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Original poster

Possibly moving up North for a better way of life..

84 replies

SouthernNorthernGirl · 19/10/2016 19:14

We have been seriously thinking about moving up North, and would love some tips on the best areas.

Currently in the South East, and we really do struggle. We are in a tiny new build flat and it's starting to feel very overcrowded. We can't move as we can't afford to (privately rent) and we've had enough now.

It may be possible for DH to get a work transfer as the company he works for has a few bases scattered around the country. I did have a look in Cumbria, and adore the property there (about an hour commute for DH) however we don't know if we would have much choice, if any, by relying on his current job placements.

Has anyone else done similar? Would love to hear about it please.

OP posts:
myfriendnigel · 19/10/2016 23:40

Derbyshire. Beautiful, potentially near four cities depending on which bit you move to, Derby, Nottingham, Manchester or Sheffield. lovely people. 4 bed house for a hundred grand Cheaper than my 2.5 bed in the south east is currently valued.

NicknameUsed · 19/10/2016 23:42

Northumberland is lovely. There are some towns that aren't so nice, just as there will be in any county. OH is from Northumberlnd and we visit regularly. It is a beautiful county with much to offer.

If your husband got a job in Cramlington he could easily commute from Morpeth. You also have the convenience of being near the coast. Northumberland has some of the best beaches in England.

Ladybird333 · 19/10/2016 23:49

I moved from Hampshire to Yorkshire when I was 25. Absolutely love it up here. I had family within a couple of hours away, so doable for a Sunday lunch etc. If you have children that helps you meet people and settle quickly. Good luck!

Original poster
SouthernNorthernGirl · 19/10/2016 23:58

Sunny I've heard about the culture shock before, though not sure what is meant by it. Could you expand a bit on that please? Blush

OP posts:
NicknameUsed · 20/10/2016 00:06

Oh, and I moved from South London to Yorkshire many years ago. I love visiting London, but would never move back.

woowoowoo · 20/10/2016 00:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NicknameUsed · 20/10/2016 00:12

"I think the culture shock is about people speaking as they find and being very blunt"

I work in Sheffield and the bluntest person in my office is from Beckenham.

I have lived in Yorkshire for over 30 years and haven't met many stereotypical Yorkshire folk. I don't think northerners are any more blunt than southerners.

PickAChew · 20/10/2016 00:20

Cramlingrton is an easy commute from newcastle, if you're used to the city - and if you're moving form down south, Ponteland might be affordable - that even has Waitrose!

wowfudge · 20/10/2016 02:53

I'm a northerner - I don't get what the culture shock would be, except we don't believe the country revolves around only London. There are lots of branches of Waitrose Wink, museums, art galleries, theatres, etc and beautiful countryside and coastal areas within easy reach.

Public transport isn't as joined up as it is across greater London, that is true.

Toolateagain · 20/10/2016 03:21

I did southwest to northeast and don't really understand the culture shock comments. I haven't noticed anything like that.
There's definitely a temperature shock though, it's cold up here!
I'm planning a return to the southwest, not because there's anything fundamentally wrong here except the weather, but because I love the southwest and life is too short to not be where you want to be.

VinoTime · 20/10/2016 03:53

I've moved around a lot OP and I swear, the further north you go the better it gets Wink I'm now in Scotland and love it. We have family just outside London and despite travelling down a couple of times a year, I still get the shock of my life at how fucking awful I would find it living there personally. It's busy, rude, loud, schools are oversubscribed, roads are constantly jammed with traffic, house prices are through the roof, everything seems so tightly squeezed in. It's just so chaotic.

I step out my back door at night and see the stars immediately. People are so friendly here, there's nowhere near the volume of traffic, the pace is more relaxed, houses are affordable, living costs are cheaper, I've never known anyone to have problems with school placements, there's space and greenery and rolling hills all around - just lovely Smile I can highly recommend Cumbria having lived there as a teen, but previous posters are correct about the limited job opportunities. Lancashire's really nice, as is Derbyshire.

Best of luck Flowers

Original poster
SouthernNorthernGirl · 20/10/2016 08:53

This is so helpful, especially the tips on best / worst places.

I think the kind of lifestyle I want is rolling hills, large gardens, long walks etcetc. I would need to be within easy reach of a town though. I adore the look of the houses in Cumbria - is there anything like this at all near the places I mentioned?

I see our possibilities are all market towns really, and we would just be moving out of this one, into another. I don't really like where we are, as it is trying to be too many different things at once (busy town, country area etc) and rather failing at them all.

OP posts:
shovetheholly · 20/10/2016 09:15

I did this and my major piece of advice would be: RENT FOR A BIT! Do not buy blind, straight away, in an area you don't know! (I made this mistake).

Culturally, some areas of the north are VERY different to some areas of the south east, and it's really important you find a community where you feel happy and at home. I bought a house in a very, very wrong place for me, and it took me ages to get out and to a place that was much more right.

I also think there are things, like commuting, that you kind of take for granted as a necessity in the SE, but that aren't actually necessary in many places in the north. Living close to your work can have enormous benefits in terms of the ease of life and the time that you save not travelling! I think a lot of people in the SE think they need to move to a village or the countryside, but actually there are many northern cities that are very closely connected, so you can have both. I'm in Sheffield and I can be in town in 20 minutes and in the Peak District in 20.

Original poster
SouthernNorthernGirl · 20/10/2016 09:44

shovetheholly We will be renting. We're renting now, and it's part of the reason we are moving - down here, we have no hope of ever buying.

