...to not have a clue where to live in Yorkshire

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We (me, DH, DS (14), DD (9) may be moving to Yorkshire in the next few months. DH's job will be to the east of Leeds. We have a budget of around £270-300,000 for a 4/5 bedroom house, which seems to be doable in the local area but... where in the lcoal area?

DH has put a pin in a map and suggested Selby. He doesn't want to live in Leeds (long story, but he doesn't love cities) and has found a few new developments around the town. I know nothing about Selby (we're currently in the Midlands). Please tell me about Selby! Anyone live there? Suitable for a teenager? For me?

Please help?

@Justfivemoreminutesplease I forgot Le Raj!!!

Boston Spa, Wetherby, the villages around Tadcaster- I used to live in Clifford and still have family up there so go back regularly- PM me if you’d like!

I wouldn't live in Selby but I have lived a village in the wider area. I have worked for years in and around Selby so do know it pretty well but maybe not it best bits. It really has some significant issues in parts.
I think Tadcaster while also quite a working town is a better balance for living in.
The area a whole may be more expensive than you might at first think.

Hi. Thankfully other people have said this too, but to echo them - don’t move to the stereotypical ‘nice’ places of North or West Leeds. Yes, Ilkley is nice, but that’s a ridiculous commute every morning which your DH would come to hate.
You’ve had some good suggestions around east Leeds - Colton, Whitkirk, Methley, Sherburn, Aberford (pricey). But I would say look seriously at Garforth. It has excellent primary and secondary schools (one of the best in Leeds), has a thriving Main Street, some nice cafes and restaurants, skate park for kids, junior football and rugby teams and is a nice place to grow up - easy enough to get to Leeds but with its own distinct community. Your budget would get you a decent 3/4 bedroom house there. I grew up there and ended up moving back there to bring up my children and haven’t regretted it.

@LikeyourHairyHands
If we're talking about Pontecarlo and Casvegas, don't forget Doncatraz, (where the wrong uns of Yorkshire get sent)

Ha, amazing, not heard of Doncatraz before!
Or there's Vietnorm (Normanton) haha

OP, there's nothing wrong with Selby, not much in the way of shops in the town centre (mainly charity shops) but after saying that there's some lovely little boutique style independent ones dotted around too.
Brilliant bus and train links into both York and Leeds.
If it's Garforth or East Garforth you're working in, there's a train that stops there every hour and takes half an hour or so.

Garforth is a great place to live. The high school outstanding and five primary schools good/outstanding. Great Main Street with lots of shops and cafes, bars, restaurants. Two train stations. Good regular buses. Lovely community.

Have you visited yet OP?

Another one saying don't move west of Leeds. There's some nice villages to the south of Leeds, Mirfield, Holmfirth etc but I agree that Ilkley is nice as is Crosshills, Cowling

Mirfield/Holmfirth/Ilkley to Garforth?! Bloody hell, you'd have to set off ridiculously early, that'd be a huge commute every day!
Micklefield, Garforth, Sherburn in Elmet all near and nice.
Or the villages outside Selby such as Thorpe and Hambleton are great and easy to get to Garforth.
Things to do for teenagers are the Summit climbing centre and the leisure centre.

Just don’t move to Cas.

Another strong vote for looking towards bradford direction - Yeadon, Carverley, Baildon, Guiseley, Horsforth, even Shipley and Saltaire...

Apperley bridge has a new railway direct to Leeds and lots of new housing.

Ilkley is a ridiculous suggestion. It's nowhere near east Leeds and will take an age to get there.

The suburbs of east Leeds are actually quite villagey and feel quite separate to Leeds - places like Rothwell, Aberford, Bramham, and Barwick in Elmet are nice. So is Boston Spa but a bit further out.

Around Temple Newsam is OK too, some nice houses and the parkland would be lovely to have on the doorstep.

*Another strong vote for looking towards bradford direction - Yeadon, Carverley, Baildon, Guiseley, Horsforth, even Shipley and Saltaire...

Apperley bridge has a new railway direct to Leeds and lots of new housing.*

And again, wrong side of the city. The commute would be a nightmare.

try this

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-72124312.html

Lol at the '(8 mile) commute would be a nightmare'

I travel Leeds to Manchester 6 days a week....

