Commuting time - Knutsfird to Cheadle Hulme (Handforth)

[Sueqozzie]

Hi,
I've posted on here before. May be relocating to Cheadle Hulme early next year and have been looking at somewhere to live that has more of a small town/large village feel. We went again to Knutsford on the weekend and it's top of the list but I'm worried about commuting time. Work is situated in Cheadle Hulme, Handforth end - close to large Tesco/M&S. I imagine most direct route is a34 but I understand this can be very busy.
Am I looking at half an hour most days or much longer?!!

I don't really know that route, but won't it depend whereabouts you are in Knutsford? I only say that because my friend lives at the Tabley House side of Knutsford but has children at Bexton Primary School and said that it can take at least 20 mins to drive what I think is about a mile. I'd suggest therefore that you'd need to be on the A34 side of Knutsford if you were driving at school run time. Sorry thats not very helpful but I just wanted to flag up that the centre is very busy in a morning!

Good point, I hadn't thought of that!

I'd say it's a reasonable commute. 30 mins max. Knutsford is lovely

Are you actually in CH or Handforth Dean (tesco/m&s). Only ask because there could be a good 15 mins difference there, depending on where it is.

I don't know about the 'through Knutsford' traffic but offhand I'd say that was a fairly easy commute. I live in Handforth so feel free to pm me if you don't want to say exactly on here

HFDD, I would be in the Stanley Green Industrial Estate, which seems to be CH although very close to (bordering?) Handforth.

Well I live walking distance from there! Fwiw, Stanley Green is actually Handforth rather than Cheadle Hulme, which makes the commute from Knutsford even easier.

From knutsford, the 'pain points' will either be going through Wilmslow, or via bypass actually at M&S (handforth Dean). You can go straight up Knutsford Rd to the bypass, then cut back down Dean Row and get the old A34, up to traffic lights & turn right and you're sorted. Therefore, the only problem might be whereabouts you are in Knutsford as getting through the centre in the morning could be a pain. There tends to be a number of alternative routes though so you may just need to drive some of them & try it out at different times. Don't be surprised if you end up on one route in the morning and a different one at night!

Thinking about it, there's actually a 'back route' if you go into the M&S trading estate which will bring you out at Stanley Green and that may be your best bet (only known by locals so doesn't get too busy - for a small I'll let you in on the secret )

Whereabouts are you looking in Knutsford? If you are looking at Grove Park/Ashworth Park/Glebelands Rd/Mereheath Park you will have the Toft Road lights to get through by the station which is the major bottleneck.

Otoh, if you are looking at Rockford Lodge or South Downs ie at the back of Mobberley Road, but away from Longridge Estate, you can cut around the back of Mobberley Road and avoid it. A good point for that side is that is used to be where most of the childminders were.

OH goes from Chelford Road/A34 junction up past M&S (by the trading estate) every day. The A34 does get busy but it's still a great road for that stretch - far prefer to do doing that than parts of the M56 for example!

If you lived on the South Eastern edge of Knutsford (i.e. towards Ollerton, Marthal, Chelford etc, then you'd be talking about 40 mins (15 mins Knutsford along the A537 to A34; 25 mins up the A34 to the trading estate) depending on the traffic. You hit a slow bit at peak between Chelford and the A34 and at one of the Wilmslow roadabouts.
You can cut through Mobberley and Wilmslow to reach the A34, or along the A535. When I've done these routes in the past they've been more painful - the A537 is longer but fast.

I don't know the route if you were north side of Knutsford.

Thanks for the detailed info HFDD. I shall get out a map and follow your route. I'm actually familiar with the shortcut you mention and thought that it could be handy to save time :-)
tb, I'm not yet familiar with Knutsford but have a preference for areas in the Egerton primary or Bexton primary catchment. Although my preference for these schools is based solely on their Ofsted reports!
RC, thanks for the breakdown. 40 minutes doesn't sound too bad (tho was used to 25 minutes) so long as traffic is moving