Which town to choose?

[TheLastScone]

Also in 'chat' - I was advised to post here, hope that's ok!

Any help or advice appreciated.
Due to work, we have two choices and a move to make. We are currently in the north west and will be renting for 1 or 2 yrs. Not a huge commitment for the time being but still v important.
Offer one is a lovely cottage in Shrewsbury just outside the town in Belle Vue. The other is just outside the centre of Ambleside in Cumbria. So both houses are similarly placed and convenient, and both are equally attractive to us.

But such different places! I have visited both frequently in my life and am aware of most differences, but we can't figure out which to go with. I appreciate Shrewsbury would have more going on, more access to stuff, etc, but very busy. Ambleside will be chock full of tourists and the roads might be hell.
We love nature and would prefer semi rural but for the time being this is our lot. We don't have kids so no school concerns and I wfh.

Any experience? The good the bad and the ugly?? wwyd?

Presumably you will then be buying in about two years?

Buying is an extremely stressful process. I would go with the house where the logistics cause you the least amount of stress. Think about internet speeds, whether on oil versus gas if applicable, access to shopping, doctors, etc. When you are on the road all the time looking for your future house purchase, having to travel miles and miles to get the basics of living covered on top of all the time in the road can really grind you down.

So both houses are similarly placed and convenient
I don't understand. Doesn't Ambleside have just the two roads in/out whereas Shrewsbury has loads. How are they equally convenient?

Shropshire gets my vote any day of the week.

A lot of property in the national park in the lakes is subject to clauses about only being able to be purchased by long term residents which could make buying really tricky.

No we are not interested in buying any time soon.

Sorry for the confusion - by 'convenient' I meant convenient for us, personally. Both places have what we need in a practical sense, but am aware they are quite different in many ways.

Rainfall in Shrewsbury is about 700mm per annum. Ambleside is over 2000mm.
Does that decide it?

Ah! I forgot to mention, the climate is the most off-putting part for us. I don't mind the cold but the endless damp was something that really bothered me in the lakes. I once spent 6 months in Kendal caring for a relative and it was such a joyless experience (the weather not the relative!). I spent almost every day between September and April in waterproof pants.

I'm struggling to see Shrewsbury as "very busy." Guess it's all relative but I moved here from a city so it doesn't seem too busy to me. I live in Belle Vue and it's a great area. Easy to walk to town too.

Thanks.
It is very busy compared to many towns that I have known, but this is a very good thing since the town is thriving and most people looked pretty happy there. It felt very different to the north west in that sense. Whilst there seemed to be people everywhere I walked they were either canoeing, playing music on the grass by the river, or enjoying the delights of the town centre (cafe/pub, etc).
Whilst places such as Manchester are extremely busy the vibe is so different.

One down side in Shrewsbury for me was the traffic, but I am under no illusion that this is creeping everywhere now. There was a lot of fairly heavy noise from vehicles especially bikes.

Also had this in Ambleside tbh, but it calms in the cooler seasons a bit.

Shrewsbury, fewer tourists, better retail and easier to get to other places.

I love the lakes but ambleside and the roads round it are very busy especially at weekends - if you dont like rain would also not advise

Thank you. I do love shrewsbury, it has a wonderful cat cafe too! 😻

I am always drawn to the dark, romantic element of the lakes but yes the tourism does put us off a bit.

With Shrewsbury you’ve got easy access to amazing places, the Elan valley and Cambrian mountains. Good facilities, nice city, few tourists. Ambleside, although pretty would be a nightmare on the roads

I am in Shrewsbury having moved here 2 years ago from Brum and have never regretted it for a second. Belle Vue is beautiful (exh lives there) beautiful houses, Coleham is lovely, walking distance to town. Parking can be a nightmare around some of the areas due to the housing stock being mainly period houses. Traffic can be heavy at rush hour but no different from anywhere else. There is so much to see and do for me it is like being on holiday everyday. I am in the Porthill area and walk over the suspension bridge most days and have to pinch myself that I live here.

Downsides - it is not a very diverse area which was very noticeable coming from Birmingham. There is also a lot of homelessness in the town centre along with antisocial behaviour being on the up although I am not sure how that compares to other areas.

