Moving to NI, where to live

[Norrisville]

Morning all! Cross posting from Living Overseas forum as advised 😊 I've been offered a role in Belfast and I'm looking into where we'd live.

It would be a long term let as the role is for a couple of years. Currently live in a fairly large town within walking distance of the centre but also close to countryside, so best of both worlds. We have a teenager and a pre teen plus dogs, so need entertainment for them and space to exercise. I work in the cultural sector so would love some kind of local culture scene - nothing particularly fancy, just something where I can enjoy a bit of creativity. Happy to commute to Belfast.

Thanks in advance!

If you are in Belfast close tonthe city centre..., South Belfast around Strandmillis, Ormeau Rd and even Lisburn Rd areas are great. plenty of parks and Lagan towpath all close, as well as Queens University.

Further out, look what is on the train routes or Glider routes. You are spoilt with choice of Lisburn, Bangor, Crawfordsburn, Belfast ... North, South, East or West, (though you will want to check the areas before hand).

Maybe best to contact some of the letting agencies to see what is available and help get a better understsnding where your requirements might fit best ... plus indications of rent in the various areas.

Bangor or in Belfast as suggested^^

I'm originally from North Co Down and back here for a period of time to help out with things at home. It's lovely to be back here!! As per above I'd strongly recommend the coast area from Belfast to Bangor and beyond to Groomsport, etc. Lovely walks, good sports facilities in Bangor including pool, fantastic places for exercise, and easy reach to Belfast.

It's important to actually visit an area and ensure you're happy with it. There are a few not so great areas, and a sectarian underclass, so please try stay someplace for a week or two to ensure you are happy with location. I assume you looked at schools too? Like lots of people here (those who can afford it), I went to boarding school in England. Oldest would take over the farm, but education was considered very important for the girl :)

Really helpful, thank you!!

I'd fully endorse the north Down coastline as mentioned about. I enjoy swimming, running, cycling and it's a fantastic place for outdoors. It's really underappreciated here by the locals! A hidden gem!

On the negative side with respect to schools, I assume you know the "divided" school system here? Also, the best performing schools are grammar schools. Something to consider in your choice is if your kids are especially interested in science career (Maths, Physics, Chemistry), then take a closer look at the specific school. I'd consider it a significant weakness in several of them.

You should speak with some of your co-workers and get advice on location to live. Being on the ground, they could give advice on commute, and areas to avoid, unless of course you have underlying sectarianism you'd like to embrace.

Oh gosh I don't know anything about divided schools, this is all new to me. Thanks so much for the tips, I'll ask for more detailed info from those who already work over there 😊

If you are in Belfast close tonthe city centre..., South Belfast around Strandmillis, Ormeau Rd and even Lisburn Rd areas are great. plenty of parks and Lagan towpath all close, as well as Queens University.

^^

I'd agree with this. If you're looking a buzz and some culture then this is your best bet. The north down coast is lovely but the drive from Bangor to Belfast in rush hour is grim. WRT schools, Belfast has so many great schools to chose from and they're not all 'divided' and even the ones that are divided anybody can still go to them.

South Down is spectacular too. There is a ferry in the pipeline from Carlingford in the south, to Warrenpoint, so you could be in Dublin in a heartbeat. A lot less provincial than Belfast. Rostrevor would be my choice if I ever went back to NI.

One of my sons lived in the Ormeau Rd area. Pleasant and not far from the city centre. North Down is pretty . But parts are very expensive - yachty .

Look at ballyhackamore, east of the city, about 15 minutes into city centre on the glider. 15 minutes in the other direction takes you out to holywood direction and beach. Lovely walks around Stormont for the dog and close enough for teen/preteen not to feel too far away from town. Great schools in the area both primary and post primary. If you want to pm me happy to give any info on the area

Thanks all for this really helpful info! I'm going to come over at half term for a few days to look around so I'll check all of these places out. Really appreciate your help!

My sister lives in Stranmillis in Belfast. It is a lovely and safe area. There are many great restaurants, pubs, shops and schools in the area. It is close to the city centre with good public transport. There is a scenic canal walk nearly and many parks which would be ideal for walking dogs . Also a short drive to the coast.

If you're looking for rental's PropertyPal and property news are the main sites.

Schools will be key as places can be limited. Your work may pay for private?

South Belfast / some of east would be good.

Belfast is small so easily managed.

I'm also in North Down, would also recommend the coastal area from Bangor to Belfast. The traffic is bad going in to Belfast but the trains are frequent if you're going to be working in the city centre. The coastal path is very popular with dog walkers, or the country park at Crawfordsburn offers plenty of open space. Good schools in Bangor, Holywood and Belfast, we still have an 11+ style transfer test here for the grammars but "blow-ins" are usually exempt!

