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?

That's why Heathcliff was such a moody bugger. He would have been so much nicer and happier if he were a Bolton lad

Heathcliff was from Liverpool...

Just popping on to say Lancs is very rainy even for the U.K....my parents lived there a long time and they got sick of the rubbish weather.
OP if you have no family in the area is that going to be an issue? It's a long journey back to London to visit. I'd do more research into cheaper places to live closer to family.

Second the PP who say it rains a lot in Lancashire. We moved from the Lakes to East Lancashire (so you'd think we'd be used to rain!) and were driven out by the damp climate. Now live in the South.

I would highly recommend using a relocation agent (of Kirstie & Phil ilk). For the few £1,000 it'll cost you, you'll save that from not having to move again.

Clitheroe, North Preston around Broughton area, Ramsbottom area I'd go for

But to add Southport is crawling with care homes so look around that area maybe even Ormskirk way some gorgeous countryside

I know it isn’t directly relevant but if either you or your partner have a degree at 2.1 then you might be eligible for funding to train as a social worker thinkahead.org/about-the-programme/how-the-programme-works/#how-you-will-be-paid first year funding is £1,200 a month then a starting salary in the second year of £27-30k

Is there any particular reason you have chosen Lancashire? If not for a particular reason, then have a think about Yorkshire too, especially West Yorkshire... I've lived in both and there are lovely places in both areas.

I’m from Lancashire - near Lancaster though in the south now. There are some amazing places there (and terrible - as anywhere) - as people have said, perhaps do a reccy for a long weekend and have a look at some of the places suggested.
It is a long trek back to the south - so I guess you’d need to factor that in too with seeing family and so on. I tend to get up there perhaps twice a year now. Last journey at Christmas took 6 hours driving....though is usually more at the 4.5hpirs mark.

Move to Lytham - it's family friendly, pretty, near the M55 and Preston for trains. 45 mins to the lakes, on the coast, great schools, parks, restaurants etc.

Heathcliff was from Liverpool..

It was Yorkshire that turned him funny, though.

I was v happy at Lancaster as a student.

I second Southport, it’s beautiful and lots to do for children. It’s very picturesque yet bustling.

You'll never afford Criston/Mawdesley/penwortham on minimum wage.

Avoid Blackpool. It’s a sinkhole. Lytham and St Anne’s are far nicer if you consider Fylde as an area BUT public transport round there can be really hit and miss.

Longridge is a lovely village/small town, Garstang also lovely. Lancashire lass born and bred. Have lived all over the world/country but have come back north to retire.

You’ll love it up here, and at least you’ll never need to water your plants.

Robbie Valley is lovely but a little isolated and expensive, but if you like picturesque quaintness, that's an option.

Southport general area is quite nice.

Pendle / Colne has some lovely scenery bit not so much employment. Blackburn, Wigan and Bolton are all areas with some lovely areas and some not so lovely which is true of most places, but rest assured you can find beautiful villages around all three of those places.
If you want to be closer to Manchester then Ramsbottom is nice with a few nice areas surrounding it.

I live in a little village in east lancs, right on the m65. It's beautiful, I can see Pendle hill and walk there if I want to, we have beautiful countryside, the motorway means I'm commute distance from Manchester, I can easily get to Blackburn,preston etc aswell and regularly do.

I love it here

It doesn't rain all the time!! It's not raining today 😆

It’s a fair point about rain: every time I go to Lancashire/Manchester/Liverpool it’s raining.

Around Pendle is totally lovely.

Depends whether you want rural/town I guess OP.

Southport is your best bet. You won't be able to afford the nicest areas (Lytham, Ribble Valley) on a care workers wage. Yes you will be able to afford a house instead of a flat but it'll be in a run down area. Do you really think MWW are living in luxury up north? It's a struggle up here too.

Southport is not good for motorways, look at Leyland, South Ribble, Buckshaw.

I'm from Southport and it's lovely there. Lots for children to do and property is cheap. There's lots for children and it's right on the coast.

Thanks for all your suggestions!

I moved to Chorley town itself from nearby Eccleston. Even though it's just a few miles away its much cheaper in Chorley than Eccleston/Mawdesley/Croston. We live on a newish Housing Estate, really nice setting but only five mins from ASDA, Tesco, Aldi, Chorley Market (where you can get some great bargains) and loads of cheap shops - also a cinema and new shopping centre is currently being built and there is a new Youth Zone for chidren/teenagers, great schools and bus/train service - be careful in some of these little villages, many only have one (expensive) supermarket/shop hardly any takeaways deliver, no launderette, transport links are terrible and popular schools can be oversubscribed (they can also be very "cliquey"). Yes, there are some grotty areas in Chorley, but I think you get that everywhere. Buckshaw Village is another area that is great, self-contained, great pubs, shops etc and its own train station and always plenty of rentals/houses for sale. There are plenty of care homes round here - there is one just up the road from Chorley in Adlington (a lovely village with great views of Rivington Pike) Marley Court, that is currently advertising vacancies. Good luck.

I'm a Lancastrian - as PPs have said, Lancaster and surrounding areas are nice and relatively cheap (2 bed houses between 500-600 in the city itself, probably cheaper in surrounding areas).

On the Fylde Coast, Lytham and St Annes are nice although I wouldn't go any closer to Blackpool than that, and Poulton Le Fylde (or even Carleton) is a really nice little town too (with plenty of care homes always looking for staff in the area). And it's near the sea which is great :-)

Anywhere between Preston and Chorley is alright - someone mentioned Buckshaw Village - and probably better transport wise than the Blackpool/Fylde coast area (which is fine if you drive, but if you don't then avoid!).