You need to make a list of the 5 most important things you want in a house and be prepared to compromise on one or two of them.

Baildon? You're having a laugh aren't you?

Google maps says 45-90 minutes to do 25 miles across West Yorkshire during morning rush hour, and it would be a rare occurence to do that journey in under an hour and it would probably take even longer to return in the evening. Plus, lovely as Baildon is, commuting from there to Garforth in winter is going to be somewhere between soul destroying and impossible.

I sometimes get the feeling that the ideal job for a Mumsnetters DH is one that keeps him out of the house/away for as long as possible and some of the commutes suggested on this thread seem to be proving that notion.

Fix Assuming the DH will need to cross the city between 7 am and 9 am or 4 pm and 6 pm, the ease of commute should be a serious consideration.

I and others that have described such commutes as 'nightmare' have probably all spent hours amongst frustrating hours trying to make that commute. And no, public transport often isn't a viable alternative.

How long does your Leeds to Manchester commute take and how often does it come completely unstuck. I would be very surprised if you are driving the M62 daily unless well outside of rush hour, or else, you'd be in your car for about 4 hours a day, which is such a waste of a life.

Takes me an hour there, 1-2 hours back depending on when I finish.

No other jobs, No option to move my wife and children.

Lol at the '(8 mile) commute would be a nightmare' I travel Leeds to Manchester 6 days a week....

Obviously said by someone who's never tried to cross Leeds in rush hour
Completely the wrong side to Garforth. Would be a 'mare.

@FixTheBone Honestly, given the choice (as the OP has) why would anyone want the commute across Leeds, mainly on the ring road, from Guiseley, Yeadon, Calverley to Garforth? You’re looking at the best part of an hour in rush hour. Baildon and Shipley? No way would I want to do that! I just don’t get what these places offer which is so special to warrant the commute which can’t be found closer to Garforth.

TL,DR and can't help as I don't know the Leeds area very well at all.

Just wanted to wish you luck with the move. I lived on the Yorkshire coast for many years, now live in the Midlands, and I'd go back in a heartbeat. So jealous!!!!

I have lived in Selby with two teens and we all survived. However, someone suggested Tadcaster and I would agree that Tadcaster (where the boys spent their childhood) would be a good choice. Tadcaster is about half way between York and Leeds and it is an easy commute to both cities (I used to do this by bus). Tad Grammar is a good school and my sons were treated well there (both have SEN).

There are some great open spaces around Selby, which is not surprising because it was a market town before the coal seam was discovered. There is: Brayton Barf, Skipwith Common, Hambleton Hough, Barlow Common, a lovely canal walk and so on. It is also good for cyclists and has an annual Selby Bike Ride.

Just outside Selby, at Barlby, there is a new development of houses and Barlby still retains the aura of a village.

Yes, there is some substance abuse, but no more than anywhere else. There are also some traffic problems, but there again, perhaps that could be said of anywhere.

There are a collection of lovely villages between Howden (just east of Selby) and Goole, but I am not sure about the property prices.

My advice would be to visit the town and take a look around.

Moved to Selby 3 years ago. I second everything @PavlovaFaith said. It's affordable, you get a lot of house for your money. It's rough around the edges but we have a network of friends already. Everyone is v.v.v. Friendly.

Btw do you have kids @pavlovafaith ? I am sahm now and need to branch out?!

I grew up in Selby. I wouldn't live there ever again. Some bits are nice but they are few and far between. Brayton is nice, as are the outer villages.

Scarbados is my favourite piss take place name 😁😁

As someone who has also commuted Leeds to Manchester I can say it takes me less time to get from Manchester to Bradford in rush hour then it takes to just cross the city of Leeds!
You need to live on the east side of the city.
I would thoroughly recommend Chapel Allerton , Roundhay and between there and cross gates. I don’t think you need to worry about being in a city- Leeds is not a big industrial city like Birmingham and I found it quite town- like!

I live Harrogate, knaresborough and wetherby but you’re not going to get close to what you are looking for with £300k.

To be honest Garforth is quite a pleasant place and your money will take you further there, as well as having a short commute. I’d definitely put it close to the top of your list.