Buxton - is it actually nice?

[ecochiroptera]

We are thinking about moving back North, specifically the Manchester side of the Peak District, and my DH won't stop going on about Buxton. He's originally from south Manchester and has fond memories of hanging out with his friends in Buxton. I am not sold on it and fear that he's just nostalgic for good old times, but also can't seem to find a better place.

Our situation: We both work from home and have one child, hoping to have another soon. I need to commute to London once a month. Budget about £450k for a 3 bed. We're very outdoorsy and currently live in a tiny village in the SE, so not bothered by not having many ammenities, but a pub, cafe, and chain shop are a must. Also looking for a 'community feel' and good schools.

My main concerns: Being cut off and unable to do my commute because of the weather. And read here on some threads that Buxton is actually not as nice as people think - deprivation, crime etc.

The alternatives: Glossop? Friends have told me not to bother as it's not nice. And then there's all the smaller places along the A6 like Disley and Whaley, but I don't know much about them. Anyone got any better suggestions, or is Buxton our best bet?

Following with interest - have visited a few times and liked it but would like to hear from people who live(d) there. Any reason why not south Manchester? I have family in Romiley and Marple Bridge and access is good to nice walks and amenities, with the benefit of an easy train journey into the city

My dad lives in Buxton - it is lovely. Weather is always questionable - extreme in the winter and it never really raises above early twenties but it's lovely, lots of shops and attractions and close to Manchester/Manchester airport etc. If I didn't have a job where I'm office based in the location that I am, I'd definitely move up there.

Buxton is ok.

Bakewell is nicer.

Buxton is nice enough! There is some crime, but it's a smaller town so there's certainly worse places. It's pretty in places, afew areas to avoid though.
I believe the schools are good.
How will you commute? Train?
Macclesfield is on the edge of the peak district, and I think has a direct train to london. Buxton also has a train station, but I'm not sure how frequent the trains are.
The shops in Buxton are mainly charity shops, outdoor shops, the shops aren't what they used to be.

Not much for teenagers to do, no cinema, or bowling etc, but a lovely park and fantastic restaurants in the area.
Buxton has its own little climate and does get shut off in the winter, eg the roads in to Buxton are often shut off, but people do tend to look out for each other and help each other out! People are friendly, so I do think you would get the community feel you were after.

Buxton is lovely to visit but I’ve heard negative comments about actually living there (pockets of deprivation I think), but then isn’t there something bad to say about everywhere?

Glossop is nice, awful traffic though (not so much of an issue if you WFH but it can happen at weekends too).

How easy do you need your commute to be? Quickest is often to go to Stockport then catch London train, but getting to Stockport usually requires a car journey/expensive parking/possible slow traffic.

We’re in Marple which we love, but prices have gone utterly bonkers since we bought.

I found Buxton a bit creepy. Real real poverty. Loads of charity shops, but some if it is beautiful.

Would l live there? No
Would l live in Bakewell? Yes apart from the tourists.

Bakewell is lovely, Buxton just isn’t.

I agree bakewell is lovely, I'd move there too just sooo busy!!

I think Buxton could be lovely (botanic gardens, opera house, Scriveners Bookshop...) but there's a general air of neglect/underinvestment IMO that spoils it.
The 'town centre' is depressing; cheap shops and a lot closed down.
I like to go for a few hours and do the above, then get the hell out

Bakewell is too busy and blighted by the massive road screeching through it. I've been a few times over the pandemic and, while admittedly I was there as a 'tourist', eating out etc, not living there properly, it seemed to be somewhat on its uppers; many restaurants and pubs with food running very limited service because of staffing issues (no doubt many caused by Brexit), and shit food/long waits/poor service when you did find somewhere open.

If it were me I'd just move to Manchester, I think; lots more going on and good transport.

Agree bakewell is much nicer.
I like glossop and tintwhistle also, but traffic is grim.
Mossley or Greenfield maybe?

Check out the villages around Macclesfield because of the main line connection. There are good schools, too. Buxton is nice, with its own micro climate, but more cut off. Anywhere in the Peaks is expensive, and it isn't simple to buy property everywhere if you are an outsider. Lived in Bakewell for a while and loved it but it has got a lot busier since. Try visiting a few different places, and rent before you commit to buy.

Buxton has beautiful buildings, and a good stock of big period houses, but personally I prefer nearby Leek as a town to live in. Buxton town centre is a bit rundown, mainly generic chain shops (and not the nicest ones) that are rapidly going out of business, whereas Leek has lots more quirky independent shops, pubs and cafes. It is also off the moors, so has nicer weather and is less prone to getting cut off by snow in winter - but it stilly only minutes from beautiful countryside.

Bakewell is very quaint, and in the heart of the Peak District, but is overrun by tourists to the point of it being unlivable.

Would definitely reccommend a week or two in a self-catering place to check out anywhere you might fancy settling.

It seemed lovely when I was there on holiday. Pick a nice area and you’ll be ok.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Marple does look lovely. More expensive clearly but still within our budget it seems. And much closer to where I'd want to be.

