Where to live halfway between Birmingham and Manchester? Budget circa 350k

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Just that really. Returning expats, DH from Bolton, I am from Birmingham (south side). Can't agree on where to live. Returning without jobs so can be flexible. Thank you!

Maybe Holmes Chapel or somewhere close by? Its not exactly half way (nearer to Manchester than Birmingham) but close to the motorway so access either way, decent schools, decent house prices. I think further south (so more in the middle), you're looking at maybe Stoke / Stafford which aren't as nice imo.

Nantwich is really nice, or Chester. You could get to both quite easily from there.

Can you find jobs anywhere? Otherwise I'd start from finding a job and then looking for a convenient place to live.

Thanks everyone. Holmes Chapel looks fab,will defo investigate further. Skills transferable and hard to secure ajob from here so we willchoose an area and gofrom there. All suggestions gratefully received.typing with onehand!!

Definitely Nantwich or any of the villages surrounding/going out towards Chester. We've spent the week around Tarporley/Haughton/Beeston/Calverly which are gorgeous. Also have a soft spot for Betley near Crewe.

Some great ideas - an area we don't know but looks so interesting, thanks so much!

South Cheshire is lovely and better value than the northern bits closer to Manchester. Agree with others that Nantwich is lovely, or the villages near there, like Audlem. I grew up round there so know it well.

Northwich, Nantwich, Winsford. All nice. Winsford is more affordable.

Second vote for Audlem. Tarporley too and Chester has more going on obviously. Winsford is affordable for a reason IMO but yeah, you could get a bigger, better house there.

Leamington

It has trains to both Birmingham and Manchester

Stafford! Direct trains to both cities, a lot of house for £350k

Peak District... Bakewell, Ashbourne, Buxton

Leamington Spa is lovely but horrendously overpriced. Great place though, lots of small independent shops, nice cafes, pubs with good food, close to M1 and M40 but traffic can be nightmare. I loved living there. Not that many bad areas, all the shops you need nearby, commutable easily to Burmingham but not so much to Manchester - there are trains but it's far!

I would defintiely second south cheshire, Sandbach, Alsager, (both v close to M6, good schools, lots of nice houses to choose from, local shops but also not too far from other shopping areas, good rail links), also Nantwich which is a bit further west. If you get near J16 or 17 of M6, you have a wide area you can commute to, north or south via M6, east via Stoke/A50, west to Crewe and beyond.

I live in this area and have commuted to both Warrington and Warwick, my DH to Wolverhampton, also know others who go to Chester, Liverpool, Manchester, Derby and Nottingham.