Relocating near northwich

[naomi134]

Hello

Please can anyone help? I am currently living in Blackpool but my family are from Knutsford, Cheshire. My OH wants to go back to his old job working near Malpas. Knutsford is around a 50 minute drive from there so a bit far as he has a split in the middle of the day so would be better if he could come home during the 3 hour break. I already have a 6 year old and am expecting another, I would really like to be close to family again for support and am not yet driving. I have looked along the chester trainline and areas around cuddington and hartford outside northwich look the best so far. Only about a half hour drive to work then which is a bit more do-able and I can still visit family in knutsford and friends in altrincham within a reasonable time. Any information on these areas? Ive heard parts of northwich can be quite rough. I am worried about goign to far to his work and isolating myself as I have this issue where I am now so would hate to be stuck in the same boat. Plus my daughter has moved a fair bit so to move again would have to be beneficial to her too, ie: being closer to our support networks.
P.S I am also trying to do my driving test again before xmas then can hopefully get a car at some point next year - fingers crossed!
Thank you xxx

I think you'll find Northwich ok. Northwich town centre itself no, it's pretty drab. I'd consider looking along the a49 between the m56 roundabout junction 10 is it, down as far as oulton park, super easy to get to Knutsford via m56 or a556 and easy to get to malpas.
You could consider smart areas like Acton bridge, Whitley, Hartford to name a few.

Tell me a bit more of what you're looking for in terms of amenities, schools and budgets etc and I can help. I'm very familiar with the area

Also relying on trains in this area will drive you bonkers!! 1 train an hour, crap 2 carriage train, expensive fare. There couldn't be a better motivator for passing that driving test!

You wouldn't be restricted to bus routes either which tend only to go to the less smart areas.

Thank you so much for a quick response!
Racking my brains here wondering what to do. I get that train now usually via altrincham or manchester when visiting to knutsford, then back again. It would only ever be a planned journey and I'd go for the set time I need mostly just on saturdays sometimes or in the half term so my daughter can see her friends.
She currently goes to a nice quiet catholic school. We are not overly religious or anything but she went to a church or england in a previous area and was very happy with the environment. I put her in a normal school in blackpool and she was so upset! I took her out after a couple of months and luckily got a place at this nice school. She is now more confident but I still don't think she would cope somewhere she needed to be very streetwise. Not at all being snobby, I grew up in central manchester and went to quite a rough primary school but everyone copes with things differently dont they. Its just not for her. Through the week it will just be the school run and home really. Nice if there were shops and things to go to and maybe some kind of groups to go to with the baby once here (due around march). I dont really like agressive areas which is why we left machester years ago. sort of looking for a quieter life. I know knutsford can be restrictive for work so I dont mind moving along a bit for OH to get to his in Malpas and hopefully I will have better options for when the time comes for me. I am not sure if to stick with the train line option for now or just deal with the travelling a little longer until I can get a car and perhaps move somewhere I can get the bus to Northwich for now for those trains x

I'm wondering if kingsmead estate may float your boat or if looking for more of a out of town life, maybe Sandiway.

Have a look on right move and let me know what you think of those areas.

I live in Hartford, its lovely. I think its actually really well connected - train from Hartford to Liverpool runs half hourly and takes 25 mins, and Greenbank to Manchester takes about an hour. The schools are good, nice park etc

Thank you. I looked on rightmove for renting in hartford and one the right size and price came up was actually near to greenbank train station. With it being closer to the town center I wasnt sure what it would be like. Is is still nice there then and classed as Hartford?X

I have looked at Sandiway and Cuddington. They are good areas for both of us to travel from along with Hartford. I have spoken to my daughter and she is fine with a bit of a bus then train until I can get a car sorted (hoping I pass this time!) So I was thinking maybe going as far down as Winsford if I had to as it is still only 23 mins drive to knutsford. Kingsmead looks a really good location too thank you, it has all the schools right there which is ideal. Our budget for renting is about £700 a month for now so I need to have some flexability on areas as all of those places have very few properties on rightmove. x

Also have a look at Davenham & Moulton as well as Hartford. The primary schools are good. It's a naicer area than greenbank .
The bus service to northwich and Winsford is very good, at least 3 an hour and it's not that far to cycle into both towns.
Your budget should get a nice rental in either village, we've got a lovely home 3 bed + 1 in a great area well below your maximum.

Hi and welcome to the Cheshire pages! I'm in Knutsford, just over 12 years now after 15 in London. I agree with what most people have said, the local trains are still not the best, two trains an hour, old stock BUT if you are not using it for a daily commute that is OK. Plus the stock is being upgraded at some point soon. Email me at [email protected] if you would like specifics answering.

Thanks
Cheshire Ed

Maybe Northwich isn't so unappealing

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/bricks-mortar/how-to-pick-a-winner-in-a-slow-market-p0nmj0grn

Community clusters
It is not only schools that people want, however. Prospective buyers are often looking for that classic combination of good school, decent pub and independent butcher and baker. Otherwise they talk enthusiastically about searching for a sense of community.

Researchers at the estate agency Hamptons International analysed the shops, services and facilities available in every town and village in England and Wales to gauge where best to find this elusive sense of community.

They surveyed places with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants and looked at a combination of factors, including high street shops (bakers, butchers, fishmongers, confectioners and department stores), cultural facilities (museums, theatres, bookshops, libraries and galleries), and community services (allotments, markets, youth clubs and charity shops). Top of the league was Northwich in Cheshire, which has every facility on the list and an average house price of £231,178 — a 28 per cent premium over the local area. Other top performers include Bideford in Devon, Bridgnorth in Shropshire, Bridlington in East Yorkshire, Cirencester in Gloucestershire, Knaresborough in North Yorkshire, and Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. The highest-ranking Welsh town was Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, which was 17th on Hamptons’ list.

Plus they have invested millions in the town centre recently and the work is still ongoing, plus there are plans to build lots of new homes down by the river!

Kingsmead is lovely, but you do have to be less than a quarter of a mile from the primary school to get in. Nice estate though, lots of little parks dotted around.
Davenham is a lovely village, also excellent school, not over-subscribed last year I don't think.
Hartford also very nice (kind of wish we'd moved there), also good schools, including St Nick's (Catholic), and good amount of house for your money. Close to Greenbank station is less Hartford-y.
Trains along the Northwich line are to be improved in the next few years - old rolling stock going, more trains per hour, including semi-fast to Manchester.

Hi my husband and I are looking for a property up to £120,000 in Northwich. We like Davenham and Hartford but it’s out of our budget. Can you tell me what Priory street and Percy Street are like please? The area is so pretty there. We also like new development on Drillfield Road Northwich as it backs onto the river. Thanks very much. Jan