Where to live for Leeds and Manchester

[DIKateFleming]

There’s a chance that we’ll be working in Leeds and Manchester. I’m trying to work out where would be a good place to live, budget not an issue, needs to be handy for trains and roads. But would also like “naice” area, with nice cafes, shops etc. Huddersfield seems to be perfect in terms of location, and Greenhead 6th form seems to be a draw, but I’m not sure what it’s like. I knew it 20 years ago when it wasn’t that nice. I’ve also looked at Todmerdon but the train seems to take ages, and Hebden Bridge just floods too often.

Skipton or Ilkley, maybe?

You don't say where your moving from. I briefly for a month or so commuted from Mirfield by J25 of the M62 to Warrington and it was pretty painful before that Id been traveling to Leeds and it was a little better. While Manchester and Leeds are relatively close together connectivity is poor.
There are nice housing areas in Huddersfield but the town is pretty depressed and seems largely to be geared to the student market. I was there fairly recently and even allowing for lockdown it had gone sharply downhill.
Within Huds itself Lindley is nice and close to the M62 though not very convenient for the train a long uphill trek back. It has some café / bar etc life. Mirfield has a number of trendy bars and restaurants etc but I found a very much small town mentality.
Personally I would take the travel and live in one or other of the cities.

Absolutely not Skipton or Ilkley they are totally in the wrong direction! Somewhere about Huddersfield makes the most sense. Slaithwaite is quite up and coming with a Hebden Bridge vibe. Meltham, Holmfirth, Golcar all nice. As PP said I would possible pick one of the two and commute although connectivity isn’t great. Is there an option to cut down the days in the office?

I wouldn't live in Huddersfield - or any of them in the Cleckhuddersfax conurbation apart from Elland (obviously).

Tod is 24 mins to Manchester and 55 mins to Leeds. Huds is 42 mins to Manchester and 34 mins to Leeds, so, the almost same altogether, just differently split.

We lived in slaithwaite when I worked in Leeds and dh in Manchester and it was quite nice. Only problem was infrequent trains.

We’ve coming from Berkshire. I know Skipton and Ilkley well, and they’re far too far from the motorways. Neither of us will be in the office 5 days, more likely around 2 days. My memory of Huddersfield is as you describe it @Timperleybell but I haven’t been for 20 years, so was wondering if it had changed. I might look at Slaitwaite/ holmfirth and look at Tod again.

Might have a look at Mirfield, at the moment we live in small village, so small town might look bustling.

We could pick one of other of the cities, while city centre to city centre is quick, it’s always the extras in getting from the station to home which can easily add another 30-45 mins at either end of the journey.

The other reason it would be good to be near motorways is that we need to get to Norfolk for family reasonably frequently.

Clitheroe? It's pretty much in the middle and good m65 links. Not as posh as Skipton/Ilkley, but a good amount of independent local vibe.

Just looking at the map, for two days a week I’d consider the north of Sheffield.

@PoTheDog Clitheroe was on the list when we thought we might just be looking at Manchester, need to check what the links are like for Leeds. We were also thinking about Rossendale/ Rawtenstall as someone said they’re nice

Careful with Tod - it’s in a valley so a lot of the houses don’t get a lot of sun or get it at the wrong time of day. It’s lovely though. Hebden is lovely - just buy up a hill, not at river levell, so maybe Heptonstall. Saddleworth and Stalybridge are not too bad for Leeds and Manchester links.

Boyfriend lives in Rossendale - there are some lovely bits and limited stop bus that runs into Manchester - it’s great for nights out and not having to pay £40 for a taxi back. Rawtenstall good, and lots of foodie places around Ramsbottom.

Huddersfield for Manchester and Leeds. If avoid the Lancashire mill towns. The traffic is horrendous and train service is poor.

Some of the nicer parts of Halifax like Rishworth, Krumlin etc are decent. Avoid the "inner city" and estates of Huddersfield and Halifax and you will be fine. If the budget is no problem you will have your pick of the nicer areas.

Littleborough

I have friends who live in Clitheroe where one half works in Manc and the other Bradford, so hopefully you'll find it OK. The pennines are a bit of an annoyance for transport though!

Other option nearby is Barrowford. It floods near the river, so you'll need to avoid that bit

Ripponden

^ easy access to M62, train either way from Sowerby Bridge a couple of miles away. Very green, nice walks, row of shops, pubs.

As you said 'Huddersfield, perfect location'. Marsh, Edgerton, Lindley areas of Hudds, give you access to J 23, 24, of M62, and a frequent bus route to the station. These are all solid - if rather dull - middle class areas with associated schools etc. (I live there, and did a Hudds to York train commute for years).

On the Leeds/Manchester lines, your two best stations for frequent trains are Hudds & Stalybridge - so have a serious look at Stayly two.

Some of the suggestions on hear are idiotic - if you are travelling by train (they are rammed) from Hudds, then surely you want to be as near to that station as poss. Why would you burden yourself, with an additonal commute (Halifax, Meltham, Holmfirth etc.) to get to the station ?

clitheroe is further to leeds than manchester is.

TBH I would pick one city - there's only an hour between the two, and any additional commute to the train/motorway would be offset by whizzing in when you need to be in your home city.

I don't know about the Leeds end, but Prestwich/Whitefield to the north of Manchester would fit the bill. Very handy for the M62 (much better than anywhere in South Manchester), and 15mins on the tram to Manchester Victoria. 15min off-peak drive into Manchester as well, although rush hour is double that.

I was wondering that. Horsforth is nice on the Leeds side and to the west.

Uppermill? I think that’s near Tod and I keep hearing about it so assume it’s increasingly popular.

Uppermill is a great location for Leeds /Manchester and lovely highstreet and close to m62.

Definitely not horsforth, I used to work in Manchester occasionally and lived 10 mins from horsforth station. Door to door on the train would be 2 1/4 hours depending on connections.

You’re almost better going for a major train station like Wakefield, Sheffield, Leeds, York and commuting on a faster train. FYI the train line between Leeds and Manchester is terrible.

I’d live in Manchester and travel to Leeds when/if you need to, to be honest. Getting to either from (eg) East Lancs or Ribble Valley is utterly painful (I was brought up around there, and escaped to Manchester as soon as I could).

Does it have to be along the m62 corridor if you are using public transport? How about Sheffield? Mainline to both Leeds & Manchester, easy access to M1, A1. Nice part of the country!

That was commute to hardman street in Manchester.
Do you know where you’re working as Manchester has a few stations, the Leeds trains go mainly to Piccadilly which is a fair walk from spinningfields where a lot of the offices are.