Where to relocate M6/Midlands

[OakCat]

DH and I are looking to relocate next summer. We currently live in South Oxfordshire and need to move to the midlands (M6 side ideally) for DH’s work.

We have no idea where to start looking!

We have a DD who has just turned 3 so want access to good schools and ideally have the option for a girls grammar/independent school for 11+.

Ideally we would like to live in a large village/small market town with a good community spirit as DD will be an only child so want to make sure she has lots of friends and of course we would like to make some too.

DH would like a good gastro pub within walking distance.

I need to be max. 30 minute drive of a large town as I will need to find work once DD settled (I’m a Finance Manager).

Any ideas on where to start?

Our property budget is max £600k and would love a non-estate four bed detached (2000 sq ft +).

Thanks.

Where will dh be needing to commute to?

Only the M6 between Jnctns 10 and 6 is a nightmare, EVERY SINGLE DAY.
So just thinking, if you want to be in Birmingham, then don't live nr Jnctn10, but if you need to be nr Jnctn 10, then DON'T buy nr Birmingham.

Has your DH got a specific location for his work? M6 is a long road especially at rush hour. Makes the A34 look mild! Do you just mean north of Birmingham, or anywhere from Coventry to Stafford.
Can he commute by rail?

Gastro pubs are everywhere - you will soon find your local. Work your location around everyday travelling unless you eat out every day.

I'd start by looking at where your DH has to travel to, unless it's a travelling job. Otherwise for good schools and lifestyle maybe Sutton Coldfield or Lichfield, or the larger villages near them? But look out for the HS2 route if nothing else to avoid horrendous traffic during construction.

M6 is a nightmare around that area although the toll road makes life easier.

Lichfield is lovely and has some lovely surrounding villages.

Stafford, Stone or Eccleshall may suit OP

Solihull is good with excellent state schools, decent shops etc. Expensive though.

Avoid Coventry.

If you don't need to be near Birmingham, Rugby and the villages around it are also decent with good grammar schools.

Thanks for all your messages and it's really valuable info about how bad the M6 is....DH thinks his 2 hour trip to do 50 miles down the M4/M25 every day is bad.

DH is in sales so could potentially be down in Devon one day and then up to Manchester the next which is why the decision on location is such a tough one.

He supports Liverpool so our thought was to centre around the west midlands so he could get a season ticket.

i was going to suggest stone/stafford/ lichfield. all have independent schools/grammar near by and have pretty areas to live in.

also, i suppose it would depend on what time your DH travels at. i find 8am awful around junction 9/10 west bromwich for M5/M6. 7.30, not so bad. we both use toll when we just cant face sitting for ages.

easy to go up to liverpool by stone/stafford and near villages.

South of Derby on the A50 has good links to M6 / M1 and M42. How about Melbourne, Repton, Ticknall?

I think Lichfield a good bet. It has the only Waitrose for miles, that must say something about the demographic. Anywhere around the M6/M42/M5 is reasonably well connected for north and south - that's why there are so many distribution centres. Maybe also look along the A5/A38 corridor? Would Derby be too far north?

My DSS has been on the waiting list for a Liverpool season ticket for four years and is about 2,000th in queue - I wouldn't build your relocation around getting one

I'm wondering about what you want from where you live op. So far we've heard your DH and your DD's requirements. What about you?

Barnt Green/Lickey - excellent transport links to m5/m6 (we're 5 mins from m5) and m42/m40. Lots of houses within your specification. Barnt Green has two nice gastro pubs, great primaries and 5-6 miles from an excellent grammar. The local independent school is top 80 in the country. It's 25 mins from Birmingham city center, lots of countryside and nice villagey feel. We regularly visit family in Bucks - 1hr 20 and Stoke - 1 hour

I have a friend from university who grew up in Lichfield- she was always keen to get into Birmingham for nights out, although she now admits what a lovely place Lichfield was to grow up in!

Have visited a couple of times- her parents have now moved to a lovely village called Yoxall about 10 miles away.

I also remember Sutton Coldfield being quite nice with a shopping centre- less quaint & traditional than Lichfield though. Four Oaks and Streetly seem to be the posh bits of Sutton Coldfield.

When we relocated, our brief was that it needed to be 'midlands' (at the time, dh was taking on an area going up to Manchester and down to Cornwall on the west side of the country)and I needed to be in reasonable distance of an airport.

We've ended up off J7 of the M5 in a small market town which has one michelin starred restaurant, a community theatre/cinema, a leisure centre and lots of indie shops. The trainline goes to London (albeit a bit slowly) but you can be in Bristol in an hour, Birmingham in 40 minutes, Heathrow in 2 hours.

I'd rate Leamington/Stratford/Warwick very highly for great schools, location and quality of life. Depends how far south you want to be- Henley in Arden is a lovely little town too. All are near good grammar schools and good primary and secondary states.

But really you probably need to have a good drive around one weekend!

Newport in Shropshire would fit your requirements. Excellent (single sex though) grammar schools in the town. Market town size. Would have to out of centre generally for something other than 1960's / 1970's housing but lots of lovely villages around. Check which villages are in catchment for the grammar schools as entry prioritised for in-catchment children.

You really want to be able to avoid J10-J6 as much as possible (and then the A38(M) in and out of Birmingham. It really is awful. If you can locate so you use the toll to avoid that part of the M6 (assuming you are going through, not into Birmingham), that would help. TBH, if either of you need to work in Birmingham, you'd be better off going south of the city and getting into work that way and avoiding the north altogether. You can always get north via the M5 (which is fine as long as it's not rush hour), or go M42 then M6Toll to pass by the horror. Thats's what we do. We live on the south side and I often have to travel north of Birmingham, but I go at non-rush hour times - takes me 15m to get from south Brum to the M6 via town/A38(M), but again - not at busy times!