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Moving south of Manchester

95 posts & 39 voices | Started 3 months ago by chakaping | Latest reply from IHN

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chakaping - Member

We've finally decided to take the plunge and move up north, but had to take a reality check on my dreams of Cumbria or Scottishland. Being near Manchester makes more sense for work and family reasons, and south of the city for access to Peak District.

The single most-important requirement is proximity to a good (or outstanding) secondary school, preferably with an unambiguous cachement area. Everything else is secondary, although a rail link is important.

With this in mind, Cheadle Hulme or New Mills look like good options. The former has a better school and is closer to Manc but is a bit more expensive and further from the hills.

I'd welcome your opinions on these places and suggestions of anywhere I might have missed. We definitely don't want to live in the city though.

Posted 3 months ago #
ourmaninthenorth - Member

Cheadle Hulme - genuine Manchester suburbia. Nice enough, but directly under the flight path of the airport (which is busy). Waitrose, if such a thing is important. No idea baout schooling other than (the fee paying) Cheadle Hulme School. Easy to get into centre of Manchester by bike (8-ish miles), train or car (if you have to), not far from Stockport (train line to London), near M60 (so good driving links to elsewhere).

New Mills - very small town/large village. Helps if you have 2 heads. In Derbyshire. Right on the edge of the Dark Peak, so riding from your front door (several STWers on hand, and loads of riders). Train into Manchester is good, but driving there is a nightmare. 15-ish miles from central Manchester, so quite ridable.

Posted 3 months ago #
ourmaninthenorth - Member

Other places (bear in mind I'm not yet at schooling stage):

Hayfield - near New Mills. No train to Manchester and nearer to Glossop. Expensive, I suspect, but right in riding country.

Glossop - not on the south side of Manchester. A town in its own right, but good trains into Manchester. Terrible roads - it's the cork between the end of the M57 and the Woodhead Pass. Bang in riding territory. Bit "local" for me.

Wilmslow/Alderley Edge - farther out that CH, but nice (and expensive - can be footballers wives and/or Cheshire Set territory). Good transport links.

Poynton - near Cheadle Hulme, but farther out. Nearer to hills. A suburb of Stockport.

Stockport - I'd avoid, but the Heatons are v nice (between Stockport and Didsbury) and well situated for Manchester or escape to the hills. Worth a look.

Didsbury - my old home for a decade. Much closer to centre of Manchester. Upmarket trendy part of Manchester. Good nightlife Expensive. Access to Parrs Wood School which was very good for a while AFAIK.

Chorlton (People's Republic of) - Manchester's bohemian suburb. Binners of this parish an ex-member of the collective. Not as expensive as Didsbury. Similar distance (4 miles) from centre of Manchester. Poss get access to Whalley Range High School - also once v good. Near William Hulme Grammar.

Posted 3 months ago #
chakaping - Member

Thanks for that ourman, the flightpath info is particularly useful as Cheadle Hulme was probably winning on paper.

Wilmslow and Alderley Edge are out of our price range, Hayfield looks splendid but train is pretty vital.

Will check out Poynton. Heading up next week to have a nose around in person anyway.

Posted 3 months ago #
banks - Member

Marple?

Posted 3 months ago #
ourmaninthenorth - Member

Forgot Marple.

nbt and bunnyhop (aka mrs nbt) of round 'ere live in a little corner of Marple. Always seemed nice looking. Not sure about train.

Disley - between New Mills and Stockport. Odd place, as the A6 bisects it, but a colleague lives there and loves it. Train into Manchester. Riding on doorstep.

Posted 3 months ago #
ourmaninthenorth - Member

Flight path - worth checking. And Wilmslow isn't immune - right next to airport.

Macclesfield. Farrther out than Wilms/AE. Town - home of the Macc Lads - . Biking on the doorstep. Train into Manchester + mainline to London.

Congleton - smaller than Macc. Farther out again. Not sure about train.

Posted 3 months ago #
cb - Member

Macc here. Its nice.

