Relocating up north - looking for recommendations!

[Relocationlady]

This is my first time using mumsnet so hope I’m posting this in the right way but I’m after some advice please!

My husband and I think we’d like to relocate up North (currently in Sussex) for better quality of life, house prices etc but all our family and friends are local to us now so we really don’t know where to start!

We have a 1 year old and would like to continue growing our family so somewhere suburban, family friendly with good schools, parks, nearby towns as well as green space would be ideal, bonus points if it’s within a reasonable driving distance from the beach.

Has anyone got any recommendations of nice areas we could research? Or has anyone ever done a move like this with new prior connections and might be able to share their experience/some tips etc?

thank you in advance!

You could get a 4 bed in /around Lancaster for somewhere around £400k Ticks all your boxes, you can be at the 'beach' within 10 mins if you mean sea/rocks and muddy sand or at a proper beach if you are willing to travel a little further up/down the coast in either direction a little.

30 mins from the Lake District. Good public transport due to all the students (2 universities in what is actually a very small city). You are in a city but it feels more like a town but without being insular. Very welcoming vibe, lots of people from all over the place (again due to students).

fantastic views across the bay to the Lakes on one side or surrounded by countryside a few minutes out of Lancaster in any direction.

schools are generally good but there is a grammar system so can be quite competitive.

you are straight onto the M6 or the west coast mainline for heading back down south when you want to.

Lytham is lovely but very expensive; St Anne's less pricey and has beautiful houses and great schools; Ansdell is in-between the two and fairer priced but the Fylde coast has a premium (apart from Blackpool, Cleveleys, Fleetwood). Poulton le Fylde very nice but you pay more for property there than other nearby villages/towns.
West Lancashire and South Ribble areas are well located for public transport up and down the UK, and well-connected by motorways.
I live 20 miles north of Manchester, 25 from Liverpool, 60 from Leeds, an hour from the South Lakes, two hours from Snowdonia and two hours on the west coast mainline by train to London. Semi-rural, great schools friendly vibe, loads of amazing scenery nearby, affordable property. Works for us!

Ok here are my pics, including one in Harrogate. I'm not getting this you won't get much for your money- maybe not 4 bed detached but still very nice family houses- I do get the idea some of you think people are wanting huge places with masses of land--moving further north I think you will find many are realistic

Here's one in Bingham (Nottinghamshire-voted number 1 family place- very nice)

One in York

One in Harrogate

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/125011841#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/124220468#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/125222954

Another one for Lincoln.
I’ve lived here forever, to the PP that it’s racist, I have to disagree.
I’m mixed race, Dh is Asian. Our 3 dc are clearly Asian. It’s not racist here, although, not massively diverse either.
probably the biggest thing for us here is that it’s safe, can walk out at night without fear. There are certainly some parts of Lincoln that you should avoid, I can say the same for anywhere though.
schools are good, transport from Newark to London is 90mins by train.
Roads are absolute tripe, but that’s the joys of living in the shire!
No motorways, but we have just had a new single bypass which cuts about 75% off the journey from one side of the city to the other 😂
close to the coast, again, some which need avoiding all together, but then some which no one seems to know about!
Town centre is pretty diabolical though, no decent shops left anymore, so it’s either internet shopping or Nottingham.

I live in west Lancashire…not the most expensive area you’d think…but my small dormer 4 bed last year cost me £400k to buy. In the 12 months since I think that’s now £420k….you are going to struggle to get 4 beds on £400k in a lot of places up north.

poster mentioned ilkley- 🤣🤣🤣no chance on that budget or the villages around. Same on Wirral. Same in Chester area.

I think the first thing OP, is to define a list of criteria to whittle it down

1. are schools a factor? Would you want kids take 11+ for instance


2. Do you need to go back south for family and friend visits - this means you need to be either on M6, M1 or A1M “corridors” within say 15 mins dive of those routes. That’s still a big area, but it’ll help , similar how far north will you go (eg Carlisle, Berwick? Or Leeds and liverpool, or whatford 🤣)


3. how far form a city?


4. how far form the coast- some parts of midlands and Yorkshire can be pretty landlocked


5. what are your hobbies? Des that factor to be near somewhere with those facilities.


6. what line of work are you in? Can you work form home or need to look for jobs- how flexible are your job locations- this is usually the most important factor.

