relocating any thoughts/advice?

[Evansmummy1]

Hi everyone. We're looking to move to the Harrogate area and have stumbled across the Hsrlow/Cold Bath Road area and just wondered what the local opinion of this area is.
We're primarily moving for the seemingly excellent schools but primary and secondary in that area plus the locality to Valley gardens and the village atmosphere. My children are 3 and 1 at the moment so we want to get the house on the market before my oldest starts primary school.
It's a bit of a shock for us house price wise compared to where we live now (we'll initially have to downsize and increase our mortgage). We don't want ot do they wrong thing so your opinions of the area would be highly welcomed!!
In fact we're browsing the streets this weekend to weed our any undesirable areas within that area. Is there any??

Hi Evansmummy - the area that you are looking at is nice, though I think that gardens are at a premium. Western Primary School is on Cold Bath Road but have heard that it depends on which way your house faces as to whether you are in catchment or not. I know a mumsnetter who is just off Cold Bath Road herself, so I'll ask her to get in touch.

Ooh thanks Chickbean that'd be good.
I have looked at the ofsted reports for the schools and Western, Oatlands and Rosset all seem pretty good but I'm sure local opinions will help out a great deal. I'd hate to be paying through the nose for a house and end up sending them to the wrong school in the end! Hope to hear from you soon

Sorry for the delay in replying - have all had a nasty cold in our house and not much sleep. My son goes to Oatlands, but you'd need to be further to the south of Harrogate for the catchment (Hookstone Road/Leeds Road area). I think that Cold Bath Road has some houses in Western catchment and some in Rossett. I haven't met anyone who doesn't like the school that their child goes to.

Great area, you can't go wrong. The only compromise you may have to make is on outside space - most properties are townhouses with no garden, just small courtyards. Saying that, you'll have the Valley Gardens right on your doorstep!
We're also relocating to Harrogate from London shortly.