To relocate up north

[StonwEd]

From East Anglia? Has anyone done it? Am I mad?
I’ve just spent yet another lovely week in the Lake District, greater Manchester and Derbyshire. We do this often although not as often as I would like due to very low holiday allowance.
Daydreaming a bit but also not really.
Kids all moved out, own my house outright, prob will sell for around £375k.
Enjoy my job but it’s crap money and hasn’t really got prospects but it is a field I’m sure I can get another job in and I’ve seen plenty of remote working jobs that are related (and better paid 🙄)
Husband is on board with this fantasy, he has a small business so can work anywhere.
I had kids very young so have lived in my home town all my life. Never left but always wanted to.
I’m 45 and I’m finally thinking it might be time. Financially as long as I get a job, we’ll be fine, and I’m so poorly paid as it is, shop or bar work will be fine to start with.
I’ve got a fair bit of savings and I’m thinking of travelling round the north for a couple of months, stay in local b&bs and to know some areas better before we take the plunge. I’d have to quit my job obvs but it’s a risk I’m starting to think is worth it…

And most importantly, where should we be looking? Want nature on our doorstep, but easy access to a town.

Well you're obviously in Scotland. :)

Northumberland north east beautiful area

Same goes for Manchester imo.

Except Manchester is considered to be in north west of England.....definitely not midlands.

No, England.

But north of the Wall lol.

It's perspective isn't it. It's definitely not north imo.

Just over 100 miles from my location to carlisle. Not several hundred :)

Its perspective isn't it. It's definitely not north imo.

But it is in the north west of England. That's not really up for debate. That is it's geographical location.
You might live further north than Manchester but it doesn't move its location 😂

I said Manchester - it's over 200 miles south of me.

Haltwhistle is considered the geographical centre of Britain so somewhere 150 miles or so south of that isn't north in my book.

It defiantly is you personally might not want it to be but it is Northwest of England whether you like that or not that's not an opnion that's a fact.

Still doesn't stop Manchester being in the north west of England though does it?

I live in Alfreton which is on the edge of the Derbyshire Dales, easy reach of the Peaks, Clumber Park, Buxton, Sherwood Forest, Byrons hometown, Yorkshire Dales and much more yet only 5 mins off the m1. Loads of villages and small towns around here and we are pretty much central. 20 mins from Nottingham and Derby, a shade more for Sheffield so although I'm on the edge of some stunning countryside we aren't isolated and have a great transport network and busy town centre. There's towns and villages that would probably fit your bill closer than you might think for going back to visit family!

But as I've just pointed out its many miles south of the geographical centre. That isn't opinion. That's a fact.

It may be often referred to as the north but anyone looking at a map can see its not really.

Happy to agree to differ as you will never convince me. The north (of England) is Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham, Cumbria and North Yorkshire. Anything else isn't.

If we are are talking about Britain as a whole than I can see your point
However whether you like it or not Manchester is in the Northwest England that's not an opnionts a fact
But I'm not going to argue with as your are determined it's not and we are going round in circles.

But as I've just pointed out it's many miles south of the geographical centre. That isn't opinion. That's a fact.

You keep referring to the geographical centre of Britain.
It is also a fact that Manchester is in the northwest of England
Both of those facts can be true.

It may be often referred to as the north but anyone looking at a map can see its not really.

Do you own different maps to the rest of us? Manchester is quite clearly in the northwest of England

Happy to agree to differ as you will never convince me. The north (of England) is Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham, Cumbria and North Yorkshire. Anything else isn't.

Only according to you.
Every description of Manchester clearly states it's in the northwest of England.

No it's geography 🤣

Depends on which bit of The North and which bit of The South.

We moved from inner East London, where we'd been for over 3 decades to the affluent Eden Valley in Cumbria. It's like night and day. Love London, and always will. But the quality of life is stratospherically higher in our bit of Cumbria than it was in London, and we are both very decent earners.

Everyone agrees that Manchester (my local city) is the North West of England. If you look at a map, it's the north west of England.
Websites refer to it as the North West. We get North West tonight news, surprisingly.

Everyone except you seems to say that Manchester is the North West.

Where are your kids OP?

I would start by thinking a bit about the places you might want to travel back to and that people will come to in order to visit you.

Being close to the east coast mainline for example might be useful. Or you could think about the areas of Cheshire close to Crewe or Macclesfield which have excellent links to London.

Or consider the road network and being within reasonable striking distance.

I live 350 miles north of my family but we meet up a lot. It helps that the train links are good (as far as rural Scotland goes!) and that there are lots of lovely half way points we can meet in.

The difference between a four hour journey and a seven hour journey is 'can I come for a weekend ' (perhaps with an extra day) or 'do I need to use all my annual leave just visiting'.

Having too much choice is difficult so try and draw up areas you can reach, then research can you afford it, then does it provide all I am looking for.

I love the areas between Manchester and Sheffield like Hathersage. But I also love Berwick upon Tweed and Northumberland. Lake district is lovely but I couldn't cope with the tourist areas in summer so would have to be west lakes (though having done east and west I prefer to sacrifice a few degrees in warmth for less rain).

Perhaps play a quick fire game to get your gut reactions so 'east or west'? 'coast or country ', 'remote or close to town '.

You have a reasonable budget. Okay not if you want to live in Didsbury or Windermere or Harrogate but it would be good for most reasonable areas.

There are some world-class shitholes and run down towns in the South.

The Medway towns, Yeovil, Barnstaple, Aldershot, Ilford, Romford, Luton, Redruth, St Austell, Wisbech, Boston, Great Yarmouth, Peterborough, Portsmouth... on it goes. And any number of towns within London's orbit

I live in the Peak District & absolutely love it. Lovely countryside on my doorstep but 50 mins to Manchester souls I want to be in the city.

Personally I moved to Sheffield and absolutely love it, loads of green space and I can be walking in the countryside within 10 minutes of leaving my house. On the other hand I can get a bus or tram and be in the city centre within half an hour. Not to mention the ease of getting to the peak district

I think friends, family and general networks are pretty important tbh.

Of course Manchester is the NW.

I know. I live here. 😀