To ask where in the North West England is the best place to live

[KnitsBakesAndReads]

Just that really. I'm so so fed up of London for a variety of reasons and am daydreaming about upping sticks. For family reasons, somewhere in the North West (Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, etc) would probably be top of the list.

So, tell me what part of the region should be on my family's shortlist if we do move. Only limitation is that it would need to be in, or within commuting distance of, a reasonable size city for work reasons. Part of the reason for wanting to leave London is not being able to afford a house so we also couldn't afford other very expensive areas.

I haven't lived in many places so looking forward to getting some ideas. Thanks mumsnet!

Not west of the Pennines. It rains too much.

Chester or the surrounding villages, are beautiful. Great schools, stunning countryside and Chester itself is a buzzing city.

Beautiful though - North Derbyshire. Though I may be biased and technically it's the East Midlands, but 30 min drive to Manchester.

We are 25 mins for Manchester on the train in a lovely part of Cheshire. Not quite where all the footballers live so much more affordable! Schools are good and lots going on. Handy for the airport too.

Lancaster

Urmston

Chester. Beautiful city...close to Liverpool and Manchester as well as lovely Wales.

Great schools (if you live in the right catchment) some beautiful and historic villages and good shopping.

I know...I'm from there.

Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley. Good schools, beautiful countryside, nice market town. More or less commutable to Manchester.

Depends what sort of thing you're looking for. If you want to live in/near a large city, Manchester is brilliant and many of the suburbs are on the tram network which makes commuting pretty easy. Chorlton is quite a desirable area a short tram hop from the city centre, and has lots of nice cafes and bars and independent shops. For a cheaper but also pleasant suburb on the tram network, Prestwich to the north of the city is nice too (and also has a HUGE park, apparently the largest council owned park in Europe).

If you want somewhere more rural, then there are lots of lovely places in Cheshire, Lancashire and the north of Derbyshire.

The small towns such as Marple can be a bit Royston Vasey-ish.

Isn't pretty much all the north west to the west of the Pennines, or you're not in the north west at all? Or do I need to brush up on geography?

OP, what do you want from a move? You mention needing to be in commuting distance of a city, would you prefer to be in one or outside one? Do you need to be in a particular area for work? The job market isn't uniform across the region. The greatest concentration of jobs is in Greater Manchester but if you're a teacher or doctor you could work anywhere, and if you're in the nuclear industry you'll find more opportunities near Sellafield, so you might not need to go Manc.

What's your house budget level? Potential salaries? When you say you can't afford very expensive, are you referring to Alderley Edge prices or 250k for a naicer than average suburb prices?

What sort of geography do you like? There are hills and flat plains in the areas you mention. Do you want to be close to the sea? I mean, none of the north west is far, but if you want the beach on your doorstep you'd be better with the Wirral than Saddleworth. If you'd like to be in the hills, vice versa. Or does none of this concern you particularly?

Agree with other posters, Chester is beautiful.

In Merseyside, some coastal areas such as West Kirby, or further in Heswall and surrounding areas are nice. I have family in Birkenhead, where a bus into Liverpool takes 20 minutes.

I live in Warrington. Slap bang in the middle of Liverpool and Manchester. I work in Liverpool, DP works in Salford. He has a worse commute than me, as traffic getting into Manchester is a nightmare and seems to be getting worse, so that's something to consider.

Agree with above Clitheroe/Whalley ribble valley. Came number 2 in some best place to live survey last year. Commutable to Manchester (train) or Preston. Nice countryside, decent schools.

I grew up in Wilmslow. Love it, love going home when I want to escape from London!

We are very rural and right on the border of Cheshire, Shropshire and Wales. Cheshire is lovely but priecy. If you can afford to live further out, a Shropshire postcode is cheaper. We have one but I am still a half hour drive from Chester. It's lovely countryside, good schools, nice people, loads to do but alas, we are shortly moving to the Scottish Borders as we ride and the riding around here is terrible!

Lancaster. No contest.

without a doubt - no question chester. Perfect - great city - great areas around it.

Ahem... go a little bit futher up and come to West Yorkshire.

Thank me later

Another vote for Chester

Ahem... go a little bit further up and come to West Yorkshire

Well, yes, Hebden Bridge is lovely, and Leeds is a cracking city. Harrogate & York gorgeous also.

In fact anywhere in the proper north (I don't count Cheshire really) is gods own place. We're lucky up here.

Hebden Bridge is lovely if you are a duck or an arty type. It is definitely in a heavy rain spot and is subject to regular flooding.

west of mountains is fine as long as you are a distance from them.

Will you be needing/wanting to travel south fairly often??

That would influence how far down & close to the M6 I would live! Decent train station a must...

Love where I live in the NW but the drive back to London is a pain

Ribble Valley. Very pretty, good schools, easy to get to cities like Manchester and Liverpool but also easy access to the Lakes and Yorkshire. It is the kind of area where everyone knows your business but that's not always so bad!

bandbsmummy You sound like you must be not far from where we live!

We are in Macclesfield - easy to reach Manchester by train and also right on the edge of the Peak District so great if you like walking.

Houses are a bit expensive here but not quite so much as some surrounding areas such as Wilmslow, Alderley Edge and Prestbury

Chester is lovely but a bit quiet for me. If you want a more lively city, Liverpool is a beautiful, vibrant and cultural place to live. There's always so much going on and the architecture is beautiful. It has quite an intimate feeling because it's not on scale of London or Manchester etc. Also cost of living is very reasonable for a city. It's a very friendly city and the people are amazing! I moved here 5 years ago and fell in love with the place.