Harrogate and surrounding area...

[lulubean77]

Hello. Please be patient with me as this is my first posting so I am sorry if i've get anything wrong with the protocol of posting here! The thing is I am looking for some advice from people local to Harrogate. After various holidays and visiting friends in North Yorkshire, I've got it into my head that the best place to buy my dream house and bring up my burgeoning family would be in a nice village near to Harrogate. Can anyone recommend villages that we should look at? I want a good village school, pref a pre-school as well, church, pub, village shop if poss, peaceful walks and runs from the front door but not too far from a supermarket and some good shops and restaurants within a 20 min drive or so (hence thinking Harrogate surrounding area). We are originally from South West London but currently renting in the home counties my husband runs his own business so we could theoretically live anywhere in the UK with ok-ish transport links (Ive been trying to escape from the city since we had our first child four years ago - we tried living in a village in the French Pyrenees last year which was perfect in many ways (house size, country views, peace etc just not so great being in France and not really gelling with local community very well) and so I keep dreaming about the 'real countryside' here in England and looking at how much more for property for your money you can get up north, I want to put down some roots with the kids and the family, make some friends, join some clubs etc but don't really feel a heartfelt connection with where we are right now even though on paper it has everything we need and thus don't want to invest lots of energy in a place we are going to move from. Authentic country living is what I am after for our family with some really beautiful countryside as a back drop (love the peace of the Dales).
Any ideas gratefully received... Thanks :)

Villages around Wetherby are nice and easy to get to Leeds and York and near the A1

Collingham, East Keswick, Bardsey are all nice near Wetherby, but not very 'rural'.
Near Harrogate you have Kirby Overblow is a small rural village and Harewood is a nice place too and halfway between Leeds and Harrogate so handy for the kids/teenagers!
I don't really know any very rural areas, but it might be worth exploring north of Harrogate on the way to Ripon.
Have you done an exploratory trip to explore certain areas?

You can basically take your pick. I live near Wetherby and I can confirm it is a really lovely area with so much to offer. You really couldn't ask for more

Thanks ladies, we are going to do an exploratory trip at the end of november so will have a good look at all these places. much appreciated. Never been to Leeds so perhaps will book a weekend there at some point too. Love Harrogate. Love Richmond too but I think that me be just a bit too remote, although the countryside is so very beautiful around there.

Northwest of Harrogate is very pretty and very easy access to the dales national park. The villages of hampsthwaite and birstwith (both in nidderdale) would meet your criteria, but are further away from Leeds than Kirby Overblow for example if that's a consideration.

You'll get more house for your money around Wetherby and be nearer the A1, but further from the dales and the scenery isn't as dramatic as some north harrogate villages.

Ripon is cheaper than Harrogate too, but its secondary schools are divided by the 11+ which doesn't suit everybody. The villages around Ripon seem pretty, but it's too flat for my liking!

If you're intending to stay for secondary schooling Harrogate is excellent, but has two catchment areas for town and rural which can be confusing so worth looking into early if being in the catchment of a certain school is important to you.

And there's always Skipton too. Incredible scenery, but less remote than Richmond. If you're after beautiful countryside I'd give Leeds a miss.

Do you definitely want to be in a village? I ask due to the catchments for secondaries etc which may not be on your radar right now but is worth thinking about!! North rigton and follifoot and Kirkby overblown all nice as is beckwithshaw on south side. Killing hall on north side nice, that's about the limit of my knowledge on villages! PM me if you want more Harrogate info!