Help me know what Market Harborough is really like

[McFerry]

Help
Im currently living in Yorkshire Dales but we are thinking of moving back down south to be nearer relatives who are also looking to move to Market Harborough. We have been to the area but only visiting.

Can you help me with the stuff you wouldnt know unless you lived there. Is it as lovely as it looks. Is there plenty to do for all ages and what should we avoid are there any rough areas.

Briefly looking at the housing there seems to be a good range both in whats available and price. Are there any places that might be good for our parents in their early 60s.

We are really positive about the move and just want to get a bit more knowledge before we put our property on the market. We have also booked a couple of days in an Airbnb in a couple of months to actually see what is like. Is there anything you would recommend we check out.

Many thanks for reading and responding it is so appreciated.

I had a lovely walk one day from Northampton to Market Harborough along the disused railway line. It is called the Brampton Valley Way.

Thank you yes we have relatives in Northampton and have walked a little of the Brampton Valley Way but not as far as Market Harborough. We will keep that in mind.

We only know friends who live there and they haven’t got a bad word to say about it. Good pubs and nice shops. Easy to get to other places due to being close to the motorway network.

Thanks again it's helpful to get recommendations like that from people living there. It will be very different from where we currently live but thats not a bad thing!

I have lived near Market Harborough for most of my life. It's a beautiful town, and in recent years has seen a regeneration with lots of nice, high quality shops and pleasant tearooms/cafes. It's also very young and vibrant, so a great place for families, and London can also be reached from MH in an hour.

The only downside is that housing is quite expensive, especially as it has become more of a commuter town over the past 5-10 years.

Honestly though, I couldn't recommend anywhere nicer, or with better amenities.

Thank you for responding. It is great to hear from someone who loves there. Ee are looking for lively vibrant and family oriented so it really fits the bill.

I live in Rutland so more rural but near Harborough, as towns go it is very nice indeed. If you wanted to though you could look at surrounding villages instead too. So there’s options.

Yes we are considering that but our first option for the parents is in the town as they want easy walking access to facilities for the future. We will also look further if we can't find what we're looking for which is basically 4 bed detached.

I lived in Harborough for 11 years and now live in one of the nearby villages.

I love it - still has a decent high street comparatively with some nice independent shops. More supermarkets than you can shake a stick at - Waitrose, Aldi, Lidl and Sainburys pretty much right next to each other.

Some nice pubs and places to eat. A bazillion coffee places - which is the bone of contention in the local fb groups that think that a town isn't complete without a nandos and a bowling alley 🤔- Harborough has neither of though but the coffee shops are lovely!

Plenty of nice walks in the countryside - obviously not anywhere near as hilly as the Dales but Derbyshire isn't too far away if you wanted some decent hills!

I don't think there's any area you'd want to avoid - it'll be down to your budget but all the areas are nice as far as I know! Property prices are comparatively high - mainly thanks to it being a nice town and within the hour to London on the train radius.

Thank you that pretty much is what we thought we knew it's good to have it confirmed. Your responses are much appreciated

It's a very pretty town, lots of 'posh' clothes shops. A wonderful bakery. It's not very diverse though if that's likely to be a problem. Mainly white MC.

Thanks good to know

I have family who live there and they love it. I enjoy a mooch round the shops on occasion as I live nearby, and it is a lovely town.

Thank you that sounds perfect

The Garage Bakehouse cheese and marmite swirls are the main reason all my clothes seem to have shrunk!

Ooh will try that when we visit

Market Harborough is a fantastic place to live. In terms of shopping, there’s no M&S which isn’t ideal, but there is an Waitrose. The nearest large M&S is as Fosse Park which is next to M1 J21, south of Leicester. It’s about 40 mins drive.

The town is less than an hour from St. Pancras which means it attracts London commuters, and this is reflected in the house prices which are among the highest in the East Midlands.

It's a nice place but there are definitely areas to avoid (The broadway, Welland Park road/Stuart Road) and there's not much to do for teenagers, the primary schools are OK but secondary aren't fantastic. There is crime round here but it's not terrible. Feel safe enough walking around. Lots of coffee shops but no clothes shops unless you want to spend a fortune. It isn't very diverse at all as someone else said

surprised at these messages but perhaps it’s changed a lot! I grew up there and found it boring AF, couldn’t wait to leave. Yes, it’s pretty architecturally and has lovely countryside in walking distance, plus a (very expensive) direct train to London and good rail links to Leicester and Sheffield BUT are you moving with kids? Growing up there was very little to do, so most teenagers were doing the archetypal drinking and smoking weed in bus stops. We used to be able to go into Leicester as teens at least as there was a 11pm bus home but I believe they axed that bus route decades ago. Last time I visited family there the next generation looked to have taken up the bus stop loitering mantle! No idea where they currently sit in league tables but I don’t remember the local high schools being very good.

some of the locals I’m afraid are like the cast of the Jeremy Kyle show - classic small town chavs, small minded, racist, not very intelligent. (I’m very working class myself so I’m not meaning to be a snob but this was the reality of many of the people I went to school with. Some ended up in prison) The influx of ex Londoners has driven up house prices and probably ups the middle class contingent as does the new openings of independent shops etc. The very middle class tweed and young farmers rugby type crowd are more in the surrounding villages particularly the Langtons. It is also a Tory stronghold with the kind of bigotry from some people that you might expect to come along with that. It is as others have said overwhelmingly white.

Are you going to be looking for jobs in the area or can you WFH in your current roles? I don’t remember employment opportunities being very good in the town itself - you’d most likely have to look in Leicester or even London if you don’t mind an £800 per month season ticket.

I was thinking of Wesses bakery. Every time I visit I have to buy a pack of cream buns.

I found it boring when I went. And very very white.

I don't mind it for a visit I'm not sure I'd want to live there. But each to their own.

#ratisshortforratthew I think the positive people aren't people who grew up there. But I came back anyway and I still like it here

Does you need to be in Market Harborough? Parts of Oadby and Wigston are only a straight 10miles away (approx 20mins) and you will definitely get more house for your money there. Amazing schools too - far better than Market Harborough.

Oh lord don't recommend Oadby to op - it's worse than Market Harborough 😳