I’ve lived all over he country from Sussex, kent and Berkshire, to yorkshire, cheshire and Lancashire to Tyne and Wear and Herefordshire. I like the northwest as it’s got amazing transport links to go south yet is within easy reach of multiple stunning national parks . But Its been jobs that’s sent me all over the country not my choice. I am now, at 60, without a place I really consider my roots as I’ve never lived anywhere longer than 12 years even as a child. There’s a lot to be said for staying put and investing in making it your home, your county, your neighbourhood for the long term.

She wants a 4 bed for £400k …it’s going to be a pretty rank house in Harrogate for that price! 🤷🏼‍♀️

@BuildersTeaMaker I've posted one in Harrogate below- it's not detached but it's most certainly not rank and £325,000

Up North…Aberdeen?

Yep, all these are nice places…I’ve lived in a lot of them…but they are as you say, expensive, becuase they are nice.
no way will OP get a decent 4 bed family at £400k in these…

other posters have it right: Keithley, Blackburn , sheffield etc …old industrial areas where unemployment is still relatively high and keeps prices down. Or hard to get to place form connections with rest of England like the fens or Lincolnshire or mid wales - nice rural areas but will take you hours to go back south to visit.

I agree that Leeds is great. I'm from Sussex and have been in Leeds for 10 years. It's a really vibrant, friendly city but also very close to beautiful countryside and lovely towns like York and Harrogate. I'm not sure about getting a 5 bedroom house for £300,000 though. It probably IS possible in some areas of Leeds. We live in Weetwood/Far Headingley and a 4-5 bedroom house is at least £480,000 and often much more expensive depending on the neighbourhood.

The thing is, like all places, there are more and less desirable areas, I live in one of these towns and would not want to live on the street where the house linked is, that's why it's cheap!

This is very true. If you want to live in a nice bit of the north with access to cultural amenities, lovely countryside etc, £400k won't go far at all.

I live just outside Harrogate, you can definitely get something decent in or near Harrogate for £400k. Ripon is a nice location, state grammar school, outstanding primaries, lovely countryside, close to the A1.

I'm thinking of moving to Ripon, it has a cinema, plenty of independent shops and places to eat/drink and is only about a mile from the A1. I'm a bit sick of the additional drive to the A1 from where I live.

Might be important if the OP needs to drive down south.

That house in Harrogate is directly on major main road.

Looks like an OK house but wouldn't want to live there.

Ripon OK though

other posters have it right: Keithley, Blackburn , sheffield etc …old industrial areas where unemployment is still relatively high and keeps prices down. Or hard to get to place form connections with rest of England like the fens or Lincolnshire or mid wales - nice rural areas but will take you hours to go back south to visit..

Yep, unfortunately this is the reality.

Don't do it. We did and hated it. Moved back.

If you think the "northern" chip on shoulder is bad on Mumsnet it's much worse in real life.

The biggest b*llshit lie is that people are nicer. They're really not. They're an equal mix of the same as everywhere else.

But you will get more for your money, people like to say their northern town has "London Prices". But they really don't there might be small pockets that do, but generally you'll definitely find more places that fit your budget.

Sussex is lovely, sorry you're not in a part that works for you. I think leaving a network of people you already know can also make it very hard. Esp. If you've had your first there. Though having young kids/another does make it easier to make friends.

I don't know enough about Keighley or Blackburn but you clearly do not know much about Sheffield which is not remotely in that category! England's fourth largest city with a thriving economy.

Keighley (no T) and Sheffield are worlds apart

I'll happily remove Sheffield from that list, but I live near enough Keighley and Blackburn to be able to say with authority that they are not places most people would want to live.

If you wanted to go as far North as Scotland, both East Lothian (near North Berwick or Dunbar) offer all these things or in Fife, Tayside. They both have amazing beaches and good schools, plus lots of green space but you’re also in easy reach of cities like Edinburgh. House prices have been going up a lot, so it would very much depend on the type of house you’re looking for. The other place that’s great is Sheffield: gorgeous countryside in the Peak District, extremely reasonable house prices and super well connected to a lot of major cities, which can be helpful for work. Tynemouth near Newcastle is lovely too.

The reality is that if you search for cheap places to live "up north" using Rightmove, you will end up with a list of areas that have many, many drawbacks.

(Just like if you were to search the cheapest areas of the southeast.)

That's why she's not just using Rightmove and is asking on here.

Chester

I live in a 'naice' bit of the north, commutable to Leeds, not a million miles from Ilkley. £400k will not buy you a 4 bed detached here unless it's one that needs a fair bit of work.