Moving to Manc - what is commuting like?

[Nifferrea101]

Hi. First time poster here. We're probably moving to Manchester before Xmas and are looking at areas. I've seen lots of threads on here about where to live so we have lots of ideas. Maybe on the tram line around Altrincham, Timperley, Didsbury if we can afford the latter. Or on the train line and further out such as Marple, New Mills, Stockport way. Or maybe north Manchester but we've never been up there! I'd love some opinions on what it is like to commute into central Manchester. I've heard the trains are slow and so over crowded. Is it really this bad?! Also what are the trams like? Partner's job will be right near Piccadilly station. Mine is tbc but I hope to be in central Manchester. We're not sure where to start so hope looking at best commuting options will help. As background we've got a 14 month old and will have less than £300k to buy a house with. Thanks all.

Trams are fantastic. Fairly cheap, speedy, sometimes crowded at rush hours, occasionally delayed, bit absolutely life-altering.

Trains, frankly never used them and never known anyone who worked in the city centre and came in by train. I don't know much about them but I think I've heard they are infrequent and unreliable. People I've known from Marple/Glossop etc drive.

I'm not sure 300k will get you much in Didsbury or Timperley ;) but if you were to look more North you'd get more for your money. Anywhere with a tram station, basically.

If looking at north of Manc, trains in the line from Leeds/Rochdale are often overcrowded and there are frequent cancellations.
Trams are great but can get quite busy at rush hour.
You won't get much in the areas you've mentioned for £300k.

Thanks both. Yeah I'm a bit sad our budget isn't higher. But it'll go a lot further than it will in London where we're moving from. I'm used to rush hour craziness on the tube. Had hoped to escape it leaving London but no such luck! I think we do need to look north. Both being students in Manchester years ago we only know south. Will definitely look at the tram map.

I'm sad my budget isn't higher too, would love a house in Didsbury!
If you end up in south Manc then definitely look for somewhere you can get train or tram - buses are not fun!

Public transport congestion in/around Manc is nowhere near as bad as London (don't quite have to stand under a strangers armpit).

If you want cheaper houses, try looking to the west of Manc. Worsley is v expensive, but places around there are easy to get to Eccles to get the metro.

Trains are ok - I do the Kirkby to Manc route put have also done Preston to Manc. I'd suggest having a look around Westhoughton, Lostock, Horwich, (latter two on frequent train route into Manc Piccadilly) and near a good retail park .

Just one thing though, don't tell all your London friends how good it is up north please .

Good luck on the move

I'll make sure I keep it a secret. Also glad to hear it's good up north! I went to uni in Manchester but that was over a decade ago. Been in London ever since. Am excited to come back and see how it has changed. Though there's a lot more pressure moving with a little one in tow. I assume nurseries have waiting lists as long as your arm (they do in London) but hopefully there are enough childminders dotted around that we could use?!

I commute from the Glossop area to the city centre. Unless you can leave at the crack of dawn, or well after rush hour, would not recommend driving in. However, the Glossop/Manchester train is good - quick, reasonably priced and generally reliable, although trains back go down to one/hour at night.

About an hour door to door including the drive to the station, but relatively stress free and worth it to live on the edge of the Peak District. Having endured hour commutes on the tube in the past, this is definitely easier! Snow can be a problem but generally only a couple of days a year on average.

Depending on what you're going for, £300k should get you something decent for the 3 of you.

Our DS went to local nursery and is now at local primary school. Only thing I would say is that if you finish work after 5pm, it can be a push to get back for 6pm to collect. A childminder may have better flexibility though.

I like New Mills as well and sometimes get the train from there although it is slower and more expensive. "No frills, handy for the hills, that's the way you spell New Mills" as they say.

Best of luck with your search. I moved back to Manchester after a stint in London and never regretted it. It's ace.

I live in audenshaw and 300k would get you a lot of house :) lots of good schools and we have the tram, train and lots of bus routes for getting into town. I grew up in altrincham and it is ridiculously expensive the town centre is dead and I really don't understand the hype 🤷🏼‍♀️ A 3 bed terrace on the street I grew up on just went for 400k!xx

For that kind of money I'd look at Firswood. Just on the edge of Chorlton so you get all of the fantastic amenities there, but a lower house price. Tram to city centre much faster than didsbury, timperley etc...

Greenfield? This would be well within budget:
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-68787911.html

• assuming that is your cup of tea.

