Moving to north Wales/English borders - areas to look at, secondary schools - help needed!

[Dappled]

I posted recently because we were pondering a family move to either the Chester area or Clitheroe in Lancashire. Clitheroe has been ruled out, largely because of the job itself. Chester area still in the running as a possibility.
Several people on the original thread recommended looking over the border into Wales for affordability. My dh has Welsh roots on both sides of his family and family in North Wales and we have always hoped we might be able to move there one day so this does appeal.
We would be happy either over the border into Wales or in England close to the border. I'm not sure currently what we will be able to afford but I'm certain it's less than we'd ideally like and will be a downsize for us (as we are currently in partly work-funded accommodation). The whole family would prefer to be more rural than we currently are (we are in a city). But a village or edge of a small town near to walks and countryside would be fine. Names of villages that we could begin to focus our search around would be great. I've been told that some of the Welsh towns in that area are quite deprived, although I don't know them myself. If anyone has any suggestions of locations within this area that we could focus our search on I'd really appreciate it - my dh could work partly from home but would need to get to Chester at least once a week plus some travel within the region - incl. as far as Wigan once a week, so I'm just not sure if this kind of commute is realistic. It would be good to know how snarled up the roads get. (he could mainly avoid rush hour).
I've just gone through the process of applying for secondary school places for our daughter (yr 6, due to go to secondary school next Sept) so this is a bit of a rubbish time to be thinking of moving really, before coronavirus hit we had been hoping to do it before the school application deadlines. I'm finding it more difficult to find out info about schools in Wales and I don't know how much of a nightmare it would be finding a school place given that we have missed the deadlines - if it felt like it would be really hard to get her into a decent school nearish to where we were living I think we will just abandon the idea of the move - we are near a very good school where we currently live and moved to our current house largely because of it, so although we won't know until March whether she has a place there I'm nervous about throwing it all away for something totally unknown.
It would be really good to know in general whether schools in the region are oversubscribed or not. I'm finding it harder to find out info about school performance - e.g. the performance tables for a region - than I have done for our current area, but maybe I just haven't found the right websites. If anyone can point me in the direction of online info about exam results etc that'd be great. Obviously, exam results aren't everything so if anyone has specific recommendation for school within this region I'd really welcome it (my ds is primary age so we will be needing a primary place as well as secondary).
Also re. schools of course there is the language to consider if we do go over the border into Wales. My dh's parents were fluent in Welsh but unfortunately he grew up in an era where many people were not passing it on to their children. He's always regretted this. We'd love the children to learn Welsh but we would definitely have to look at an English-medium school as my dh only has very basic Welsh and none of the rest of us have more than a few words.
thanks

Also, just to add - I saw a place on the edge of Chirk that looked as though it could work for us, semi-rural location, probably affordable for us and within an ok commute time for Chester and further afield. The house has sold already, but Chirk, as a general idea - what's it like?

Or Llangollen, Rhosllanerchrugog? Please someone give me some place names to put into a Rightmove search....!

Look at Deeside, Wepre, Broughton, Hawarden, Sychtyn, Mold, Flint, Ewloe, Halkyn, Holywell...

Find them on the map and look at other villages towns within a certain radius.

Parts of Wirral are very nice, but you can get nice views of Wirral from the other side of the Dee.

Ruthin

Brynhyfryd school (say Brinhuffrid) is the highest performing secondary school in North Wales. It has both English and Welsh medium streams. It's about 40 mins drive to Chester. You could also try Mold and surrounding villages - Mold Alun is also a very good secondary school.

Primary school - Rhos St is rated as outstanding I think.

Ruthin is a small country town, country side all around and close to Clwydian hills which is an AONB. Lots of nice villages nearby although few have a village shop anymore.

Oh and you need to look at Estyn reports for school performance information

Thanks @MikeUniformMike, it's good to have some places as a starting point, I'll get looking at these. Just out of interest, where would you locate out of these if you could choose? (or maybe you're there already?) Somewhere with a sense of community to it, where we could get involved a bit, would be great and our ideal would be somewhere with good walking and open space on the doorstep. I don't know how it would be as newcomers moving into this area, but am hoping having Welsh roots might help.

Brynhyfryd school (say Brinhuffrid)

er, no. say Bryn Huv-rid.

I'd not choose Llangollen, it's popular with hippy types.

Where would I choose... hard one. I'm from that part of the world, so I'd look at around Holywell with a view over the Dee.

Stunning.

Oh, and Ruthin is pronounced Rith-in.

