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!

Oh yes Marple Bridge too!

Oxfordshire, Chiltern line into Birmingham with access to Oxford, lovely city too.

Lovely Market Towns like Princes Risborough or Thame and plenty of surrounding villages.

I came on to say this! I grew up on the Wirral - my parents still live there. It's lovely and best of all worlds really - coastal, not far from cities and good travel links. Plus you'll get a nice house for your budget

I think some of the suggestions being made are assuming OP needs London access - I think the original ask was somewhere that her DH could commute into the office 3 times per week in either Manchester, Liverpool or Birmingham. Durham is a nice city, but goodness you wouldn't want to travel from there to any of those places 3 times a week! You'd be bankrupt and exhausted!!

I would think that the Birmingham area might be the best bet. It is central for everything and easy to get back to London to see your friends. There are a lot of nice places to live nearby, too. There are a lot of lovely places in Warwickshire and Staffordshire. Birmingham is a a very interesting city, too, with lots to do. You should be able to find some lovely properties in your budget. Although there are some wonderful places in the north west, I think the Midlands would be more convenient in every way.

I've never been, but a number of people have told me how lovely Chorlton cum Hardy is.

It's about three miles outside of Manchester City centre and apparently it has lovely restaurants, cafes, bars and delis etc. Supposedly it's "very middle class" and the place to live!?

There are lovely towns and villages in Cheshire that are well connected to Manchester. From Wilmslow you can get to Manchester in less than 20 minutes and to London in about 2 hours by train.

With you budget you could get a nice house, schools are generally very good and the Peak District is on your doorstep.

I would go to Cumbria if it was up to me. I have no idea what the train commute is but the people are lovely. It’s a case of land that time forgot. Cash is still king, mobile signals are patchy and there’s not a Costa on every god dam corner. Then there’s the views. I love it

Personally I’d move just south of Birmingham. The West Yorkshire area is ok but the huge expanse of bleak moorland between there and Manchester can be a bit wearing after a while. Where I live you have to go on the M1 to go south and that’s a nightmare. It’s also surprisingly crowded because there are so many cities and everyone ends up at the same places for days out. I’d go for a village in the Forest of Arden area.

I was going to say Marsden, and I know folk who commute to Leeds from there.It's also about as far as you can get from the sea in England.

Chester ?

@TheFirmLurker I live in Nantwich. Beautiful little market town, lots going on, great places to eat, nice walks on your door step if you've got a dog. Brilliant place for kids. Couldn't recommend it more and you'll definitely find something way within your budget here. It's very pretty and very well connected, less than 10mins on the trains to Crewe then you're connected to everywhere.

That's lovely but on a very busy dual carriageway. Aigburth is lovely - Lark Lane is a fabulous hangout spot plus Sefton Park and Otterspool Prom. Loads to do and great for dogs.

My parents live in Greenmount Near Bury ,it's a lovely village ,with the penines and countryside nearby ,Nearby Rambottom ,Tottington ,Walshaw are nice areas too ,you can get Tram from Bury to Manchester.

Check out Northwich and surrounding villages if you’re thinking Cheshire.
lots to do in and around the area, countryside, rivers, canals for dog walks and large country parks nearby.
winnington or Kingsmead for more of a newbuild house area or Hartford and Davenham (Dave ‘n’ um it doesn’t rhyme with Dagenham) for more of your older properties.

plus equal distance to Manchester and Chester, easy to get to Liverpool or the M6 to Birmingham.
90 mins to Anglesey for the weekend or the NW coast generally around Formby is lovely and easy drive for the day

It's a suburb. Deffo trendy with some studenty bits. Maybe less for families.

If you are looking at Manchester as a base then I'd agree with Cheshire market towns. Alderley Edge and even Wilmslow are very pricey but there's better property deals in Nantwich, Northwich. Sandbach etc. although the motorway links can be busy at peak times.

Hebden Bridge and Todmorden have train links to Manchester and Leeds. Great scenery. Trendy bars and places to eat. And property bargains like this mansion near Hebden

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147752987?utmcampaign=property-details&utmmcontent=buying&utmmedium=sharing&utmmsource=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

She wouldn't want to be in West Yorkshire or anywhere near the M1 for the cities relevant to her DHs job.

Cheshire, parts of Lancashire, maybe Sefton coast, even north wales possibly?
So many possibilities... I think the OP and her DH need to have some weekends away to get a feel for the different areas.

Snap! I am actively contemplating moving to Lichfield, as it ticks all the boxes. Beautiful housing, great connections to the north and London. It’s got it all, and regular trains into Birmingham if you wish.

Harrogate!

2 hours to Manchester, further to Liverpool and Birmingham.

Best for commute to London is obviously Birmingham as its not The North, but The Midlands and you can get from New Street to Euston in an hour and 20. However if I wasn't born here and had all my people here I wouldn't choose to live in the Midlands. Too far from the coast and lacks the warmth and character of the proper North imo. I dont particularly love Birmingham as a city either, horrible mash up of architecture with little of real beauty (she says looking out of the office window). I love Liverpool personally.

I live in Cheshire, about 40 minutes from Manchester. There are so many villages near here where you can get the rural feel while still being a short drive or train ride from a town.

Holmes Chapel is a village, but has amenities (schools, supermarkets, hairdressers, various small shops, a Costa etc) and is about 45 minutes to Manchester. Your budget would get you Alderley Edge or Prestbury as well, which are basically a quiet villages with a high street. Or Wilmslow, which is a decent sized town but the residential areas are quiet and it's also very close to lovely countryside.

Or there's Goostrey, Chelford, Sandbach on the Crewe-Manchester and myriad other small villages (Mobberley, Peover, Plumley) which are more rural but short drives to quick train lines.

Just saw you have friends in Wilmslow/Alderley Edge, so I double my recommendations. We live in one of the villages I named and spend a lot of time in both of those towns for baby/toddler classes, shopping or meeting friends. Knutsford would also be a good suggestion. Lovely town, decent shops and supermarkets, a nice park/lake, community events.

Nantwich is lovely, small and cute and feels really nice and friendly. The only reason we didn't move there is it's just that bit too far from the Wilmslow/Alderley area where our friends are. But it's only an hour so if you see those friends at the weekend it's perfectly doable.

My mistake. I misread the OP and interpreted it as meaning he would be working remotely but might visit those offices on occasion.

Apologies.

How the hell is Durham a commutable distance to Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool???

I think The Wirral and the train into Liverpool is the most bang for your buck, OP

I grew up in Crewe just down the road from Nantwich, and still have lots of family and friends there.

Nantwich itself suits a lot of what you’re looking for, plus you have Crewe’s transport links a 10-15 min drive away. Lots of nice shops, restaurants, walks nearby. Areas of Willaston/Wistaston might also be worth a look.