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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Best place to live in East Cheshire?

44 replies

Tenrec · 09/05/2014 15:24

I have no idea about living in Cheshire, I've lived in London and Essex all my life, but it looks lovely. So far thinking of Knutsford, Holmes Chapel, that sort of area? Looking for a place with good secondary schools too? Thanks!

OP posts:
VodkaJelly · 09/05/2014 15:37

Congleton is very nice with good schools.

Knutsford and Holmes Chapel are very nice too. It depends if you want a nice village or a big town, if you want a smallish town then Nantwich is gorgeous and has good schools.

101handbags · 09/05/2014 16:01

Wilmslow is nice. It has a large but very good state secondary school. Have friends there.

PunkAssMoFo · 09/05/2014 16:52

Knutsford, Alderley edge or wilmslow are all lovely. Hale & altrincham have good schools. Cheadle Hulme is slightly cheaper, but nice. There are countless lovely little villages near all if these towns if you'd rather be more 'rural'.

Original poster
Tenrec · 09/05/2014 16:56

Just realised I put this in AIBU Hmm

OP posts:
eatmydust · 09/05/2014 16:58

It's all nice. Depends on where you are working and how rural you want to be. The golden triangle (north east Cheshire) around Wilmslow, Alderley, Prestbury is very expensive for housing, but good schools and easy access to Manchester, the airport and fast trains to London. Holmes Chapel, Sandbach, Congleton and further south and west has cheaper housing, flat countryside and smaller villages. Schools are all generally good. I like Holmes Chapel and the villages in the hills to the east of Macclesfield.

5Foot5 · 09/05/2014 16:59

I suppose it depends also on what you can afford as some parts are very expensive.

I live in Macclesfield and thinks its great - it has good secondaries and is also very convenient for the Peak District. There are lots of nice villages around there too if you wanted something more rural.

InTheNorth123 · 09/05/2014 21:57

Like other say, depends what you want.
There are lots of rural and semi-rural villages. Church Minshull, Mobberley, Ashley, Marton, Lower Withington and Holmes Chapel are all nice. (I went to Holmes Chapel comp - was good when I was there. Been granted academy status now.)
Nantwich is lovely (a town) and has several small villages surrounding it. Sandbach is also nice and has good primary schools. The secondary schools are not so great (not mixed sex either if that would be an issue.) I like Knutsford too.
Wilmslow and Alderley Edge are nice if you want that type of area (footballers, lots of money etc.)
Some areas of Macc are nice, and the villages around them are generally nice too. Fallibroom and Macc academy are supposed to be good schools, but no experience myself.

The schools in Winsford and Crewe are not so good unfortunately.

passmethewineplease · 09/05/2014 22:03

I live near Nantwich, it is a lovely village with good transport links and schools.

I have also lived in Sandbach which was lovely although does have a bail hostel right across from the road from a children's play area..Hmm

I have lived in Crewe and whilst some parts are OK I wouldn't choose to live there again personally.

The likes of Alderly Edge and Wilmslow are lovely but expensive.

wobblyweebles · 10/05/2014 02:28

Fallibroome in Macclesfield is a very high achieving school. You have to live the right side of Macclesfield to be able to get your kids in the school.

Personally I'd rather live in Derbyshire than East Cheshire.

ChouetteMouette · 10/05/2014 05:01

I grew up in Congleton - it's a nice town with good schools and good links to Manchester, Stoke and the motorways...

I think Bramhall is also pretty nice if you wanted something closer to Manchester or Bollington (east of Macclesfield) for somewhere more rural. As a pp said, there are lots of smaller pretty villages too.

Thepursuitofhappiness · 10/05/2014 06:12

Wilmslow for transport links, you can get the train to manchester in 17 minutes and direct to Euston in under 2 hours. Lovely town centre, very safe, and good school.

Expensive, but depends what part of wilmslow (handforth much cheaper, only a couple of miles away, but not quite as nice)

maddening · 10/05/2014 07:34

Knutsford and surrounding places like tabley and toft and Mobberley and peover and Goostrey. Wilmslow is nice. If you could venture slightly in to west cheshire then tarporley, kelsall, Cuddington and delamere and frodsham are nice too.

blackcats73 · 10/05/2014 08:11

Bollington is lovely, as is Macclesfield. Not so keen on Sandbach but Nantwich is lovely.

Agree, that West Cheshire is nice too. There are nice villages around Delamere Forest, including Kingsley, Crowton and Norley. Great Budworth and Comberbach are lovely too.

