Viewing 24 posts - 1 through 24 (of 24 total)
  • Living in South Cumbria
  • Capt.Kronos
    Free Member

    Currently we are living in Ulverston, but recent tragic circumstances may mean that we need to move house to fit better with the business requirements (parking/garage/storage/office type things).

    So – where is good to live and why. We are looking everywhere and it would be good to get some feedback on places from other people as it brings a fresh light on things. It is also a nice distraction to help me get through the coming days/weeks whilst we try and work out how we continue and move forward.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Do you need to live in South Cumbria?
    What do you need access to most? Good property or the motorway or clients?

    Capt.Kronos
    Free Member

    No, but we don’t want to move any further north really – ruling out the Penrith junction! Clients are everywhere, so being able to get to the motorway helps (it can be a long drag up into Scotland or down into Manchester otherwise, not that we need to go that way every week, but when we do….)

    Most important – property and lifestyle.

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    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    I was biased by living there but Cockermouth was one of the best places I lived, I could get to the South lakes jct in an hour fairly easily – it’s probably 30mins from Ulverston? Great houses, great views and great connections, I was going Warrington every week and it was a fairly easy journey, was doing Glasgow for a while too (every week) and it was fairly easy except the dull bit in the middle (Scotland).

    So my main point is don’t rule out N Lakes 🙂 the A66 makes a big difference there! Go and take a look round, nothing to loose if you stop for lunch and a pint in the Kirkstyle Inn.

    Capt.Kronos
    Free Member

    I am up there quite a lot 😉

    The main constriction is the outlaws coming up from darkest Worcestershire, being old they are not keen on spending any longer in the car than they already are.

    Shame, as the North Lakes would suit me well in many respects.

    My other thought was going east from the M6 – Kirkby Lonsdale/Barbon/Ingleton though that is less good for most of my work, however it is cheaper (well, not Kirkby Lonsdale… but Ingleton is!)

    jekkyl
    Full Member

    I did most of my growing up years in South Cumbria, Barrow in fact 😕 Later in life I moved away and my Mum lived in Ulverston for many years. It’s a right slog up the A590 to the M6,so if you’ve got family ties around where you’re living now then why not move?
    Are you considering a massive move to a completely different area? but more local you could consider Lancaster or Morecambe, both much better for the M6.

    Capt.Kronos
    Free Member

    No real ties to Ulverston – I lived here in the late 70’s (after a brief stint in Barrow too come to think of it, but was too young to understand back then!) and moved here again when I left Scotland. I really wanted to live in Kendal, but it was too pricey at the time!

    My gut reaction is to head that way now, or… ideally… Stavely/Ings… but just occupying my mind by thinking of alternatives and perusing Rightmove.

    It will be a way off yet – need to get a bit more of an idea of what it going to happen over the next few months (so no idea what kind of budget we are going to be looking at until we get the house on the market). But it is better than sitting getting depressed and drinking myself to sleep isn’t it!

    paulevans
    Free Member

    Quite recently moved to Windermere and work in Kendal. Windermere is great albeit bloody expensive in terms of housing. Done an hours road bike tonight – out to Grasmere and back. The riding is just great from here – road or MTB.

    I’m a big fan of Staveley – National Park location, good communications to Kendal, South Lakes and M6 and housing that is a little cheaper than the ‘honeypot’ areas.

    Capt.Kronos
    Free Member

    Windermere is interesting… what is it like to live in – wondered if it was too geared towards tourists and holiday home owners? Although I suppose that keeps all the pubs and restaurants in business!

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    My gut reaction is to head that way now, or… ideally… Stavely/Ings… but just occupying my mind by thinking of alternatives and perusing Rightmove.

    It’s only 10 mins difference to Penrith when you start heading up the 591. I used to head up the 591 sometimes if I wanted something from Ambleside on the way home (not in summer, not on a Friday) or if I was bored and had something interesting as a hire car, it’s a much more involved drive. Some days South lakes to Penrith is a blink of an eye.
    Anyway I see where you are coming from I had mates who would do south lakes but were convinced N Lakes was much further. Might want to tell the outlaws about the train. It did take a few years of work travel to convince me it was about the same time.

    postierich
    Free Member

    Kendal is handy for most places but the pubs are crap 🙂

    yossarian
    Free Member

    +1 for Kendal, although I was struck by the amount of traffic and how slowly it moved.

    Capt.Kronos
    Free Member

    Rich – yeah, most the pubs are terrible. There are a few good ones mind (or there were a few years back when I last had a chance to sample them)! There are a couple of places I have been keeping an eye on along the periphery of the town for a wee while that would probably work, depending on what purpose the house needs to fulfill.

