Should I relocate from the Home Counties to Yorkshire?

[LuckyBuddha]

Live in a small two up two down in the Home Counties and DH has family in the north west leeds area, thinking of relocating for more affordable house and to be closer to his family who could help with the kids who are 8 months and 3 years... Thoughts?

[FreeFreesia]

Oops zombie thread.

[FreeFreesia]

Ilkley to north west of Leeds av annual rainfall 1024mm. Only 20miles away Wetherby to north east of Leeds av annual rainfall 626mm.

Plenty of jobs for good teachers ! We're further to the east and lots of teachers at DS' secondary school are from out of area, including the new headmaster starting in Sept.

[BlueSkiesLies]

Rain is irrelevant with the right clothing

Actually one thing I was really surprised about moving to London was the noticeable warmer and drier climate! I thought it was bullshit but it’s not :-)

[thisisbloodyridiculous]

I recommend looking at villages north of North leeds - around Wetherby. Some can be cheaper than north leeds and although further out can take the same amount of time to get into leeds as the ring road from north leeds in rush hour is dreadful.

[TheLesserSpottedBee]

We moved from Lancashire, to Midlands and then to Leeds. We have family in Leeds (Dh's side) and both our Dads are in Lancashire. So we regularly travel on the M62.

We chose the area we are now in due to transport links, close to M62 and M1 plus train station.

My youngest attends an outstanding primary and the oldest an outstanding secondary.

North Leeds is very expensive. We first looked at North Leeds but the travelling down the ring road to get to a motorway put us off.

We love where we live, love Leeds for shopping, restaurants, love the walks we can take the kids on etc.

And rain? you buy an umbrella

[specialsubject]

the 'Hebweb' (love it) implies that a LOT of houses were flooded, they were in big trouble there.

[buymeabook]

Very few houses in Leeds were flooded. Because it's hilly you have to be right in the bottom of the valley to have a chance of getting affected. Even in Hebden Bridge I think it looked very bad from the pictures but it was in the centre and mostly shops affected. Of course be careful and do your research but don't take it out of proportion.

[namechangedtoday15]

Leeds (the City centre and the A65) was badly affected by the floods, as was the centre of York.

[LuckyBuddha]

Was up at Christmas and saw lots of flooding... So sad on top of Christmas seeing people dragging sopping wet sofas out their houses, just awful... I'm going to move to a house on a hill!

[Potterwolfie]

I concur with the soggy nature of the right side of the Pennines . But oh, the Lakes, the views, the pubs, the gloriously bucolic-ness of it all. The North is warm in welcome if not in weather.

[specialsubject]

in that case...buy an umbrella and get going!

Seriously - choose carefully, and if it is a newbuild, choose even more carefully. As an example; Hebden Bridge is always very wet and was flooded out at Christmas. One of the wettest places was a site earmarked for new development. Houses get built on land that floods.

[LuckyBuddha]

Specialsubject in regards to the grandparents they are well up for helping, anything to get us to move up! I wouldn't expect them to do loads of childcare just help when kids are ill and do drop off pick ups etc in any case the childcare is nearly half the price and the wages are the same!

[LuckyBuddha]

No offence intended throwingpebbles... I totally understand and realise that the area you mention is very expensive and in those areas I'm sure we could only afford a small house... My husband also gets annoyed by comments about northerners! He says when they follow news stories in Yorkshire they seek out the most stereotypical back of beyond types! However where we live at the moment is beyond expensive and prices are rising so quickly as so many people can't afford London anymore they are moving out to the surrounding counties... A concern for me is that staying down south my children will never be able to buy their own home as you need such massive deposits now...

In regards to the rain you just got to get on with it! As MIL says it keeps us southerners out!

[Savagebeauty]

Yes just seen a nice one for £295 with the sort of layout I want..big kitchen a must.
Luckily no schools required....mine will be at university

[buymeabook]

I'm in north Leeds with very well regarded schools at primary and secondary, and there are plenty of 3 bed houses for around £250k.

[lalalonglegs]

buyme - that's eye-opening about the differences in rainfall across the county. My in-laws are definitely in the Pennine belt which is why, I suppose, my perception is that it is awfully wet and, failing that, overcast in Yorkshire but it seems it is a very localised phenomenon.

Good luck wherever you decide to go LuckyBuddha. The smarter suburbs of Leeds - Roundhay etc - are expensive for the region but really don't compare to London and the vast majority of the Home Counties so I'm sure you'll find something for your money. If you can't, then I'm sure there are plenty of lovely neighbourhoods within easy reach of family that are affordable.

[lavendersun]

I would do it - we are moving 'home' (Yorks) this year due to my mother's health deteriorating, work commitments allow it now but didn't previously.

I wish I had been able to do it while my daughter could enjoy being active with her Grandparents.

You will be able to forge a much nicer relationship grandparent to grandchild if you are closer - it will be lovely Even if the day comes when they can't help any more, it won't matter, the bonds will be stronger than they would otherwise.

The UK is only 600 miles long, there isn't that much of a weather difference to worry about imo.

Everything we do is outside, has been since I was a child, the weather would never stop me doing anything, you just need the right clothes and you are off.

[specialsubject]

you can move to cheaper areas with loads to do and decent weather, there are plenty of those in England.

are the family signed up to help with the kids? What happens if they can no longer do it?

[Savagebeauty]

Im expecting to pay up to £400,000 for a 3 bedroomed house .

[throwingpebbles]

You know there are swathes of North Leeds that are easily as affluent as the South? And house prices are just as eye watering? Just saying because I have moved the other direction and am tired of the assumption that I must have grown up in a back to back with 10 ferrets

You might want to get your head round that before winding up a lot of people when you move!

Also massive deprivation and terrible schools all over the South too.

[LuckyBuddha]

Fair point about the rain!

[LuckyBuddha]

Sounds like once you got your first job you are in the loop! Bradford and parts of Leeds have some very challenging schools and that's where all the jobs seem to come up! Hopefully we will be lucky and get fab jobs if we move up 😄 thanks for sharing your experience ShutUpLegs

[buymeabook]

Lala, but if you pick the Church Fenton weather station (between Leeds and York) annual rainfall is 603mm with 115 days of rain. It drops off very quickly the further from the Pennines you are!

[ShutUpLegs]

When we relocated, the teacher in the family got a lot of interviews (high strike rate!) only to come the perennial runner-up. It took 8 interviews to get a job but thereafter has changed job 3 times without those kind of odds. Of course, there is waaaaay less competition for teaching jobs than there was back then. One job has 180 applicants as I recall. Now, anecdotally, you only need to turn up for the interview.

Rain is irrelevant with the right clothing - and its way wetter over the Pennines!