Places to live/places to avoid in North East

[JalapenoCheeseOnToast]

My family and I are planning to move to the North East in the next couple of years and I'm looking for recommendations on where is amazing to live and where is best to avoid :)

DH is from Sunderland and his family are still there. I also have a family member near to Durham. I don't fancy Sunderland myself but we are looking for anywhere within a 30 min drive radius of there so that we are near family. Thinking anywhere between Newcastle and Durham (heading towards the coast, not further inland than these).

I have DS who will be in y7/8 and DD who will be about to start Reception at the time of the move so will also be interested in good schools.

As a born and bred Southerner (lived in SE, SW and now East Anglia), I have no idea of places in NE and DH knows a lot about Sunderland areas and not much else!

Any advice or recommendations would be gratefully received! We need to start making some decisions early next year and it's a minefield!

South Shields is close to Sunderland has nice beaches. Tynemouth is amazing, cullercoats, North Shields and Whitley bay are all nice. Gosforth, Jesmond, Ponteland all lovely. Washington is decent.

I guess a lot would depend on your housing budget

North Shields is definitely not "nice"!!

Nor is Washington! Definitely look at Tynemouth, Cullercoats and Whitley Bay. Lovely beaches, great schools and loads to do. 20 mins in to Newcastle or 25 to Sunderland.

South Shields is my home town. It has nice bits, definitely, and gorgeous beaches. Very good transport links and friendly people.

But I left there over 20 years ago and have barely been back, so take all that with a large pinch of salt!

Gosforth in Newcastle I think is nice? I have family with young children there who are very happy there.

Whitley Bay and Tynemouth are not cheap though. You might find they are more expensive than where you are moving from.

@ipswichwitch budget is looking at 230k max

There's some lovely coastal villages in County Durham seaham had the most amazing cream tea place

Seaham is worth a look. The Durham coastline has some great beaches and the house prices are good. But a lot of the villages are ex mining communities and can be quite run down with some social issues.

Seaburn, Whitburn, Cleadon, Boldon are all nearby and worth a look?

Having read your post again, rather than being on the coastv itself, you mean not further inland than Newcastle or Durham. Assuming you also need at least 3 beds. For Newcastle and Gateshead in your better maybe have a look at Heaton and Low Fell.

For Durham, Newton Hall is a great place for families. A good community, nice walks, near to decent schools. If you want to have a better chance of getting your older child into Durham Johnson which is an outstanding secondary, have a look at the villages to the west of the city - Langley Moor, Bearpark, Meadowfield etc.

Thank you for all your replies, they are very helpful!

@nomdeguerrrr you have hit the nail on the head of what we are looking for, including the school! DH is concerned that perhaps I found Durham Johnson and whilst it might be a good school, it may not be in a good area and that is what sparked us off talking about it (again!) last night. And yes, we don't mind being near the coast but don't want to really be further west inland than Durham as we start getting further away from family then - we currently live very far from all family so it is a priority to be a reasonable distance from someone at least!

DH has been reading the replies too and we both really appreciate it, thank you!!

Lovely places to live with good quality of life:

In Newcastle - Jesmond, Gosforth and Heaton. If you choose right, these three areas back onto Newcastle's secret gem, Jesmond Dene, a massive valley park with waterfalls, stepping stones, ruins, a city farm etc. Newcastle is an incredible city - fantastic art and culture, food and shopping, lovely parks and big terraced houses for a fraction of SE prices.

Whitley Bay is lovely - on the coast with a quirky, arty vibe, great cinema, market etc.

Quieter pace of life: In Northumberland Hexham and Alnwick are gorgeous market towns. And Durham is stunning in the way you'd expect a university cathedral town to be.

I don't really know the area around Sunderland.

I agree those are all lovely areas, but possibly a bit beyond the OP's budget?

Not necessarily.
Modernised 3-bed semi in Whitley Bay for £200k here

Several of 3-bed period terraced houses in Heaton for £230k and under here

Oh well there you go, shows how out-of -date I am!

@GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal

South Shields is my home town. It has nice bits, definitely, and gorgeous beaches. Very good transport links and friendly people.

But I left there over 20 years ago and have barely been back, so take all that with a large pinch of salt!

Gosforth in Newcastle I think is nice? I have family with young children there who are very happy there.

Did. It's massively run down now. The town centre is a bit of a ghost town now. Despite the supposed regeneration that's crawling along.

Whitley bay is nice though, I wouldn't mind living there. I wouldn't live in Sunderland.

East boldon and cleadon are decent. No idea about the schools.

Ah, that's a shame but not really a surprise.

Durham Johnston is in a good area. My son goes there and we're a ten minute walk away. You might find something in Durham itself for your budget but you'd get more space in one of those villages. Plenty of people want to get into that school so it usually means family homes in its catchment sell quite well.

The villages aren't particularly pretty but they are perfectly fine and friendly. If you want a pretty village with a good school then have a look at Lanchester.

@mbb1

North Shields is definitely not "nice"!!

North Shields covers a big area, and parts of it are lovely and much more affordable than Tynemouth. Definitely a lot of it is best avoided though.

Durham Johnston is supposed to be one of the best secondaries in UK.

Castle Eden is lovely, handy for A19 and gorgeous empty beaches 5 minutes drive away. Outstanding primary & secondary schools nearby, my kids went to Shotton Hall Academy then Durham Johnston for 6th form.
During lockdown we've really appreciated having the Dene & lots of green spaces right on our doorstep.

You won’t get a house in the catchment of Dirham Johnston for £230k. You’re looking at least half a million for houses round there. That’s why it’s such a good school, because it’s a self selecting sample of kids from wealthy families.

I've no idea why people in Durham are so obsessed with DJ, yes it's a good school but it's not the only one. TBH I thought that the teaching at Shotton Hall was a lot better than what my kids experienced when they went to DJ for a-levels. They both got the grades to go to their 1st choice unis but I'm sceptical that DJ made very much difference, certainly not enough to justify the premium that houses within walking distance cost.