Moving to the East Midlands (Derby area)

[Sunshine501]

I am considering a job in Birmingham (centre), but my parents live near Barnsley, in South Yorkshire. So we're trying to find somewhere that allows them to visit (no more than 1h15 drive), but so that I can still get to Birmingham. Based on the CrossCountry train line, I think Derby and Willington are the best options. Have I missed anywhere?

We have two children (1 and 5), so have an eye on secondary schools, as hopefully this will be a long term job. At the moment, the best areas look like Littleover, Duffield and Willington. I've also read some positive things about Spondon (but some negative too). I'm not sure if we could afford the catchment area for Ecclesbourne School (budget flexibly up to £350k), as Duffield looks extremely expensive. Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Is there still a chemical works in Spondon? There used to be ( and it did sometimes whiff a bit).

Burton on Trent is a bit of a more manageable commute to Birmingham.

I would rather live in Nottingham if I'm honest- train line from Nottingham to Birmingham and if they drive , straight up the M1 to Barnsley about 45 mins

I really hate Duffield. It feels snotty and full of ostentatious obnoxious entitled people (yes I’m judgemental.). Ambergate is a few stations along and I find it has a much stronger sense of community and more down-to-earth feel.

Ecclesbourne.. has an amazing reputation but really not worthy. Pupils are expected to have a tutor to keep up. Woodlands is better allestree

Littleover or Willington are both good options, depending if you want the smaller village of willington or littleover being bigger so more access to the town centre etc

How confident are they with motorway driving?

For Derby maybe look at Hilton or Melbourne although you'd likely need a car to drive to a station.

What about Lichfield or Burton as suggested above.

Otherwise consider areas around Chesterfield...Hasland is lovely. Good transport links into town or you could walk. Train is about an hour on the fast train to Birmingham and easy to get to Barnsley.

I think I'd prioritise the daily journey (if it is daily) I honestly think the days of long commutes are numbered. Much easier to deal with childcare, school etc if you aren't at the mercy of a long journey home. Weekend visitors don't have the same deadlines. It's a long and indirect rail journey from Birmingham to Nottingham, I've done it.

I guess it depends where in Barnsley, but I wouldn't have thought it was much more than an hour and a half from Barnsley to Birmingham.
Why not live closer to work? The train fares you save on a daily basis would probably pay to taxi your parents down for a visit if it's too far to drive for them. And the time savings would be immense!

I wouldn't have thought the trains from Willington would be very frequent (it's been a long time, but I'm thinking less than one an hour).

Personally I would not want to do the Derby Birmingham commute more than once a week. I'd look closer to work or position yourself on a quicker train line.

I live in obnoxious entitled Duffield. I love it. Great community, amazing schools, countryside on the doorstep. Never been happier.

Dovetidge looks nice, not sure if the area or transport links

How often would your parents be coming down?

It seems like you are going to put a lot of extra difficulty on your day to day life to make their journey to you slight shorter. I could understand it if you were moving to where they were actually living.

I think id choose Litchfield in walking distance of the station.

Only you know whether a commute from Derby to Birmingham is feasible and only you know your priorities (travel time; proximity to DPs; school provision) and preferences (town; village; rural).

For what it's worth, then:

• You will need to be able to drive if you have limited other support. If you lived in Duffield, you could get the train and change at Derby, but factoring in nursery/primary drop-offs, you'd not be in Birmingham very early and would have the same faff at the other end of the day. Derby itself isn't very nice these days, so I wouldn't personally fancy getting a bus into the town centre and then walking to the train station;

• Ecclesbourne has a great reputation, but it isn't for everyone. Many parents tend to be able to subsidise learning with private tuition, which should be borne in mind when considering its consistently high performance and Ofsted rating. Compare and contrast with the recent changes in the fortunes of, say, Chellaston or Woodlands (Allestree);

• Ecclesbourne catchment is not just Duffield. It includes Little Eaton, part of Allestree, parts of Darley Abbey and all manner of random villages. All of them (with the exception of Quarndon) will be more affordable than Duffield. Once you get to grips with the catchment area map on their website, you'll find places around your budget that are not in Duffield, such as:
• rural Turnditch
• Kirk Langley
• New estate at Mackworth
• Development between Duffield and Quarndon

• Nowhere within the catchment is going to be straightforward in terms of getting the train from Derby. Again, if you have limited support, your best bet could be something on the A6 in Allestree, allowing you to drop at before school club/nursery and be only a couple of miles away from the station;

• It is possible to get a house within your budget in Duffield, but it's very rare and as you've seen from this thread, it's not everyone's cup of tea. It's not known for its diversity (I didn't meet many people who didn't look and sound exactly like me until I went to university) and some feel there's (a) it's over-developed and (b) there's a clear distinction between one half of the village and the other. Landau Forte is an "outstanding" school, too, but is in a very different area and has a different feel. Might be worth considering whether that's important to you. For balance, my sister now lives in Duffield now with her family and loves it...even though she's on the wrong side ;-) ;

• You've got a fair while before worrying about Ecclesbourne, but fwiw I think it's sensible to consider that now (if you're set on it) so that your DC know people from their primary when they move up. A pp mentioned Ambergate and I grew up close by, getting the train every day from Ambergate to Duffield for school. It was quite daunting not knowing anyone (but was back in the day when you could get in without being in catchment);

• I don't know Willington well, but I just think of it as being somewhere on the A38!

Good luck in making a decision- and congrats on the job offer! Depending on your sector, if Birmingham doesn't work out, there are some big employers here (Rolls-Royce; Bombardier; JCB; Toyota), so plenty of opportunity.

I live in the next village to Willington and love it. If you need to get the train to Birmingham and have childcare responsibilities I'd go with Willington. All your other options involve a 10-20 minute drive in traffic to the station. In Willington you can walk to their station and you're already 1 train stop closer than having got on at Derby. I went to school in Willington and it was great, it really is a lovely village.

I was going to suggest Tamworth. It's 1 hour 30 to Barnsley according to Google (although I used to drive regularly to Rotherham from 20 minutes south of Tamworth and that never took me longer than 90 mins so I think you could probably do it in 1hr 15). You could then get to Birmingham in 30 mins driving or 20 mins on the train.

I like Willington. Its a pretty village with a mini supermarket, good pubs, a picturesque canal and marina and good primary school all in walking distance, by the river and surrounded by countryside. Easy transport links by train or A38. Large employers with links easy commute, such as Rolls-Royce and Toyota and a large senior school in nearby Etwall.

And the OP can buy this marvellously bonkers house:

Three bed semi bungalow with an indoor and outdoor bar and (because why not?) a heated swimming pool. Living their best lives, these sellers!

here

I work in Birmingham city centre and wouldn't commute to Derby every day