Sounds like you have it spot on, where you are. I think I just carried away with the whole ideal cottages and thatched house etc Grin Blush

OP posts:
Ruhrpott · 20/10/2016 09:54

I grew up in Horwich not far from Chorley and it's a lovely area. Bolton is quite a big town and it's not far to the seaside and the countryside around Rivington Pike is lovely.

FledglingFTB · 20/10/2016 10:01

Southern I moved up a while ago and I had a commute from Preston (just north or Chorley) to Kendal. Under an hour and it's the quietest motorway you'll ever travel on. Other than the cost it was never a massive hassle

shovetheholly · 20/10/2016 10:11

southern - Phew, I'm relieved! I understand that love of the idea of the village, because I was exactly the same! I really romanticised the idea of living in a village. However, I think being in a market town on the periphery of London and being in a market town that is quite a long way from anywhere are very, very different experiences. Clearly, there are people who like the latter a lot (and thank goodness, it would be boring if we were all the same) but it definitely wasn't for me! (I can't emphasize enough how different the place where I live now is to the place I first moved to: the latter was very inward-looking, ludicrously parochial, troubled by very severe social problems, and aggressively anti-southerners - my neighbourhood now is full of the loveliest, sweetest, kindest people you could ever want as neighbours).

Finding a place that suits your values and interests and the kind of lifestyle you want to lead is really important. Silly little things, like having to drive to the supermarket in another town versus being able to nip out to the local shops, can make a big difference to convenience.

Original poster
SouthernNorthernGirl · 20/10/2016 10:57

I'm writing all these places down, and am going to have a look online Smile

Nice to hear that the commute may actually be a possibility Fledgling Also, good to hear your experience shovetheholly I agree, we would be terrible without the shops!

I don't know if it makes much difference, though our children do have large age gaps. I have a teen, one at junior school, and one in nursery. I would really need to get a good balance, to make sure they were all happy.
My youngest doesn't really understand too much anyway. My older two are different though - we sounded them out a bit, and DC1 is rather keen to move, and my DC2 really doesn't.

It's all confusing. Perhaps our best starting point is to take a visit at some point soon.

OP posts:
Kidnapped · 20/10/2016 10:59

"I think the kind of lifestyle I want is rolling hills, large gardens, long walks etcetc. I would need to be within easy reach of a town though. I adore the look of the houses in Cumbria - is there anything like this at all near the places I mentioned?"

Have you thought of Wales/Welsh borders? Lots of Welsh cottages are made of stone and slate like the archetypal Lakeland cottages. Large parts of Wales are very lakelandy in terms of character of houses. This kind of thing.

Possibly moving up North for a better way of life..
NicknameUsed · 20/10/2016 11:10

"I think the kind of lifestyle I want is rolling hills, large gardens, long walks etcetc. I would need to be within easy reach of a town though"

We have that where we live. We live near a small market town. The nearest large town is a 15 minute drive away, or 10 minutes on the train and we are half an hour away from two major cities. The primary schools in the area are outstanding and the three nearest secondary schools are rated ofsted good.

We don't have a large garden Sad, but there are plenty of houses that have them. We aren't near the sea though.

We live in South Yorkshire.

Msqueen33 · 20/10/2016 11:16

Following as I'm interested. We live in the south in an area we grew up in which has now become a commuter belt for London. Houses are expensive. However my parents are a ten minute drive away and we have two kids with additional needs and my folks aren't keen to move up north. Both my kids with additional needs love being outside. I lived up north for five years and people are lovely. Dh is in finance and I'm a sahm.

lk26 · 20/10/2016 11:17

I live in northern Cumbria but we have great road and rail networks within 5 mins.
Schools are generally good and it is a lovely place to live. Stunning scenery etc.
It can sometime feel a bit remote and cut off in the bad weather.
You would possibly be better looking at Kendal or kirby Lonsdale to live as less of a commute. Lovely towns with great schools.
Lancaster is also a great city with good transport links.

ohforfoxsake · 20/10/2016 11:22

I moved to a city because I wanted my DCs to have access to transport, so they could get home of an evening and a night out, and they could have some independence. And I dont want to spend my life in a car ferrying them. Activities take up some of our evenings and its helpful to have everything close. Also they need to be able to do these things themselves, meet up with friends, be able to get home. It was a big part of my decision making. The rural life is very appealling but with teenagers I think I'll save it for when they've flown the nest.

bigsnugglebunny · 20/10/2016 11:25

I agree about Cramlington, it would be a good place to work but not so much to live. I live in Guidepost, which is sort of near there (15 mins drive maybe) it suits us and I am used to it, but I would not recommend living here if you haven't got local connections because it is an acquired taste. We love it here... but we are odd.

Morpeth is lovely, and not very far from Cramlington at all, the commute would be fine. Bedlington is quite nice, if you steer clear of Bedlington Station which can be quite rough. Pegswood near Morpeth is also a nice little place.

Ellington is a little further afield, right near the coast - but there is a main dual carriageway close by that goes straight down the Cramlington, and Ellington is lovely. Not as Posh as Morpeth mind you!

Blyth and Ashington are not so nice, as previously mentioned. I think a big problem is that they lost a lot of industry with the closure of the mines, and shipyards and have sunk into decline.

Kel1234 · 20/10/2016 11:31

I'm from London originally but went to uni in Liverpool. While there I met my now dh, and we had a baby. We came back to London for a year so I was near my family, but we've moved back to Liverpool now.
I love living up there. Life is that bit more laid back and people aren't always rushing around. Plus it's so much cheaper to live. (We are currently in a student house, but will be looking to rent once I've graduated, and then hopefully buy one day. We'd have no chance in London with house prices.
I'd say go for it.