Potential move to St Helens Auckland / Bishops Auckland

[Ck1005]

Hello.

I'm currently renting in Yorkshire and am looking to buy my first home further upwards in the North East. One of the biggest factors for me is being able to have walks (1.5hours plus) on my doorstep. I was initally looking at Chester Le Street but now starting to looking at St helens auckland / bishops auckland. I am aware the area doesnt have the best reputation. But it is within my budget - I appreciate that you get what you pay for. I wanted to ask some local knowledge on is the area really that bad? I was interested in some of the newer build houses in St Helens Auckland but also was struggling a little to find walks that would be on my doorstep. I like the fact I'm near shops and the area isn't 'too small' or 'too large'.

I don't need to worry about commuting as I work from home.

Not living near the area i was wondering if anyone had any local knowledge/ experience / tips.

I do appreciate any help!

Bishop Auckland is a bit grim. It's a poor, neglected and depressed town, even the charity shops on the High Street are shutting down. St Helen's Auckland is utterly soulless. The area doesn't have good walks. There are lots of much nicer small towns in the North East - what's your budget?

That's helpful thank you. Budget - can't really go above £160, maybe slightly higher for the right house. Ideally a 3 bed but could do a 2 bed, either semi or end terrace.

Do you know Ouston in Chetser le street at all? I saw a nice house there was again was unsure of the walks, I was told you can walk to Beamish from there and there were walks. I have looked on the map but sometimes it's hard to see footpaths and how accessible they are.

Thanks again for your help.

Do you want to be in a town as there are some lovely villages near by? Have a look at Coxhoe and Bishop Middleham. I live near by so happy to answer any questions.

I would probably rather be in a town. I really like some of the villages but I can't always drive due to medical reasons so it leaves me a bit isolated. I can walk for miles tho so don't mind if a supermarket is far out for example. It's difficult to get a balance as I feel my 'City days' are over. So looking for a town really.

Nicer small towns within your budget are:
Guisborough - busy High Street with a supermarket, lots of groups and events going on, nice walks locally, good buses and not too far from the coast.
Middleton in Teesdale is a pretty town, quiet but with excellent walking.
Barnard Castle has a good range of services, shops and social life plus endless beautiful walks.
Carlisle? It's a city but a small one, on a train line and close to the lakes. Now there's walking!
Berwick - a bit depressed these days but not compared to many NE towns, beautiful coastal and inland walks.
There are many better places than Bishop to choose from 🙂

We drove through Bishop Auckland recently, shortly after a friend who moved to the States but is from County Durham remarked how shocked he is at how downtrodden it is these days. I must admit we only spent 15 minutes driving around the streets but I came away feeling that he was absolutely correct.

Is there a reason you aren’t considering Darlington instead? The town is absolutely buzzing and has a lot of amenities.

Thanks for your input! I will have a look at Darlington now.

It also has direct rail connections to some pretty major cities, fyi.

Dear God...
Dont move to StHelens Auckland or anywhere near WoodHouse Close. It is utterly GRIM! I know someone who is a tenancy officer dealing with ASB there. People keeping a horse in the house was one of the more light hearted dealings!

Oh goodness!! That explains the cheap housing then! Thank you for your input.

If you can’t drive, why not go a bit further north and go for somewhere on the metro line?

Yep, another suggestion for Darlington.

Or, if you want more town-y but also long walks on the doorstep, maybe look towards Whickham

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136449530

this is in budget, close to great walks. Close to Newcastle / Whickham / metro centre and all the transport links

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145750958

actually going to put this out as a wildcard: when I say it’s next to the tyne and the coastal way, I mean it’s bang on. And you can walk into Newcastle.

Thanks...I've just looked at Darlington....are there many walks around? Thanks 😁

Darlington does not meet your primary need for good walking! It's a small city, with good transport links (though the train station is an unappealing 20 minute from the city centre), many shops have shut over the past decade but newer independent shops and cafes are starting to open. I don't think it's at all what you're looking for.

Your original idea of Chester-le-Street is worth looking at more. There are walks though they're not as varied and interesting as my previous suggestions.

A couple more ideas within your budget, with lovely walking on the doorstep and busy High Streets are Skipton and Morpeth.

It depends where you live @Ck1005 - in Darlington there are lots of walks towards the west end and Blackwell. You can walk along the river for quite a way, including walking to the surrounding villages.

