Tell me about South Manchester/North Cheshire. Where to live?

[cushioncover]

DH's job is relocating to Manchester. We've just had the house valued and we'll be moving in the next few months.
I've heard south of the city is best for areas and schools (true?) DH has been told that Cheadle is a good area and also wilmslow. Any views, recommendations appreciated. Need 4beds and good primary school for the lads.

Worth school? My dd starts there next week! Its really that soon... arrrgghhh...

This is all great,much better than talking to estate agents. Schools are actually one of the biggest considerations actually and even tho its a way off I guess high school catchments are important too. We're thinking state schools though would consider private if within the very local vicinity and bloody amazing IYKWIM. Really keen on walking to school. Main roads a big no no with me. I don't want to live on one nor do I want a major trunk road full of lorries just one minute away.

PB1, we've put poynton on the list now. if it's ok to ask, how did you find the area when you moved. Was it welcoming and friendly? The map shows a place called bramhall next to poynton and HG. Anyone know what that's like? Thanks again for all this. Really, really useful

cushioncover, glad to be of help!
Yes we did find it friendly when we moved. I was helped along a bit by getting pregnant with dd - I met some girls at my postnatal classes and we kept meeting up for ages after the classes ended! One of the girls is now a close friend. We did look at places in Bramhall as well, but we chose here as it's slightly more rural and has more of a 'village' feel even though it's near Stockport!
There is a busy road runs through the middle but we live near Higher Poynton, and you wouldn't know it was there up here. It's still close enough to the village though.

PenelopePissedUp - we live in Sale and love it too!

Sale is really nice, excellent primary schools, and as mentioned earlier, the 11+ system although not all the grammars let children in just on the 11+ pass, with some you have to pass the entrance exam too. The upside of this is that some children who don't pass the 11+ can still get in passing the entrance exam IYSWIM.

It's right on the motorway network, also the Metrolink if your DH is working in the City. Near the Trafford Centre and 10 minutes from town on a good day on the Met. Sale shopping centre isn't fabulous, but it is slowly improving - there's certainly MandS, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Boots, WHS,Cafe Nero... you could get a lot for your money in Sale as well, it is supposed to be the next big area when the Beeb move up here, so I'm told.

Good luck with your search!

paddington you may have! I keep being tld there a few MNetters in HG and poynton so live in fear of them spotting me giving the DSs sausages rolls

bramhall is nice, in particular areas. IE the Nevile Rd Primary catchment is nice IIRC (altho i may have mixed that and Pownall Green up), extremely busy roundabout but if your DP is heading to manchester he will HAVE to go down the A6 at some point.

From my bus journeys into town when i worked, it was horrendous forst thing until you got past sainsbo and then it was ok.

will your DH be driving in?

i thought that was Salford ITS?

In These shoes -I know Sale also. The town centre is so much better isn't it? Are you a native or did you move into the area?

Either driving or getting a local train,whichever works out easist. You have trams up there too,don't you?

MoM, we went for a long wkend in |Norfolk and DS1 has a sausage roll one day. He loved it and asked for another every day for about 2wks! He hasn't died from it yet!
Oh and so supermarkets are within reach,yes? A6 doesn't sound too good. I thought DH was saying it was the A34 or something? Is that another busy road? maybe the train is the way to go.

train from HG takes 20 mins to city centre. no trams this way yet. they have them in sale. I don't know how long it takes from Poynton as thats a different line but i imagine its around half an hour.

If you went for Wilmslow/Alderley/Cheadle Hulme/erm gatley possibly it would prob be A34

There is A sainsbury in hazel grove, M&S food in HG, waitrose newly opened in Cheadle Hulme, sainsbo and tesco on the A34 bypass. Asda in stockport centre. Of course if you do it online its as far away as your pc lol!

HG has a local farm that sells fruit and veg as well as meat. and also at the garden centre between HG and poynton.

Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall, Wilmslow... all very nice and you should get a decent house for your money.

So is cheadle and cheadle hulme different? Is one a nice area and the other not? I started this thread with cheadle in mind but for some reason have almost discounted it now. Oh the power of mumsnet!

cheadle and cheadle hulme VERY different!

c/h gets shortened a lot so easy to mix them up.

put it this way...Cheadle has an iceland (nothing wrong with that) and cheadle hulme has a waitrose

Ahhhh! Say no more!

I think the Beeb are going to be in Salfoed, but the staff are expected to be relocating to Sale and the surrounding areas due to the tram links. Or maybe not, I just heard that from someone, who may have made it up!

Cornsilk, I'm not a Sale native, but I've lived here 10 years!

Message withdrawn

Haven;t read all of thread sorry if repeating myslef!

Dh lived in gately and it used to be nice but now it's awful!!! Nxt door neighbour had a gang on door step demanding to be let in when he opened the door thinking he could scare them off, they punched him and promtly walked into his house. (They were looking for a couple of 14 year olds who had 'disrespected' them) Mil's, Sil's cars been broken into etc etc etc...

Alderley edge -lovely (I bought my wedding dress there!)

doodle, its lovely just a tad out if my price range tho!

yes Cheadle Hulme School is a good (private) school. there's also Greenbank and Hulme Hall. Both independant schools.

How old are your DS/s?

There's a Waitrose in Wilmslow now - used to be Safeway. I work round the corner from it! Don't tend to buy too much from there tho.
If you drive from Poynton to Manchester you'd generally use the A34. Not quite as bad as the A6 but gets clogged around the Gatley lights (junction with M60) at rush hour times. Dh works in Stockport and gets the train, I cycle! Trains from Poynton -> Manchester aren't quite as regular as from Hazel Grove. A lot of people round here drive to Hazel Grove station as there's a lot of parking and it's free, then get the train from there. Plus the train is also cheaper from there!

We live in the Manchester area and have put loads of thought into where we could move for schools etc. We considered all of above and if we could afford it, would go for Altrincham. There are fantastic grammar schools, reastaurants, tram links, plenty of shops, even a House of Fraser, a historic market and countryside nearby.

I'd repeat what others have said re Trafford. Primary schools are excellent, the grammar schools and some of the high schools are really good too. One or two of the high schools don't have such good reputations, which is a problem if your child doesn't pass the 11 plus/school's own entrance exam. You'd get a really nice house for your budget in all except the really expensive areas. Perhaps not the prettiest of areas, but great transport/social infrastructure.

IL's at gately lights....

Awful, awful place.

PB1, you're really swaying me towards Poynton now. Sounds lovely. My two are 3 and 1 so schools a big priority.

Thanks, ladies. I've gone from terrified to excited in the space of an afternoon.

poynton lovely (from the little i know of it)