AIBU - Relocating to Lancashire

[Rmivuxg]

Hello, my DP and I have an almost one year old and we currently live in the South East. We are renting a one bedroom grotty flat and dreams of ever owning our own home in the SE seem pretty far away. We've been thinking that we'd be better off relocating to Lancashire as it's cheaper and seems nice. However, we don't really know Lancashire that well and so thought
I'd ask which areas of Lancashire are nice and which areas to avoid. We are currently looking at the Chorley/Preston/Wigan area but are open to some nice, family-friendly areas. We both work in healthcare so we think that it wouldn't be too difficult to find jobs in the area. We have saved up a good chunk of money and are planning to rent somewhere for 6 months or so and get a feel for the area and then buy somewhere after that.

So my AIBU is AIBU to want to relocate to Lancashire in the hopes of owning our own house?

Lancashire = God's own country.

Mistype there, that is Yorkshire

Lancashire born and bred here! I now live on the outskirts of Greater Manchester though as the commute is better for DH. In my area rent is about £750 for a 3 bed semi (nice area, on the edge of moors). Childcare is about £35-40 a day. Schools are good. Air is clean. People are friendly. It takes about 30-40 minutes to central Manchester depending if you train or tram it. We love it here. An hour to the seaside, an hour to the Lake District and an hour to the Yorkshire Dales but still so much to do within 20 minutes. Lots of work as HCA’s in hospitals too and there’s anout 3 within a 20 minute drive. I’m not a huge fan of Preston though so I’d recommend a trip up to suss our the area

Milkysmum - we currently pay 600 a month, so that would be our upper limit really. We plan to visit next month, but am dreading the drive up with a baby!

God’s own country was first used to describe Ireland actually. But it does not really matter OP as if you come up north you will be welcomed wherever you go.

Avoid Radcliffe. It’s a dump, it has no high school (seriously they have closed/demolished them both. The council overlooks Radcliffe and ploughs all its money into Bury and it is seriously an utter shit hole.

I grew up in Wigan and now live in East Lancs. I'd pick Chorley out of the three areas you mentioned. Lots of new housing in Buckshaw Village (new build "commuter" town) close and very easy links to Wigan, Preston, Blackburn, Bolton and Manchester for work, and has its own train station, but small enough for it to feel more personal. Ribble Valley is lovely but expensive. Check out Rightmove for what you can afford to buy/rent. Lots of Help to Buy schemes about too. Just be warned it rains a fair bit, partly why Lancashire had a lot of cotton mills, the weather was ideal (it dampened the cotton down and made it easier to spin!)

Come and visit us,have a look round, strangers smile and will have a chat, call you "love" - you'll love it!

Stay away from Preston unless you fancy getting stabbed

We moved from Preston as it was going down hill. The outskirts are nice though although rents are more expensive. Penwortham is a good place to be

Lancashire?? YABVUADTBS

Buckshaw Village in Chorley is a new area. Lots of new houses, all sizes and has a Tesco, Aldi, restaurants, pubs, coffee shops, doctors, dentists and schools. A new railway station opened as the development grew and there are two schools.

South Ribble was recently rated one of the best places in the UK to grow up in
I would look at villages anywhere in Lancashire - not saying which one I live in
Just make sure you are not commuting via Preston or M6 to get to work at any time of day
There is affordable housing - but disagree about 3 bed semis for 100k in some areas even the terraces cost more than that

Lancastrian here: Preston's OK, but look north of Preston - someone mentioned Lancaster - have a look at that city & the villages around it. Morecambe not so great (although very cheap) but Garstang, Galgate are nice satellite villages, and Lancaster itself has some great pockets of affordable housing. Anywhere between Preston & lancaster is lovely, really.

I lived in Bromley Cross close to Bolton it was really nice, had a great community and housing is affordable.

Ormskirk!! Well worth a look. Lancashire borders with Merseyside? Food commuter links. Not far from Southport

Ormskirk bored the pants off me! I lived there a couple of years. (Sorry!)

You might be able to register for social housing OP so why not start with where housing is available?

Calico have properties in East Lancs. If you move to East Lancs though do be ready for rain, a lot of rain.

calicohomes.org.uk/

Assuming you have family in the SE I'd suggest looking at the train timetable as well, Preston has trains going all over, villages don't.

Your little one will one day be a teenager and off to uni or to visit family in the SE

I'm Yorkshire born and Lancashire bred, I was brought up in Burnley and hate it, my dad an aunt and some cousins live there and love it.

Housing is very affordable if you are prepared to get a 'doer upper'

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=POSTCODE%5E993188&radius=10.0&sortType=1&includeSSTC=false

Link to a shared ownership for under £40 000

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-76151105.html

For rental - how about 3 bedrooms and a garden?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-58391010.html

I would choose Merseyside over Lancashire personally so just a little bit further south as transport links are better with merseyrail. Waterloo is lovely.

If you have good eyesight you might even see the sea if you live there long enough.

Good eyesight and a NASA-grade telescope!
I'm a Lancastrian now in exile but as others have said there are some lovely places away from the major conurbations, some are eye-wateringly expensive too so choose carefully! The Ribble valley has good transport links for work, the M62 can be a nightmare. Good luck, you'll love it, it's not all grim up North.

No, Lancashire most definitely God's own country. There's something grim about Yorkshire. That's why Heathcliff was such a moody bugger. He would have been so much nicer and happier if he were a Bolton lad.

I'm a Lancastrian now in exile

Flowers. I've seen The South. I've eaten what the call 'chips'. You have my sympathy :-)

That should be

I would be careful thinking that living costs are going to be cheaper.

You might get more for your money in terms of housing but then other things are more expensive and somethings are cheaper.

I would really do your research. Equally on how much you can get paid.

I lived in an area near to where you are looking and when I moved to London I actually found it comparable to the northern area I had come from.

I love Lancashire. Close enough to escape to the Lakes and on the M6/mainline train route/ close to Manchester. I like Wigan a lot although the trains in and out are screwed at the weekends at the moment.

I'm a Lancastrian living in the SE. Look at Ramsbottom- beautiful town, thriving, close to Manchester.

Don't discount the Fylde Coast ( Blackpool,Lytham and St Anne's). There are lots of care homes and housing is very cheap in some areas. A few good schools and the poor ones are getting extra help as Blackpool is considered a deprived area. Children going into further education also get special consideration.
We can be in Liverpool and Manchester in an hour and the Lakes in about an hour and a half and we have 12 miles of beaches. We also have Britain's number one public park.