Yeah, I don't think there are a myriad of walks on doorsteps in County Durham as there are many parts of Yorkshire (esp North) - but if you do have a car and are willing to travel a little bit, there are absolutely stunning walks in Cumbria and the Northumberland coast. With the added bonus that the roads aren't nearly as awful to drive on as they are to get to pretty things as they are in North Yorkshire. Also, houses without painful prices.

I live in the Bishop/StHelens/West Auckland area and I love it! I’ve in 13 different towns around the UK and I have to say NE is my favourite.

There are some dodgy areas that’s true. I don’t know where WoodHouse Close is but the horse in the house comment made me laugh. Random horses wondering the streets is a relatively common sight. St Helens was recently in the news for having an end terrace for sale for around 13K next door to mansion on sale for 1.5million!

When you say ‘walks on your doorstep’ is that literal? Or just nearby? There are many wonderful places to walk near/in Bishop Auckland. There’s a 150acre Deer Park in the town and a castle! It’s a 10 minute drive from my house but if no car/can’t drive just need to get the bus into Bishop.

I live about 4 miles from Raby Castle which also has miles of beautiful walks amongst deer. It’s about 20 minutes into Barnard Castle for more walks along the river. Or there’s High Force - one of the best waterfalls in the country just 25 minutes away.

Bishop Auckland is run down as a town but plans are underway for regeneration so arguably a good time to buy. Theres a new retail park just opening in St Helen’s - I can’t wait for the new cinema to open.

In terms of walks from my actual doorstep, I can easily walk my dog for an hour or more through the countryside within 100m of my house.

I could not disagree with this more. St Helens is awful (and full of gypsies) but you cannot say that the wider area doesn't have easy access to walks. I can walk 60 miles from my house (in the localish area) on what was railway lines but now gravel without going on any roads other than to cross them

I wouldn’t go to bishop no and I would avoid Darlington too, you wouldn’t get one of the better areas for 160k. Also there are some OK walks but nothing to write home about.

Out towards coast you’d get some gorgeous walks - Guisborough, Stokesley, Ayton etc. Also agree with going much further up the coast to Northumberland, stunning!

Coxhoe itself has a decent bus service. Go north east and Arriva are the main bus companies in County Durham if you want to check what's available for anywhere you have in mind. Don't completely rule out Durham itself - it's classed as a city but very small with numerous nature reserves and walking routes and some houses come up in Newton Hall, on the edge of some of them, within budget.

OP, it strikes me that you'd be better off posting on a disability and/or walkers forum rather than here, as you seem to have very specific needs.

Walking 60 miles down a railway line is not my idea of a good time, the pp didn't describe what can be seen and whether it's dull or beautiful. You yourself haven't specified that you want rolling hills and points of interest or just a long, straight road to walk along to keep fit.

My experience of trying to find a mix is that it's almost impossible to have the countryside on your doorstep unless you're prepared to sacrifice access to amenities.

Whilst it's true that Raby castle is wonderful (and has additional features coming very soon), we were there in May and between the castle and the furthest away parts where the deer are, there were only two benches, and I really, really struggled because M.E. was completely beachin' at me that day.

I agree with a PP that Barnard Castle is lovely and charming (and it's surrounded by sort of moorland? Idk how to describe it), it's also considered a bit cut off in terms of accessibility to larger towns. That said, I was very pleasantly surprised by the number of buses I saw on pretty rural roads overall in the county; we get sod all where I live!

Another pp is correct that 160k won't buy you a house in the best parts of Darlington, but, imo, it will buy you a house in an area that's probably just about good enough and not on the worst end of the rough areas.

I have also repeatedly heard good things about Stokesley, but the last I looked it's not all that budget friendly.

>Also agree with going much further up the coast to Northumberland, stunning!

I would give this further consideration, I continue to hear nothing but good things from outdoor lovers re: Northumberland.

So, yeah, for specific needs, perhaps a more specific forum would be better placed to help you. I hope you find somewhere wonderful :). I'd love to hear where you chose to settle eventually.

Theres ‘grim’ in all areas if you look hard enough, Barnard Castle for example which is seen as a nice area has a huge crime and drug problems atm. There’s some lovely parts of Bishop and like PP say it’s getting a lot of development and investment currently. I would much rather live there than Darlington for example, I think there’s nicer walks and scenery. Yes the high street is run down but that’s a problem across the UK with the online industry. I would say you need to visit and see places and get a feel for the area before you commit to a move.