Never been to the North really but pls tell me where to live

[TheFirmLurker]

Technically I am lying. I have been to random Northern cities but mostly for night outs with friends who happened to be there for whatever reason.

Dh and I have decided to leave London. It’s too expensive and we are killing ourselves for an expensive mortgage which sucks the living life out of us. We were hoping to find a cheaper house in a home county but once rail cards and commute times get factored in I’m not sure we’ll be much better off.

So I’m just curious if you have any recommendations. Dh has to be in the office 3 times a week (I luckily don’t). He has the option to work out of Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool.

I would love a village location where we aren’t on top of neighbours but can easily commute to a large town/city.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

Agree with this! Marsden and Slaithwaite in West Yorkshire are lovely villages. A few miles from Huddersfield town centre. 20 mins to Leeds, 45 minutes to Manchester on the train. You will get a mansion for that budget, but as your mortgage before was burdening you, perhaps look a little lower? You'll still get something grand!

I should have said we have 2 young kids. So when I say I want a rural feel I really mean that I would love to live in a village that is on the outskirts of a decent sized market town or similar. But I can’t really be out in the middle of nowhere at this stage.

I have to say west coast mainline has (touches wood) got a lot better in recent months. Almost back to virgin days standards
my last trip form Wigan to London was bang on time to minute, and coming back on home on Sunday we kept having to wait at Warrington and Crewe because we got ahead of schedule! Bang on time agian.
the visitors I’ve had in last 3 months have fared much better as well.

it was horrendous through, rewlly really bad until recently.

@TheFirmLurker Osmotherley is near Northallerton

Thanks so much for advice. Feel much less anxious. Have had an awful few weeks tossing and turning in bed at night.

We know people in Wilmslow, Alderley Edge and Altrincham so that general area seems natural if we decided on Manchester but still seems pricey.

Could anyone share what Nantwich is like?

Thanks

Lovely but nowhere near commutable to an office in Manchester, Liverpool or Birmingham!

dreamy property

None of those cities are up north. 😂

I'd live SW of Brum, and find a village/small town with a rail connection there. The old Forest of Arden area, around Henley-in-Arden, is gorgeous. You've got Stratford, Warwick and many other lovely towns and villages in the vicinity.

Or Cheshire where there are connections to Manchester and Liverpool. Knutsord, with good connections to Stockport and M/ch, Hartford (direct station to Liverpool) and lots of lovely villages.

I've always had to live in or near London, and I get quite depressed when I think of the lovely places I could have spent my life in rather than a dreary commuter town on the edge of London.

My bil and family live in altrincham,

Lots of young families and they are very happy with the schools.

🤣 I obviously didn't fully read the opening post.

I'd like the home I posted now though!

Edinburgh or NB.

Ah, should add, watch for toll fees on commute into liverpool

Liverpool is as far as I know the only place where they (technically not Merseyside in fairness) applied retrospective tolls on a bridge built years ago with government funding thst was never a toll bridge . Fecking outrageous. They built a new sparkly toll bridge. Grand. But then got away with charging for both and making the old dual carriage on old bridge single carriage way, restricted.

So if you are commuting from Wirral (via tunnels ) or Cheshire area south of Mersey through Runcorn you need to factor that in. Trains are good, and there is now direct route from places like Frodsham since they reopened the Runcorn loop.

you can literally only drive into Liverpool “free” if you come from north of Warrington or take the long M6 or congested Warrington town centre route. 🤯

but please don’t let it put you off of Cheshire, it is affordable, just factor it in

Birmingham! It’s an easy trip back to London and there are cheap rail fares into Marylebone. You could buy a lovely Georgian house in Kings Heath / Moseley for that price, there are really good schools there (including some of the best grammar schools in the country) loads of independent restaurants and bars both locally and in the city centre, and a great arts and culture scene.

We are moving to Liverpool, some really nice areas such as Calderstones, Allerton and great local schools. My family live there so plays a big part, there will always be something for the children to do.

My DF lives in Alderley Edge lovely village - bit pricey. Could also look at Wilmslow.

Also we are relocating from litchfield which is lovely and close to Birmingham!

It’s has a nice rep. But a longer commute to Liverpool and Manchester. Further up m6 northwards corridor would be better.

towns you list in Cheshire are good…blinking expensive! Do have a look round Chester area and places like Frodsham and grappenhall so as not to rule out Liverpool option as well as Manchester still being viable form there.

Nantwich is a lovely little town with lots of things going on-Easter weekend has a music festival, start of September has a food festival, battle of Nantwich in January, Nantwich agricultural show in July, regular farmers' markets . Might be worth visiting for a few days to see if you like it-there are a few nice hotels.

If you're thinking more rural then nearby then there's Audlem, Wrenbury, Wynbunbury. Definitely worth a look.

Formby? Incredibly reliable train to Liverpool, great schools, on the beach, good for families and you’d get a big detached house for that budget.

Liverpool all the way (biased Scouser here 🥳). It's a great city for working in with a number of connected trainlines into the city. The city centre is small and a lot of it is pedestrianised so you don't get that hostile commuter in a hurry vibe. It's pretty chilled.

For villages, your budget will get you an amazing house even in places like Formby and Crosby to the north or Woolton or Hale Village (thatched cottages!) to the south of the city or as previous posters have said, the Wirral or Cheshire. We are next to Wales and the Lakes isn't far (get yourself a holiday home with your change from the house sale).

We have an amazing coastline, a vibrant social scene for all ages and tastes, stunning architecture and beautiful parks, fabulous sports and arts, amazing public events all year on a par with any major European city and it is so friendly with loads of diverse established communities. Bloody cheap too. Reduce your days! I love it here! Born and bred ❤️

Aberdeen - that is up north.

Inverness - up north.

Dundee - again, up north.

Edinburgh - up north.

Liverpool - down south🤣

If you have friends in those three towns then I would look around there. Little Bollington is lovely, so is Prestbury and Lymm. Mobberley is also really lovely but quite spread out.

I was going to mention Marsden too. It's lovely around there.

Have a look along the cross city line run by West Midlands railway which is basically the commuter line for the West Midlands/ Birmingham based folk. Starts in Lichfield (lovely villages near here, Lichfield itself is nice) and goes through Birmingham and out again. I think further south Barnt Green is supposed to be nice. Also branches off.

Or perhaps Coventry and surrounds which has the fast train into Birmingham. Warwick / Warwickshire is lovely for example although not cheap.

If you need to be in the office every day it does have it's issues like so many railways. Coming from London originally public transport or lack of takes some getting used to.

I’d go for S of Birmingham towards Stratford.