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Original poster

Darlington area?

32 replies

OooPourUsACupLove · 27/10/2023 22:12

I'm from Newcastle, currently live and work in London but looking to move North for climate and space in the next 5 to 10 years. We'd want detached - proper detached so you can have noisy hobbies - and ideally close to countryside for walks and cycling. And would like to not rely on a car for everything. Budget I guess 550K, or its equivalent in 5 to 10 years.

Northumberland would be the obvious choice but it's pretty expensive and only Berwick and Newcastle have a good mainline stations.

I'm wondering about Darlington. Teesdale is beautiful but remote. I have to admit growing up in Newcastle we were a bit dismissive of Darlington - I should know more about it than I do.

Can anyone help me by giving me Tyne and Wear and Northumberland comparables for Darlington and the nearby areas - something like "xyz is like Morpeth, abc is like Blythe"?

(Or just tell me the places you love or hate - that is really helpful too!)

OP posts:
MaudOHara · 27/10/2023 22:24

We lived in Heighington for some of my childhood - it was voted the perfect village or something at one point.

Surrounded by beautiful countryside, easy access to A1M, lots going on in the village.

KievLoverTwo · 27/10/2023 22:34

If I had 550k right now, I would move to Barnard Castle, not Darlington. Some absolutely gorgeous old houses, and the main road through it feels really buzzy and exciting with so many lovely looking shops.

In terms of Darlington, there are many fancy houses to the West, along Coniscliffe Road, and whatever that becomes the further out you get. Absolutely huge, some of them. Tree lined, river in front. Sometimes I think the river is a bit too close to them, as it's not dropped all that far below street level. I am sure locals can tell you if it is a real or imagined future flood risk.

Namechangenamechanged · 27/10/2023 22:39

Durham, Hexham, Morpeth, Chester le street, Sedgefield, Barnard Castle. Darlington wouldn’t be top of my places to move to.

Consideringachange2023 · 27/10/2023 22:45

No Darlington wouldn’t be it for me either. Although I do agree about the mainline station - if you’re wanting to use it regularly then places like Barnard Castle will start to piss you off, motorway access is great, rail isn’t.
I’d be tempted to either go towards the Teesside/ North Yorks coast - Stokesley, Great Ayton, etc (again not great rail connections but beautiful scenery and lovely villages) or North Durham or above the Tyne Tunnel

Mytholmroyd · 27/10/2023 22:50

Depends on how close to the train station you want to be. As @KievLoverTwo says the big houses are out to the west but there isn't much urban sprawl before you are out in the country and small villages where there are lots of big detached houses. I am close to the A1 and a 15 minute drive to the station but am in a small village in North Yorkshire - bus service is poor though!

SiobahnRoy · 27/10/2023 22:53

Maybe Northallerton if you want the train line. I’d go to Hexham personally.

Mytholmroyd · 27/10/2023 22:53

Northallerton is also on the mainline and is a thriving market town with some great shopsand a Betty's! Much nicer than Darlington.

Mytholmroyd · 27/10/2023 22:56

I would also probably go further north if you want hills and views as the only problem with the A1/trainline is they are going up through the flat land between the Dales and Moors so it's fairly mild weather but not particularly scenic!

Original poster
OooPourUsACupLove · 27/10/2023 23:12

Wow thank you for all the replies!

I don't know much about Northallerton at all - I will definitely take a look.

OP posts:
verifyme · 27/10/2023 23:24

Cor ... what sort of hobbies do you envisage OP?

Darlo is a "no" really but maybe consider:

Yarm/Eaglescliffe ( Tynemouth tribe but inland)
Middleton-St-George ( as above but very isolated)
Wylam - ticks a LOT of boxes (where students who lived in Jesmond/Gosforth went to "grow up")
Warkworth - but prices are very high
Maybe head a bit further south to Saltburn/Guisborough ( beautiful countryside and beaches but rail links are awful)

Mytholmroyd · 27/10/2023 23:36

Barnard Castle is lovely as several people have said but the A66 east to Scotch Corner/A1 is a nightmare most of the time - lots of accidents and closures. There is an upgrade in the pipeline to dual carriageway it where it isn't already but that is likely to cause delays and disruptions for a few years I would think. It even has its own Facebook page where people report all the active issues!