    Mike – I know what you are saying… the convincing that we aren’t moving the boys further from Granny and Grandad would be challenging! I quite like Askham myself but doubt that they could be convinced. Old, disabled and stubborn 😉

    beaker2135
    Full Member

    We are moving to Alston next month, property is plentiful and cheap. It certainly ticks the lifestyle box. Our kids are in Sussex and they have kicked off big time, but if the boot was on the other foot they wouldn’t think twice. Be careful about making changes to your life to suit others

    Kendal is supposed to be one of the best place to live in the UK

    Good luck whatever you decide

    grizedaleforest
    Full Member

    I’m the other side of Sedbergh. Fabulous area lifestyle wise, but silly house prices these days. I don’t like towns and the Lakes are too busy for me, so I’d be thinking about the Cumbria/N Lancs border villages (Holme, Burton, Levens on the Kendal side) or Melling, Arkholme etc on the Kirkby Lonsdale side. Agree that Ingleton’s a nice option.

    Advantage of Lancashire/N Yorks is that you’d no longer be living in the fattest county in England 🙂

    tomaso
    Free Member

    If you want to maximise the lifestyle then it may be best to avoid honeypot locations in the Lakes and Yorkshire Dales.

    Lune Valley and Trough of Bowland is very attractive and quite close to the M6. Also places around the Kellets and Hutton Roof between M6 j35 and Kirkby Lonsdale are very nice.

    I quite like it around Shap and some of the villages just north are cracking – like Askham that you mentioned, but I wasn’t sure if this was the Askham you meant of Askham in Furness.

    Do you want to live in a town, a village or middle of nowhere?

    I quite like Ulverston, some nice pubs and its not mega bucks expensive – and so close to some excellent biking!

    Lancaster, where I live, is ok but not amazing. It is very handy for M6 and West Coast Mainline. The traffic whuile bad isn’t quite a terrible as Kendal.

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Check out Kirkby Lonsdale area – villages like Hutton Roof are great and about five mins from the M6, as mentioned. How about Sedbergh? Still handy for the M6, nice community feeling, good riding.

    Capt.Kronos
    Free Member

    Grizedale – I am busy adding to that statistic at the moment 😉 Too much stress and worry over the last 18 months.

    Levens is right up there on my list – I was working there last week and it would work really well for us being so close to the motorway, Kendal and having the wee primary school. I am also feeling some love for Crossthwaite, and I think there are 3 or 4 places in Kendal that I have an eye on. All depends on what it out there when we eventually decide to get this house on the market and how much we are going to achieve on it in a sale.

    There is the option of staying this side too mind – Greenodd/Penny Bridge/Spark Bridge/Lowick for example…. If it were 12 months ago then I would have had a farm up above Spark Bridge that was on the market in a heart beat! We are currently at the head scratching stage of deciding where we should set up long term.

    The current house which I love dearly is just not working for us now – life was very different when I bought it 5 years ago, and some of what appealed to me about it then is no longer relevant, and being a town house from 1750ish the stairs are a nightmare for the outlaws (very narrow and very steep – not helped by the kitchen being downstairs and the living room on the first floor!)

    Plus the riding is rubbish from the door. Ace with a little driving first, but it would be nice to get closer to the trails!

    Capt.Kronos
    Free Member

    Oh aye – the mortgage is not being extended, it is crippling as it is, so the lifestyle side of things is not about cost of housing beyond what we can afford which is suitable!

    paulevans
    Free Member

    I have to say that i don’t find the tourist thing to be too much of an issue in Widnermere. Used to live just down the road in Bowness and that was worse in that regard. Bowness = tourists, Windermere = locals (mainly). Have to say though that i like it being busy, gives the place a little energy but not in the same way as when i was living in the Midlands!!

    Capt.Kronos
    Free Member

    Cheers Paul.

    I was looking at the area between the park and Lickbarrow direction as a possible, I quite like the slate Victorian houses and some aren’t a bad price really. Although finding one with a decent garage and parking may be a challenge! Not sure what it is like the other side of Ambleside Road, that may be getting expensive!

    I have had some good nights out in Windermere and Bowness over the years, so it is there as my wild card if the right place comes up. The station is handy too (many friends who don’t drive!)

    TomB
    Full Member

    I live in Keswick, and agree with above about the ease of getting out of the North Lakes compared with central areas like ambleside/windermere. The A66 is always fast and easy driving to J40. I would have though Penrith and surrounding villages should not be discounted from your thinking- Mainline train station, immediate motorway access, great road and mtb from your door, facilities of a nice market town and easy trips into north lakes/north pennines for adventures. Surely for the family coming from worcester, its as easy to get to penrith as ulverston?

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Windermere is interesting…

    You’ll be gridlocked in tourist season!

    Capt.Kronos
    Free Member

    Hmmm – just seen an awesome house in Penrith that may be persuasive…

Viewing 24 posts - 1 through 24 (of 24 total)

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