Bangor has the Open House Festival but most of the funding for cultural events goes to Belfast and Derry, so much of NI's cultural life is concentrated there.

Thank you so much for your great advice! Just back from a lovely few days, we travelled around the coastal area from Belfast across to Donaghadee, we're going to try and get back at Easter to explore some other areas.

Can't believe how beautiful it is. I grew up by the sea but now live hours and hours from the coast, I'm really excited about the possibility of moving back to a coastal area.

We did drive-bys to a few schools we'd been looking into. The primary schools in Bangor look really nice 😊

Glad you liked it! We're about 200 yards from the sea and it's brilliant, was a great advantage during COVID. There are loads of water activities, sea swimming clubs, paddle boarding etc if you're into that sort of thing.

My kids were at primary in Bangor relatively recently, and we have friends with kids at several of the local primaries if you have any particular questions.

Here at the moment visiting family. Schools are generally great except if you don’t do well in the 11+ (or whatever it’s called now) in which case you’re left with the dregs. No such thing as a catchment school that has to take you either.

Feeling a bit of a mug, frankly, for living in England right now - the level of public services is much better compared to where we are in England. Buses are cheap and great in Belfast, there’s a thriving, cheap food scene and schooling is generally much better.

I agree with the areas others have stated as they're all great (other than Rostrevor - it's lovely but wouldn't meet your criteria).

Helen's Bay is also lovely - between Belfast & Bangor and easy trains into Belfast.

This can be true in some places but I'd have to say the non-grammar option in Bangor is really good, lots of my kids' friends have gone there and really thrived. There are also special arrangements for people who have recently moved to NI which mean that they don't have to do the transfer test.

I'm amazed you think public services are good here though! The Education Authority is a bit of a basket case, it has badly overspent its budget and is facing substantial cuts, and provision for kids with SEN is particularly bad. Also in health the waiting lists are the worst in the UK.

I think it's very unfair to say you're 'left with the dregs' if your child doesn't do well in the transfer test. Dreadful snobby attitude. There are some wonderful secondary schools in NI. In fact we have one a few miles down the road which gets fantastic results and the pupils I see every morning are beautifully behaved. Of course there are some schools with bad reputations, like anywhere else, but they are by no means the norm.

Also, the transfer test is largely only a huge issue in Belfast and North Down, as that's where most of the grammar schools are - in lots of other parts of NI hardly anyone bothers with it and they go to their nearest post-primary school.

We’re in South Belfast and all the local secondary schools are selective. Services in the rest of the U.K. are on their knees too - school budgets in England have been decimated too. My mum was referred for a CT scan before Christmas and had it end of Jan - her care has been pretty good.

South Belfast is probably the most problematic area, tbf, with just Breda Academy and the non-grammar stream of Lagan College having non-selective places available for a large population of school children. Bangor and Holywood are a bit better served.

I know services are also very strained in the rest of the UK, I have family in England and Wales, but the Education Authority here is in a class of its own - simultaneously overspending and underdelivering for years. I suppose I'm seeing it from a very particular point of view, as I have a daughter with SEN and serious mental health problems, we have been desperately trying to get her help for several years, and both the education and health services have failed her badly.

Don't let that put you off though @Norrisville , there are many, many good things about living here!

Definitely not put off! Everything written here is so helpful in making a decision - we're going to pop back during the Easter break to spend a bit more time looking around, we've registered with letting agents now so hopefully we'll be able to view potential homes.

I just got a really lovely vibe being there. Being near the sea helped obviously! But it was good to get a feel for the areas around potential schools. For example, we saw Ballyholme Primary first which seemed lovely and in the kind of pretty central area we're living at the moment. But when we drove out to look at Kilmaine it felt lovely and open, lots of green space for kids to play. I guess I need to spend more time in each, rather than a quick drive-by!

@Norrisville nearly all primary schools in Bangor have a good reputation and there's loads of them. We're within easy walking distance of the one DS goes to which is fantastic.
I'm a "blow in" to Bangor and while I think it's great for some things like schools etc I think it's pretty rubbish for shopping (big shopping centre which I think is a bit soulless and sucking a lot of people away from the centre of town).
Personally I'd live in Donagadee, I love the location and the small town feel with independent shops and restaurants.
When you're over at Easter I recommend heading to the north coast for a day or two. The scenery is stunning with beautiful beaches. I'm from there originally so obviously biased