Relocating from London - Manchester or Leeds?

[HarrietM87]

We live in London at the moment with our 1.5yr old DS and DH has the opportunity to move his job to Manchester. His parents are in Leeds and we’d thought of possibly moving there some day. The thought of a better work life balance is appealing (I’m a city lawyer) but I have a short commute (25 mins door to door) and love all the cultural opportunities in London.

Questions are:
Has anyone done this? Is it a good move? Is it feasible to commute from somewhere near Leeds to Manchester or do we really need to live in Manchester? What are good areas for a young family? Are we going to miss London terribly or never look back?

I would hope to be able to get a job in either city.

You wouldn't want to commute from Leeds to Manchester as things stand. By rail the fastest (and most expensive) journey is around an hour and that's before you've allowed for getting to the station and getting to the office at the other end. Driving would be a nightmare.

I'd look for somewhere north of Manchester with good access to the city centre and the M62.

I definitely would not commute from Leeds to Manchester. I had a friend that did this by car for a year and it nearly killed him! Rail links are rubbish by London standards too.

'Best' areas in Manchester are Didsbury and Chorlton, very different feels to them though. Didsbury is upmarket, Chorlton is expensive but rough around the edges. You'd either love it or hate it there.

Trafford is an excellent area to look at, some of the best schools in the country and a full Grammar system if you are interested in that.

Altrincham is the poshest part of Trafford and just won one of the best places to live in the country. Also look at Sale which is a bit more affordable. We live in Urmston and love it, but it doesn't have a direct tram at the moment.

If you search for Altrincham, Sale, Urmston, Flixton on Rightmove that will give you some ideas. Don't search 'Trafford' generally as it will likely bring up Old Trafford area.

Another option is somewhere like Wilmslow in Cheshire. I don't know the South well, but from others I know think it has a posh Surrey vibe rather than a city suburb.

PS happy for you to DM me if you have more specific questions on areas.

M62 is a nightmare for commuting and it is also classed as the Euroroute.

I would look at Manchester area, but I am curious to know what exactly does this mean?

love all the cultural opportunities in London

Tell me what it is. As a northerener, born West of the Pennines but now living East of the Pennines what I am supposedly missing that only London offers? I have lived in many places but never lived in London.

It might help direct you to places Manchester way.

South Manchester.

Wilmslow, Hale, Hale Barns, Bowden, Altringham l if you have London property money to spend.

Poynton, Bramhal if you want to spend less.

The commute from Leeds to Manchester is awful.

As is typical on MN, only the supposedly superior areas of South and south west Manchester are suggested. If the OP is going to be travelling to Leeds regularly and the DPiL will be travelling to them then I'd look at Worsley, Prestwich, Bury, parts of Bolton and Ramsbottom instead.

Bury is great as are Ramsbottom, Holcombe Brook, Tottington, Edgworth and Hawkshaw. Good schools and easy access to the city and countryside. I grew up there and go back regularly.

I agree, if you need to go daily to Leeds then you dont want to live in the South of Manchester....look at the areas mentioned by wowfudge & cardiffbird

I used to to commute to Manchester city centre by road, M606 then M62, so a bit closer than Leeds quickest journey, just over an hour, longest was a hideous 7 hours. Don't do it!

Agree with PP about Leeds to Manchester commute being a nightmare so would definitely choose Manchester. I went to uni in Leeds, moved to Manchester after graduation and have been in London for 15 years now and think Manchester would also be a better choice if you’re used to London- Leeds city centre itself is tiny and so I think you’d be more likely to find yourself missing London

Not flaming Leeds before I get attacked- I loved living there and there’s loads to do, but it definitely feels like more of a large town than a city

I find it hilarious how everyone recommends south Manchester and the obligatory Altrincham and Hale, like anyone moving from London would need bloody smelling salts for north Manchester. Agree with wowfudge and cardiffbird.

I in London but my fav places are hebden bridge, holmefirth and saddleworth. Lucky you! I love the North

I'm a bit biased and think leeds is lovely. HOWEVER if his job is in Manchester I would stay in Manchester area.

Leeds transport is a nightmare. Buses and trains are absolutely rubbish. In comparison Manchester's public transport is a breeze.

My sister commutes from Leeds to Salford regularly and it is awful, the public transport for Leeds suburb to Leeds centre is rammed with traffic and extremely unreliable. The trains from Leeds to Manchester are crammed and chaotic. She often will not get home until after 8pm.

Oh and the m62 is cursed with accidents every single day that have a knock on effect on the whole city.

Manchester all the way!

The M62 is horrible. Look for a home near Manchester.

