Where to live between Manchester and Preston

[CD95]

Hi,

I am originally from Preston but currently living in Salford (renting). I have loved living in Manchester and having lots to do there, I enjoy the culture and hustle and bustle but Ive got a new job near Leyland. Therefore, me and my significant other are looking to move nearer to Leyland/also want to be nearer to our families in Preston. We are in our late 20s so looking to buy our first house and start settling down but also would ideally like a village/town which still has good things to do i.e. nice pubs, restaurants, bits going on and active community and/or good transport links back to Manchester or Liverpool. We also enjoy hiking and walking!

So far we've considered Leyland, Chorley, Horwich and on the other side Ormskirk. But really don't know enough about any of them. Does anyone have any suggestions or thoughts or opinions?

Thanks so much.

Horwich is good with very good transport links and you have Middlebrook which is very useful for the choice of shops and restaurants. Winter Hey Lane has a few good independent restaurants and cafe places. Middlebrook does get busy on match days so watch out for that.

Adlington just a bit further up the road is a really lovely village, some pubs, restaurants and shops and a lovely and very picturesque canal walk and a railway station for transport links. Your a mere few minutes drive into Chorley town centre and about 25 mins to Preston.

Whitle le woods is also worth looking at too.

Posters will probably tell you to move to Buckshaw. However, there is a reason Buckshaw is much cheaper to buy in than the rest of the area (it's built on a brown field site that used to be the Royal Ordonnance Factory aka ROF). The long time locals will tell you not to touch that area with a barge pole and no-one who has grown up in the area ever moves there. It 's pretty much entirely populated with 'incomers' who don't know the full history.

Have a look at Chorley or Euxton. The villages nearby (such as Whittle-le-Woods as suggested by a previous poster) are very overpriced right now and properties are hard to come by (both for sale and rentals). Beware properties advertised in Clayton-le-Woods that seem to be good value as they're most likely located in Clayton Brook (to be avoided).

How are you planning on commuting? Driving or public transport? That will definitely make a difference to your location. And of course your budget!!

Thanks very much for the replies so far.

We both drive (I'd plan to drive to work) but would be open to getting the train. My mum doesn't drive so would be nice if she could get the train to visit but that's not a major issue. As long as the commute wasn't longer than 30 mins that would be fine with me.

What's wrong with buckshaw exactly?

I'm looking at these areas too

Eccleston, Mawdesley and Croston are all pretty little villages and lots of people who live there commute to nearby towns Chorley/Preston/Wigan. I have to disagree about Buckshaw, its definitely not cheaper to buy there. Maybe because it has its own train station, is near to motorway links and has quite a few bars, restaurants, tesco, Starbucks etc on there and seems to be very popular with young people (I have 4 family members in 20s and 30s who have all bought on there and all grew up in the next door village, Euxton) but it is definitely more expensive to buy there than some other areas of Chorley. We looked on there and 3 bed semis were around 10k dearer than Chorley. It has its good and bad areas like anywhere else and yes, there are plenty of rumours about what's underground but its a massive area and I think it depends on what part you are buying in (again, I come from a family of ROF lab workers who know which parts to avoid). The Eaves Green/Birkacre Park area of Chorley is very nice. Train and bus station is nearby and only five minutes by car to Rivington and 15 mins to the Middlebrook at Horwich.

I was going to say avoid Buckshaw - knew 2 sets of friends move there and subsequently move on, independently of each other said it was terrible to live in. Small minded and very cliquey.

I have to disagree about Buckshaw, its definitely not cheaper to buy there.

It's much much cheaper than neighbouring Whittle-le-Woods, particularly the original part of Whittle and Whittle Springs. I think Buckshaw is dreadful but I can appreciate how it may seem appealing to a different demographic. There are parts of Chorley that are really rough (in the sense that if you park your car outside, it will regularly have the windows smashed/be broken into etc) so hardly surprising that Buckshaw is more expensive than some areas of Chorley.

I grew up in the area and most of my family still live and work there, as do many of my friends. My family has actually lived in the area since the 17th century (I guess they like it lol) so the local knowledge runs pretty deep.

Ormskirk train station only goes to liverpool and preston so you couldn’t easily get the train to Manchester.

Yeah I'd love somewhere that feels like a community, with pubs, local shops, potentially independent places/restaurants. I get the vibe with Buckshaw it's not got that so much.

Euxton's nice!

Burscough and Parbold, too. Burscough has a train station and can go direct to Manchester from there.

There's some nice places north of the Ribble but if you're going to be working in Leyland it'd be a pain I think.

It has to be Croston. A proper community, decent pubs, couple of shops, good schools and very friendly people - it takes me twice as long to walk to the pub these days due to people (inc strangers) saying hello. The pubs are very welcoming and new people are made very welcome. Come for a visit around tea time and start at the Wheatsheaf or the Lord Nelson and take it from there (currently five pubs in total). It also has a chemists, a deli / sandwich / coffee shop. There are trains every hour to Ormskirk and Preston. The bus service is good. Plenty of walks to be had. The Indian restaurant (Panshis) is excellent for food and service. There are two doctors surgeries and a village green. The village excels at the usual fayres and there are plenty of village clubs and hobby groups.

PM me is you want further info.

I'm Chorley born and bred and I wouldn't live in the town centre. It has its bad and good areas, like anywhere else. I live near Rivington so don't have problems with leaving my car out at night. If you live near a town centre anywhere you'll get these problems sadly. Buckshaw has some rundown areas but it also has some lovely houses and green, leafy areas, particularly the Brookwood way part. Yes, Whittle Springs etc probably are a lot more expensive than Buckshaw but when I moved 3 years ago, houses on Buckshaw I looked at were more expensive than other places I looked at nearby, Gillibrands Estate, Birkacre, Eaves Green. Particularly the new Redrow Estate off Pilling Lane, the exact same house styles as Buckshaw, but thousands cheaper. For young people it seems Buckshaw is very popular. Most of my young relatives, all locals, and their friends live on there.

I'm also another fan of Croston. A really pretty village, with a fantastic high school.

Parbold as mentioned above is a good shout. Has a train station and great pubs. Very easy access to the m6 to.

Whittle le woods, wheelton or Eccleston would be my choices.
Rainford is nice too

Rivington is indeed a great place to explore, walk around etc. Easily accessible from Croston or Ecclestone etc. Personally I prefer Croston to Ecclestone as it has more of a smaller community feeling to it but it's personal preference.

Higher Penwortham has a lot going on these days. Might be worth a look.

I know it's further out but Cleveleys is nice, it's near the sea and only 40 mins to Leyland. Longridge in Preston is nice as well.

I've lived in Longridge, Garstang, Preston and Croston (and also the trough of Bowland for a short time). Apart from the Hills, forests and lakes (the Trough), the two clear winners for the OP's requirements are either Garstang (medium sized market town that is expanding beyond comfortable) or Croston (genuinely nice community).

Although there are trains from Ormskirk to Preston in theory, they can be a bit unreliable (I wouldn’t use it to make a connecting train, for example), and yes it’s a pain in the arse to get to Manchester, but easy peasy to Liverpool. If Manchester is more of a priority, the Southport area might suit you better a trains to Liverpool or Manchester.