Thanks, really helpful info, there's a lot to weight up.
We also liked Ludlow but do think it is a bit too cut off.

Ludlow is lovely but for me it is just too quiet and secluded also more of an older population. Shrewsbury felt like the best of both worlds very pretty with lots going on. There is always some festival or the other and we really are spoilt for choice. Unlike so many other towns across the country it is mostly thriving here and so many people like me choose to move here because it has so much going for it.

Thanks for including the 'down sides'.
I didn't see much of this when I was there, it looked far more diverse than the south lakes, culturally. Is the anti social issue mostly in the evening? I didn't go out much at night when I was there.
I did notice a huge amount of 'farting cars' if you'll excuse the expression
My home town has plummeted in the past 5 years (wigan). The anti social issues and insularity have really took it downhill. Shrewsbury did seem much happier and less depressed on the whole, but then measuring something against wigan isn't hard. It's a shame really, I grew up in the countryside surrounding it and it was so, so lovely back then.

I don't know Shrewsbury well other than it's so pretty and great location for Wales, Birmingham and the wider midlands. It feels a lot more connected to me.

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/shrewsbury/2023/07/14/wild-west-concerns-as-businesses-warn-over-shrewsbury-anti-social-behaviour/

I think it is a combination of it being very busy on a night especially over the weekend and also a growing homeless population. The council are trying to tackle it but much like many other areas across the country funding is lacking. Coming from a much larger city though I cannot say I have noticed it or been affected by it but locals who have lived here for years have noticed the downturn. On the whole though all things on balance it is a beautiful place to be and I hope to never leave here.

I love the lakes and Ambleside is very nice. But extremely busy-that would wear me down. Shrewsbury is a beautiful town with more space to wander round and has the lovely riverside walk. It’s also good for visiting g cities like Birmingham and Chester. You have the Shropshire Hills close by and lovely walking in North Wales which doesn’t get as busy as The Lakes. And you’re less likely to be affected by bad weather. So it would be Shrewsbury for me but if you’ve fallen in love with Ambleside, go for it.

Reading your posts, have you considered Chester?

Thanks for more info!

I am not in love with the Lakes, just a bit more familiar with it. I have some reservations about it.

Chester is an extremely expensive place to rent, a nice town though, but like (the similarly overhyped imo) Hebden Bridge, not a great deal of value for money considering what you get. for it - ie, a cramped, dark carpeted box for over £1500pcm, typically.

Just reading the Wild West article. I assume they are talking about daytime as Pride Hill is essentially a shopping street with only one place that would be open in the evening. I go into town frequently and yes, there are plenty of homeless people but I have never been subjected to "aggressive begging". Although it's a good hour from the nearest city here, you do have the choice of Birmingham, Liverpool or Manchester plus their airports if you want to go abroad. I also love being near to North Wales. You can go to Barmouth or Aberdovey for the day quite easily and getting to Snowdonia is pretty easy too.

Shrewsbury for sure. No proper shops in Ambleside unless you're in the market for some incredibly expensive hiking kit. And the Tesco's is minute! I remember wondering out loud where on earth you would buy a kettle or something

I live in Cumbria. To do a decent shop ( food ) it's Carlisle or Penrith which for us is a 60 mile round trip . Our dentist is 40 mile round trip .
Yes you do have towns with shops but your if living in Ambleside would be Booths in Windermere or Booths in Keswick - nice but expensive. Yes you can drive further to Kendal where you have more choice of possibly Penrith ( over the Kirkstone pass) which is often closed in winter and very busy in summer.
I like Ambleside for an hour or 2 or to visit Hayes garden Centre , but live there ? No thanks.

Thanks for more info, the more the merrier. We are edging towards Shrewsbury or surrounding areas at the moment, we do think that the south lakes might be a touch too touristy for us. I have a lot of experience up there and am familiar with how to shop, but I do think there has been a marked change in the 'atmosphere' since the pandemic. A lot less 'backpacks and doggies' and a lot more car-only visitors, wedding parties, etc. The subtle poetry of the place feels less visible now, and it is super commercialised.

I know a lot less about Shrewsbury.
If anyone has experience of both Shropshire and the North West, I would love to hear comparisons. I have had experience of areas becoming so sadly depressed/deprived in the north west and would prefer to avoid any social issues.