Where to live between Liverpool and Manchester?

[confusednw]

Hi,

We are a young couple in our late twenties/early thirties looking to buy a house in the North West and currently researching places to live.

We will be commuting to Liverpool and Manchester city centers for work using public transport (Liverpool three times a week, Manchester once or twice a week).

Our budget is around ~£400k for a three-bed, with the potential to go a bit higher.

Ideally, the area would have some nice cafes, bars and restaurants plus some green space for weekend walks.

We are currently considering places like Urmston, Hartford/Northwich and Frodsham. We visited Stockton Heath and liked the feel, but found the journey via bus and train potentially problematic. In a perfect world, we would walk to the station for a direct train (< 1 hr journey) to work.

Are we missing other nice places to live that would be commutable to Liverpool and Manchester?

My brother lives in Stretford and works in Liverpool. Takes him about 40 min on the train. Stretford to drive past doesn't look great but is totally on the up. Nice parks, canal can cycle to countryside, brilliant primary schools, 30 mins to city centre, can cycle to it, community owned public hall, new bars and restaurants very diverse. He loves it. Money should go far.

Hale village near Liverpool is lovely. And quick access to the motorway.

Warrington? I don’t know it but I had a number of colleagues who lived there and liked it when I worked in Manchester and apparently it won a best place to live award recently. There are direct trains taking less than half an hour to both Manchester and Liverpool.

Newton Le Willows is nice and on the trainline.

Birchwood is very well priced and ideally located - you'll get something fantastic for your money: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133649951#/?channel=RES_BUY

Some of the nicer bits of Warrington
Lymm is pricey but your budget could work

I would recommend Stockton Heath. It’s commutable to both places. Trains run regularly from Warrington and you can walk/bus/cycle there from SH

Agree NlW is nice

OP would you consider places actually in either Liverpool or Manchester? Each are v commutable to the other

It would be commutable between Liverpool and Manchester of the trains were reliable. In reality it’s horrific.

Warrington, if you choose a place where any of the stations are driveable you should have no issues.
In reality trains are horrific with strikes etc so you don't want to live somewhere with only one train...

There's a small town called Atherton with direct trains to both Manchester and Liverpool. It's local to me, my granddaughter lives there, some pretty nice parts. Use postcode M46 9 for your Rightmove house search. There's a lovely 5 bed 3 bath just near the station on Bolton Road for £385

The Wirral

I'd live in Liverpool city centre, maybe on the docks. Such a beautiful city, so much going on.

Lowton is very nice. V.close to newton le Willows train station. Also Winwick Park.

Ah fair enough! I wfh so don’t have recent experience

Rainhill in Merseyside sounds like it would tick all your boxes.

@RingLightLight it’s the bane of many people’s lives!

I know it very well. There's some nice areas...Fearnhead, Oakwood, Cinnamon Brow, parts of Woolston. Padgate train station is 20 mins to both Manchester and Liverpool.

Culcheth is popular with families who work in both cities.

Buckshaw village

Birkdale - a suburb of Southport. Its really lovely - tons of nice cafes and restaurants plus little shops like an excellent cheesemonger, greengrocer, etc - everything you need is right there. Lovely walks nearby also - sand dunes, beaches, lots of parks nearby.

The commute to Liverpool is easy and direct from Birkdale Station. The commute to Manchester is not quite as good but you can walk into Southport itself in 15 minute (or just take the train 1 stop) then it's a direct train from there.

I know it very well. There's some nice areas...Fearnhead, Oakwood, Cinnamon Brow, parts of Woolston. Padgate train station is 20 mins to both Manchester and Liverpool.

They are specifically areas of Warrington I'd avoid!

Stockton Heath, Appleton, Grappenhall, Lower Walton are nice.

I'd class Fearnhead and Oakwood as rough!!! (Padgate is ok, Woolston ok but really wouldn't rave about either tbh)

Yes, Culcheth is lovely. Got a little Sainsburies there and lovely cafes. Handy for Birchwood station and Glazebrook station. Expensive and property sells fast though.

Aughton or ormskirk are lovely. Ormskirk has lots of lovely bars and restaurants.