Any recommendations on where to move/husband offered job in Alfreton

[mamaudrey]

Hi All,
I’m currently based in Berkshire with my husband and 3 year old.My husband has been offered a job in Alfreton and is considering taking it.However,the commute from here is not feasible (he will need to be in the office 2-3 times a week)
Any recommendations for where is a good place to move to, He is willing to drive an hour one way.I work from home.Somewhere with good primary schools as well and little one will need to start soon. We are also looking to buy a house.Obviously lots of change,so any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Oh hi there OP, I live in Derbyshire so maybe can help.

You don't say what kind of place you would like to live in - city (we do have one!) big town, village - but there are a lot of options.

You also don't mention a budget but I am assuming decent coming from Berkshire.

Alfreton itself is not the nicest, sorry to anyone who lives there, it;'s a bit rundown and the area is under resourced unfortunately. Does mean that property is cheaper tho.

My thoughts off the top of my head:

Duffield - posh village about 15 miles away, easy commute up the A38, nice small shops, lovely primary schools, highly rated secondary school. Not a very diverse community but lots of local involvement. Property prices higher bc of school but could buy a 4-bed detached for about £550-700k.

Derby itself - advantage of being in the city tho it's not the nicest, it has decent shops and facilities eg cinemas, museums, swimming pool, sports facilities. Good locations in Derby inc Allestree, Darley Abbey, Littleover, Spondon - all of these have good or reasonable secondary schools (primaries pretty good all over IME) and decent bus links to town. Property cheaper than Duffers - 4-bed detached around £4-500k in Littleover.

Other ideas - Belper is a nice small town with an active community and decent transport links; secondary not very well rated tho.

Bit left-field - West Bridgford in Notts is really lovely, great schools, super shops and community vibe. Lot more expensive than most of Derbys but actually only about 20-25 miles from Alfreton.

HTH but if you can quote a vague budget and an idea of the kind of place you would like to live I could give more info.

Thanks so much Clary!
We are looking at a big town ideally,budget approx £400k for 3 bed.

OK big town.

Hmm Chesterfield is a big town (a very big town actually). Lots of good things about Ch'field:

• Handy for the peaks if you like walking
• Near to Sheffield (v quick on the train) for the big city - gigs, theatre
• Property is pretty cheap
• Chesterfield hospital is a proper big one with A&E
• Sports facilities inc swimming pool and athletic track
• Good schools - St Mary's Catholic High School is a secondary that is regularly in the top five in the county

But it's not the most lovely place and the town centre is a bit run down, ngl. Still, worth a look. Also a quick commute to Alfreton, like 25 mins.

Other possible towns - Belper (not really big tho), Matlock (even smaller), Ashbourne (smaller still). Chesterfield population is about four times Belper's.

Mansfield is a big town similar size to Ch/field and about the same distance from Alfreton but I would deffo live in Chesterfield in preference to Mano.

There are nicer places in this area than Chesterfield to live tho. I'd still look at West Bridgford or maybe Beeston, another place on the edge of Nottingham (Derby side this one) which has a nice community feel and good schools. And in Derbyshire I'd consider Belper, suburbs of Derby (Littleover, Allestree, Spondon) tho none of those are 'big towns' tbf.

Thanks again Clary,this is all very useful information.Appreciate it

I'd agree with Belper, Matlock, also Bakewell and Baslow maybe? They aren't large towns, but there aren't many large towns that I'd want to live in near Alfreton tbh.

One thing to bear in mind is that traffic at j28 of the motorway (at Alfreton) is terrible, and is always stacked up during rush hour. If your DH can avoid having to use that, he'll be much happier!

I Echo PP re jct 28 - use it 3 times a week and it’s a nightmare! Also, I’d avoid Mansfield, it’s cheap for a reason!

Bakewell is a shout maybe. Baslow is tiny tho - not a town, it's a village.

