Asking for a friend! Tell me about Thirsk, Yorkshire

[Helpmehelpmyfriendplease]

Is Thirsk Yorkshire a nice place to live if:

Very newly single
Need a fresh start in a gentle environment (abusive relationship)
Will not be able to afford a car
Have an anxious small dog (hope he will be less anxious away from the abuse)

Thirsk seems to tick a lot of boxes. Small but has a station with under 3hrs to London if ever needed. 24hr vet. Walkable to supermarkets to get groceries. Have I been watching too much James Herriot?

If not Thirsk, where? stable job but only earn 25k a year so thinking up north might be more affordable, with added bonus of being very far from ex. Can be fully remote so it doesn’t matter where. Just needs to be a nice place to restart life with dog. Does this place exist?

Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thank you!

Northalllerton has much more going on and train services are better connected in my view. But its expensive. Think she would be v isolated in Thirsk without a car.

A quiet suburb on the edge of a larger town would be better for job prospects and more diverse for social/community options.

If she likes the NE places like Chester Le Street, Yarm/Eaglescliffe (lots of huge expensive homes but smaller flats or terraces affordable to rent) or Darlington (some v rough areas so need to select area carefully) might be worth exploring.

Totally agree. I was going to suggest Yarm or Darlington.
I'm in Richmond, which is lovely. No train station, but frequent bus routes into Darlington Station.

Scarborough might be worth a look. Further from London but still has a train - connect in York. Being on the coast and walks along the beach with your dog is fab. It's a decent size with everything you'd need. It's also much cheaper than York, though possibly a bit shabby in some areas. Still, a good shout on a tight budget.

Thanks for all the input.

I don’t know how this is going to play out and I’m making very gentle suggestions and nudges for now. I’ll be back with more questions as this all unfolds.

the damn bastard has got her so convinced she’s stupid and worthless and won’t survive without him. Makes me want to spit fire!

York is very expensive, what we pay £1650 for now would be 2.5k there. Yes, it's due to students. It is also insanely busy almost all the time, so might not be the best recovery place for her. I found it quite jarring having to weave my way through constant crowds in mid October, the OH says on race days earlier in the year, you can't even see the pavement for people.

Given what she is going through, I think, at least for now, she would be better off in a small village with a community and amenities. With that in mind, I would recommend Yarm (beautiful but ££), small and very buzzy. Thirsk would be a good call, but i think most of the stuff in Thirsk is a bit more spread out than Yarm, which is very compact. I would also maybe consider Knaresborough in N Yorks, also small and buzzy, probs less ££ than Yarm and definitely cheaper than York. It also has a very pretty river and smashing viaduct :). Richmond in N Yorks is similar but probably a bit too expensive.

Once she has some mental recovery time and if she wants somewhere with more anemities on a tight budget, I would highly recommend Darlington for those purposes. It gets a bad rep on here, but it is honestly not that bad at all, and it is one of the few big towns in the north that still has an abundance of cheap housing, Stay away from the villages, the public transport is both expensive and pants. There are lots of pit villages nearby that are very cheap, but according to many posts on here, are also depressing. Northallerton for a second move is also a good call, but I think it has a lot less stuff than Darlo, and when I last went 18 months ago to consider moving there, I found the high street quite depressing. Can't quite remember why, maybe loads of pound shops and betting shops? idk. Anyway, I find it a lot less quaint than Thirsk too, which is so pretty that it feels like it is hugging you. If she thinks Darlo appeals, drop me a PM, and I will tell you where to avoid.

Here is hoping she gets away soon. Will you update us?

Ooh @KievLoverTwo you need to give Northallerton another go - it has a lovely high street - Barkers department store, Betty’s, Lewis & Cooper, Lakeland and Seasalt. The charity shops are great and Boyes/Yorkshire Trading sell everything you need!

@Helpmehelpmyfriendplease - Thirsk is also a super place to be - very friendly running club if she was into that sort of thing

Second Knaresborough or Harrogate. Much more going on than Thirsk. Better range of schools too.

Both more expensive though. Thirsk is probably the cheapest out of Northallerton, Knaresborough and Harrogate for renting a property.

