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've lived on the Wirral, Shropshire, Ipswich, Wiltshire, Somerset, Northampton before moving to near the peaks. I much prefer the North to the South.

I knew you'd live in a statistical empirical abnormality.
Fact
Rains significantly more in the north where Dp lives compared to me in Buckinghamshire.
1100mm vs 640mm-temps are average temp 10.5c vs 14.5c
Transport connectivity is worse than in most of Europe.

Last year it took us 60 minutes or so to drive 40 miles and park up for a concert in Warwick Castle. It took over two hrs to get to Temple Newsam and park up.

One positive for the North is the farm shops are better and so are the fish chips.
Although it was £20 for 2 double vodka redbulls. in Machester when we went out.

My DS couldn't afford to buy a house in the Midlands where we lived so he moved up to Hull and bought himself a house there. He's a Class 1 lorry driver so they are in short supply so he could get a job anywhere in the country. He took a £6k a year pay cut to move. He's made good friends up there. He's got a lovely girlfriend, got a cat and he's happy. He's been there 3 years now.

I did the opposite and moved from the North to East Anglia.

if you want countryside what about North Wales? The perfect mixture between mountains, rivers and the coast.

there are several reasonable villages price wise and you are not far away from Chester and Bangor.

Fgs why would anyone want to live in a ghastly ex pit village. Decent area = any other posh town down south with less of the poors and certainly no council estates 😂

The investment is fresh air, health and happiness. You can't put a price on wellbeing.

Liverpool!

I was going to say if it's the hills and countryside that attract, what about Herefordshire or Shropshire? Roughly speaking, if you draw a line from the Severn to the Humber, N&W of it tends to be hilly (and less crowded).

Let’s be honest I doubt that any MNetter ever moved up north to any of those deprived left behind areas. It’s just not going to happen. That’s why they get all so tetchy when people joke about having baths in a coal bin and using an outside loo up north. Places like Harrogate, York, Ilkley are full of people from the south. Sadly many of the locals can’t afford to live there themselves. My family is from York. Some younger members are having to move further out to Pock and places because property is ludicrously expensive. Someone showed a terrace earlier for £350k. 10 years ago that would have been a normalish price for locals.

See I feel its the exact opposite.

It's so clean up here, including the air and certainly the standard of living is far better in the north. My area consistently tops the best place to live guides so that's proof enough for me.

We moved 30 years ago from up north to further up north. Sadly, like many attractive north eastern towns, young people are struggling to buy or rent as even the little ordinary terraces are becoming Airbnb’s. But compared to Manchester for example, where my son lives, properties aren’t crazy money.
Downside? Transport. There’s two buses every hour to our nearest train station town. One every two hours to the other biggish town. And nothing after 8pm. So ok atm as we can drive, but looking at the future when we’re too old, we’ll be stuck.

MeMyCatsAndMyBooks area s up north poor? Have you not heard of the golden triangle?! In Yorkshire There is a lot of old money in Yorkshire.

Id listen to your gut .
we moved to our dream village in East Yorkshire from Lancashire. We felt if it didn't work - we always go back .

There is less wealth up north but I think most of the image problem is rich people looking to get the most for their money and moving therefore to very deprived areas without thinking it totally through

See it often enough on mn - someone from London lusting over a five bedroom mansion in some old pit village for half the price of their bedsit

Roughly what's the budget and what space do you need OP? Apologies if I've missed it, I see that your current house is 375k but don't know if you want to spend more or less than that.

Yanbu obviously!

My auntie lives in a lovely wee Village called ‘Riccall,’ about 10 miles from York. I love it. Nice pub, great Italian, a few takeaways, coffee shop.

I live in the north and you couldn’t pay me to move down south! I have a big house in a nice area I reckon down south I’d be in a 1bed flat! The people are friendlier and stil have that community spirit! I’d go for it, if you don’t enjoy it after a few years you can always move back, it doesn’t have to mean forever.

I suppose r we wouldn’t want to spend that much. Maybe 300k and I’d want 3 bedrooms, a small garden. There’s plenty out there but I wish we had more money to play with. I mean we can get another mortgage but I don’t really want to

I was going to suggest n Wales. If you're NE Wales, you get the lot:

Beaches from 25 minutes away.
Countryside close by.
20 minutes from retail parks.
40 mins liverpool/25ish Chester/ 1hr Manchester
Cheaper than the wirral.

We moved from Wiltshire to Cheshire nearly 6 years ago as a family and it's the best thing we did. Husband and I both found jobs timed with the move. Daughter found a job shortly after. We live in a lovely market town which is about 45 minutes from Manchester, 2 hours from the Lakes and lots of other lovely places within easy drive. We are currently moving house but only upgrading in the same town as we love where we are so much. Wherever we go everyone is so friendly and we love our Northern life.

I go to Riccall for work a about mince a month, and also hade a friend there. Lovely countryside, great motorway connections, easy into York.

I'm from the Colne Valley near Huddersfield, Manchester side. Absolutely gorgeous views, trains and M62 to Leeds and Manchester (worst motorway ever unfortunately) but another area where your £375k will only get you a small 3 bed somewhere like Slaithwaite or Marsden, so not a move to make for accommodation reasons.

I moved south in the late 00s and have to say while I miss family I do not miss the rain. And snow.

Look into Lancaster. It gives me ‘mini’ York feels has nice parks etc and is a short ride up the m61 to the lakes or a short ride down to Manchester. North yorkshire easily accessible too

Not sure why all the negativity on the thread (but am biased as a Northerner lol).. there are loads of lovely places you would get what you're looking for with 300k and nice balance of city and countryside if you want it - if I were you I would jump at the chance :)