Moving from London to the North (between Manchester and Leeds)

[DandelionBlue]

Hello,
My fiance and I want to move up North in the next year. We want to settle down, buy a house and start a family.
We were originally attracted to Harrogate, as it feels a little bit like Greenwich in London.
However, upon further research, we realised that are more job opportunities for me in Manchester than Leeds. I am an Architect.
So we started looking into Buxton, which feels a little bit remote, Today we discovered Hebden Bridge and are quite excited about the place.
We are searching for a historic town, that doesn't feel too small. Ideally, it would have good connections to both Manchester and Leeds. We are looking for a strong community, outdoor living, good schools and a friendly hospital to give birth in.
My family lives in London, his in Scotland. So we want to be able to easily travel in both directions by car.
Finally, we would like to buy a small house with three bedrooms and a garden. We have a maximum budget of 200,000£.
Hoping to get some advice on good locations to look at.

Hebden is very expensive and not that great a place to live. Consider Huddersfield. There are areas that are great for commuting like Slaithwaite. They are building a train station in Elland within the next two years hopefully, and surrounding areas are great places to live.

Some areas of Huddersfield are lovely, very rural and village-y and right between Manchester and Leeds. Commuting into either city is tricky.

I live 20 miles from Mcr and have in the past commuted by both road and rail, but it's not a quick or pleasant journey, between 1.5-2 hours some days by car.

I live in Tod and think it’s lovely and you could get what you want for your money-albeit the market moves quickly and there isn’t masses with gardens due to the steepness of the valley, same with Hebden. Hebden is a fab town, and although it has flooded there are plenty of spots that aren’t at risk, and there has been a lot of work done on flood defenses along the valley. There is a lot going on in both Tod and Hebden, and it’s a nice spot to have children in. Tod is quieter but only 10mins from Hebden and cheaper. Lots of people commute from both to Manchester and Leeds, train definitely the better option!

PippaPenny / 1tisILeClerc Maybe we need to reconsider the Scottish borders. It would be very close to family. We just thought Yorkshire was a good compromise between both families. And we really love that part of the country.

geordiepidge I will look into the areas around Saddleworth. But as you say it might be too expensive for us. Mossley sounds very interesting. Will do some research on Marsden and Slaithwaite too.

Also Skipton and some of the other areas mentioned in this thread.

Are train connections up North quite unreliable?

Todlass - Thanks for your response. Is there an easy way to find out what areas are flood risks?
How is the train journey to Manchester and Leeds?

the area does seem lovely and like a good place for kids

I think I might move with you! 😉
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-65909362.html

delilahbucket / Almondio - I have considered Huddersfield actually. But I think my partner feels it is too big. So it would take some convincing.

At the moment I commute 45 minutes to 1h15 to work. So I am not really flinching at the prospect of a long commute. Surely it cannot be that much worse than spending 45 minutes with your nose stuck in someone's armpit on a hot tube underground? In my mind, anything else is better. But I might be completely wrong?

The only issue is reliability. I need to make sure I can get to work by train. I don't currently drive but plan to get my license once we move North.

Glossop is nice as well. I think you'd get more for your money than in Hebden Bridge. Good train links into Manchester and can drive to both Manchester and Sheffield; although the traffic can be horrendous on the A57 at peak rush hour.

Pippapenny that is flipping gorgeous!

PippaPenny Oh wow. What an incredible house!!!

Oh my that house! In terms of flooding, I’m not sure exactly how you find out-some declare it on details on rightmove (my parents are looking at the mo and have noticed this) always worth asking if the vendors can get insurance and what it costs. Anything elevated is fine, most of the flooding was along the main roads (following the canals) so looking on google maps will give you some idea. Having said that I live just off the main road and did t flood... sorry I can’t be more helpful.

I had my daughter in January and I have loved how much there is around for new parents.

Trains are easy, but I know they get packed at commute times. Pretty reliable though I think (I walk to work so can’t be sure!)

The trains are generally reliable between Manchester & Leeds (the transpenine route) but very busy. Again, it's not cheap.

One thing I would say - lots of the professional services are moving / are based outside of the city centre now in Manchester. There are of course still traditional central firms but Salford / Media City / the suburbs (particularly South Manchester) are stomping grounds now for professional services. I agree with a previous poster that you should rent, get a job and then see where it is based and how that impacts on your commute.

Don’t live in bloody Delph (or Diggle). Remote, miserable, unfriendly.

Huddersfield your best bet for commuting to Leeds or Manchester. But agree with the posters who suggest that you rent first.

You won’t get much in Ilkley for £200k (or Harrogate, although I know that you’ve abandoned that plan).

Job market in Manchester miles better than Leeds.

Another Glossopian here. I commute to media city by train and tram each day. Some good primary schools and a couple of secondary. Small enough to have a good sense of community but large enough to be anonymous if you want to. Loads of stuff to do with small kids and some good pubs and restaurants. Thriving high street. I don't drive and it's not an issue here. You'll definitely find a decent sized house on that budget, like this one www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/fullscreen/image-gallery.html?propertyId=52028718&photoIndex=0

Career wise there are more opportunities in Manchester, but there are still decent sized practices in Leeds too. I would be looking at work first and taking it from there.

Marple Bridge