Not Northumberland we don't have great trails, cracking city or miles of empty countryside and beaches.

Edinburgh

Easy peasey, Calderdale / Rossendale

It's cheap, riding on your doorstep (literally), trains from Todmorden to Manchester, very good bus service (leather seats, new buses,every ten minutes) from Rawtenstall to Manchester. Probably make it to Leeds of Bradford by train. From where I am Lee Quarry is 10 mins, Gisburn Forest is 45 mins in the car.

Lakes, Peaks, Dale and North Wales all within easy distance.

Manchester on your doorstep with Leeds, Liverpool, Preston, Bradford all local along with loads of other decent sized towns.

Oh and Singletrack is based in Todmorden.

For a mountain biker with a life outside of mountain biking it don't get any better.

We are also central in the country with good motorway links and an international airport.

Job done, time to pack.

Dorset – Poole/Bournemouth area. I moved here 20+ years ago from Sheffield area – 'soft' living in comparison,good mix of riding with woodland & moorland type riding (Purbecks)- accessible to Southampton & also M3 corridor/London for work (& of course in Poole/Bmth.) Schools are generally good & I've been pleased that my kids have grown up in an 'easier' area, doesn't appear to be that aggession you get living near a major city (well, certainly what I experienced going to school/living in my home city of Sheffield).
Downside is price of housing and you do get the vibe that everyones trying to make a 'buck' out of you, not the same openess & friendliness you'd get in the north I find.
Bit off the network I guess but I like that.

some ace responses so far people, many, many thanks

a lot of food for thought…

calderdale/rossendale, worcestershire/gloucestershire and maybe dorset also now on the list – we're gonna have a busy few weeks!

Another for South Worcs/North Gloucs. Look for Malvern, Ledbury etc.

failing that Bristol if you want somewhere inspiring to live.

No chance of flooding in Rossendale / Calderdale (except in the valley bottoms and you don't want to go down there anyway 😆 ). If my house goes under at 1100ft then most of the rest of you are right royally screwed.

the flooding thing is a red herring.

Firstly since it was a 1 in 200 year event, what it means is now its clear exactly where it floods and using the DEA website you can check you dont buy somewhere vulnerable. Secondly the proportion of the county that was flooded was quite small even if the news made every effort to make it seem more extensive:

This is all flood plain and floods a couple of times a year – as it's supposed to. Only the very edge of it where new housing estates were built stupidly got hit by the exceptional event.

Firstly since it was a 1 in 200 year event

The thing is, 1 in 200 year events are likely to happen much more frequently than that in the future. I would be very wary about buying a house likely to be affected by this kind of event.

I wouldnt touch a house likely to be affected by this kind of event.

Doesnt mean the whole county is pencilled in as the next Atlantis.

I actually lived in the centre of worcester during the floods and had no problems whatsoever, yes there were badly effected areas, but use your brain when looking, every one who had their house ruined knew it would happen one day due to stupid location.

devon. its ace…

ransos – google "malvern".

If it floods up here, then the rest of the country is **** anyway :p

Surrey Hills/Mole Valley/Dorking area. Some of the lowest crime rates in the country, great riding (FACT), great schools, many job options, idylic villages, great pubs, better weather!

moe – where are you?

Im 600 ft up malvern above the lapping tide apparently 🙂

If you are thinking about Gloucestershire/Worcestershire, i have one thing to say, DO NOT GO TO GLOUCESTER!!!!!

"north Worcestershire (brum)"

I think you'll find it is more of an Alpine paradise than that…. 😉

mrmo speaks the truth.

Its the the most ignominious blight on an otherwise perfect piece of England.

Alpine originally meant "pasture land". It certainly looks that way from up here above you on Mount Malvern, valley-boy 🙂

LOL @ "King Stoner Esq of Malvern Estate"

Chesterfield. Tonnes of riding and countryside (real hills, too, not Southern mounds) on the doorstep and within 30 mins drive. Sheffield, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester all within an hour.

My hill. My rools! 🙂

Blakedown, Worcestershire. I love it here

Houns – dont you mean Kidderminster? 8)

Don't go to cheltenham.. it's getting a bit rough in my opinion..

Malvern is nice

Although I rather there wasn't another H&S bod around.. they've got me 😉

Oh, I was part of a rescue team during the tewkesbury floods.. I paddled past a site with a mahoosvie 'Site acquired by ******* for the development of luxury homes' sign.. the water covering the site was about 6ft deep 😆

Although I rather there wasn't another H&S bod around.. they've got me

cool, lets start a consultancy and make some proper money 😉

It's better than Redditch 😀

as dell and jam bo said.

[troll comment]why would you want to live up north… 😉

Exeter has a lot to offer for all your requirements…

Most places are!

Bedds – the development on the Bredon road had its name changed since the floods from The Water Meadows to just The Meadows 🙂

Nearly every house, uncompleted, was in standing water.
Serves them right – should never have had planning permission.

Don't go to cheltenham.. it's getting a bit rough in my opinion..

There are some nice areas of Cheltenham, but it does have its areas. avoid any area where most has been built in the last 60 years and the town centre and you won't go far wrong…doesn't leave much…Leckhampton and Charlton Kings Village!

Peak District, preferably northern bit, direct trains to Manchester and Sheffield, if further south Derby / Notts also commutable.

Or just west Sheffield – you can live in a village in / on edge of the peak district and cycle into town largely off road if it takes your fancy.

Yossarian.. proper money.. sounds good to me!! ;o)

Stoner – that's brilliant.. it does serve the developers right though, hopefully they asked the local planners for the back handers back to cover their losses. Stupid places were being developed that anyone could see were going to get affected due to their being slap bang in the middle of a fairly hefty flood plain!

lol.
anywhere other than the SE?
what a horrible place 😉

Shropshires loverly (what where im from)
Wales would get my vote, but its a bit remote in the nicer places.
or Devon, (what where i am now)

Stoner – I think around 50ft above you, if your feet start to get wet the let me know, I should have around 20 minutes!

where? Im near the clocktower.

How about south Wales?
There are plenty of great trails just north of Cardiff then there are the black mountains, Afan, Cwmcarn, Brechfa and the Gower all within an hour or so's drive.
Big enough city to have all the amenities you could need but not so big that you are ever too far from the countryside.

Much prefer it here compared to Herefordshire I have to admit.

but it's, you know, the wrong side of the pennines!

When you said "wrong", did you mean to say "dry"?

If I could move anywhere I'd go for the Lakes, but instead I think I'll be house hunting in north Leeds next year – which will still be a vast improvement on Hertfordshire in terms of both riding and beer.

Curious as to how you can sell your house really easily Yossarian?

Stoner – next to a certain pub which requires a shot of penicillin with every pint! I do believe we have met, did you get in trouble with your Mrs that night?

moe – sheeplike pub?

did you get in trouble with your Mrs that night?

which night?
and the answer is almost certainly yes…

is it anything to do with the howies stickers I have in my ride coat pocket?