Commuting to Manchester - where to live?

[littlesunbeams]

Hi, I'm considering a new job in Salford - we currently live in another part of the country in a rural village with a good school which is near a city. We don't really want to move to the suburbs, and really would prefer a village/small town. Any suggestions of where would be commutable please? We love the Peaks - is that doable? Where else could we look? Thanks

Salford's north of Manchester so you want to look north really to avoid the M60 - what about Ramsbottom? It's a lovely little town with a lot of young families, and pretty affordable by all accounts (once you get over the fact that it's called Ramsbottom...)

In which universe is Salford North of Manchester?

Although I agree, Ramsbottom is lovely. As us Saddleworth. But they are not to everyone's taste.

New Mills or Hayfield?

Salford is just West of Manchester city centre. High Peak is doable by train and tram combo - Whaley, Chapel, New Mills, Hayfield, etc. Quicker than driving. All the benefits of being near a big city with beautiful countryside on your doorstep.

Peaks is doable as is Cheshire and lancs. What length of commute is acceptable and what is your housing budget. The North isn't always cheap around Manchester.

Apologies for punctuation fail. Missing a '?'.

Ha, sorry, you're all right - i just meant you don't want to look south.

I really don't like it when the OP opens a thread and then disappears.

I really don't like it when the OP opens a thread and then disappears.

To be fair she posted after midnight and is probably asleep.

Uppermill? I know a couple of people who live there and work in Manchester. Nice, small community apparently.

Hi, I'm new to this and couldn't find my post so thought I hadn't managed it!
Many apologies and thanks for your replies. Summer kind of took over so it was parked for a bit.
Commute ideally no more than an hour each way, train is preferable.
Good schools essential. And I think house budget around £350k.
Any thoughts gladly welcomed and I promise I'll reply quicker this time

Just echoing the love for New Mills and that part of the world - my brother and his family live there and commute to Manchester on the train for work - you can be out on the hills in moments, and there seems to be a nice community feel.

Thanks, it looks like it's an hour on the train to Salford Quays so doable. I'll have a look at houses and schools later. We love the Peaks so that would be a big bonus if that was close.

Horwich, edge of the Pennines? Also nearby Westhoughton, Chorley, Edgworth, Bromley Cross

I live in Bolton and work in Salford. The trains are great when everything goes smoothly. I’ve given up trying to drive as the East Lancs/M602 are an utter mare in rush hour. Colleagues living in south Manchester and Stockport have far easier drives into Salford.

Thanks, I'll look at these places later. I keep hearing that the roads are a nightmare so want to have option of train if poss although I haven't looked at costs.

Worsley (village, not Walkden)?!

Having lived in the Peaks and commuted to Manchester and Salford Quays, I would not say it is easy or quick. The roads are absolutely terrible for traffic and the train service is unreliable. On a good day, you could possibly do a commute in 1 hour. That would be the exception rather than the rule.

We moved to Didsbury and the relief was amazing, the impact on our family life of the 1.5 hour journey and the stress of worrying about being late picking up from nursery was not good. I still sometimes miss the hills but it was not worth the cost for us.

If you don't have any ties to particular areas, then consider the other areas that people have mentioned, e.g. Ramsbottom and surrounds. But do take other people's estimates of their minimal commutes with a pinch of salt (and add at least half an hour).

Worsley, although close on the map, is dreadful for traffic and public transport is lousy. The easiest way to Salford would be via Trafford Park and you'd be looking athaving to queue to get on the motorway which has major roadworks at the moment.

Thanks for your honesty WildRosesGrow. That is my fear-we're pretty lucky where we are at the moment, we can even cycle into work, so a long commute doesn't fill me with joy and the impact on family life would be considerable. All to take into consideration. Do you live in Didsbury itself? Is that a big town?

@wowfudge Yes, but you could cycle down the Bridgewater Canal cycle path couldn't you? (must admit MIL drops us at Salford Crescent if we've gone by train)

Thanks for your honesty WildRosesGrow. That is my fear-we're pretty lucky where we are at the moment, we can even cycle into work, so a long commute doesn't fill me with joy and the impact on family life would be considerable. All to take into consideration. Do you live in Didsbury itself? Is that a big town?

In the rain? Not much fun. And Worsley is expensive for an area where there is constant traffic noise from the motorway and East Lancs when you are outside.

My friend commutes from Knutsford to Salford. I don’t know how easy it is, but she is notoriously lazy so I can’t see it being too hard...