Rossett is a lovely village just over the border (in Wales.) About 10 mins to Chester. They speak Welsh in the schools. Good luck with the move! It’s a great area to live.

Thanks @Campalumpa, this is all great and really useful. I was wondering about Ruthin and Mold. Really good to have a few school names to take a look at too, thanks. Of the towns and villages are there any you particularly like for the general vibe/community/facilites?

Nothing against hippy types, it's more that the prices are likely to be higher.

You could look at Mold, Buckley, Prestatyn, Bagillt, Wrexham area.
St Asaph if you fancy living in a city - it's about the size of a village and on the main road.

If you want to be on a railway line you narrow it down considerably.

Another vote for Mold and Ruthin. I have family in Mold. Love that part of the world and not too far to get to the sea :)

My family constantly take the mickey about my terrible Welsh pronunciation. I can see I'm really going to have to get working on it.
I fear I am a bit of a hippy type myself although not full on hippy. Would I fit in well in Llangollen @MikeUniformMike or would it send me over the edge? We are a creative/arty family so somewhere with a bit of a cultural or slightly alternative feel would be good. But failing that, just a nice solid community with a few basic facilities, not too run down, not too posh, would suit us. Not being able to visit places at the moment is a drawback of course.

those darn hippy trendies pushing prices up...
Affordability is going to be a big thing for us. We haven't fared brilliantly financially in the pandemic.

The countryside around Ruthin is pretty but I'd think it too inland.
New estates were built on the flood plain. Hilly areas get bad weather in the winter.

If you are on a budget head towards to coast. Rhyl is cheap. The Deeside area is quite industrial so probably cheaper.

Schools are bilingual - not a huge issue, with some welsh-medium.

Some areas have their own vibe. For example Mold and Buckley are very close but quite different.

You may find that prices aren't all that low because a lot of houses and cottages are holiday homes/lets.

@MikeUniformMike ooh, good point about bad winter weather on the hills and the floodplain building. Definitely something to bear in mind. I know Mold very slightly (visited maybe 3 times) and Buckley not at all. What's the diff between them would you say?

Forgot to add, if you aren't familiar with that part of Wales, it has it's own accent, which is nothing like the usual Welsh accents you hear on tv.
I've had a few comments about having a Cheshire/Scouse accent.

Yes I have a niece from round there who sounded really Scouse for a while growing up!

The difference - they are geographically very close but Buckley seems to have it's own accent. I think it was populated by an influx of people from the midlands in the 18 or 19th C.
Of the two I'd pick Mold, but both are fine.

There are lots of little villages and hamlets you could consider. Other arty/crafty type people will be dotted around.

It might not be all that relevant, but bear in mind that facilities will be not as convenient. Things like how far is the nearest gp/school/hospital/swimming pool/airport/library/railway station/cinema/pub/restaurant/supermarket/takeaway/petrol station might mean a lot of driving.

Some villages are very welsh, and the cultural village life may be predominantly in Welsh.

If you do pick Ruthin, just avoid the houses near the river - same anywhere in the vale of Clywd.

Naice villages with good communties are Llanarmon yn Lal (community owned pub and shop) and Cilcain but they are more pricey and houses don't come up often. Cilcain will be in the catchment for Mold school. Also Bodfari and Tremerchion are nice places. Buckley, Holywell, Deeside, Wrexham and Rhyl, and close to it are all IMHO a bit rough - in increasing order. Llangollen is very pretty - gets loads of tourists, can't comment on the hippyness.

I have a few friends in Mold, seems like a place that families move to from Chester when they want more value for money. A lot more going on than Ruthin but not as pretty. But if you are coming from a large town, they will all seem a bit quiet in comparison.

Avoid having to send children to Denbigh High school. Probably not an issue as I don't think schools are oversubscribed.

Don't worry about lack of Welsh - the majority of people don't speak Welsh as a first language but it is compulsory to learn it in schools.

Holt/Farndon area is great.

If you are on a budget head towards to coast. Rhyl is cheap.
Rhyl is cheap for a reason. I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

Denbigh is a pretty little town, but I don't know if the High School is poor or not. There are some lovely villages near there, but some are very welsh.
It depends if you mind being in a pub or shop with people speaking a completely different language or not. These villages will have families who have lived there for generations etc.
Nothing wrong with it, but it might feel more isolating.

Denbigh/Ruthin to Wigan is quite a hike.

Erm, yeah. Rhyl is a dump. I loved it as a kid. Big Woolworths at the top of the High Street, Marine Lake and the Suncentre.

All gone apart from the High Street.