Moving to North Wales - does our dream place exist?

[Sandg91]

Hiya! Looking for some recommendations for where to move in North Wales. We live in London, but both my boyfriend and I grew up in the countryside and want that for our future children. I'm planning a roadtrip for this summer to visit some spots so any recommendations would be amazing!

Here's an idea of what we are looking for, although it's worth noting all of these factors are negotiable (well, other than nurseries / schools), just putting them here so we can get an idea of where's the best fit:

• close to nice beach OR area of outstanding natural beauty
• walking distance to a pub
• a community vibe
• good nurseries & primary schools
• within a 30 minute drive of a town with good restaurants, ideally an artsy / creative vibe and independent shops

We are dreaming of a beautiful seaside town/village with a cool young(ish) surfer vibe, great food and stunning walks. But realise this might be just that - a dream! Feel like I've seen this kind of community in Devon & Cornwall, but North Wales just makes so much more sense for us as it's close to friends and family (and is stunning!)

Thanks in advance for any recommendations 💜

How much do you actually know about NW? How much time did you spend there?
Do you speak Welsh or are you planning for your future children to be bilingual?
What do you both do for a living?

All these questions are relevant to your choice of location.

Another consideration is the NHS. It’s a vastly different service in Wales compared to England. I’m talking 9 month wait for initial consultations so 22 months for an operation (pre covid btw) V consultation and op done within 3-4 months in England, huge delays in cancer treatments (recent experience) etc etc. The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is in special measures. I was referred to cardiology two years ago. So far I’ve had one consultation, a second appointment for an ECG & additional test…that’s it. Still waiting to find out why I’m so dizzy I can hardly walk.
Not speaking Welsh isn’t a huge issue tbh but your DC will have to learn it as part of the national curriculum.

Good questions! @PurplePansy05

I've only visited the area a few times, but my partner has spent a lot of time there. Hopefully after a bit of time exploring I'll know the area better, just wanting to know which areas to start exploring for now! I guess a key thing missing from my original post is this move wouldn't be until September 2025 earliest.

We don't speak Welsh but happy to learn some and we are aware schools teach in Welsh too. Realistically we'd want a bilingual school not one teaching all in Welsh.

I'm a photographer, I travel all around the UK for my job so reasonable access to major roads would be good. My partner is a carpenter, we are hoping to buy a house with a workshop/space for one.

Hope that answers your questions ☺️

Have you looked at Denbighshire, around Ruthin. Not near the coast but lovely countryside and not far from Chester.

This isn't by the beach, but you could have a tonne of space for the price of a flat in London!

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/127326746

Ok, so job wise it sounds sensible.

If you're set on bilingual school then I'd make sure to research schools first.

Agreed re the NHS, Betsi is known to be one of the worst health boards in Wales.

My first thought after reading your original post was whether you might be better placed somewhere between Ceredigion and Tenby, but it depends where your family members are I guess, if it's very northern then this probably wouldn't work. You might consider areas nearer to Chester perhaps?

All schools in Gwynedd are Welsh medium. There are no others schools, bar one small private English school in Bangor. This was a few years back so things may have changed. So that rules out a fair chunk of north wales.

I've lived in Gwynedd previously but left and felt very unwelcome as a (half Welsh!) but English born and raised woman. It was not at all the vibe you're describing. You really must do your homework. It had some beautiful places and property is great value but I wouldn't move back for anything.

And totally agree re healthcare comments above. It's really bad.

We were moving to Wales, found a house and all fine then discovered that because DH has a number of health conditions that would mean driving all over the place to get him seen eg. Cardiff for one, Aberystwyth for another, Swansea for another…
Scuppered our plans completely.

I grew up in North East Wales. The east is far more english-speaking friendly with plenty of english medium schools (I'm not aware of any that are actually bilingual, it's either english or welsh medium in that area). Beaches not that nice but the hills around Mold, Ruthin or Denbigh worth a look. Healthcare is really very bad though. Schools mostly ok. My parents' GP surgery (near mold) doesn't even have any permanent GPs! Locums every time.

North West Wales (Gwynedd, Anglesey) is FAR more Welsh speaking and being non-Welsh speaking, unless very willing to learn, will be an issue (it wouldn't in the east). Anglesey and the Llyn peninsular and Snowdonia eg Betws y coed are just lovely to visit but not sure what they'd be like on a rainy wednesday in February (like today!), possibly very insular and unwelcoming to newcomers.

Deganwy/Llandudno area worth a look though the latter is run down in places.

How about areas in the Wirral - near to north wales? Eg West Kirby, Heswall or similar?

We are dreaming of a beautiful seaside town/village with a cool young(ish) surfer vibe, great food and stunning walks

The only place anything like that I can think of in NW is Abersoch. But that's not a good thing, it's a second home ghetto for fairly well off people from Cheshire/Manchester - a LOT of animosity as they have driven local people out of the area due to insane property price rises (it is gorgeous). Reminds me of Salcombe in Devon. It might be ok if you actually move there full time but last time I looked the village school was close to being closed down due to lack of children (it's properly dead in winter), and closest high school is Pwllheli, quite a trek, and quite a lot of deprivation in the area.

Rhuthin would be an excellent choice but not near the coast.

Also, Conwy and Llandudno.