Posted 3 months ago #
proutster - Member

I'm here in Cheadle Hulme (at the Bramhall end - that's ever so important, don't you know) and we can only hear the planes when they're taking off to the East. This only happens when the wind is coming from the East, which is the complete opposite of the normal, prevailing wind.
When the wind's coming, as normal, from the West the planes land to the West and we can never hear them - they obviously take off in this direction when the wind's like this (into the wind) and we can't hear them then either.
We've been here for 9 years (moved up from Surrey) and I love it - nice friendly people, lots of places to go out and only 20 mins on the train into the centre of Manc. Plus I can be in the Peaks within 30 mins.
If you can afford it Bramhall is nice, that's our (probable) next move.

Posted 3 months ago #
samuri - Member

People from New Mills are quite often devilishly handsome and extremely intelligent.

Great place for riding bikes.

Posted 3 months ago #
mogrim - Member

I wouldn't worry too much about the planes, my parents' house is under the flight path to Heathrow, after a couple of days back at their house I stop noticing it. (And I live in the country, very quiet round here!)

Posted 3 months ago #
jet26 - Member

The macc lads! Not that this helps the op but there are some fine musicians!

Posted 3 months ago #
banks - Member

In Marple atm, 2 train stations within dribbling distance, 25 mins on the train to Manchester or Edale. Ok for driving into town - takes me 40mins to an hour to get into town. Some ace riding from my doorstep & lots of pubs, always see loads of riders out at night.

Posted 3 months ago #
chakaping - Member

proutster - I was particularly looking at the area around Acre Lane, which appears to be just west of Bramhall. Do you know that bit?

Probably looking at getting a 1940s-1970s three/four bed house for up to £300k.

Posted 3 months ago #
monksie - Member

As Stockport appears to the centre of attention, may I step in with an opinion or two as a lifelong resident?
Anywhere in Stockport is rideable to the Peak District and commuteable into Manchester although the roads are slow and the trains packed for office hours start and finish times.
Cheadle Hulme is nice. Good rep. from the high school. Not too much bother at all from the airport.
Heaton Moor, Heaton Chapel and Heaton Mersey are quite expensive. North side of the town and nice.
Bramhall is nice, can be expensive unless you look around the Midland Rd area. A large council estate. Bramhall High School is also doing rather well in the league tables I believe.
Heald Green is nice but the flightpath really is a nuisance there (wife works in H/Green) but I'm told you get used to it. Gatley is OK but butts up against Wythenshawe.
I'd stay well away from the following:
Reddish (North and South)
Heaton Norris
Portwood
Brinnington
Bredbury
Cheadle Heath
SK1 parts of Offerton
Adswood
Bridge Hall
Davenport.
Woodsmoor is very nice.
Woodley and Romiley ate OK
Compstall is awful
Great Moor/Stepping Hill is pretty nice and quite cheap.
Hazel Grove, away from the A6 and the Valley estate is good.
High Lane is lovely but expensive.
Disley isn't so nice (is mainly Cheshire East council rather than Stockport, as is Poynton).
Marple can be a bit good/bit bad. Rose Hill and Waterside council estates are getting worse. Marple Hall School (daughter attends) is a language college, is considering becoming an academy and the new'ish head has big ambitions and is refreshingly seeing them through.
Marple has a few sub areas within it. I've lived there. I'd only consider the Marple Bridge, Hawk Green or Strines areas to live. The Peak District is a few miles up the road or over a couple of hills. Mini Peak District riding on the doorstep. Travel into Manchester from here is a trial.
Myhouse buying money would go to.....Mellor. Beautiful area. On the very edge of Cheshire (Stockport) and Derbyshire. The only part of Stockport that comes close to being a village. Great primary schools, school buses to Marple Hall, great riding on and off road. Properly countryfide
Stockport town centre is awful. Highest number of vacant shops in the country - 30% empty and worsening.
Sorry, got carried away.