"I’m just so sad for her that she works so hard, full time, and will be barely able to afford to live. I’m encouraging her to see if she qualifies for Universal credit as every little bit will help."

She might be able to get help with furnishing a new home from a domestic abuse charity. I've seen folks ask for donations for beds, fridges, etc for a specific individual on many local village FB groups. People give quickly when that's the reason.

You/she should also look on Zoopla and Onthemarket too. It doesn't happen often, but some little local agents can get away with not using Rightmove (they charge independent estate agents a fortune - something like 2k a month). I came across a 1 bedroom flat on Zoopla a few days ago in an area that I'm looking in that wasn't listed anywhere else.

She should be wary of Openrent scams. These days, RM allow Openrent to advertise on there. I've come across 2 Openrent scammers on RM in as many months.

I found James Winn to be the best agent I dealt with in Thirsk, but that was 2.5 years ago.

You know, for a pit of vipers you are a lovely, helpful lot. All such valuable advice.

don’t need to worry about schools - no kids.

I will update as and when. She’s struggling a lot today to come to terms with what is happening. Staying in the marital home is not helping, but there is no alternative right now.

thanks all v. much

Actually, there are lots of job opportunities in Northallerton, both the unitary council and North Yorkshire Police have headquarters there.

Both will offer hybrid working (thinking of 🐕) if she has admin skills.

After such a traumatic experience I’d think that working locally including some workplace time would be very good for your friend and allow her to make new connections/friends more easily.

I’m from Thirsk, it’s lovely. It IS gentle and arty and pretty. She’d probably like it there.

@Queenage lovely description. I keep considering signing up to the weekly drawing class at the arts hub but never seem to actually get round to it. I’m close enough to do that but not sure I will be able to get my backside in the car in the cold, bad weather.

Bit out of left field, but somewhere with a good London connection and very affordable is Newark.

I agree with you @AGreenWitch that in office work would be good for her in a new place, but her current employment is about the only stable thing she has left.

I haven’t checked in with her today. A lot going on with me personally and a massive time difference to deal with. Will try again tomorrow! Thanks all.

I’ve always wanted to visit there. It sounds charming.

If your friend did decide to move to Thirsk or Northallerton, they both have community furniture shops selling very cheap furniture and appliances if she needed anything after moving out.
They both deliver for a small fee too.

Thirsk is lovely, but to be honest if she doesn’t drive unless your in York or Newcastle transport links are terrible, public transport is unreliable at best. Theres a reason the vast majority learn to drive at 17 up here.

can you all please give me your opinions on Beverly? @shiningcuckoo mentioned it and I found what looks to be a sweet one bed very near the train station and the high street that is pet friendly. On paper (and I mean google maps!) it looks nice enough.

I’m trying to give her glimpses of what life could be like if she moves on. She’s still very much in despair.

Let me hasten to add, I’ve looked on Google maps properly and it looks very nice! What’s the catch, wise ones?

I live nearby too.

Thirsk is a good place, with easy train links but the station is out of town.
Northallerton, bigger with the same train links. Check areas.

Darlington would be cheaper in rents, but not as nice as the North Yorks towns. Very dependent on which area of Darlington.

What about the small city of Ripon? Easy A1 access. Great amenities, loads of independent cafes and pubs. most places walkable, great access to country walks, loads of groups and clubs. No train, but a brilliant half hourly bus to Harrogate (and Leeds) with train access from there. Welcoming to everyone as there are tourists and serving army personnel, not only those with a long history in the city.

Looking at Rightmove there are currently flats around the £800 mark and near to the centre.
For a taster… how could she resist! visitripon

Beverley is a nice town too. Feels quite a long way from York or other cities though. Not sure about public transport out of the town and no motorway for quick travel.

Depends on what she wants.

I was just about to say this before I saw your message. Not as far north but lovely town and very walkable. Lots of social things going on.

As PP have commented I think Beverley is a great option too. The train station is near the centre and there are always busses. My Dad can’t drive any more and lives near there and is always hopping on and off public transport.

This is cute… https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/168967343#/?channel=RES_LET