Village/ town - commutable to Leeds

[zcjtb43]

We are moving for a job in Leeds, but I currently am spoilt - I have lots of countryside walks and parks, good schools, and also a community feel with an overwhelming sense of safety. All these things are really important to us.
Can you recommend a home-from-home for me and my family? We are considering around Harrogate or York at the mo, but although we've visited before, the restrictions mean it's more difficult to travel and look ourselves - any tips to narrow it down would be really welcome, we're going round in circles! TIA

You have a big area to work with that in terms of locations. I think a first step in narrowing it down would be whether you're wanting to drive to Leeds or get the train from either location.

I guess the landscapes of York and Harrogate feel quite different in terms of what is on your doorstep or driveable distance. Both have lovely countryside but it's quite different in terms of the landscape it offers you.

I grew up in a village on the outskirts of York (Dunnington) and is driveable to Leeds, good primary school and secondary school catchment (so ticks those boxes) and it has that farming village feel (think nice flat walks over the fields to the farmshop style). You also have the coast within a 40-50 minute drive.

BUT if I was to move back south (I am now in Scotland) and was working in Leeds I would want to live out towards the Yorkshire Dales for hills and more dramatic landscape (the Vale of York is very flat) - this would put you in the Harrogate area for easy Yorkshire Dales access. Sadly I don't have recommendations of villages/areas near Harrogate though.

If you want easy commute for Leeds, then Harrogate is good if you are near the railway stations or the 36 bus. Wetherby and surrounding villages are lovely but beware that leeds is bringing in pollution charges so you will be confined to public transport or using park and rides which are not great

I'm in a village near York on the York Harrogate Leeds rail line. Great place to live. Great sense of community, good amenities, great schools etc.

I have friends though that live on the Bradford side of Leeds (Ilkley Menston Burley etc) and that's great too.

I moved to south leeds, on the wakefield border.

Very villagy, excellent primaries, wakefield secondaries are also very good, but avoid the Leeds side :). Some good private schools too.

Very commutable with the M62/M1/M621 links. Plus trains from wakefield straight to leeds, Sheffield, London, and on to Plymouth and Aberdeen.

It does depend a little on where your job is. Traffic can build a little in some areas. My commute is under 20mins most days.

How I decided was to look at what would be a reasonable commute. Then I went to the gov school comparison website and selected every secondary in that radius, and narrowed it down to outstanding and very good. I didn’t want a long commute so that was pretty effective.