Absolutely not anywhere in Gwynedd or Anglesey due to lack of English school provision.

I would echo previous posters concerns about health service provision. It is awful.

You’d be better off in Chester/ Cheshire or Wirral frankly.

close to nice beach OR area of outstanding natural beauty
Ynys Môn (Anglesey) or North West Wales for beaches.
Eryri (Snowdonia) for AONB

walking distance to a pub
No guarantee that a pub will stay open

a community vibe
Welsh-speaking areas will have welsh-speaking commuinities

good nurseries & primary schools
No guarantee of either. Holiday homes and 2nd homes mean fewer children

within a 30 minute drive of a town with good restaurants, ideally an artsy / creative vibe and independent shops
Depends on what you mean by a town. Some towns have a population of about 2000.

Agree with pp about Wirral and Cheshire, but will also suggest North Shropshire, which although isn't near the coast, it's not that far away.

I would say Denbighshire. You’ve got the areas of outstanding natural beauty, Clwydian range, Ruthin is a nice little town and not far from Chester, Mold, Wrexham, Liverpool etc. if you want to be even closer to the border then Mold could be a contender or one of the surrounding villages. However, the nicer beaches are definitely more towards the west. Schools in north east wales are either English or welsh medium. English medium schools teach welsh as a second language at a very simple level.

I’d say Wirral has most of that, definitely nice pubs, walks, community feel. Beaches are ok for a walk but north wales much nicer if you want proper beaches! Great access to motorways too 😊

My family are from North Wales. I moved as a child with my parents and have an English accent. When we go back to visit, we get everything from frosty receptions all the way up to outright rudeness and active unpleasantness. A family member who moved back to Anglesey with English partner ended up selling, because every time they went on holiday and left their house unattended it was vandalised and/or burgled. Local police couldn’t have cared less.

It’s obviously not like that everywhere, and there are some lovely people around, but there is also still a huge amount of anti-English sentiment that you need to be aware of when choosing where to live. I wouldn’t move back.

Cilcain.

Rhosneiger or Beaumarchais/ menai bridge.

Just to challenge some of what's been said... I've lived in rural Gwynedd for 17 years. My Welsh is still very much beginner/ learner level. As in I can talk about today's weather, but not tomorrow's plans. My kids became bilingual naturally and easily just by attending the village school, I have many friends and feel accepted and welcomed as part of my community. Most people I know would say similar, the whole - they freeze you out if your English thing, is just not the case. I love it here

Beaumaris

My DD enjoyed and did well at the schools in Pwllheli.
But she’d already learnt Welsh at playschool.
Although ‘bilingual’, my experience was that it was Welsh all the way with a nod to English thrown in.
This was the 90s/early 2000’s.
It was quite a lovely place to live back then, but I know it’s gone downhill.
We left years ago. I don’t miss the wind and rain and sand blowing everywhere.
Do your research OP.
Abersoch is full of wealthy Cheshire in summer and dead in the winter.

The Tŷ Coch Inn is an all time favourite pub in North Wales. They have holiday lets so you could see around the village of Porthdinllaen and the surrounding areas near Morfa Nefyn, Gwynedd on the north coast on the LLŷn Peninsula.
http://www.tycoch.co.uk/

That's an idea actually. Or Menai Bridge. More English speaking friendly than other parts of Anglesey and a nice area. Ysgol Friars in Bangor nearby seems to be an english speaking co-ed comprehensive, the only one i Gwynedd. If your kids go to an english speaking school, they'll have to learn a bit of welsh (as they should) but not particularly intensively. Many welsh medium secondaries will have an option to start year 7 as a 'learner' but that 's hard going as they will be expected to transition to a full welsh medium education. Being immersed into Welsh at primary level is a better idea, if you want to go down the welsh medium route (which you'll have to in all of Gwynedd/Angelsey except Bangor area)

Why not near Aberystwyth or Machynlleth area? Not north Wales, but it does check several of your boxes, without maybe some of the complications of the north.

If you do move to north Wales, make a big effort with Welsh. Your children will be fine in a Welsh school if they start at infants, and learning Welsh as incomers will be so appreciated.

Thank you everyone this is all so helpful!

I've started making a list of places to visit from your suggestions! Should make for a lovely summer exploring all these spots.

Also the info about healthcare and schooling is very helpful, these are the things which will ultimately shape our decision. Considering we are both touch wood very healthy, but are planning on having children I guess our biggest concern in that sense would be a reliable GP and a good maternity hospital. Definitely things to check out before we get our hearts set on a place.

Cheshire and Shropshire and maybe even the Peak District are possibilities too, I guess the pull of Wales was the coast and the fact we could get more space (land for a workshop) for our money.

In confused as to why you're so set on n. Wales? If your prime motivation is the amount of property you can get for your money, why not look at other parts of Wales too? Pembrokeshire is fab for instance - some relatives have relocated there and bought a 4 bed detached for 180k. They're 10 miles away from saundersfoot ( v. Surf type cool town) and a couple of miles from their local sandy beach with a train station on their doorstep . Pembroke town itself is pretty nice and the castle is stunning if that's your bag? I've visited them and they have totally integrated into their new community , I think it helps that there are lots of English families living there but of course they've made Welsh friends too! I think you'd find everything on your wish list there.