Cheshire but down south?

[Cheshirequestions]

Hi all, posted here for traffic.

We (couple in our 30s plus DCs under 5), currently live in Cheshire and absolutely love it here. We’re close to Alderley Edge high street and I love that we live somewhere that feels fairly rural whilst also having so much within walking distance. We have a lovely mixture of chain and independent restaurants/cafes, and have a local train station. Plus we’re only 20 minutes away from Manchester.

I know it’s not to everybody’s taste, but we love the vibe here and are really sad to be leaving.

We need to be somewhere in this circle ideally. We are completely newbies when it comes to this area - are there any places here that are like Cheshire?!

Wallingford, Abingdon, Chippenham, Florence Park area of Oxford, Stroud (not quite sure how far that circle extends), Wantage?

Harpenden may suit you but pricey.

Good train line from Twyford.

If Luton is on the table then so should Slough. Excellent rail and airport accessibility. Sir John Betjemen even wrote a poem about it.

The opening line is "Come, friendly bombs and fall on Slough"

@Elbowpatch , Slough has already been suggested.

Sir John Betjemen even wrote a poem about it.
The opening line is "Come, friendly bombs and fall on Slough"
That stopped being funny about 60 years ago.

I don’t think St Albans is quite in the red ‘circle’?
& it’d barely scrape into having rural feeling anyway.

Have a look at Pangbourne, Goring, Henley - as well as Thame as already suggested. All lovely areas.

I live in a village at the north end of your circled area, and it's bloody lovely. Close to 3 towns, and well placed for the M1.

Berkhamsted maybe? I don't live there. and I don't know Alderley edge either. But my friend lives there and the way she describes it sounds like what you're after

St Albans would be in the circle, just, but it's a city.
Newbury would be just in the circle too.

I'd be looking at Tring, Berkhamstead, Henley, Marlow, Beaconsfield.

I’ll take your word for it. I’m too young to remember.

Me too. I doubt that many remember JB - he died over 40 years ago, and that line gets trotted out on almost every post that mentions Slough.

Summertown in Oxford is a bit like Altrincham/Hale. There are also cute little streets with independent shops within walking distance.

How can Luton and Alderley Edge be the same?!

Alderley Edge is proper posh and countrified. I mean proper posh. Full of footballers. It’s one of the wealthiest areas outside London.

I don’t get that vibe from Luton!

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow , you'll need to visit Luton again. You're probably getting it mixed with Milton Keynes.

Hi OP! Fellow Cheshire person here, I’m from Macclesfield, and I now live in Aylesbury. I wouldn’t recommend Aylesbury though! It’s more like Macc than AE. Of the suggestions so far I think Thame and Berkhamsted are probably the most similar. Also Old Amersham (not the new part on the hill, but the train station is in the new part). Leamington Spa is lovely but a bit bigger than AE. You could look at Marlow and Beaconsfield too. None of these places are cheap though! Although you’ll be used to that…

Another factor to consider is that we have grammar schools in Buckinghamshire and the 11+. The grammar schools are very good but the non-grammar not so much, which means the schooling is rather unequal.

PP was joking. Luton and AE are poles apart!

Olney, Ampthill - both nice little towns in the Beds/Bucks bit of your map. Olney the nice, but pricier, of the two.

berkhamstead is a good shout. Goring & streatly is tiny and nothing much there, stroud is awful, very down at heel and hippie ish, Luton is…. Useful for the airport!

Have we got a budget from the OP. Do they need to be in grammar school area?

Quite the feat for a poet few remember.

That’s just what I was thinking! 😂

Have a look at Olney in Buckinghamshire- it has a lovely high street with lots of independent shops and cafes.

"....but I'm not going to tell you which they are...."

😹