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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Another northern where to live plea

133 replies

NouvelleMamanNouvelleVie · 13/12/2020 12:05

I've seen a few threads where you guys have given great advice to people not sure where to live.

Aibu to ask for some tips too?

Small children and I'm realising I need to be closer to my parents. They live in Doncaster but for one reason and another that's not an option itself.

I like york. Husband likes mountains / sea. I'm less keen on living up a mountain to be fair. I'm also terrified of being isolated.

We would love somewhere with some things to do, places to walk, countryside, maybe a forest to explore or canals to walk alongside. Somewhere with nice views.

I appreciate I'm being very picky.

Budget at a stretch is 400k. Maybe 425.

Please be kind, this move is the cause of an awful lot of anxiety and I have bad pnd that improves when I can see my mum!

OP posts:
CrotchBurn · 13/12/2020 12:06

Sheffield 100%. Hilly, great countryside on your doorstep, just next door to Doncaster, Englands greenest city, a lot for your money

Bunnybigears · 13/12/2020 12:10

Peak District area is probably what you are looking for, Sheffield will give you the best of both worlds. Plenty of countryside but also plenty of city and culture.

Original poster
NouvelleMamanNouvelleVie · 13/12/2020 12:11

Thanks crotch... can you suggest any nice villages surrounding?

OP posts:
Moooooooooooooooooo · 13/12/2020 12:15

Harrogate. Right on the edge of the Dales with loads of ‘mountains’ to explore, natural tarns (lakes) beautiful views, forests canals all very close by. Good railway links and not far from Doncaster.

MrsPnut · 13/12/2020 12:28

I've lived in Harrogate and Sheffield and I would pick Sheffield out of the two.

Look over to the south west of the city, there are some lovely village feeling areas and you are 10 minutes from the Peak District but with lots of parks etc in Sheffield itself.

littlekipling · 13/12/2020 12:32

Have a look at Slaithwaite (just outside Huddersfield) really lovely. Slaithwaite has excellent hill, forest and canal walks and the village is quite a busy / thriving community (nice shops, restaurants and bars / pubs plus LOTS of activities for children and families). About 45 mins from Doncaster (driving) and has it's own train station which takes around 40 mins in one direction to leeds and 40 mins in other direction to Manchester. I really enjoyed living there.

SpongeBobJudgeyPants · 13/12/2020 12:36

This will bump it for you at any rate. I love Whitby. Would give you the sea etc, and houses can be had within your budget, but about 3 hrs from Doncaster according to Google, which may well be too far for you. Might be an idea to give a travel time from Doncaster that is doable if everything else ticked the boxes for you? Maybe good public transport would make a difference to you, depending on how you and your mum would normally travel?

Original poster
NouvelleMamanNouvelleVie · 13/12/2020 18:14

Thanks for the suggestions so far :-) just been looking at Sheffield and it seems really expensive. I'll keep trying!

OP posts:
Original poster
NouvelleMamanNouvelleVie · 13/12/2020 18:17

@MrsPnut why did you prefer Sheffield to Harrogate?

OP posts:
Original poster
NouvelleMamanNouvelleVie · 13/12/2020 18:17

Are there any votes for York? :-)

OP posts:
Popcornismandatory · 13/12/2020 18:29

Penistone/Thurgoland/Wortley - beautiful countryside on your front doorstep, less than 2 hours to the east coast and close to motorway links to Doncaster

Popcornismandatory · 13/12/2020 18:36

Oh and outstanding schools for your LO's

skylarkdescending · 13/12/2020 18:39

York is fantastic but you'll be lucky to find anything in a decent area for your budget I would've thought.

tanguero · 13/12/2020 18:41

Hull and environs.....48 mile direct motorway all the way from Hull to Donnie. By the sea, beaches, the Wolds, etc.. Hull like all cities, has posh areas (conveniently for you on its west side), and quaint nearby market towns eg Beverley. Hullensians imo....are really nice folk....not really Yorkshire folk at all.

Walkerbean16 · 13/12/2020 18:44

Love York but we have just bought our first house and had to move slightly out of York to get the size of house we needed. We paid 400k for a large 5bed.

We moved to Pocklington. Its lovely, you get lots more for your money than York and its the gateway to the wolds.

MrsGEW1 · 13/12/2020 18:45

Buxton is amazing place (my home town) Perfect for families! Also come up high in newspapers and magazines when they name great places to live in the UK

NovemberR · 13/12/2020 18:45

Harrogate is lovely - but massively expensive. 400k won't buy you as much as it will in Sheffield.

Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady · 13/12/2020 18:46

2nd time I've put Sheffield on a thread today.

If you like a village feel but don't want the isolation of a village then go for areas in the West.

Crosspool, Fullwood, Lodge Moor, Ranmoor
Very close to the Peak District (walking distance) local shops, really good schools.

400 would get you a 3/4 bedroom house.

Bit further out is Bakewell/Hathersage. Both beautiful and more small towns than village

MrsPnut · 13/12/2020 18:52

Harrogate is a lovely town but it doesn’t have such great transport links and also it is becoming overrun with people moving from London.
The areas you could afford are either on the very outskirts of the area or in not so nice districts.

Sheffield just has more going for it generally, more students stay in the city after graduating than any other place in the country. It has a more relaxed vibe and is such a green city.

Hailtomyteeth · 13/12/2020 18:53

- Otley
The house there is a couple of minutes walk from the river, from the town centre, a good chip shop... easy walk to Waitrose and Sainsburys... three pharmacies within five minutes walk, not that far from Costa... what more could you ask?
Great for walks, views etc. Good little town. But if your OH isn't into cycling, he soon will be. It's a cunt of a place for cyclists. Teeming with them. Close to the airport, which can be handy.

Harrogate is horribly provincial, narrow minds.
York is expensive and tourist-ridden.
Sheffield is big, rough, too many hills.

If you're coming as far as Slaithwaite, you might try Uppermill, Delph, Dobcross or Marsden.

WinniePig · 13/12/2020 19:03

York is fantastic and of course you will find something for your budget of £400k. The schools are all brilliant. Fulford school was named secondary school of the decade in The Times a couple of weeks ago. The other secondary schools may seem overshadowed in comparison but they are all very good. Acomb has some great areas and is very affordable. Fulford has a new estate to the south which will have some affordable
options. I love York and no, it is not overrun with tourists. York also has fab transport links (2 hours to London, 1 hour to Newcastle, 3 hours to Edinburgh (all direct)). Lots of great shops, restaurants, culture and things for kids to do. So happy that my
kids grow up here.

Toilettripping · 13/12/2020 19:20

Stay in south of West Yorkshire. You’ll get more for your money AND it’s just as nice.

Seconding Penistone. Gorgeous place. The villages around there towards/around Huddersfield are all gorgeous too - Holmfirth etc.

All easily accessible to Doncaster - just not when it snows!

Toilettripping · 13/12/2020 19:20

South OR West Yorkshire **

Chosennonesneakymincepie · 13/12/2020 19:23

Peak District. Hathersage is amazing... closely followed by Bakewell, Hope Valley/Castleton, Buxton, Chinley some parts of Glossop.