Or if modern is more your thing, it'd get you: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-67228112.html

Nice village, 25 min commute to Victoria station, good for walking and lovely coffee shops/pubs.
Hope you love whatever location you decide upon.

You won't get anything bigger than a tiny 2 bed in altrincham for less than 300k.

Trams are definitely better than trains - with your budget I'd be looking at either along the bury tram line or Stockport near a train station.

My commute is a 20 minute door to door cycle (and I don't cycle fast :) ) Possible from Chorlton / Fallowfield / Levenshulme etc.

Many thanks all. Lots to consider. I think we'll mainly look along the line to bury and also Stockport way, maybe the outskirts of chorlton but I think that'll still be pushing it! Still depends where I'm working which is tbc. I used to live in fallowfield as a student so not sure what it'd be like to live there now!

Cheadle hulme has regular trains (15 mins to Manchester Picc) and house prices aren't as high as some neighbouring areas, despite good schools

Fallowfield is very studenty, but there are a few areas less affected. It's great in the summer as all the students have left :D
Withington is a bit less so (depending on the precise location) and Didsbury too. The super frequent 42 (etc) bus service is a huge plus IMO and the 43 runs year round as it does the airport trip (so including eg Christmas and New Year usually).

I would also recommend Cheadle Hulme for its good train service, good schools and range of houses.

Fallowfield has really changed now, it isn’t the cheap student digs place it used to be, much nicer

Trains from stalybridge to pic are 12 mins and transpennine can be crowded but not as bad as northern x

Ps 300k would get you a lot of house in tameside (I'm thinking dukinfield Ashton stalybridge)

Check out Monton on rightmove. It’s the nicer end of Eccles. You never have to worry about commuter traffic in the way South Manchester commuters do. It’s handy for the Eccles team, 5 mins from Trafford Centre, has a high street, surrounded by canal, green space, golf course walks and has good primaries and much improved Secondaries near by.

We moved to Stockport a few years ago - it was kind of accidental as we needed somewhere quickly as our house purchase fell through and we got priced out of the leafy parts of S Manchester, which is where we originally wanted to be. We’re pretty happy here (Davenport) - It’s good for families and there’s lots of green spaces.
Transport links into Manchester are decent (20 odd min train journey to Picc). There is talk of service cuts though at rush hour, which is annoying! Services from Stockport station are really frequent. Downside of Stockport is the traffic: the A6 dominates the town out to its ‘burbs and it’s always busy. The town centre itself is a bit grim tbh but there is regeneration going on and a new cinema/restaurant complex thingy is opening at the end of this year. There are also long term plans to extend the tram network out here. When we next move house we’d love to head to Bramhall or at least its surrounding areas e.g Cheadle Hulme, the south end of Woodsmoor, maybe Cheadle. The Heatons are great too. They are more family oriented than where we are currently.

If you want more house for your money, you might want to consider Prestwich, especially around Heaton Park. It’s leafy, and apparently the Metropolitan Borough of Bury has the lowest crime rates in Greater Mcr (at least it was when I was doing my research a few years ago!) You can travel easily into Manchester by tram or bus - but tbh one thing that put me off is that it’s right next to Cheetham Hill which is always busy and a bit rough round the edges (and I’m not a snob at all, we moved from inner city Manchester before coming out to Stockport).
HTH!

My husband commutes from Gatley to his office near Piccadilly, 40 mins door to door. We like Gatley because it's close to Didsbury but much more affordable. £300k will get you a lovely 3/4 bed semi. The primary schools are fantastic and there's lots going on for children in the village. I'd look at Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme, Heatons on that budget too. Marple Bridge is lovely and a bit more rural but there are fewer trains per hour. I've always preferred south Manchester as it's close to the airport, nice countryside etc but can't really speak for not Manchester as I've never lived there.

Thanks all so much. Lots of helpful info. My partner now may be working outside Warrington and I’ll be in central Manchester so that will change things a bit!

A good place to commute to from both Warrington and Manchester is Birchwood: regular train service (with some express trains) and good access to M62. Maybe not the most exciting place to live but very convenient. If you’re looking for nice spots around Warrington: Lymm, Stockton Heath, Thelwall, Grappenhall. But can be expensive and no train stations. Urmston in Trafford is by all accounts a decent place to be, and there’s a direct train to Warrington and Manchester.