Thing is about places like Bakewell and Matlock, they can be a bit overrun with tourists in the season but are under resourced in terms of basic facilities, and are both a bit of a hike from anywhere with those facilities (I mean hospitals, cinemas, sports facs) - Buxton is not far from Bakewell but also limited - Derby is a really long way as is Sheffield.

I used to live in a poorly supported tourist town and it was no fun in the winter. Nor in the summer for that matter!

I use J28 on a daily basis btw (not driving on the M1 but I use the roundabout) and it's not a major issue. I mean there is a queue but you allow for that. Any of the places suggested here would be a reasonable 30-45-min commute even at 8am on a Monday.

Derby is about 15 miles from Alfreton, so isn't far. Sheffield is much further though I agree.

I'd have to disagree about basic facilities - Matlock has a community hospital with a minor injuries unit, and Chesterfield hospital is around 10 -11 miles, the cinema is a bit nearer. Matlock also has a lecture centre with pool, gym and a sports hall.

Bakewell has a pool and gym, plus good sports facilities at the school. The MIU at Matlock isn't far at all.

There's a fab little cinema in Wirksworth, and some showings in Bakewell too .

Whilst I agree that there are many tourists, the basic facilities in both towns are pretty good . Do agree about Baslow, but it's lovely so I had to include it

Sorry @ThatsAnExcellentIdea I meant Derby is a long way from Bakewell if you need a hospital - I guess Chesterfield is not so far.

Yes both Bakewell and Matlock have a pool which is good. I suppose it depends what someone and their family need. I was brought up in a rural area and then later lived in one for a couple of years after that, so now I always prioritise local facilities. For me, an MIU within a few miles and an A&E within 15 miles is not close enough. On a different tack, my DC were sporty so a local (few miles away) athletic track and weekend football matches turned out to be useful as well.

I'm thinking the OP is coming from Berkshire, which I imagine as one of the home counties/commuter belt is well resourced, so I was trying to flag that rural Derbyshire is often a bit different.

I've negotiated j28 in rush hour & it's not too bad.
In your shoes I'd be avoiding many of the towns around Alfreton which are really not very nice (Mansfield, Pinxton etc) & looking at Duffield/Allestree/Little Eaton.
Duffield is a large village in between Derby & Belper. Despite being a village it's pretty busy & has lots going on, nice selection of cafes, pubs, restaurants etc, good schools. Lots of community events such as scarecrow festival, carnival etc.
Allestree is similar but more of a big suburb so housing is cheaper & you'd get more for your money. The old village part is lovely. There's a good shopping centre at Park Farm. Really well set up if you have young children. Lots of toddler groups, scouts etc. Little Eaton is a smaller village than Duffield but similar community feel very nice.
You'll get a 3 bed for your budget & there are no 'dodgy' bits in any of those areas. They are all pretty much a hop onto the A38 too so about 20-30 mins up to Alfreton in rush hour from experience, whereas some of the places upthread would mean negotiating busy town centres and a bit of a trek to before you even get anywhere near Alfreton.

Any of the villages around chesterfield-holymoorside, old Brampton, Cutthorpe, or less villagey more estate-y...Walton or Wingerworth, you'd get more house for your money. I like chesterfield as a town and as per pp great for the Peak District etc... I also really like Matlock-and Matlock bath.

I wouldnt go anywhere near Mansfield. But that side of chesterfield, Barlborough is ok.

I also wouldn't touch Duffield. It's very overpriced and very cliquey!

As someone who lives in Alfreton, it is getting better.

We have an ofsted outstanding nursery and junior school, everything you'd need from a local amenities perspective, our doctors is great (I've never struggled to get an appointment) and recently a few housing developments have sprung up with some beautiful properties

And the convenience of being a close to A38 means it's quick to get places and your DH will have a quick commute.

Please feel free to PM me if you want to know specific roads in Alfreton to look at or avoid and I'll happily help 🙂

I'm not from Alfreton but I've lived here now for 15 years and I'm happy! 😊