Leeds, Newcastle or Glasgow?

[banhmi]

I’m planning on moving north from London within the next 12-18 months, with DH and two kids (6 and 4). We’ve narrowed it down to Leeds, Newcastle and Glasgow based on the following wish-list:

• Lots going on, lots of buzz, culture, foodie scene, children’s activities etc but easy access to beautiful countryside.
• Lovely parks and other green spaces within the city itself.
• Good public transport, as well as easy/pleasant to walk and cycle. Wouldn’t want to use the car regularly unless it was for getting out of the city, ideally. I love my e-bike which gets me around my area of London much quicker than the car.
• Multi-cultural, diverse – I know definitions of these are subjective but basically somewhere that’s not tooo much of a shock to the system compared to London.
• Good primary and secondary schools (state), not a grammar/selective area or one where a high proportion go private. Not too results-obsessed if possible, with a broad curriculum and lots of opportunities for sport, drama, art etc. Know we’d have to figure out a different school system if we moved to Glasgow (whole other thread no doubt).
• Friendly, somewhere we could put down roots and get involved in the community through the school, volunteering etc.
• Somewhere with enough going on for teens, where they can get around by themselves safely and be as independent as possible.

Would love to know if people that live in these cities think that rings true and if so, which specific areas/neighbourhoods you’d recommend?

We’re fortunate with crazy London prices to have a very good budget for a house, up to £950k although we’d happily spend less. But we’d be looking for 4 bedrooms and separate office space as we both work from home and would want space for family & friends to visit. Would love a nice garden (but doesn’t have to be massive) and storage space for the bikes and other outdoor gear we’d inevitably accumulate. I imagine our budget could get us a house in some reasonably expensive areas but we wouldn’t suit anywhere flashy or too status-driven as we’re very non-flashy, boring people

One city has the edge over the others work-wise, but luckily that doesn’t have to be the deciding factor so I’m going to ignore it for the sake of this question!

Thanks so much for any insights that will help us decide where to focus, and hope my wish-list doesn’t sound too ridiculous

@feellikeanalien That's a cracker of a house!

[quote banhmi]@Ikeameatballs Thanks for the links! Love the second Gosforth one - the one needing renovation. That could be absolutely stunning. The first Whitley Bay one is also lovely [/quote]
Yes, they are my favourites too.

I’ve driven past the first Tynemouth one several times as it been being renovated and, having seen the pics, I’m really underwhelmed by it. It is a fabulous spot though.

[quote banhmi]@feellikeanalien That's a cracker of a house![/quote]
I know. I think my whole house would fit into the kitchen.

@Ikeameatballs Have looked at the Tynemouth one again and totally agree - it's a beautiful house from the outside but the inside is very clinical! They've also tried to squeeze multiple tiny bathrooms onto each floor so that they can say each bedroom is en-suite...

Just to put things into perspective- when people say Leeds is the warmest of the places, it’s completely normal for temperature in June to be 25 and sunny in London, and 13 and grey in Leeds. So just bear in mind that Newcastle and Glasgow will be 9 and raining.
I’d never felt so cold and depressed with weather as when i lived in Leeds. Unless you live in the city centre you will most likely have to drive. Leeds is hilly and walking/cycling is not the best option in rain and wind, however there are many (unused) cycle lanes. Families who live in Leeds don’t use public transport.

Very true Frauhubert. Often on threads when posters are complaining of the "heat" they are living in a flat in London with no outside space. Whereas I am looking at the rain out of the window on the edge of the Pennines.

I think the "bad" weather in Glasgow is massively understated. Yes when in rains it rains but we've had more gorgeous days than my in-laws in Cambridgeshire. Currently looking at gorgeous blue skies and sunshine (isolating so not out in it..).

In general we've had more snow, more sun and more proper rain then my in-laws. What we don't get as much are the grey, overcast nondescript ok but meh days that we both had growing up in the south east. Don't get me wrong the torrential downpour or hailstorm at 0900 or 1500 is highly unwelcome but I definitely prefer the variety!

@Frauhubert

Just to put things into perspective- when people say Leeds is the warmest of the places, it’s completely normal for temperature in June to be 25 and sunny in London, and 13 and grey in Leeds. So just bear in mind that Newcastle and Glasgow will be 9 and raining. I’d never felt so cold and depressed with weather as when i lived in Leeds. Unless you live in the city centre you will most likely have to drive. Leeds is hilly and walking/cycling is not the best option in rain and wind, however there are many (unused) cycle lanes. Families who live in Leeds don’t use public transport.

Erm.. I've lived in Leeds for 10 years and can't remember any summer days where its been 13 degrees. As I said in a previous post I do often compare the forecast in Leeds with the forecast down south (where I'm from) and it's usually remarkably similar. Out of curiosity I checked just now - Leeds is 8 degrees for the next 5 days. My home town in Sussex is around 7 degrees for the next 5 days. Actually colder down south! It's often the case when I check. We have loads of warm, sunny days in the 20s here. I moved from Devon and the weather there was just so wet throughout summer that I always tell people that Leeds has a better climate than Devon!

As for your statement that Leeds families don't use public transport - nonsense! We're a Leeds family who always get the bus to the city centre despite having a car, because it's easier. They go every few minutes from Headingley. I think wherever you live in Leeds you can easily get buses to the city centre. If you want to go from one suburb to another then it's not so easy. We also often use the train. We can get to York in 20 minutes and loads of other towns. I know many families who uses buses and trains.

Oh? How many other families are there on the bus? Oh sure, Leeds has great weather, i must have lived in a different Leeds.

I'm not saying it's great! I think the UK in general is prone to cool, cloudy weather. Just usually not that different to more southern parts. It's not as far north as people think. We do have more snowy days than down south, that's for sure. I do see quite a few mothers and kids on the buses.

I moved to Glasgow for uni in 2015 and I loved it so much I stayed. Originally from south of England.

Property prices up here are much cheaper. I only had a half the budget of you but we have a large 5 bed listed Victorian sandstone villa in a conservation area, overlooking a private park. It has needed renovation, but for the property type, size and location I feel we got an excellent deal compared to cities south of the border.

Unlike PPs I stayed in the city, however if you have kids Bearsden, Newton Mearns, Giffnock, Clarkston, Busby, Milngavie all would be good areas for the best schools.

it’s completely normal for temperature in June to be 25 and sunny in London, and 13 and grey in Leeds. So just bear in mind that Newcastle and Glasgow will be 9 and raining

Utter tosh! We had a better summer in Scotland than England last year. It's not London weather certainly, but to say it's usually 9 and raining is disingenuous. And anyway, we're much friendlier than London: you'll never get a wee, Glasgow wummin telling you her life story on a bus there!

We also spend a lot of time in Northumberland and rarely have poor weather- lots of sun and dry days.