Moving from Switzerland to Ormskirk area- advice!

[SwissLancashire]

Hello
I’d really appreciate some advice from some locals to the Ormskirk area.
I’m originally from Cheshire but been living in Switzerland for 15 years.
We are moving to the Ormskirk area this Summer and our little boy is due to start school this September.
We are looking at schools, unfortunately we are now classed as late entry , and also looking for somewhere to rent a property, which depends on the school.
We’d like to be within a 15 min drive of Ormskirk .
Aughton has been recommended , 2 of the primary schools are already full.
I’ve found Burscough on the map but know nothing about this area. Is it a nice place to live for a family?
An additional factor is my sons nut allergies - so if anyone has an experience of nut free primary schools in the area that would also be great. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all and frustrated as we can’t fly over to investigate as it’s all been quite a sudden move and we have so much to sort this end. Thankful for any help whatsoever.

I can’t advise you on schools sorry-but Aughton is a nice area with some lovely houses and very close to Ormskirk.
Burscough would be a good place for a family, the centre of Burscough has a good range of shops even though it is fairly small and can be busy. It has a canal running through it and sone good places to eat. There are some semi rural parts of Burscough still with good access to the centre and Ormskirk.
Off the top of my head other places close enough to Ormskirk to look at would be Rufford and Lathom, both are lovely. Much quieter than Burscough and semi rural and probably not quite as convenient train links if that’s important.
Southport is only 10 miles from Ormskirk but the drive can take a long time at peak periods,, Ormskirk has a one way road system in the centre and this can get very gridlocked, I think mainly due to the university traffic.

Thank you very much , really helpful :-)

We live 10 miles from Ormskirk. It is a nice market town, livened up by the students from Edge Hill Uni in the town. A bit run down, as most towns are, but they have just renovated the old market into a trendy eating and bar area. Not as many mountains as Switzerland. Aughton is lovely, has 3 Michelin starred restaurants, and is on the direct train line to Liverpool. Most of the countryside is lovely, small villages, good pubs. Look at Mawdsley and Croston. Avoid Skelmersdale. Burscough has one of the best pubs for food in the area, The Hopvine, there is a large wetland nature reserve close by, Martin Mere. Parbold and other villages nearby are also worth a look.

Hi many thanks for replying :-) We are exploring the area still now we are back in the Uk but will probably stay with either Aughton or Burscough for ease of distance to work. Both look like good areas .