I agree he commute from Leeds would be awful. Depends what you're used to I guess as plenty of people do it. Prestwich / Whitefield are nice in parts and commutable by tram - if you'd need to drive even this journey isn't great!

I find it hilarious how everyone recommends south Manchester and the obligatory Altrincham and Hale, like anyone moving from London would need bloody smelling salts for north Manchester.

If I had money from selling a house in London I would choose South over North Manchester any day.

Thanks for the replies! I feared as much re the Leeds commute.

We live in East London at the moment so definitely not looking for a Surrey vibe, but good state schools would be good. Re cultural opportunities - I’m mainly thinking about access to classical music and art, both of which we’re big fans of. Obviously I know there are orchestras and art galleries outside of London, but not on the same scale. That’s one of the main things that has kept us here so long and make me doubt whether a move is a good idea.

On the other hand I think we might have a better quality of life if I could work fewer hours and we were closer to family and countryside.

As to location, are there any villages to the north of Manchester with good access to Leeds or would we be better in Manchester itself? And is south Manchester significantly nicer than the north?

I have lived and worked in both north and south Manchester. There are pros and cons to both.

North - more for your money. I second areas around Bury like Tottington, Holcombe Brook and Ramsbottom. All nice in their own right, Bury has a thriving market but can be a bit gritty in the central parts. We lived in Prestwich for 7 years, personally I wouldn't recommend it. There's not much of a centre, just some shops along a strip of Bury Old and Bury New Road. It does have Heaton Park though which is fantastic, and much closer to Manchester - a 10-15 min cab ride to Deansgate. It also has the tram. It would be easier for you to get to Leeds from there, especially if you looked further out at Whitefield which is very close to the northern M60.

We moved to Altrincham for the schools (groan!) but as everyone points out the schools in Trafford are almost all excellent at both primary and secondary level. You definitely don't get as much for your money here - small terraces start around 250k, 300k in places like Hale. Altrincham has a great high street, a great market, good transport access to M60 and M6 and quite a busy vibe to it. Lots of bars and restaurant options. Very close to countryside as well. I believe Sale and Urmston are similar but haven't lived there so can't really say. Lots of friends love Chorlton, I would say that is the closest you will find to a London suburb in the Manchester area.

Lots of good options for you I think, plenty of cultural activities in Manchester as well such as galleries, music venues and the Halle.

North Manchester has got beautiful hills and valleys, South Manchester is more Cheshire plain but still very nice. I wouldn't call either significantly nicer but South Manchester has got more of a lively buzz about it.

If you are only visiting family in Leeds and would be travelling there at weekends and are working in Manchester then I would pick South Manchester areas, if you need to travel to Leeds daily for work then Id pick North Manchester

From what I've heard of family who live near Manchester and commute in, not sure you'd have more time. It's a bit of a nightmare during rush hour. One family member leaves the house at 7am to avoid traffic into Manchester and often stays late to avoid it on way home.

In terms of living area it really depends what you want. South Manchester areas like Altrincham, Sale, Urmston are very middle class suburbia. Full of families wanting excellent schools. Like previous poster said Chorlton is more likely the trendy London suburb, but in places very gritty and crime ridden. I lived there a few years and was very fed up by the no of times my car was broken into, tyres slashed etc.

I've never lived in North Manchester but worked in Bolton for a time. A few work friends from that area live in some of those Bury areas mentioned, but it would be a very different feel. Closer to countryside but a real mix of people. One friend has had problems in Ramsbottom for example, a real divide between true locals and those who have moved in, gentrified it but also pushed house prices up. Local towns like Bury and Bolton themselves aren't great.

Culturally, Manchester is not London obviously but there are plenty of orchestras to see at The Bridgewater Hall, plus home of The Halle, BBC Phil. Also take a look at The Lowry, Exchange Theatre, plus Palace and Opera House. There is plenty to see music, shows, ballet etc. Manchester has an art gallery, plus The Whitworth in South Manchester, but The Tate is also in Liverpool along with other galleries.

Manchester is anything but a cultural vacuum, I'd be surprised if you can't see the main things you want here.

You could look at somewhere in the middle of the two like Calderdale. You would have to be careful about flood planes though as areas such as Hebden bridge are prone to flooding.

The commute to Leeds or Manchester isn't great (30-45 minutes on a good day, 2 hours plus on a "normal" M62 bad day) but house prices are cheap compared to either city and you would be close to the countryside/rural areas. With money from a London propert you could by a very very nice house or small holding.

I used to live in London (and originally from there) and I do miss aspects of it but it's only a 2.5 hour train away. I prefer Machester over Leeds for things to do though.

Mossley is nice

The northern rail links are sadly still shite so, as pp say, you wouldn't want to commute from the Leeds area to Manchester