What's it like (honestly) in C. Durham, esp. as a southerner?

[ASecretLemonadeDrinker]

Finally made the decision to sell up this leech of a house. WOrked out we have 'lost' 100k in the past 6 years buying the place, doing it up, bills related to the place and will only walk away with 30-40k before paying £3,600 in fees for being in arrears for a few months, and god knows how much estate agent fees. Anyway, we want out before it goes negative - it's leasehold anyway so not worh soldiering on, and not a family home. It's really 1 double bed, 1 single bed and we have 3 DSs and no garden. I have found houses up north (found a perfect one but think it'll go by the time we sell), and wrked out we can squirrel away £1,500 ish a month living at MILs while looking, to add to the amount.

Anyway, what is it like? Where I was looking was a tiny village (both drivers, and the next larger village about 1m away has a co-op etc.), schools look better than here ! (2 Outstanding/Good Ofsted Catholic ones within 3m, more further afield too), work isn't an issue as DH will keep his job down here and travel back @ weekends unless he gets a transfer, or until he joins the RAF/Army (test in March) (main reason for moving - take home pay in basic training is about £780)

Will we be made to feel 'foriegn'? We are pretty easy going, but I do tend to have abit of a posh voice tosome people (people in Ireland say I talk like the Queen!). Is a small village a no no? Is everyone just human like down here?

Thanks if you can help!

We used to live in a tiny village called East Layton, about 6 miles from Darlington, we were in NYorks but only just over the border.

That area is not bad at all, the village was lovely, houses v cheap (we sold a 5 bed detached vicarage 12 years ago for just £230k.

County Durham proper, ie Bishops thingummy, Spennymoor, is a different kettle of fish, and you really wouldn't want to go to somewhere like Peterlee, it's very depressed economically and if you're staying long term, there would be few prospects of decent employment for your children.

I grew up in one of the villages near Darlington already mentioned - we moved there from across the Pennines when I was 10 and we found it really friendly, as did my Mum who is Irish, but my Dad struggled as people called him a stuck up southerner (RP accent)

That said I would go back like a shot and DH (also a stuck up southerner ) found people really friendly when we've visited

Northanger Abbey we got married near there- Barningham ad had our reception at the Morritt at Greta Bridge.

If you want to be near Peterlee I would go for Castle Eden. It's quite a well off village and a good mix of older and younger generations, new families and old (I totally get other posters mean about the families going back generations thing in some villages).

Oh, I remember the Morrit.

The other thing you can't ignore abuot the NE is that it's terribly cold.

We have lots of photos of us at BBQs and on the beach in full survival gear in July.

What is bad about the bad villages?

Well once mining went there was nothing in a lot of areas, simply nothing. A lot of places are nothing more than a string or 2 of terraces on a very windy hillside. Cheap yes but not quite what you want! Some have remained like that, lots of deprivation, lots of council owned houses (not being nasty about council properties but you do need a mixture I think in any given area). As others have said an old pit village is not the same a nice little village in a primarily agricultural area, they tend to be long terraces rather than a village that is arranged around a green.

It is only a couple of years ago that we were house hunting and going through all the research prior to moving away form the city centre. I found that the school ofted reports were a good start, the ones with decent schools tended to be those villages that had done ok post mining, that had managed to go in a different direction and retain a decent level of employment. We then visited the areas around the good schools and as a general rule they did have a good community, they had village halls where groups met and so on. You get a pretty good indication by driving around a bit really.

Of course it depends on your budget and the size of house you need because you can still get some good houses in suburby places within walking distance of Durham City too, in places with some very good schools you can still pick up a 3 bed for around £150k or an area like Gilesgate which has a bit of a bad name because of a big estate up there has some pretty nice little pockets in it (though you would want to ask around a bit and take a walk or 2 around the estates) and is very quick for the A1 and walkable to town.

Aworryingtrend - I spent so much time in Barningham growing up, and used to waitress (badly!) at the Morritt. Small world. I love Barningham though, would live there now if possible.

And yes, NorthangerAbbey - my DH from the south is always complaining about the cold up here.

I haven't been to Peterlee for 10 years but from what I've heard it hasn't improved. When I worked there I ventured into the town centre and it was awful, Sunderland town centres not great but Peterlee was just depressing. There are probably some lovely houses but Peterlee itself is pretty awful and I can't see it changing anytime soon.

Like someone else said the pit villages are not quaint chocolate box villages. There is high unemployement and a lot of council properties. There are quite a lot of new build housing estates being built in these areas but the no improvements in the village/town centres so still not a very nice place to live.

