Where to live in South Manchester area - job in Macclesfield

[reemz]

Hello,
Please help with your advice and suggestions.
DH has accepted a job in Macclesfield. I'm looking for recommendations for places to live within driving distance. We are looking to rent initially. DD is 2 years old so somewhere with good nurseries and primary schools. And with lots of activities for her( play groups, library, parks, leisure centre! Etc), open spaces, lively high street with shops. I've received mixed reactions for Macclesfield specially w.r.t. schools in town.

It depends on your budget really, there's lots of places that fit your criteria.

About 3 miles out of Manc you've got Didsbury / Chorlton - good parks (check out Chorlton Ees / Chorlton Water park / Fletcher Moss online), great schools, bit of hippy undertones, good nightlife in both (family friendly restaurants, bars if the mood takes you, easy to avoid if not), good shopping. They're also couple of mins to M56 so you can be in Macc in 30 mins.

Not much more further than that you've got Sale / Timperley / Altrincham - bit more residential, v desirable housing which is a bit more pricey, and you're into the Trafford grammar school system, if you're into that. Again good motorway links so you could be in Macc in 30\40 mins.

All options above are on the Metrolink system so you can be in Manchester really quickly & easily, and have access to the tons off child friendly stuff there too.

Hope this helps!

Look at Bramhall in Stockport- villagey and very commutable to Macc. As is Poynton. Also Wilmslow but that's well into footballer territory and very pricey.

Being from South Manchester myself, I wouldn't recommend Didsbury and Chorlton personally - great area to live but the Macc commute would not be a nice one. You'd be looking at 50 minutes with commuter traffic.

Instead, look at areas such as Poynton - good value for money as far as Cheshire is concerned and only 15 mins from Macc. It is also close to the A6 going in the other direction to Stockport which is lively and has stuff going on for kids. It's also pretty close to the Peak District if you need a quieter and more scenic afternoon.

Realistically with rush hour traffic for commuting you need to be south of the M60. Poynton is lovely for young families, good schools and lots of activities, including a leisure centre and preschools. It is very self contained and would probably best fit what you are looking for but housing is more expensive than central Macc. Bollington is also ok as are parts of Macc itself - Tytherington (Bit estatey), Broken Cross and the outlying villages like Langley,Sutton and Rainow.

Also, a bit further away into Stockport but still commutable - Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme. Buxton, Disley and parts of the western peak district are also commutable as is Congleton, Holmes Chapel etc, but they would be less accessible for Manchester for shopping and theatres.

Alderley Edge, Prestbury, Wilmslow are very very nice (with prices to match).....

All the schools in the area are generally very good. Cheshire East council have a nice information centre in Macc town hall and they are very helpful - they might be able to give you more information about facilities, but it is a very nice area to live with small children.

Are the schools bad? I grew up there and god I'd give my right arm to have DD educated there rather than the shower of shite that is state schooling in Oxford.

I would not discount Macc itself- I like it but is a but far from the motorway which I need for work.

Buxton
Marple
Glossop
Hadfield/Padfield
Hope Valley?

Alderley Edge, Wilmslow and Prestbury are all lovely but pricey. Bollington is nice with a little village primary school. Fallibroome High School (state) is very good in Macclesfield but very popular so you eewould need to be in the catchment area for a feeder primary.

Thank you very much for all the suggestions. Seems like there are lots of nice places to explore and choose from. :D We are headed there this weekend to get a sense of the area. I like the sound of Poynton but not too many properties available to rent at present (been looking at Rightmove). Hopefully, will have a few favourite places by the weekend and may have more questions for you.

It is very possible to live anywhere in Manchester and commute to Macclesfield. My mum has been commuting from North Manchester for over 20 years, so maybe don't discredit other bits if you don't find anything you like?

Not sure where you got your mixed reviews about schools in Macc but in general I would say they are very good. Would you be looking at independent or state? There is a reasonably well regarded independent in the town but there is a possibility it will be moving to a new site out of town in th next few years. However, IME the state schools here are jolly good too.

I have lived here for nearly 30 years though I wasn't from this area originally. There are some nice areas in and around the town itself and in some of the surrounding villages - depends on your budget I suppose. Macclesfield isn't one of the cheapest locations.

It is on the main Manchester to London line so is fairly commutable for anywhere along that line. DH works in Stockport and gets to work on the train easily enough but the traffic is pretty dreadful at rush hour.

I think one of the nicest things is that Macclesfield itself sits right on the edge of the Peak District so if you like walking or getting out in to the countryside generally it is very easy to do that.

Have a look at Altrincham / Timperley / Hale depending on your budget. Probably more expensive than some of the other suggestions but thats down to the schools primarily. Altrincham rated as the best place to live in the whole country for education. Lots going on for children, a million and one toddler / pre-school groups, libraries, very busy leisure centre with lots of childrens classes, private gyms etc with lots of classes for children etc. Villagey feel particularly in Hale, restaurants / cafes / parks all within walking distance.

Hi all,

My husband as just taken a job in Altrincham but we were originally looking around Macclesfield as the house prices seem reasonable to us! We currently live in Salford Quays so moving to Macclesfield would only add 5 minutes on to the journey really!

We are looking at a house on High Street in Macc (the conservation area) and were wondering if anyone had any idea what that area was like at all? The houses look beautiful with old sash windows and brick facades and the road itself looks cute too - just wondering about the area itself??

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

parking is horrendous around that area!

it's generally nice and quiet, walking distance to town train bus etc. Small park v v close.
schools may be difficult as no primary close by anymore and nearest high not tge best reputation.

Thanks for that, we thought parking might be horrible but I would be getting the train in to Manc for work and hopefully the hubby wouldn't have too much trouble, only got a small car so hoping to be able to squeeze in!

Nice and quiet is exactly what we're looking for, also re: schools we are hoping for maybe King's School if all goes well!!

kings may potentially be moving to the astra zeneca site Alderley park in Nether Alderley in a couple of years.
The senior school is competitive

I moved to a small village called Hapton, just outside Burnley.
It's located right on the M65 and 10 minutes to M66.
100k for a beautiful 2 bedroomed, back garden and front drive, countryside, easy access to anywhere you want to be.
35 minutes drive to Manchester City centre and 40 minutes to Manchester airport.
It's a no brainer especially for young families who want a fresh and safe environment.
There's also many opportunities for work here and also has a train station linked to Manchester, Leeds & Bradford

Hi, potentially relocating to Macclesfield with my husband and 2 Yr old. Would like to be on the side of maccs where I can easily get back home to Warrington. Is the area around the new Kings gate development nice?