Towns near Stoke

[Emarosa]

Hi everyone,

My husband has accepted a new job, which is beside the railway station in Stoke.

We have been extensively researching the area for places to buy - we have a good (800k) budget, but would prefer to be in walking distance of shops and cafes, and we want a short drive or good train commute to Stoke.

We recently visited Eccleshall, which we loved! However no suitable houses have come up there. Are there any towns like it that we can expand our search to?

Stone would be a good starting point OP.
10 minutes on the train from Stone station to Stoke on Trent.

We used to drive around the Leek area a fair bit. We found it was slow going getting to and from Leek to anywhere, though the countryside is nice.
Uttoxeter has good east-west links on the A50. Thinking of getting to Cambridge, You can get to the M1 fairly quickly that way. I used to use that route to the M1 northbound from Stafford- the only slow bit was Stafford-Utttoxeter. If the M6 was really bad I'd even go to Cambridge that way from Stafford.

@Wingedharpy

Stone would be a good starting point OP. 10 minutes on the train from Stone station to Stoke on Trent.

I think if it was me, I'd think very seriously about Stone, esp. if the OP wants a good route down to Cambridge. Cheshire you have to do a lot more on the M6, which in our years in Staffordshire went from 'travel a bit later or earlier and you can avoid the heavy traffic/jams' to 'travel a around midnight and you can avoid it'.

Leek's lovely, a really 'up and coming' town - lots of lovely indy shops moving in to fill the holes left by chains leaving, annual blues festival, relatively lively arts centre, food and crafts markets, nice pubs and cafes, and right on the doorstep of the Peak District.

Being in Staffs rather than Cheshire, £800k will buy you most places on the market! Bear in mind that most of the housing stock that is a walk away from the town centre is smaller/cheaper/less outdoor space than you probably expect given your budget. Lovely bigger period houses out in the surrounding countryside, but you'd need the car more. I wouldn't worry too much about winter - as a PP said, maybe a day or two every other year that you might not be able to get into Stoke. Be warned if you have teens - not loads for them to do, so they will probably spend a fair bit of time taking buses 'up Hanley'.

Buxton - longer to get to Stoke, with more issues in winter. Stunning surrounding countryside. The town has beautiful architecture, but the shops, cafes, pubs etc I find a lot more down at heel than in Leek (I was suprised, was expecting Buxton to be quite chi-chi). Many more big and beautiful houses near the centre though, as it was THE place to be in Victorian times.

Stone - not been there much, but it's got a train link to Stoke, and people who live there seem to love it. House prices a but more expensive. As a town, I prefer Leek, and the surrounding countryside is far nicer in Leek.

@Emarosa feel free to PM me if you have any questions about Leek.

Shopping in Stone is virtually non existent unless you want cafes or charity shops. The high street is pretty but not somewhere you can really wander and spends a few hours shopping.

It also might like to think it’s posh but it really isn’t (despite what my mum thinks!!).

@rbe78 is that chocolate shop still in the arcade in Leek?

@CatandFiddleForestGin It's moved to the Sheepmarket. Best chocolates ever!

They have an online shop too btw...!

@rbe78 thank you! I'm going to Leek later this week so I'll check it out. I think I'll have to pretend I don't know about the online shop in order to safeguard my bank account 😉

OP sorry for the thread derail...

[quote CatandFiddleForestGin]@rbe78 thank you! I'm going to Leek later this week so I'll check it out. I think I'll have to pretend I don't know about the online shop in order to safeguard my bank account 😉

OP sorry for the thread derail...[/quote]
Any derailling that involves chocolate is ok, surely?! Plus, now OP has a good reason to move to Leek!

Are you anything to do with the Macclesfield distillery, or just a fan? Love that gin!

Just a fan 🍸 😊

We moved to leek mainly because DH disliked the dark satanic mills of the north west fringe of the peaks. The Belgian bar and good pubs were an added bonus! Loved living there. Worked in bakewell and Newcastle and was never unable to get to work due to bad weather - although did opt for a lift in a friend's 4x4 once when it was icy.

You could probably buy half of Shelton with 800k and DH could stroll into work

If you have children and are using state school system check out the schools system as around Stone they have the Middle School system.
The schools in Cheshire East generally are better but Sandbach have boys and girls High schools.
Congleton, Holmes Chapel, Nantwich are all easily accessible and school shave a good reputation. You need to learn the back routes and not reply on the motorway. Alsager High has a good reputation also. It's warmer weather the Cheshire East side, colder the Leek end.
It depends on the culture you want though. Staffordshire Moorlands, more down to earth but less people moving in and out. Cheshire East, less local people and more new money. If you buy in Staffordshire you will get more for your money but check out the local schools. Newcastle High School (private) has a good reputation and pupils travel in to it. St Dominic's Catholic Private School is Stone is good too but much smaller so suits some children better. Denstone College near Rochester is much more expensive.

I don't recommend Burton on Trent OP. It's a dying town thanks to the development of Derby and Nottingham and it's very insular. People who live in Burton have always lived in Burton and are not very worldly or willing to accept change. Burtonians are a different breed of people it seems. I don't live there but I work there and have a lot of family there.

I know Leek very well and think it would fit all your requirements!

Moved from Manchester to Leek last yr and we absolutely love it. 4 yr old just started school, happy to chat about anything if you want to DM.

You budget is MASSIVE! I'm in a 5 bed house on a lovely road rund the corner from beautiful walks and I pad £320k a coupl eof years ago!

Congleton has good train links to Stoke and good schools. Biddulph is also 5 mins by car from Congleton station and is a lovely area especially round by the Grange but has the 3 tier school system. I quite like Alsager but the high schoo is incredible over-subscribed so often kids are pushed into schools in Holmes Chapel, Congleton or Kidsgrove (avoid Kidsgrove Academy).

Leek gorgous but no easy public transport. Barlaston is the same. I work near Stoke Station and drive to Barlaston once a week. It usually takes about 30 mins but can sometimes take up to 45 mins in bad traffic.

@GingerAndTheBiscuits

You could probably buy half of Shelton with 800k and DH could stroll into work

And rent the rest out to students!

@Emarosa

Thank you for flagging this. Are any places around Newcastle affected too? That’s really awful. I saw about it on the news and hope something is done about it for residents.

My son can smell it sometimes at college (college is right in the town centre) but I'd say it affects places like Chesterton, Cross Heath, Silverdale which probably are not places you are looking at.

Blythe bridge is lovely village, it has its own train station and has a few shops and cafes within walking distance. I also like stone and pretty much all of the Staffordshire moorlands. The good thing about stoke/staffs moorlands is we have a good cheap taxi service.