Moving to Derbyshire?

[Mooserp]

Considering moving up from Northants to get more house for my money and to be near the Peak district. Any advice or comments on places to live or places to avoid?

I want somewhere fairly quiet and close to a train station. Nice community feel. Schools not important.
Budget £250-300k for 3 bed

Currently considering Matlock, Hasland Chesterfield, Dronfield.

We live in the west side of Chesterfield having moved from sheffield before we to be able to afford a bigger home. We like it here, the peak district is minutes away, have everything shops wise you need, not huge choice but sheffield/meadowhall not far away. You could get a great 3 bedroom in parts if Chesterfield for that, possibly 4 bedroom. Hasland I dont know very well but keep seeing nice houses pop up there whilst we're looking in our bit of Chesterfield and wishing they were in the right place for us! Matlock is nice but more expensive and gets very busy with visitors. Dronfield is nice enough too, friends live there, to us I dont see the extra benefit to warrant the higher prices, unless being closer to Sheffield appeals particularly?

‘Derbyshire‘ covers a very large area.
Which towns do you want to be close to?

@anawi - thanks! I haven't really investigated Dronfield yet but it looks like it is a nice size.

There isn't anywhere I need to be particularly close to. I would prefer to be on the M1 side of the National Park

We lived in Old Whittington for 3 years, whilst I was working in the Peak District. 20 minutes to the peaks, and feels quite villagey although it's now part of Chesterfield and easy access to Sheffield

Thanks

Would you say it is an area that accepts 'non-locals'?

Matlock is a very nice market town in a lovely location, but it is quite touristy, so bear that in mind. The village of Matlock Bath, just south of the town, is an odd little place which resembles an old-fashioned seaside resort more than the rest of the county. There are lots of amusement arcades & chip shops. It attracts large numbers of bikers on Sundays.

Belper is also a very nice town with a fascinating history and a thriving high street with plenty of independent shops. It may be further south than you are looking for, being closer to Derby than Chesterfield.

Chesterfield is a large town which is definitely closer, both geographically and in character, to Sheffield & the North than Derby & the Midlands. The west of the town which faces the Peak District is more desirable than other areas.

Also, Dronfield is nominally in Derbyshire but in reality is a suburb of Sheffield in all but name.

@AgeLikeWine - thank you, lots of useful info there!

We always felt welcome, got married there and felt briefly quite settled! If I were you I would spend a couple of weeks getting to know the different areas and villages. There are some lovely places, but some (like Matlock and matlock bath, or edale bakewell etc) I would only ever want to visit because it would feel living in Disney land at the weekend. On the other hand, the quiet nice-to-live in areas aren't super lively. We found chesterfield town centre a bit dull, it has everything you need and was useful to live close, but it's got more appeal for retirees so we'd never bother visiting on a weekend.