My commute plan was to take the train from Stockport. The in-laws live very close to the station and I could park there. Of course getting there could be difficult in the first place, but I figure I can handle it once a month.

Bakewell is really lovely, but a bit too far south for us unfortunately.

Have a look at Marple Bridge or Poynton (latter might be a bit pricey) but both are very close to the countryside and easy access to Stockport for trains

I grew up in Buxton - parents still live there and have done for 30+ years. I live in London now and it's not always the easiest journey - takes 3 and a half hours by car and the roads into Buxton can be dicey if the weather is bad. Best/quickest route is to get a lift to Macclesfield and catch the high speed train from there. It's very much a town of two halves, so I think your perception would probably depend on which part you lived in.

Pros - it's quite arty, some nice bars/cafes/shops/brewery, lovely Georgian/Victorian architecture, stunning countryside, direct train to Manchester if you want to escape for some city time, you'd probably be able to get a nice 3 bed for 450k, the area around the park and Burbage is lovely

Cons - the weather is so bad and it really has it's own ecosystem of cold/rain/cloud (you can drive 5 miles out and find it's suddenly sunny), the high street is a bit run down, some areas of the town are probably to be avoided

A few of my friends from London have now moved up to Glossop - I think there's probably a bit more going on than in Buxton (though I prefer Buxton for its proximity to the Derbyshire Dales). I'm not sure about Whaley or Disley - Whaley is v quiet and has a bit of a weird vibe. Disley closer in to Stockport/Manchester but a bit of a 'nothing place' - has the busy A6 running straight through it.

You could look at the Sheffield side of the Peaks - towards Hathersage, Grindleford etc. Also Hayfield? It's more villagey, but amazing location if you like the outdoorsy lifestyle. The Peak District area around Macclesfield is also very nice - Sutton, Langley - but expensive. Bakewell is in amazing countryside and it's beautiful, but I think I would find it a bit too cutesy and also very overcrowded in the holidays. Also transport links not the best.

I do really love Buxton and also have a lot of great nostalgic memories from growing up there. I often think it would be a nice place to move back to. 🙂

Disley is lovely. Extremely biased as my mum lives there. True community, you walk done the street and she knows everyone, go into the pubs and people come over to see how she's doing. There are community events, the light switch on is brilliant. The pubs are all great and there's an Italian restaurant which is insanely good.

Everyone knows her and and her dog. Whaley is lovely too. New mills is nice and houses are cheaper.

Recently left Glossop to return to the East Midlands. Weather is so, so much better here. Glossop is nice, but we don’t miss it. There’s not a lot to do and the weather can be extreme or just piddling down with rain on the daily. Traffic is grim. Tameside hospital is great despite reviews if that sort of thing is important to you. Buxton suffers from a lot of deprivation and just isn’t as nice as it was in the early 2000s. South of the county is much nicer, or around the Cheshire border.

Traffic is truly grim in Glossop.

Bollington is nice and is just outside of Macclesfield, much smaller than Macclesfield and Buxton, I'd say it's more like a large village, few small shops, primary schools, leisure centre, library, co op, pubs and restaurants, nice parks, and Macclesfield and Buxton are close by, but close enough to drive to Macclesfield for direct train, half an hour from Buxton also. Also short drive for Macclesfield shops.

Second this. Some of the villages around Leek are beautiful too. Just outside the Peak District National border so similar countryside but property prices much lower....

Both out of budget, but look at these piles for sale in Leek!:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/122664164#/?channel=RES_BUY
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/124521743#/?channel=RES_BUY

Have a look at New Mills. Lovely town on two train lines so good for transport and getting places whilst being right on the edge of the Peaks with lots of good walking on the doorstep. Loads of community stuff going on with a real artsy vibe- lantern procession, One World Festival, Arts Festival, Transition New Mills, New Mills Youth and Community Project (which run free holiday camps and youth clubs etc for kids). Whaley and Disley are both nice but smaller and both a bit cut up by the main road going through. Glossop horrendous for traffic - would never live there for that reason.

If I needed to choose between Buxton, Glossop, Marple, Marple Bridge, Poynton and Disley I would choose Marple Bridge.

MB has a Good service to Manchester Piccadilly, nice community feel, some lovely areas but quite expensive. 450,000 would just about get you a 3 bed. Not much there but within easy access of lots of places.
Lovely place to live.

Old Glossop is very nice but you get cut off if you rely on public transport. Glossop itself is a rat run to Sheffield. Nice little town centre (very ‘local’ amenities)

Buxton is lovely for days out but only one side of it is desirable. Some very run down areas despite the gorgeous gardens.
I don’t think I could live there - pain to get over to Manchester and you most definitely get trapped there during snowy weather.

Disley is, in my opinion, not great.
Very few local amenities - just the A6 through road. Some lovely houses but I imagine, very dull.

I would go Macclesfield way, easy to commute to Manchester and London.