YorkshireTeaCup · 27/10/2023 23:49

Where will you be working? Might help to narrow things down. (Also shamelessly placemarking for my own benefit as im hoping to convince DH to do a similar move in a few years so i can transfer to the CS Darlington Economic Campus! 😁)

Original poster
OooPourUsACupLove · 28/10/2023 00:15

Workwise not sure. I'm 50 so we are talking 55 to 60 by then. We'll be mortgage-free so either remote/consultancy in my current area with the odd team day in Edinburgh or London, or semi-retired with a top up wage. It's still a fair few years in the future, the job I do may not exist yet (block chain enabled dairies?)

Noisy hobbies - DIY/making stuff, music and having a bunch of friends round for a weekend of repetitive beats and dancing 😁

OP posts:
Vikingmama79 · 28/10/2023 07:52

I’m from Darlington, living in Newcastle . I am always so envious of the lovely housing stock there is back home. I agree West of the town is probably best in that respect, coniscliffe/ carmel road, Blackwell village and surrounds. I’ve friends and family still in the area all sociable with various hobbies living perfectly content lives in the town. Definitely think the continuing growth of the civil service base in the area will hopefully further contribute to its vibrancy.

Mytholmroyd · 28/10/2023 12:59

As @Vikingmama79 says the move of some of the civil service will be a big boost for Darlington although might push prices up. I wouldn't be too negative about Darlington - a couple of my colleagues live there and really like it. It also has some fantastic restaurants such as The Stable Hearth (just voted best pizzeria in England) and real ale and live music pubs like the the Quakerhouse

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g190728-d6923209-r873489854-Stable_Hearth_Neapolitian_Pizzeria_Enoteca-Darlington_County_Durham_England.html

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g190728-d5104052-Reviews-The_Quakerhouse-Darlington_County_Durham_England.html

And some high end hotels/spa/golf/restaurants such as Rockcliffe Hall which is only just outside of the town centre and was the All Blacks training base for the World Cup as well as a couple of theatres and cinemas.

Fantastic restaurant - Stable Hearth Neapolitian Pizzeria & Enoteca, Darlington Traveller Reviews - Tripadvisor

Stable Hearth Neapolitian Pizzeria & Enoteca: Fantastic restaurant - See 442 traveller reviews, 106 candid photos, and great deals for Darlington, UK, at Tripadvisor.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g190728-d6923209-r873489854-Stable_Hearth_Neapolitian_Pizzeria_Enoteca-Darlington_County_Durham_England.html

mjf981 · 29/10/2023 03:32

Darlington has some gorgeous (and very reasonable) houses west of the centre. I'd happily live in one of the beautiful terraced houses there. I guess you'd have to go further out for detached.
However, the centre does leave a lot to be desired and is a real negative.

mjf981 · 29/10/2023 03:36

Northallerton is a good shout. Stokesley and Great Ayton and also worth a look - very pretty.

catnipevergreen · 29/10/2023 04:13

Durham is better than Darlington IMO. Some parts of Chester le Street are nice too. Barnard Castle (while lovely) js a pain to get to and a bit remote.

DisforDarkChocolate · 29/10/2023 04:41

I'd pick Thirsk over Northallerton if you want to be close to Darlington.

Hexham is pretty fabulous and I agree about Barnard Castle.

terraced · 29/10/2023 06:16

We live in Weardale. We're around a 20 min drive from Darlington. May be an area worth considering for you. In Darlington the area around Carmel Rd is nice.

DisforDarkChocolate · 29/10/2023 06:33

@terraced we're thinking of moving somewhere towards Wearhead. I know this isn't very close to you but how do you find weardale in general?

AlviarinAesSedai · 30/10/2023 00:03

What about Northumberland near where they building the new 🚉 train stations.
That’s where I would go.

Eddyraisins · 30/10/2023 00:13

I love Darlington don't know why people are being so negative.

Yes the town centre isn't what it was but most aren't since the internet.

Eddyraisins · 30/10/2023 00:14

catnipevergreen · 29/10/2023 04:13

Durham is better than Darlington IMO. Some parts of Chester le Street are nice too. Barnard Castle (while lovely) js a pain to get to and a bit remote.

Traffic in Durham is a nightmare.