Moving to Newcastle

[JDED1723]

Hi
We are looking at moving to Newcastle, we have two little girls, 5 & 6.

We currently live in a leafy suburb of Manchester on the metro line. Our house is two minutes walk from school and the local park...we really want to find somewhere to live in Newcastle that has a similar feel....any ideas?

Er Whitley Bay is NOT beautiful!

The sea front is, with the lighthouse and all down the coastline

Ooh Dorothy we love cafe one twenty! Their cakes are amazing. The peanut butter and raspberry slice is my favourite treat ever!

Tynemouth is more beautiful than Whitley bay. Once you get out to the edge towards the lighthouse Whitley bay is lovely too, but the bit in the middle is not especially beautiful. The beach is great though.

Great park really is quite variable. The oldest parts are exactly as a PP has described, townhouses crowded together with no gardens and houses built down strange back alleys with no proper streets. And houses with very small rooms. Warkworth woods also has the added disadvantage of being entirely unnavigable because it's all one street and the numbering makes absolutely no sense. Other parts are quite different. The houses in greenside are enormous and there are wide tree-lined streets and a playpark (plus amenities in Kingston park because greenside is really in Kingston park rather than being anywhere near the rest of great park). The newest parts have quite a lot of variety. They're building some absolutely gigantic houses and also some pretty tiny ones (and everything in between). Who knows what it'll look like when it's done though, or if they'll ever build the promised shops. Pretty much everyone I know who lives in great park works in the NHS, so it's more doctors and nurses than footballers in general.

But lots of people really hate new builds so (like all areas) it's not for everyone.

In terms of cheaper areas in the gosforth vicinity, Coxlodge had some very affordable Victorian terraces right next to the nature reserve and the children tend to go to Archibald first school then gosforth junior high academy (marvel at the ridiculousness of that name non-local readers). The (mostly) ex-local authority parts of grange park and garden village are also quite affordable and have plenty of schools choice. Garden village is (as you might expect) pretty leafy. All of this is close to the metro, which may be a factor if anyone's looking at working in the city centre.

A vote for Whitley Bay. We live within strolling distance of the library, park with outdoor water bit in the summer, library, swimming pool, cafe and small independent cinema.

I didn't actually mean footballers live on Great Park , (as if!) - I meant that sort of 'flashy' big car, big TV, like-their-labels, well groomed type.

I still think Greenside is bleak; I really don't like all those grey window frames and boxy houses.

Grange Park has nicer (older) houses but very little in the way of communal green space, and no parks or play areas for children at all.

Up behind Gosforth High Street is nice, from the blue house roundabout all the way along to Loch Fyne the streets up behind there are lovely. Sorry not sure if its got a specific name.

They are lovely, but expensive. Don't think the OP has said a budget has she?

Nah not yet.

One thing i would say is to remember that your dds won't stay 5 & 6. Having a park at the end of the road doesn't have the same value when you are 10 or 11 and kids grow fast! Think about what an area can give you for older dc too.

That bit is 'central gosforth'. It's not cheap.

There are some footballers that live (or have lived) in great park apparently. I wouldn't know because I know nothing about football.

Greenside does look like it was constructed from Lego.

I'm loving this!!! I'm learning so much 👍

Our budget is around £300-£320k...we'd love to spend less than that though.

Is there an area of Jesmond near the independent shops that isn't studentville?

I think we need to check out Gosforth (avoid certain concrete no-places 😉), Jesmond, Heaton, Whitley Bay and Tynemouth.

Do you think that's a good list?

I'm sure there's certain places we can't afford.

Monkseaton/West Monkseaton is nice (near Whitley Bay).

The best areas of Jesmond are ££££££.

Apologies if I sounded snippy about footballers Milady. Traditionally the top flight footballers all seemed to head to more secluded and exclusive places such as Darras Hall.

Bearing in mind your kids won't stay little forever you should probably think about schools too..
Whitley Bay and Gosforth have (at the moment anyway) a three tier school system. So kids go to middle school from year five then high school from year 9??
Where I live in Heaton there is a two tier system so kids go to primary until end of year six then secondary.
The local high school in Heaton is in special measures but I suspect now won't be for long. I also think the three tier system in Northumberland and Gosforth may not last.
Jesmond look around Cradlewell for less studenty areas or around Ilford road metro for lovely terraces and close to town moor and Exhibition park.
You'll get something quite nice with that budget. You'd get more for your money in Heaton terraces south of the A1058 or in High Heaton Cragside estate (north of Cragside).
Be aware Cragside primary school has a waiting list for transfers.

This for example for under 300

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-58046998.html

I moved when my dd were 6 & 4 - started my search in the good secondary school catchments and worked back through to the primary catchments.

I love Heaton, but with schools in mind I might consider Gosforth or the coast if moving here again. Simply because I think DD would benefit from the buffer of middle school before an enormous high school.
She'll be fine though, well looked after where she is going.

My H was born and brought up in Heaton. He lived in Swindon Terrace which is more towards the end of Heaton near the Coast Road. His house was a beautiful Victorian Terrace with a small yard. He says kids play out in the back streets or in the many parks. This is a nice area with mostly professionals and families although just off Chilly Road (cafes, shops etc) My MIL downsized to free up capital and now lives in Third Avenue which has a Metro station at the end of her road as well as a pub which has just been done up. This area is the opposite end and her neighbours are almost all students. It's practically Byker to be honest although she loves it due to the easy Metro access, good pub, nearby Retail Park. She doesn't have any hassle.

My friend lives in a new build Town House in Great Park and loves it. The school (Brunton Park First) is great apparently and they have parties with the neighbours etc although she is a very friendly outgoing person anyway.

I also have friends living in Central Gosforth around Salters Road who love it but can't park outside their own house.

Oh I find Heaton annoying to drive in as people park either side of the road so you can only fit one car up at a time. My blood boils every time I visit. I lived there a few years ago in a street called Tosson Terrace which was studentville.

My husband moved over to near the Durham/Northumberland border to be with me as we could get so much more for our money here and says he'd never go back but out of the options mentioned on here he says he'd go for Low Fell.

My DS is at Uni in Newcastle-we have fallen in love with it-
however-I noticed you mentioned students-
he is in a house next year in Jesmond-
Think the entire road is student houses so definitely worth checking on that
Although probably easy to get a babysitter...

No need to apologise. The best things on rightmove in the NE are always the super blingy footballer mansions in darras hall. They're always hilarious.

It must be the much skinner footballers that chose a house in great park tbh.

I read that as skinnier footballers .

Well it didn't say skinter footballers, which it should have done.

Is this area student vile...the house highlighted in green?

'Student ville'
....hilarious autocorrect 😂😂