If I was wanting to move to a village not too far from Durham I'd be looking in the nicer weardale villages or nearer to Durham City.

Chester-le-street and surrounding villages are nice, and that watt you are just about equi-distance between Newcastle/Durham and unfortunately Sunderland

Also handy for A19 and A1

Im a southerner living in a former pit village, but one of the larger ones. Where I am there are shops, a weekly market, a library, toddler groups, and loads more if I made more effort!

I have managed to make friends, but one thing I have found is that everyone is friendly enough at school and toddler groups etc but its difficult to find friends for 'me' so that I have friends to have a night out with or friends who I can feel I can ask to babysit, but maybe thats my problem as I am quite shy, maybe I come across as a stuck up southerner!!! Everyone has lived here for years and has lots of friends and family around so I do sometimes feel like an outsider.

I agree that it isnt quaint and I agree that there appears to be high unemployment and a lot of council properties. It is a central place though to be able to travel to work in Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham.

Schools are good and smaller than the one they would have gont to down south. My children seem to be thriving at the local primary.

Ive been thinking of moving lately, Im just not settled. We cant afford to move back down south. My favourite places are Wolsingham, Frosterley etc not sure what they would be like to live. I also love Durham itself but again no idea what the area is like to live. I get homesick for everything I left behind, and I hate the cold and the snow!!!

Also bear in mind that everywhere is miles away. Down south we were surrounded by Tescos/Sainsburys and shopping centres. Here Asda is 8 miles away and the Metro is about 20 miles away. Good for my bank balance but a pain when you want a little retail therapy :)

Sorry what an essay! Pros and cons and I sway between loving the north east and hating it.

I live very close to Peterlee. The traditional way of sorting villages round these parts is to ask if it was a pit village or a farming village.

Easington for example was a farming village. Easington Colliery is a former pit village. They are actually cheek by jowl next to each other. Both are a stone's throw from Peterlee. If you want to know a bit more about the area within say a 5 mile radius of Peterlee feel free to PM me.

^Waves^ at the Durham Posse Indith and SPB.

Bishop Auckland/Crook are nice. Speaking as a one time immigrant I'd recommend sticking to the larger market towns. Safety in numbers etc. and you're never far from open spaces.

I 2nd chester le street. Have lived 'down south' (bedfordshire) but always wanted to settle back in north east. My dh is in forces and commutes at weekends. Ds goes to an "outstanding" primary school which is in the next street from us. The junior school is across the road. He'll go to comp in durham.

Indith, I don't suppose you would tell me the name of your perfect sounding village please?

Please help we want to move to County Durham we are in our late 60's and retired, but don't know which area to look we can only spend up to £85k would like a decent area but do need to be near to Drs, chemist and food shop, so not like a busy big town. Look forward to your help

@Crippo you need to start your own thread, as this one is nearly 10 years old!

Hi there I am looking to move to Durham or areas around there? Where is nice and where isn't please? I'd be ever so grateful for some advice, have seen a lovely house in Sherburn Hill, any ideas what's that like please?

We live on the C. Durham/ North Yorks border. The nearest town to us is Barnard Castle which is a lovely little market town. There are loads of little villages in the area that would be welcoming to Southerners and have lots of green space, nice little pubs, shops etc.

I would hugely avoid any ex-pit villages. I've lived all across the North (NE, NW and Yorks) and ex-pit villages generally are made up of old council houses. Have a look at villages around the Barnard Castle area.

It depends how far into C Durham you need to be though realistically

I spent time in Durham years ago and sometimes think of going back up there but to the city or some of the villages. I did my teaching practice in Peterlee and have to agree with PPs that it's pretty soulless and I wouldn't turn down somewhere else in Co Durham to live in Peterlee.

Thanks everyone

Sherburn Hill is alright. It is a mining not a farming village. It has the advantage of being a bui closer to Durham than some of the other mentioned. Nobody ever said that they dream of moving there. As alluded to elsewhere, you get what you pay for.

Your money would go further in Sherburn Hill than in Barnard Castle, lets put it that way. Some of these comparisons, like id rather live in Castle Eden than Peterlee are a bit like saying I'd rather live in Chelsea than Croydon.

@Su56 I've lived in lots of places in Co Durham. If you are happy to give an indication of budget and requirements (town, country, schools, work etc) I'd happily suggest areas. As previously indicated county Durham is pretty big