Where to live in Harrogate? Help!

[Whereinharrogate]

We would love to move to Harrogate but finding house prices a bit disheartening. Anyone know Harrogate or the surrounding area who can recommend where to look?

We'd like a 4 bed house with garden and ideally garage, hard top end budget £650,000. Near to good schools (primary and secondary) and walking distance to amenities. I guess the kind of area mn would describe as "naice". I would like those amenities to be central Harrogate but I think for a house of the size we would like we may need to look further out. Would consider living 2 or even 3 miles out of centre if there were things in that locality other than housing estates. E.g. would like pub, cafe, shop, maybe restaurant, park - things to do outside our front door. Don't really want to be in a village. Have looked at starbeck and wasn't keen.

Anyone got any recommendations?

York to Leeds by train is an easier commute than Harrogate to Leeds. It's on better quality trains too (by northern standards).

Prices on the Saints are within that range. It is quite a crowded area though.

There are loads of houses at about £650K or less- why have you ruled them out- knowing that might help?

If you live Southside then commuting to Leeds is a doddle and you never get tied up in traffic going in or out of town.

NHS dentists is nothing new- there were non for new patients in Harrogate 17 years ago either.

Where else that isn't Harrogate ? Wetherby, Collingham, Boston Spa but they don't have a train station or London in 3 hours door to door.

When northern rail is not on strike that is 😊

Nice parts of York are more expensive than nice parts of Harrogate.

Yes Otley is nice, but it's definitely not Harrogate, it's a 20min drive.
Agree the trains from Harrogate to Leeds are pretty rubbish, but the 36 bus is good and reliable.

Yes Wetherby is nice. Also alwoodley, horsforth…

I think I've read that North Yorkshire is the worst county in the UK for access to NHS dentists, so that will be a problem in all the towns being suggested.

i've certainly not had an NHS dentist for ages, as I moved house and couldn't find one in my new location that would take new patients. (With hindsight, I should have kept going to my old one, but I didn't realise it would be a long-term issue).

£650k will still buy a nice house in a nice bit of York though. And it has all the other thing the OP is looking for.

Ripon whilst nice and has a grammar school, doesn’t have a train station and it’s an absolute bastard to get to Leeds as it’s by car or the 36 bus (which takes 1.5 hours) it also weirdly doesn’t have a police station in the city, and there’s a low level constant of antisocial behavior as a result

Parts round skipton are ok, but get towards Keighley and it won’t be what you’re looking for. Skipton does have a train line but imo is the back end of nowhere (I grew up near there so prob have a skewed view) and doesn’t have good shops etc and has a grammar system which is great unless your kids don’t get in

your problem with Harrogate and the naice parts up here is that everyone wants to live there, and the area has loads of people with lots of money - it’s definitely not ‘buy a northern house for mere buttons’ scenario

York has trains to Leeds about 3x an hour and it’s about 35 mins. However, to live in the nice bits where you can bike / walk to train, will put you in a similar price bracket you’re looking at now

Parts round skipton are ok, but get towards Keighley and it won’t be what you’re looking for.

Agree with this - you probably wouldn't want to look any further south than Cononley. Carleton, Bradley and Embsay/Eastby are all nice.

If you don't want yobs on motorcycles then avoid the city full stop. They race around here in chapel Allerton and Roundhay. I've heard people say garforth is nice or why not towns like bingley. House prices in north Leeds are pretty steep.

Thinking about it, Saltaire could be good with your budget?

Looking at the SSTC for HG2 then houses that are where you want and affordable do come up (and sell).

Are you in a position to move relatively quickly (ie sold your own?)

No pubs tho, thanks to Titus ;)

OP - I’d factor in schooling as a key consideration (unless you go private) north Yorks is weird (mix of 11+ and not leading to massive hothousing and then a sink alternative in Skipton that got panned at ofsted) and then you cross into Bradford and I havent heard good things - could well be heresay

Yeah, York might be the better option for schools.

I’m from Knaresborough. It’s a lovely ancient place and has a lot going for it -castle, lovely river, lots of history, a market. A lot of tourists in summer, though. Good secondary school and primary schools. I went to Aspin Park Primary and then King James’s for secondary. Both were rated outstanding when I went there. Supermarkets, swimming pool, library, Boots, small theatre, a small trading estate with the likes of Next, TK Maxx etc. A lot of cafes. Decent Indian restaurant. Fish and chip shop. The usual activities for children - Guides, dance classes, etc. Train station on the Leeds-York line. But the high street is not what it was. All the banks have closed down, for example. My parents still live there and they have had no problem at all with dentists and GPs. It’s cheaper to buy in Knaresborough than Harrogate.

You could loook at scarcroft / collingham / boston spa which all have access to outstanding graded secondary school in boston spa. Wetherby / knaresborough

I don't know where you've heard good things about Selby.

I know all these areas very well and would rule out Ripon (difficult to get to), Knaresborough (not much going on, and everything mostly seems to be shut - plus the retail park, if you like that kind of thing, only has short-term parking which is heavily policed), and Otley. Tadcaster is not exciting. York is great, but the Leeds side of York is very, very expensive and the traffic is a nightmare. Schools in Leeds are obviously a big issue - but just in terms of areas, West Park is a possibility - close enough to walk to Headingley but away from the students, and has loads of families, parks, things to do, on good bus routes, not far from Waitrose etc.

I would always look at a school and see if it has the ethos that you want rather than go on an Ofsted judgement. Certainly wouldn't buy a house based on a Ofsted judgement!

Garforth and east garforth have both train stations, around 12 minutes to leeds, good schools

If you want Harrogate then North Leeds or rural N Yorks isnt going to be for you.

The only possible similar is central York and that is more expensive with less choice than Harrogate.

We moved to Harrogate 2 months ago. We bought a 4 bedroom with garage near St Aidan’s school for £445k. It needs decorative work and new kitchens/bathrooms but that’s all. Structurally in great condition.

I’d highly recommend the saints area - easily walkable to town, near to Hornbeam station, short hop to Waitrose and M&S food. Very naice. Our lives have been transformed since we’ve been here and I’m still on cloud nine everyday.

Happy to answer other questions.

Garforth has nothing in common with Harrogate.

Where in South Leeds do you live?

No kidding! Those are just suggestions of others area to consider.

My kids are at the grammar schools in Skipton, so I am probably biased about the schooling available here, but in the interests of fairness I'd just like to point out that the "sink" school got graded good in all areas by Ofsted at the start of the year and is much improved in recent years. I definitely wouldn't rule Skipton out due to the schools!