Eliza22 · 10/05/2014 10:11

Holmes Chapel, Knutsford, Nantwich, Sandbach and surrounding villages ...all nice. Crewe, a bit grim in places but a great college there (not sure about schools). Wilmslow, Alderley Edge....you need big cash!

violetsareblue11 · 13/08/2014 00:00

Oh goodness, I always see older threads and then end up animating them again but when I saw this thread I had to say something! I was brought up in Middlewich in east Cheshire and went to Sandbach High School for Girls. Middlewich is where my mother still lives and is as lovely as ever- it's got a small town atmosphere, a superb state primary that I myself attended and adored, and whilst Middlewich has it's nasty areas it has far more nice areas and some stunning countryside! The houses are also fairly affordable for what you get. Sandbach High was the making of me and is an absolutely amazing place, it's all-girls and has amazing academic and artistic sides along with a sublime sports department! Sandbach got me to Cambridge and I am forever thankful to them! I still hear great things about the school so if you've got girls its well worth a look. Sandbach Boys is also a great school, beautiful Tudor buildings and very good sports and arts departments. My first ever boyfriend went there and was a lovely boy and was very bright and he said he loved the school. Both schools mix up for sixth form and so you could say the sixth form is coed. All in all I loved being brought up in Cheshire! Lovely people, lovely schools, lovely countryside and just about lovely everything else! The local NHS hospital is a very good one too, I was always in there for something as a little girl.

Hj4aj7 · 22/01/2017 13:38

Hi there we are looking to move down from scotland and I'm torn between congleton and leek. Any advice and information would be so appreciated

CoffeeMilkNoSugar · 23/01/2017 15:12

I live in Congleton and I love it! :)
I moved here from Crewe 4 years ago and I still can't believe my luck. It's only a small town, but it's rather lovely, quite safe (just stay away from Tin Town), a bit boring - but to be honest I think it's just the perfect place to raise your kids.
Not far from Manchester, the schools are good, close to the countryside.

What's not to like? :)

Hj4aj7 · 23/01/2017 15:44

Thank you so much for that. Is tin town a part of congleton? Smile

CoffeeMilkNoSugar · 23/01/2017 16:23

It is... but honestly, it isn't a very nice part of town. The rest is lovely though!

I'd totally recommend Congleton (and it'd be lovely to know there's another mumsnetter in town!) :)

Cannaeshoveyergranny · 23/01/2017 17:50

I lived in Congleton for 10 years and loved it. Friendly, lots of stuff for kids if you have them, good schools, loved going in to Manchester for shops/gigs etc. Nice foodie pubs! We moved away for work and I was devastated to leave.

Hj4aj7 · 23/01/2017 21:56

Thanks so much guys very helpful. We are booked to come down first week in April so hopefully will all be completed. Will keep you posted xx

DebbieDownersGiveItARest · 23/01/2017 22:03

I adore the area - really love it - love the wales aspect the Liverpool part, chester is a wonderful city, the countryside and the pubs...

hellejuice91 · 24/01/2017 08:13

I'm so glad someone finally mentioned Middlewich! Obviously it depends on what you are looking for, but I would definitely reccommend it. It has a small town (almost village) feel, some nice pubs, good schools, reasonable house prices and it just off the motorway. We don't have our own train station but you are within ten minutes drive of two different lines. Some of the other places mentioned - such as Wilmslow - are also lovely but they are extremely expensive.

Also on Crewe, I think people are being harsh. There are some really nice areas (Willaston for example) and they have a fantastic college and a couple of good schools. Crewe is a very big town though.

Also to those mentioning Chester - it's in West Cheshire and Chester not Cheshire East.

CoffeeMilkNoSugar · 24/01/2017 10:56

Middlewich, yes, it's very nice and I'd probably love living there now (I lived on Ashmore Close in Middlewich for a couple of years a long time ago) but when I was a child, it was so very boring. :( I hated it back then.

I don't know much about schools in Middlewich, though. I had to go to bloody Hartford (St Nicholas RC High School).

Hales45 · 02/06/2017 07:56

Hello all, just some advise please , we Have a short list of houses we really like one I love in Middlewich .... But I have been reading on the link that there are good and bad areas in Middlewich as there are in most towns but as we are not from here could anyone help out which is which also why is Holmes chapel so much more expensive ...
Many thanks for your help in advise

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