Struggling to find somewhere nice but affordable between Nottinngham and Sheffield

[mr120]

Hello!

We are planning to buy our first home using the old h2b isa which limits us to 250k.
We would to be situated somewhere around/between Nottingham and Sheffield to be close to family and friends.
We are looking for 4 beds, which obviously limits us quite a lot!
Neither of us drive so train access is ideal.

Mansfield, worksop, Rotherham all seem affordable but come with terrible reviews.

Are there any nice but affordable locations around here?

Thank you

Have a look at Chesterfield and Matlock. They are much nicer than any of the places you mention.

Belper is nice, know some people who used to live there. I've also visited Bakewell numerous times and it's gorgeous, but full of tourists do maybe very expensive.

Have you ruled out actually living in Nottingham or Sheffield themselves? Also what about Derby?

Also I agree about Chesterfield. That's a lovely place too.

Lincoln?

There are nice parts of all those areas.

We're in Rotherham. South Anston. Lovely village. Great location.

I agree about Chesterfield. It's a nice town in a good location.

I was about to ask if you’ve looked at North and South Anston. There are buses to Sheffield. You could also look at villages like Edwinstowe but no idea on public transport. There are lots of smaller villages on the South Yorkshire/Notts border which are nice but would be impossible without a car. To be honest, anywhere in between the two is going to be tricky without a car longer-term.

The Aston/Swallownest/Aughton area is well-connected with bus services and close to Sheffield. Lots of new housing estates.

I would avoid Worksop itself and Mansfield.

Rotherham is a huge area. Avoid anywhere around Canklow/heading towards Catcliffe as there are issues with flooding. Look very carefully at schools. I’d avoid a lot of it, to be honest.

If you want to live across from the train station on a direct train line to Sheffield and Nottingham, there is a new build development (Wheeldon Homes) at Alfreton in Derbyshire. It would be an affordable location and if you did drive there is easy access to junction 28 of the M1.

I live in Chesterfield and I’d say it’s pretty spot on for what you want. The road networks are excellent, and the train station is really accessible.

I’ve lived here all my life, the locals are very friendly and welcoming. You can probably get a 4 bed semi or town house for your budget, Belper is really lovely as well. Don’t bother with Mansfield, Worksop or Rotherham they’re not the best. The Peak District is on the doorstep, the countryside is stunning.

I live in an area called Ashgate, very popular but can be expensive. Walton is a good choice as is Hasland. If you see any other areas in Chessy and want a heads up DM me, 🤗

Additional info, Bakewell is bloody expensive and just about to lose its last remaining bank. The locals will have to come to Chesterfield which is approximately 13 miles away 🥴, and it does have a fair old share of O.A.Ps visiting on coaches 🤣

4 beds for 250k is a big ask imo. Not sure you'd get that in Alfreton (unless i'm completely out of touch).

Ok you could pick up a 4 bed town house in Alfreton (so a semi or terraced) but not a detached, however you could get a 3 bed detached around that area.

Was also going to say you'll struggle in Alfreton at that price point... you might find an older property that needs work but a new 4 bed such as Wheeldon would probably be over £300k or even £350k.

There might be help to buy it shared ownership at done developments in the area such as Lily Street (the other side of the A38)

Worksop is fine in places. Good for trains to Sheffield but not so good for Nottingham.

Thanks for advice so far everyone, appreciated.
I think with our strict budget and ideas (4 bed 2 bath and detached - doesnt need 4 bedroom so much as it needs 3 bedrooms but also kitchin, living space and study - both work from home developers) it's a case of what is the best of a bad location!

For context nice to us means quite and low crime rate. We are some what shutins so dinning out and such isn't really us! Haha

If you're reliant on train links then you'd be as well to be in Nottingham or Sheffield itself. You could also consider Derby

Mansfield and Rotherham may seem like in between points but Mansfield to Sheffield by public transport is crap as is Rotherham to Nottingham

Rotherham isn't as bad as what everyone makes out it has dodgy areas just like any other town/ city... kimberworth, Wentworth, Scholes, Wickersley, bramley all good area's.. Rotherham has good links to trains too with options of meadowhall/Rotherham train station.

How about Retford?

Bawtry and Tickhill are nice villages.

Not realistic on price though - no 4 bed detached in either village on Rightmove for up to £250k

Sister in law lived near here and had no complaints

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143600363

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139910105

Not detached but loads of potential and nice area

Put in op's criteria into Rightmove and centred the map on the broad area and it shows u55 properties....

Waves to @Snippit . There are quite a lot of new housing developments around Chesterfield if you want a new build but also older houses. We had some bad flooding recently you would want to avoid those areas.

Well I'm originally a Mansfield girl but live in Bath - so 2 extremes. Whilst I personally am not the biggest lover of that area if I'm honest- Mansfield does have cheap housing, some nice areas to live- indeed some quite posh areas and it has a lot of great countryside easy to access but without the price tag- Derbyshire, Sherwood Forest etc are all on doorstep. There are worse areas down south if I'm honest at twice the price- My main issue is I don't like the chip on the shoulder Brexity vibes-but that may not bother others at all. It is on the train to Nottingham. It can be a bit rough, but so are other places suggested here. Chesterfield isn't bad-