Anyone live in Hebden Bridge?

[plsdontlookatme]

I've long been curious - I (female, late twenties, single) am looking to relocate and Hebden Bridge really speaks to me. Do I need to be disillusioned? I feel most at home in places with an alternative/creative/radical vibe, a significant enough LGBT scene, and enough poncey coffee spots (luckily, these things all tend to go hand in hand 😁). If I felt right at home in Bristol and Nottingham, will Hebden Bridge feel too small? Is it too touristy? Is it too tricky for jobs? All thoughts gratefully received!

I went there to look around to see if it was somewhere I’d want to live - I thought it was a bit rough

Lovely friend who lived there. Never been.

I partake of a joint myself, but would not want to live there.

I went there with mum expecting a nice day out. It was so dreadful, we got the train to Halifax

I live there and think it's crap. Loads of drugs, not really the artsy scene you'd think and it sells itself as somewhere different, but all these things can be found elsewhere and better. Weather is awful and the deep valley sides are suffocating and dreary. Lots of mist and clouds settle. Grim, avoid. A friend once described it as a place lesbians go to die and I get what they meant.

Oh yeah and previous pp described it is rough.

Thank you all, this has been enlightening! 🙏

Cold and gloomy

Well I love it! There is lots of artistic stuff going on, the surrounding walks are amazing and it's cheap to live. I wouldn't describe it as rough, certainly not compared to Nottingham. It is small though and would definitely be a big change from living in a city. Maybe go for a weekend and see how you get on?

🤣🤣🤣 you’ve totally put me off the place and I’m not even a lesbian. It’s been wiped off my to do list 👍

I quite like it but I live nearby and have been visiting for over 30 years
Its promoted as bit hippy but it has a seamy underbelly, its also cold and damp and houses are overpriced due to tourism and people with no kids moving there. There hs beeen drug problem there for as long as I can remember
I actually prefer Marsden and Slaithwaite now, much smaller but how Hebden was many years ago.

I grew up not far from there. It is nice and friendly, and I love the Picture House. It's my favourite cinema. It has some interesting shops and nice walks. I am into books, antiques and arts, but... I don't think that I'd want to live there... maybe because I'm more introverted and like living in more remote areas.

It is VERY touristy, and parking is a nightmare on weekends. A lot of the houses seem to have no gardens or parking available. Also, it floods badly there and in some neighbouring areas, so do look at the flood risk if you're buying a house there.

I do, however, know of at least one person who moved there (from our very conservative-at-the-time village) years ago, and she said that it was the best move that she'd ever made, and that she'd never look back.

At least one of the next towns has a big drug problem (a family friend is a paramedic), so it wouldn't surprise me if it has unfortunately spread to Hebden. Some surrounding towns are pretty rough in parts, but as far as I know, Hebden is considered to be low crime.

I live near it - we often go on a Saturday or Sunday. It's nice for independent shops and walking in fine weather. It has a lot of charm. It has a reputation for being very LBQT+ friendly, but it isn't hugely multicultural in other respects.

I don't think I'd want to live there; there isn't that much to the place for everyday living. If thinking of buying a house there, you have to be wary of flood risk. The houses are mostly very lovely in a cottage style, not sure there are many larger houses. They used to go at a real premium but the flood risk has dampened the market a bit. Hebden's got good train links to Leeds and Manchester (and intermediate stations). Northern Rail are shit, but then so are most train companies.

We quite liked the day vibe (as tourists) but it was rough at night (and this is coming from a Londoner). Lots of hen and stag parties doing pub runs with a fight in the street thrown in!

It also felt very closed in with the steep valley sides - I would imagine the mist and cloud could settle in for days there. Atmospheric. It was also steep which might be an issue for people with develop issues and it’s difficult to park in the centre due to the tourists. You’d need to live a bit up the hills as it’s notorious for dreadful floods. It’s a very small town which can be a good and bad thing and we found some nice independent shops and bakeries.

Have you thought about Sheffield, York or Edinburgh or in the south, somewhere like Lewes?

We had a day trip ther recently, and if you decide to move there check where the light gets to in Winter, you may want to be up the hill a bit, as down in the valley, the light went AWOL well before sunset.

I used to live in Tod and, despite actual sneering from some people I knew in Hebden Bridge, I much preferred it. Still do , in fact.

Lots of people I know from Hebden have moved on, some fairly locally, many much further away and I get the sense from those who have stayed that Hebden is not what is was even five years ago.

@Hoppinggreenis Slaithwaite really a bit like Hebden was? I’m like oking to move back north, and hadn’t seriously considered Slaithwaite, but happy to have a look if you think it’s got a similar laid back, tolerant population.

Doesn't it flood

Hebden is ok, i quite like it but its doesnt always live up to its reputation anymore. Saltaire might be a good shout.. close to Leeds and Bradford centre if you like cities but still quite quirky/artsy.

It used to be a lovely mix of older local folk and newer residents. I spent several happy decades there. But that has changed and young locals are now priced out.and now most of the old characters are dead.

There are a lot of slightly annoying ( to me) younger people with no roots there, so it doesn't have the same community feeling it once did. More hipsters and earnest vegan types but they aren't my demographic. There's a community choir and more yoga studios and alternative practioners and community groups than you can shake a stick at.

Most of the useful independent stores are now cafes and juice bars. Probably a national trend. The majority of shops are still independent and sell trinkets mainly. Good independent book shop.

There are two excellent butchers, a fishmonger who visits weekly and two markets including excellent veg on Thursdays and Sundays and a flea market on Fridays.Also a very good cheese shop. Superb walking right on the doorstep.

Flood risk depends on where you buy. There are flood alleviation measures in place and more in train but I wouldn't buy a house obviously that had flooded before. There are some gorgeous Edwardian and Victorian terraces stretching up the hillsides and some larger houses also,

Drug issues never seemed prevalent to me. It's hugely lgbt friendly. Artists are mixed. Some sell complete tat but there are one or two exceptional artists such as Kate Lycet and Sheila Tilmouth. There are open studios twice a year.

I concluded I had just grown out of it. So sold up and moved to a quiet village not far away, but far enough!

It’s not that bad! I say that as an occassional visitor, I’ve never lived there, but it’s not comparable to Bristol or Nottingham. And beware flooding! Not just on an individual household level, but disruption to local roads and services can last a few weeks.

The 't' after LGB would put me off if i am being honest.

I’d be permanently on the lookout for Catherine Cawood and Tommy Lee Royce!

Depends, what do you do for work? You can commute to Manchester or Leeds fairly easily.. I think Hebden Bridge has more of a Manchester climate (damp). It's not rough at all, but surrounding parts probably are. It's very touristy. It's very small so not sure about opportunities to rent/buy..

Oh and it's very hilly in parts - potentially treacherous in bad weather

@ReignOfErrorSlaithwaite has had a major facelift and uptick in popularity over the last decade and is genuinely lovely now. You can fully see that it’s had an influx of “artsy city types” who commute to Leeds/Manchester but didn’t want to live there but it doesn’t take away from the village too much to be honest.

I’m Meltham and spend more time in Slawit than I do here so would absolutely consider it if I was you.

@welcometotheblackparadee Thank you!