To ask where in the Midlands or North would you would live if…

[movvrjm]

You have a toddler and can move anywhere? Budget around 550k. I am very remote at the moment and don’t like it but also don’t like being very central to a city. I’d like to be close ish to one though.

Define closeish?

Personally I’d live on the outskirts of Manchester - stockport or if budget can stretch to it didsbury or altrincham

I'd live in Cheshire but the bits close to Manchester. Wilmslow, Mobberley, Macclesfield. Or a village close to Stratford upon Avon if Midlands. I like villages though!

Coastal but on the Tyne and Wear metro. You could probably afford Seaburn which is where I grew up.

Wirral

Yorkshire.

Kenilworth, brilliant state schools and easy access to everywhere else in the country.

I used to live in Cheshire and it was glorious. Could get to Manchester or Liverpool within an hour, loads of parks and woodland, plenty to do. I miss it massively!

Cheshire can be nice but it is also close to Manchester which I am not keen on. How about York?

Liverpool. Lovely parks and great schools in Aigburth. 15 minute bus ride to city centre. Near major rail station. Punches above it's weight culturally. Easy access to Wales for walking and near Mersey/Beaches.

And I would avoid the Midlands really.

Northumberland gets my vote. Poss Hexham or corbridge as rail links to Newcastle but village feel. Anywhere along the coast though is gorgeous too.

York. Lovely "smallish" city but with lots going on. Good transport links to Leeds and Manchester, and even London/Edinburgh (if the trains are running!!). Closely surrounded by lots of countryside and pretty close to the coast.

York’s a good call, so is Ripon. And Stamford if you prefer the Midlands.

I'd probably live in Worcester. Small city but lots to do. Very child friendly. Lots of countryside around the city. Direct transport links to Birmingham and London.

Where are you currently? Assuming you don't want to move too far?

Midlands/North is a huge area - 4 or more hours driving Birmingham to Newcastle.

Is access to the coast important? Rail or motorway?

What about politics and schools? Personally I would avoid areas that still have a state funded grammar school system but others would prioritise that. Similarly I would tend to avoid areas with a Tory lead council/MP but that may not be important to you.

Similarly I would tend to avoid areas with a Tory lead council/MP but that may not be important to you.

That can change very rapidly. Grantham - former Tory stronghold - now has an Independent/Green council.

I’m from Cheshire and all the PP suggestions are spot on. Maybe check out Skipton in Yorkshire, though - lovely, close-knit community, good schools, train 40 mins into Leeds which has become a really great city in the last few years, car just an hour from Manchester city centre, edge of the Dales so you can get your fill of fresh air and sheep with your little one but still has fab restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars and a cinema. Ilkley is fifteen mins in the car too, with just as much and more. Just moved (four doors up the street we’ve been in for the last eight years!), and our five bed detached was £370k. Winning.

Plenty of nice areas in Solihull or one of its surrounding villages.

Realistically, you could ask 100 people this question and easily get 100 different answers. The North could be anywhere north of Leicester up to the Scottish Borders; it's a big, big area and the Midlands ain't small. Here's my two penn'orth:

Northeast: Tynemouth
Northwest: Altrincham
North central: Leeds
Yorkshire coast: Scarborough or Whitby
North Midlands: Matlock
East Midlands: Ashby de la Zouch
West Midlands: Sutton Coldfield
South Midlands: Abingdon.

I'd buy something like this in Hexham or Corbridge I found this property on the Rightmove Android app and wanted you to see it: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141097790

York or Wilmslow

One of the many lovely villages within striking distance of Coventry for trains to London and Birmingham, and close to Leamington Spa for shopping and lovely restaurants

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=POSTCODE%5E4164212&insId=1&googleAnalyticsChannel=buying

This is a small market town, just about 15 minutes by train into Birmingham City centre. A vibrant, cosmopolitan city with everything you'd expect from a city.

This town has a high street with a fantastic butcher, fish monger, bakers, boutique and more. Bars and restaurants as well as a terrific dental practice, vets, hairdressers and a Tesco express. Lots of infant schools, a selection of excellent senior schools in the area. On a bus route and close yo Merry Hill shopping centre.

The house is about a 7 minute walk to the train station. With the added bonus of woodland and a nature reserve within walking distance.

Worth a look. Cradley is definitely underpriced.

That narrows it down a bit.

I’d go to the area round Shrewsbury, which is beautiful and a very nice small city. Possibly Malvern, which is well connected for Worcester and Birmingham and also a lovely area.
If I was going north, York would be my first choice. Have lived there and still miss it.