I realise this is all rather specific so can any Carlisle folk please tell me the general good & bad I'd need to know?

do a good check for flood risk. City has been hit badly in recent years. Chunks of the centre are on higher ground, but still a lot of disruption.

@Geekygeek THANK you! (I was looking at Warwick road, so I'll check that)

Also bear in mind that the education system will be different if your teens are still in school / college.

Warwick Road is in the flood zone. For under £200k you would probably need to look at some of the streets off Warwick Road that didn’t flood. The risk then is there is a lot of student accommodation.

There are two secondaries and the college nearby. They have mixed reviews from people I know, but I think all secondary schools do. I’m not sure about their SEND provision in them. My DD has ASD and EBSA and I’m having a nightmare with her school, which isn’t city centre. There’s the Youth Zone which runs autism friendly sessions and is walking distance from WR. Other opportunities such as St John Ambulance cadets etc

Also, lots of people like Denton Holme as it has local shops etc and it is branded as having a more “villagey” vibe. While it’s nice I would say it is a city village like they have elsewhere! House prices more in your range there as well

@Listinggracefully Thanks, very helpful.
Dd has tried college here but it was a disaster (has rights to SEND provision, none provided, year in year out). No local ASD groups here either. So, possibly anything is better? I'm looking for a northern England / southern scotland small city / big town where I could get a decent family house for c£200K (not easy)
Recently spent the day in Carlisle and was charmed. Friendly, traffic free in centre, lots of very central terraced houses. But I need to take my rose tinted glasses off, hence my post for local knowledge x

I sound like I’m trying to put you off Warwick Road and I’m not. The houses are lovely, but it is one of the main routes out of the city to the motorway, a lot of it has flooded in the past and the football ground is there so it gets really busy on match days.

Definitely consider Denton Holme though. It’s still walking distance to the town centre.

@Listinggracefully
I will have a look at Denton Holme thank you x
I really need a solid 3 bed (so pref Victorian) within easy walking distance to city centre (none of us drive...)
Do you know if the local hospital is okay (heart issues, so might need ongoing advice / bumping to next nearest big city hospital?)

Absolutely avoid Warwick Road. Its one of the main flood areas and flooded badly in both 2005 and 2015. There are flood maps available online if needed.

In terms of college there is Carlisle college. In terms of autism support People First probably do the most. If your children have more complex needs then Mencap do some stuff.

PM me if you need any more specific info.

NCIC are OK and I think they do Cardiology. However for anything remotely complex they will possibly send you over to Newcastle.

Avoid the A&E though. They are expanding the department and putting in a minor injuries unit. In the interim its very, very busy and waiting times are very, very long.

Thank you, this is just the sort of info rhats very helpful x

With that budget I’d look around Newcastle which will have more facilities and better public transport.

@MiddleAgedDreadtrue, but I think it would be too big for teens to manage independently

I live about 30 miles away . My husband is under the cardiology dept . He has at least an appointment every year to check up on him and even post covid it is often a telephone appointment ! I have also heard a few stories about them as well .
I also know someone that had a procedure done there and it was botched and they are now under a non Cumbrian hospital.
Look up where the trust comes in UK . You should see ( if it hasn't changed ) it is the second worse trust !

Hospitals in Newcastle are good. Or, jus as towns go, how about Penrith, Kendal or Lancaster?

Why wouldn’t teens manage? If you lived in a suburb they all have their own local shops etc without having to always go in the city centre.

@HollyChristmasTHANK YOU (very much) for this info. One of the reasons we would move is because Cardiology is poor where we are so it would need to (likely) be better to make the upheaval worth it. Perhaps its not!

My suggestion is carry on with what your doing now ( researching the area )

Yes Carlisle is a city so you won't be out in the sticks ( we travel to Carlisle for Sainsbury's which is a 60 mile round trip for us ) to see if it fits all your needs .

I'd be going further south (Preston/Blackpool) if you want access to a vaguely functioning cardiology dept or East over to Newcastle.

Carlisle Hospital (CIC) isn't great.

If you are keen on Cumbria look at Workington and Whitehaven where the houses are more value for money without the flood risk in Carlisle. The houses around Warwick Road are cheap for a reason.

And the hospital there is worse than Carlisle with no real Cardiology Dept .

Agreed. But you are technically no worse of there from a health point of view than you are in Carlisle (If you need cardiology you would probably get a transfer somewhere else sooner than you would in Carlisle becaus they would have to move you anyway) and at least the house would be insurable.

But if you live in Workington or Whitehaven then you’ve got Whitehaven hospital, which I can’t see being any better than Carlisle. Nice nursing and care staff and a new building but I’m not sure about the rest.

And in Whitehaven and Workington you have to be able to drive, or have a large family support network of people who do. You may get sent to hospital at Newcastle or Lancaster for a 10am appointment. The only way “out” is via the two coach train service which tends to run hourly, and rarely if ever on time. The trains at Carlisle don’t link up, so you either have 4 minutes to get a train, or your waiting for 1.5 hours.

Tbh the Whitehaven hospital for all its new building etc is nothing other than somewhere that can initially triage you or do basic care before shipping you off somewhere else . They might have spent millions on the building but they have no specialist doctors / consultants and therefore I wouldn't think for one moment they have the facilities to offer the best cardiology care for a child and I can vouch they definitely don't offer it to adults who are sent to Carlisle or given a telephone appointment .

@HollyChristmas
@Hamsterdamn

Thank you this is all well worth knowing.

If your talking about flooding tell that to Cockermouth , Keswick , Aspatria and parts of Egremont & Workington .