Is Egremont a good place to live?

[GemmaKG]

Hello! I'm looking to move to Cumbria in January/February 2021. Reasons being that houses in the South East are far too expensive for my single income and I am looking elsewhere.

I have my heart set on Cumbria though I would really like some advice on good/bad places to live. Egremont is No.1 on my list as places I would like to live though we have not explored there as much as other areas.

I am really looking for a market town or village with a buzz as I am moving on my own and would like 'something about the place' to have a bit of a social life. I work from home so I'm flexible on areas.

Thank you! - Gemma -

You’d need to go into Penrith for a big supermarket from Kirkby Stephen but there’s a co-op and independent shops, a few restaurants etc. It’s a very small market town which is probably comparable to a bigger village. Kendal is very much a proper town - good choice of shops, several supermarkets, leisure centre etc. There’s definitely bits of Kendal that are prettier than others depending on what you’re looking for. Some lovely Victorian terraces, some decidedly less lovely rather grey 50s housing.

I think Kendal and ulverston are quite artsy and both welcoming to outsiders. Kendal can still be quite expensive but not sure about ulverston. What is your budget? I would say areas within the national park aren't far off SE prices relatively speaking as there isn't a lot of industry other than hospitality and if your budget was Egremont then Keswick and Staveley will be out of your price range unfortunately. I've never visited Egremont because a lot of the west coast is so far to travel to from south lakes, if you will be visiting SE for family it's worth keeping this in mind.

Going bigger, I think both Carlisle and Lancaster are nice. Lancaster is artsy with the big student population and is tiny for a city.

I l ive here. Cultural and creative industries are small here, but it also means there are lots of opportunities depending on your field as Grant bodies are keen to support areas of low participation. We have the Florence arts centre in Egremont. You might find the Cumbria Arts and Culture Group useful on Facebook

We live in a hamlet about 12 miles from Kirkby Stephen; I work there and it has a lot of the things you mention, particularly an active Arts community, a high street with independent shops (just a Co-op, no other supermarkets). The only thing it doesn't have at the moment is a post office since it shut a couple of years ago, reason unknown as when it was open it was always busy!
There seems to be quite a bit of property on the market (two new build estates going up) but not a huge amount of rental opportunity.

You'll always be very aware that you're an offcomer in Egremont. Not so much in Cockermouth, Keswick or Kendal. I highly recommend Cockermouth (lived there for 4 years) - loads going on and very welcoming, but not too touristy.

My sister has just moved to Penrith. It's lovely!

Have a look at Sedbergh - east of M6 five minutes from junction
Post Office, Butcher, green grocer, weekly market. cafes and pubs. Small town but everything you need. Has a lot of arts/crafts gong on and lots of independent self-employed people working from home. Not as cheap as west cumbria though.

Ulverston and Kendal would meet your criteria. Both very welcoming places