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.

😅 I grew up in the North West too .

I was going to suggest this. We holiday in Matlock every year and it’s amazing. I wonder if Chesterfield would be suitable for OP. It’s got everything in terms of a normal town with supermarkets and access to everything you need but a 10 minute drive in most directions and you’re in beautiful countryside.

Just some other idiot on this thread who is determined that Manchester is not in the north and trying to put her point across haha.

Not been to Cheshire then ?

Or Edinburgh?

Matlock, Whitley Bay, York, Ripon, Durham - all near civilisation.

Nottingham BTW is certainly not in 'the north' 😆

Or almost every inland town and city in North Yorkshire, and huge swathes of Cumbria, Northumberland and North Lancashire.

We did it, although different areas to what you're considering, but a whole change of lifestyle. We moved to the countryside, which we both always wanted to do, and absolutely adored it. However, our family weren't happy with how far away we were, and so it was always us that had to do the long journey back, whereas I had envisioned us taking it in turns, so think about whether your family and friends will REALLY make the effort to come and visit, or whether it will become a chore, and you may find yourself out on your own, and reliant only on each other, which is what happened to us. Not a problem in as much as we have a wonderful relationship, but over a period of 10 years, our health started to go down hill, and we began to realise that where we were, wouldn't be ideal as we got older, we're currently early 60's, so decided to take the plunge and move back to be closer to family, and at the same time to a more suitable location for when we begin to need things like doctors, chemists, etc., on a more regular basis. When we moved back we didn't go back to the same area, but just a lot closer to the family, think 30 minutes versus 4 hours. I would be the last one to put you off indulging your dream OP, but please do think VERY CAREFULLY, about the new location, and how you will feel if family and friends don't make the effort to come visit. I hope you do it, and wish you well.

weather is a significant factor

What bollocks

Harrogate is not consistently slow. The vast majority of Harrogate has no traffic issues at all.

I have hopped in an out of Skipton Road all weekend with no issues
It is busy for brief periods during the day (but no busier then trying to get through North Leeds or Westminster)

How much time do you spend in Harrogate (and Skipton Road?)

Harrogate is not consistently slow. The vast majority of Harrogate has no traffic issues at all

Coming to Harrogate from York can be very busy.

Especially at certain times of the day. No ring road at all.

But then again, I was down in the South East a while ago and the traffic down there was really busy.

YANBU, but just think about the future and travelling back to east Anglia to see grandchildren or elderly parents.

Some of the more picturesque villages are very quiet nowadays due to second home owners, so maybe try a nice market town at first. Could you rent out your house instead of selling, in case you want to change your mind and come back?

Don't let anyone from Scotland hear you describe Edinburgh as 'up North '.

Edinburgh is up north for sone people in Scotland you know .. the forgotten chunk of Scotland

No guarantee the children will stay in east anglia and no guarantee they will want to look after elderly parents -

It might be north of where they live but it's not up North. There's a difference.

Unless you consider London to be up north if you live on the south coast

I did it, moved from Surrey to Lancashire.
I love where I live, but I did know people that lived here already which may have made it easier.
I don't regret the move, it's the only way that as a single person I could afford to buy. But. And it's a bit but, I am so far away from the rest of my family.
My daughters are adults, married, one has her own daughters. Parents were doing ok when I moved, but are getting more frail.

It's a long drive back, I do try and get back once a month but it's usually every other month.
I'm too far away for people to visit (5 hour+ drive), so I miss out on a lot.
There are positives and negatives, on the whole it's positive.
But if I could do it again, I don't think I'd go quite so far.

I live in Scotland and see Edinburgh as uk north so ?

It's subjective isn't it !

According to this link

https://www.leicsra.org.uk/articles/38-centre-of-england.html

Some place near Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire is considered the geographical centre of England. As Manchester (and Cheshire) are considerably north of Leicestershire then sure they are in the North West of England

Posted in wrong place

🙄

Leek, is a very pleasant small town with a market & good car boot sales on the edge of the Peak District & only a few miles from the city of Stoke-on-Trent

Suggest also looking at Chester, Buxton, Bakewell, Southport, Sandbach, Chesterfield

Plenty of choice

If you buy, suggest get a property survey, because there are lots of mines underground

Friendly people, do your research & visit before you buy

The latter! Some idiots think going North means cheap, they would be in for a shock , 375k won't buy much in the areas mentioned. Love the post warning of lack of facilities like Ueber, she's coming from East Anglia and will know all about that unless she's in a city or large town!

I know people in Cornwall who describe Exeter as up north. It’s all relative

Most of the southerners who’ve moved up here will have decent equity and can choose to live in the most desirable areas full of people like them so I guess they can honestly say that the north doesn’t seem deprived. There are definitely very expensive parts of the north where house prices are way over the national average
but like it or not the north does fare worse generally as far as employment opportunities, decent schools, functioning public transport etc are concerned and some posters on here are diminishing that. Try finding your kid an apprenticeship or a job up here. If you can’t drive and live outside a major city try travelling on public transport. I live in a town of >300k and it’s abysmal. Trouble is the shitholes aren’t getting any better and the nice places are ever more expensive for locals…