Best areas in and around Durham

[lhg91]

Hi all! My husband and I are moving from Devon to Durham (we are originally from Newcastle and have lived in Devon for 7 years).

We are looking to purchase a property and have a budget of up to £300,000 for our 'forever home' to start our family. We ideally want to live within a 15-20 minute drive of Bowburn. Do you have recommendations of nice areas in Durham we can look at? We are hoping to contact some estate agents soon and it would be nice to suggest some areas we would like to live in!

Thankyou in advance

How many bedrooms? Any other criteria?

@nomdeguerrrr

How many bedrooms? Any other criteria?

We'd be looking at 4 bedrooms ideally, and preferably detached, but would be happy with an older-style semi-detached. We are also happy to do renovations/updating if needed. Preferably not a brand-new build. A decent size garden and driveway is a must.

In terms of location, we are quite flexible. Having lived in Devon we would quite like somewhere that has a more 'village-type' feel to it, but we don't really mind as long as the area is nice!

County Durham is a really strange market. Your money will go further in some of the former pit villages. A lot of them are very insular and a bit miserable. The housing stock in those places might not suit you anyway - lots of two bed terraces and then new builds.

Around Durham City prices can be quite a lot higher, particularly in the catchment of Durham Johnston School. With the university, there are a lot more people from outside the area and the schools are good. You could afford something in Neville's Cross but you'd compromise on house size. Within the immediate environment of the city I'd say Newton Hall or Belmont. You could get a good sized 70s estate house. Or maybe High Shincliffe which is close to Bowburn.

There are some nice pretty villages around Durham including Shincliffe, Lanchester and Tudhoe Village but they might be too expensive.

Have you seen anything you like on Rightmove? Whereabouts?

I have been looking for a while now, but not found anything within our price range that looks ideal (so I think I may have to compromise!) We won't be looking to purchase until early July once the sale of our home in Devon is complete.

I have seen properties that are reasonably priced and fit our criteria in places like Ferryhill, Trimdon Station and Meadowfield. The odd one seems to come up every now and again in Pity Me, but they always seem at the top end of our budget, I'm guessing due to the distance to Durham centre?

I'd also been looking slightly further afield at places like Sedgefield, Houghton le Spring, Bishop Auckland, Crook and Peterlee (based on the rightmove '10 mile' radius search), where you seem to get a little more for your money. I'm originally from Gateshead, so I know that areas like Chester Le Street are nice, but again a little further out.

I am originally from the Peterlee area. It is not nice. Neither is Ferryhill. Your money will go further in those places but they are run down and rough.

Pity Me/Framwellgate Moor effectively joins on to Newton Hall. I'd rather live in Newton Hall.

Sedgefield is nice.

I've a lot of old friends who still live in the area, mainly Newton Hall, though some Pity Me/Fram and all are happy but then as we grew up there its familiar.
They've had their own families now, (we're early 40's), and seem happy with the schools too if that's a consideration.

@lhg91 had to comment on this. I am from trimdon station and my family have now all left the area. It is not nice. In fact, I would probably say it was horrific. Burnt out cars, drug dealing. Same with ferry hill. I don't know meadow field enough to comment.

Can I suggest- Newton hall, Sedgefield, Durham City area

Would you go as far as Birtley? Chester le street?

Thankyou all for your comments!

I probably would look at Birtley and Chester le street. My family are in Gateshead, so it would be closer in that respect. The only thing I'd be concerned about slightly is the time it will take for my husband to travel to work and back in Bowburn, and how bad the traffic will be on the A1? To be fair, he has had the luxury of walking to work in 5 minutes whilst living in Devon, so I think any length of time travelling he won't be happy with

Straight down the A1 missing the main Durham traffic. Chester le Street to Bowburn would be an easy commute.

Definitely not ferry hill or Peter Lee

Newton Hall would be a good choice for you

You’ll get a good house for that budget
V close to city centre and station - walking distance but also regular buses
Lovely walks and countryside on your doorstep
Arnison shopping centre nearby plus more coming soon

Chester le Street has nice parts but also not so nice parts and you condo find yourself listening to the A167 if you pick the wrong side too

Also in terms of having a family newton hall has lots of families with youngsters and it abs a lovely neighbourhood feel.

There are two excellent nurseries
Good little schools
Lots of hobbies and clubs run from the community and sports centres and local churches too

High Shincliffe is lovely. It has a cafe and a pub. Walking distance to Bowburn. But location isn't great for secondary school catchment, if that is a consideration.

Sedgefield is really nice and the traffic into Bowburn on a morning should not be too bad.

We recently bought a 4 bed detached in Langley Moor for under £300k. Close to lovely walks/countryside and walking distance from local amenities. It's not a particularly glamourous area, but we like it!

Thanks again! What is Spennymoor like? Oh and Coxhoe, the husband is quite keen on Coxhoe.

Thank you all for your recommendations, they have all been extremely helpful!! I'm compiling a list now to help with my searches

@lhg91 I commuted for three years from my home in Bowburn to work which was just past Chester le street. That part of the A1 on a morning and evening should be no real problem.

Coxhoe is... okay. Nothing too exciting to do there. Spennymoor is possibly more exciting there are some lovely new houses in the whitworth park area. There's also a little retail area opened.

I might be biased as I now live in Gateshead but I feel like County Durham doesn't compare with the family feel areas of low fell/ Whickham if that is what you are used to.

We live close to Pity Me and the journey to bowburn from there is trivial in all but the worst traffic. Dh's office is on teesside and it took him 35 minutes to get there, this morning.

DH is from Peterlee. You don't want to live there!

@lhg91

Thanks again! What is Spennymoor like? Oh and Coxhoe, the husband is quite keen on Coxhoe.

I travel a lot by bus and there's some right oddballs and gobshites tend to get on the bus, there. We considered moving there but were finally put off by a report of a house near one we quite liked being broken into and vandalised. That and the realisation that we could get a better house for the same money, where we are, now.

Spenny is a bit rough. Lots of nice new builds but they don't sell.

Spenny has always been a bit rough, not as bad as Peterlee though!
I grew up in Pity Me in what was then a new build but that was the mid 80's, we used to mess around on the building site of what has now obviously been for many, many years, the Arnison!

I also wouldn't be in a hurry to move to Coxhoe or Spenny. Some okay houses in both, not the worst places but they're generally a bit meh.

I did my teaching practice in Peterlee years ago. Definitely wouldn't recommend it!!!!!

You won’t stay in Coxhoe or Spennymoor if you move there