Rural ish but commutable to Manchester

[Changingplace]

I’m thinking of moving just outside of Manchester, I need to be in the city centre 2/3 times a week for work.

Does anyone live somewhere like Glossop, New Mills or Marple and do this journey? Is it do-able? Any other suggestions for locations?

If you live near a station it’s a feasible commute.

All of the above are fine by train but would avoid driving in during rush hour from those places unless you enjoy sitting in traffic 😅

All nice and rural though

New Mills is great for walking, accessing the Peak District etc and there's a train to Manchester.

I live near those places and yes doable but I wouldn’t want to do it every day (some do though). The trains can be unreliable. They are literally not worth bothering with on Sundays but during the week they are just about ok.

Glossop is particularly bad for traffic in and out which is why we ruled it out. It feels very isolated. Marple and New Mills less so. I’d also look at/around the main train line to Buxton eg around Disley and Chinley.

New Mills is lovely and has two stations, Central and Newtown. Beautiful park under the town and easy access to Kinder Scout, the Peak Forest canal and other fantastic country walks.

Goes without saying you’d need easy access to the station but if you need to be in 2-3 days a week and not daily then I’d say def feasible

Romiley is near Marple and worth a look. Smaller with added bonus of two train lines passing through so more transport options, average 30 mins into Piccadilly. Great access to the countryside on the doorstep, good independent shops and bars and if you live in the village it’s catchment for the over subscribed outstanding secondary in Marple. New Mills secondary school great for nurture, results not so much. The extra train line through Romiley makes a huge difference plus it’s nearer to the M60 if driving.

Lovely places to live, but not if you have to drive into manchester during any time that resembles rush hour! You would be best on the train, as others have said, are often unreliable.

Macclesfield, Congelton, Bollington with train access.

Marsden or Slaithwaite. Lovely villages close to beautiful countryside and only a few stops into Manchester City centre on the train

Agree on Romiley. Def worth a look. I wouldn’t rely on being in catchment for Marple Hall secondary however, it’s so oversubscribed that some kids living in Marple don’t get in. Primaries in Romiley are good.

Agree but Romiley is nearer as per the criteria so children there get in before other local areas

I've been looking at Ramsbottom, voted one of the top places to live. On the east lancs and not too far to drive too

Disley is lovely and has a train station

Agree - frankly, there isn’t anywhere to live where it’s sensible to drive into central Manchester for a work commute, even much closer in. Definitely a public transport type of commute.

We live just outside of Manchester. In the morning it takes me just over an hour to drive into the centre but only 20 mins on the bus. Train would be quicker, but the bus is only £2 and by the time I’ve driven to train station I may as well have used the bus anyway.

I am not rural though but was kind of echoing a PP saying about using public transport to get into the centre.

Loads good places as long as you plan to take train in. Ramsbottom is a bus or car / tram

Yeah proximity and reliability of a train service for work is important to me, I live in south Manchester now and wouldn’t dream of trying to drive into central Manchester, the traffic & parking are a nightmare.

I get the tram, sometimes do the park & ride at the moment, so looking for similar but with a train.

Saddleworth is worth a look OP. You're around 15 mins drive from a tram stop (Shaw), or the village of Greenfield has a train station. Trams are regular and take around 30 minutes to Victoria Station.

Saddleworth. There’s a tram stop nearby and a train station in Greenfield.

It’s rural but with lovely vibrant villages.

Oops! Sorry @FrostyFig should have read you post first!

Saddleworth or Marsden.

Todmorden/Hebden Bridge - 20 minutes to Manchester by train. Lovely countryside.
The above suggestions are all good too.

Great minds think alike 😁