Where to buy near Atherstone/Birmingham

[TDDD333]

Hi all,

My partner has just got a new job in Atherstone and we're about to start house hunting nearby. We don't know the area at all so any tips would be greatly appreciated. Our criteria:

• Budget £800-900k
• Under 45 minute drive to Atherstone
• Within a mile of a station that has reasonably regular train links to London in under 2 hours
• 4 bed+ house, ideally detached
• Near good schools
• Near a town centre ideally, we don't want to be out in the sticks/small villages

Any ideas greatly appreciated, thanks!

I'd recommend Lichfield. 30 mins drive from Atherstone and 1hr40 on a train from Lichfield Trent Valley to Euston.
Also Tamworth however I know there can be some areas that may be a bit ropey whereas I think all of Lichfield is pretty much good.

Thanks @mummyh2016. I hadn't heard of Lichfield! So far the only suggestions we've had are Solihull and Leamington Spa - are they any good from your experience?

Solihull and Leamington are nice areas. Very expensive and Leamington in particular is quite a way from Atherstone. Lichfield is lovely. Fairly expensive but cheaper than Leamington or Solihull and less than 30 mins away. A lovely area to live.

Market bosworth
Sutton Coldfield

Knowle/Dorridge/Solihull.

super places to live and got all of above.

Postcode to look at is B93

Nice one in Dorridge for overs over £900k

I don't know Solihull and Leamington Spa sorry, I'm Staffordshire.

Sutton Coldfield
Lichfield

Nuneaton is close by and has train links to London. None villages nearby you have Hinckley, Burbage...
However some really nice villages close by to - Sheepy Magna, Market Bosworth

If you want a lot for your money- Lutterworth, a great little town on the up, 30 mins from Atherstone.
The schools aren't so great in Nuneaton/Hinckley are they? I only hear this from colleagues.
Leamington and Warwick are pricier and great transport links, however it takes me 50 mins to Atherstone from there.

Sorry, I should add, 15 mins to Rugby station for commuting from Lutterworth but, talk of them re-opening the old station (which could happen, as it has in Kenilworth!)
Rugby is about 45 mins from Atherstone and has grammar schools, plus (obviously) good independent options.

Solihull has some dubious neighbours in the form of Shirley and Sheldon, Chelmsley Wood within bus distance. I’d probably avoid.

Stonnall is nice too

Aldi?
Well Atherstone itself is your best bet for the trains. The fast trains also stop at Tamworth.
Having lived in that area, the towns are not very posh, but don't underestimate the soul destroying commute of 20 miles on the M42 or endless country lanes trying to avoid traffic jams in Nuneaton. I certainly wouldnt go as far as Leamington Spa or Solihull. It's not as easy to get round the area as the motorways/Google might suggest.
Try the nearest parts of Sutton Coldfield or Leicester, Ashby de la Zouch, Lichfield, Birmingham. Nearer to Atherstone there are independent schools at Twycross and the Dixie school if that is your thing.
No Waitroses for miles I'm afraid!
Also check the HS2 route and consider public transport alternatives.

I meant the west side of Leicester by the way - Enderby/Kirby Muxloe/Narborough. Generally it's best not to have to cross an entire city with your commute!

I would suggest somewhere on the Cross-city line in Birmingham, the ones I know about would be Lichfield as mentioned (has a Waitrose!), Shenstone, Four Oaks, or Sutton Coldfield. The prices in the roads around all those stations are going up as as result of HS2. this one is in the centre of Sutton Coldfield, you can walk to Sutton Park (huge urban park), the train station, but equally you have a good sized garden. It needs a bit of work but your budget should allow for that.

Cross city line stations will depend on how strict the OP is going to be to the 2 hour journey to London, I don't think there are direct trains there from those stations so will likely be longer than a 2 hour journey.

Lichfield Trent Valley line has regular trains to London - about 1hour 49mins.

Sorry - 1 hour 40 minutes!

Lichfield, shenstone, Sutton, four oaks, mere green, all nice areas

Sutton Coldfield has the good schools, the housing and the park, but the town centre is an absolute dump. And getting worse. So many empty shops and very little there. It's such a shame, but it's just not a nice place to be. And it's empty except when the school kids arrive to take the bus. Mere Green is fine and quite pleasant but it's a suburb of Sutton Coldfield, so lots of food shops, and a Sainsbury's but it's not a big centre.
Sutton Coldfield would be ok if you never went into the town.
Lichfield has the shops, the nice town centre, lovely cathedral, lots of places to eat, on the train line to Birmingham for bigger outings, but there is such a lot of house building going on there. The countryside is getting further away as there are just swathes of houses being built. But it is undoubtedly far more pleasant than Sutton Coldfield.
Leamington Spa is nice, but I wouldn't add 20 minutes on to a journey to Atherstone when you could go for Lichfield or Sutton Coldfield. It's not that nice.
Solihull is not all that. But they have a John Lewis.

Last time I went round Sutton Park in 2015 there was needles lying around it was absolutely abysmal and broken bottles by the kids play area where were used to get ice cream is as little kids. I was absolutely disgusted with the place.

Another vote for Solihull as it’s so easy to get to Atherstone . Within Solihull ; Dorridge has direct trains to London on the Chiltern line .Knowle , Lapworth , Bentley Heath and Hockley Heath all neighbouring with with v good primary and secondary schools . Slightly nearer Atherstone is Balsall Common which has a lovely vibe and near Bham International Train station for London Euston line

It's super clean now after the Commonwealth Games.

I live in Lichfield,prior to that Sutton Coldfield.Lichfield is so much nicer in my opinion.

Good road to Atherstone.Two train stations in Lichfield,one the Cross City line to Birmingham,Trent Valley for regular trains to London Euston,I often go to London for the day.

The other thing I like is the close proximity to the Motorways,about 40 minutes to either Birmingham Airport or East Midlands.

For your budget you would get a lovely property.

I can assure you it’s no longer like that. I have been there today for a lovely 1.5 hour walk and saw barely any rubbish . It’s a very popular and well used park.. it’s sutton’s crowning glory. The shopping
centre is awful though . All big retailers have gone .