Young family moving to Southport?

[BlueRaincoat89]

My DH has heard today that he has a job interview close to Liverpool. If he gets the job we are considering relocating from Manchester to Southport. We have been to Southport a few times and like some places there - in particular the two bottle shops, The Atkinson, some restaurants and the walks around there and close by.

We were looking at houses close to Marine Lake - they'd be so much more expensive where we currently live! We have a 1 year old daughter - there seems to be good schools nearby and lots of parks and generally greenery. I also read a lot that it's just a place where people go to die which puts me off a bit. I know that there are seedy/touristy bits of the town but presumably those areas are easy to avoid. If anyone lives there or knows more, I'd love some opinions. Thanks!

Are you 100% set on Southport? If your DH would be based in Liverpool, there's always the Wirral to consider (and Liverpool itself!).

What's your budget?

Your budget and house requirements are key.

Everyone that considers coastal towns wants to live by the sea, but are usually priced out.

I'd look at the logistics of his daily commute aswell.

Our max budget is 500k and it looks like we could get a very nice house south of marine lake (the eastern end) and north of Lord St. That's where we have seen some places. His commute would be about 45 min max which is fine. We've also considered the area around Churchtown

If we lived on the Wirral my Mancunian family might disown our daughter if she gets a scouse accent

I live in Southport and I love it. I wouldn’t live near Marine Lake to be honest. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just very near the town centre. Church town is really nice, but if your husband is working in Liverpool, Ainsdale would be easier to commute from and is nice. Also consider Hillside. I’ll have a look at some houses.

This is in a great location - www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-61696437.html

Ainsdale village has a couple of nice bars and restaurants. It’s not as nice as Churchtown though.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-61466292.html

Ha I actually grew up in this house -
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-83592182.html

Near Birkdale village which is nice. Not really near many primaries though.

Don’t buy a house on the Promenade. There’s a lot of run down/houses of multiple occupancy on the promenade. It’s not really a family area. If there’s specific houses you’ve seen, feel free to message me and I can try and give you a bit of info about location/schools.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-64268661.html#_map-view

Another Ainsdale one - the Ainsdale ones are all about a ten/fifteen minute walk from the beach too which is a plus .

We've just bought a house in Southport we're currently in Liverpool and very excited to be moving there.

Hillside is beautiful and closer for your DH to commute x

Churchtown is much better, I’d also avoid the centre.

I grew up there and back to see family pretty often. Hillside is lovely, as is Churchtown, Birkdale and Ainsdale are largely nice but worth getting a feel for the street you’re looking on to be sure- knock on neighbours doors and things. If your budget stretches I’d consider Formby if I were you.
I wouldn’t consider marine lake or close to town.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-64154109.html

This is a nice road. My friends parents live on it and my childhood home very close so I know the area well.

I'd go for Ainsdale as well. More for your money and probably more families around.

Thanks everyone - point taken about being so close to the centre of Southport! I think we saw some big houses and were sold but if it's not really a family area, that's not good.

We've just been having a look at Ainsdale - looks nice. We prefer older houses, quite like this one - it would need a bit of work, but we're open to that:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-83590889.html

What is Ainsdale like? I've had a quick look on Google and there seems to be enough independent type bars/restaurants. I've been on the beach there but never the actual town. Same goes for Formby. Formby seems a bit busier?

We're going to have a drive over on Sunday - think we'll have lunch in Ainsdale and then maybe drive over to Churchtown. Any recommendations?

If the weather isn’t too bad have a walk round the Botanic Gardens at Churchtown. Got a bit run down in the past few years but have started to bloom again.

That house is lovely - just be aware that Liverpool road is a main road, not sure how much that would bother you.

Ainsdale is much more of a village than a town - just a few shops, cafes etc. The town would still be Southport. Ainsdale isn’t quite as polished/quaint as Churchtown but it’d knock up to 20 mins off your husbands commute. What are you looking for? Ainsdale has some nice cafes - there’s a Mad Hatter Alice in wonderland themed one, Mecycle which is a cycling hub/cafe with nice cakes. Don’t have to be a cyclist to go. There’s also another cafe that we often sit outside of but I can’t for the life of me remember what it’s called. There’s a bakers, little Tesco, co op, pharmacy, couple of gift shops, a vintage clothes shops, couple of charity shops.

Churchtown has a couple of nice pubs, the Hesketh is nice got food and next to Botanic Gardens which is a nice park. Remedy is a gin bar/cafe, there’s a few other bars too and a dog cafe ha!

For Southport town centre, if you park up at the Ocean Plaza retail park where the Vue cinema is, it’s free parking for 4 hours. From here you can have a wander along the pier and there’s a new cafe at the end of it - not been myself but it’s meant to be alright. You can also walk the other way onto lord street which has the usual mix of charity shops, coffee shops and bars that most small town high streets have. The bigger chain shops are on Chapel Street but most people go to Liverpool or Manchester to shop. A pro of Ainsdale is that there is a direct train to Liverpool from Ainsdale station which is very regular and very reliable. Churchtown you’d have to go into Southport to get the train.

Oooooh thanks for all the info @SkeletonSkins Ainsdale definitely sounds like the type of place we'd like - the Tipple Bar seems to have sold it to DH! My only concern is secondary schools - my daughter's only 1 so we're a long way off that but doesn't seem to be one close. Greenbank looks like the closest but I'd prefer not to have her in a girls only school. The primaries seem excellent - any idea where Ainsdale kids go to secondary school?!

Secondary schools in Southport are all pretty rubbish at the minute BUT could easily change in the next 10 years, the only exception is Meols Cop High which is brill, but you wouldn’t want to live near enough to get in. Greenback is very good if you’re into academics, very high achieving, but like you say, all girls. Don’t touch Stanley High with a barge pole and Christ the King is having some serious issues. But obviously that’s just how it is right now - could totally change. Meols Cop used to be the sink school.

From what I know, most Ainsdale kids get the train to Formby for high school and go to one of the Formby high schools. Look at Formby high, Range, and there might be another one...

Thanks @SkeletonSkins I'll have a look at those. I suppose we should go and get a feel for the place before we think what the schools will be like in 10 years time I'll let you know how our visit goes!

Agree that Ainsdale, Birkdale, Hillside or Churchtown might be better options than the end of Lord Street. Formby is nice but more expensive Waitrose effect/footballers

Shore side of Birkdale is more expensive than the other side (Village/Liverpool Road) but there is a good Primary school on Liverpool Road (Farnborough Road)

Thought I'd post a quick update after our visit on Sunday as so many of you were kind in giving me advice. We really liked Ainsdale - sat outside and had lunch in the village then had a walk on the beach. Seems like there are a good range of houses and plenty of older ones which we liked - not for sale though! There were a lot of parents with children in the village so seems like a nice family area.

We also visited Birkdale which was nice, but Ainsdale seems like it would suit us better with the beach for walking the dog etc. DH's interview is this week so we'll see how it goes!

Ah, good luck with the interview for your DH, OP. It's a lovely area.