Posted 3 months ago #
weirdnumber - Member

Whats wrong with Stockport? (apart from some guy being shotgunned, beheaded and set on fire in a mattress)

On a serious note Stockport has some nice bits (and some not so nice) and I gather Stockport Grammar School is pretty good.
I mainly live here for public transport links to Manchester though (train every 10 minutes, and the 192) since I don't drive.

If I had a car and enjoyed sitting in it in traffic I probably would live somewhere a bit further out, Marple is nice (at least in passing), and the New Mills area seems nice as well. Both have frequent train access, approx two trains an hour or so.
No clue about schools though.

Posted 3 months ago #
monksie - Member

Do you mean Ack Lane (east and west)? Nice area. Part Bramhall, part Cheadle Hulme.

Posted 3 months ago #
julians - Member

you can see the flight paths here:-

http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/manweb.nsf/alldocs/B6F0247D7CBCF65F80257393003585FD/$File/Runway+Data+Sheet.pdf

Didsbury is nice but expensive
Wilmslow nice but expensive
alderley edge nice but expensive
cheadle hulme nice but can be on flight path depends on exact location
Bramhall nice and not as expensive
marple/marple bridge nice

probably loads of others, but the above are all I'm familiar with

Posted 3 months ago #
chakaping - Member

Monksie - Same area actually, ta. Acre Lane is just south of Ack Lane.

Would want to be very close to Cheadle Hulme High School because it has a fantastic Ofsted report.

I had sort of discounted Marple because Marple Hall School has a poor report, but it's good to hear it's being improved.

Posted 3 months ago #
justatheory - Member

Chorlton?

Posted 3 months ago #
proutster - Member

proutster - I was particularly looking at the area around Acre Lane, which appears to be just west of Bramhall. Do you know that bit

Yes, just down the road from us - it's got the best off licence I've ever been inside on it!!

Some friends used to live off there and it's just up the road from the Hursthead schools where the kids of lots of our friends go. Apparently they're good (no kids here, so no idea myself)

Bramhall is a good place to go out, 5 or 6 good bar/grill type things etc.

IMO whilst the towns further out are nice they all suffer a bit from the "small town mentality".

Posted 3 months ago #
monksie - Member

Sorry for the essay Chakaping. Cheadle Hulme is very nice. As you're probably aware, house prices are above average for the town but not through the roof. M60 is quite close but not too close. Good rail link into Manchester or out to Macc. Nice riding toward Lyme Park (which is gorgeous) and into the Peaks. Nice parks (Bruntwood Park is lovely), goood schools, shopping. Yes, a nice neighbourhood.
Good luck with the house hunting and the move.

Posted 3 months ago #
beagle - Member

Chakaping - bought the Revs off you a while back and we had a few emails pinging about re this area and the lakes. I'm in Bramhall. Best mate is in the area where Acre Lane joins Moss Lane ie right on Cheadle Hulme border with Bramhall but only 5 minute walk into the centre of Bramhall. The schools are a draw for sure, but what I like the best is that I find it a lot friendlier place than Wilmslow/Alderley Edge etc. There's always a lot of community/family stuff going on and being organised. Wilmslow reminds me of London a tad at times - did 9 years there, still love it, but felt I wanted to be back in these parts. I ride out into the high peak, through Poynton usually, but it's a bit far out for a ride from the door into the peak proper.

Marple, Marple Bridge, Strines, Mellor are better in that respeTct, but not for ease into town/motorways. Lived in Marple most of my life before London and I like it a lot. But wouldn't change where I am at the moment for sure. It's a nice balance of everything IMO.

Posted 3 months ago #
b r - Member

Be careful of moving somewhere based upon facts (quality of schools) that may change...

Posted 3 months ago #
Garry_Lager - Member

I've just moved to Manc with my family and am renting in a quiet part of Heaton Moor - nice area and I could see myself buying a place here. Ride to work in the centre is 5 miles (and pancake flat). Primary schools are very good (are eldest is starting next year so we've been around them) and the local comp is, I believe, also good. I like it because it's a low key area with very few Teds - if you want more going on you might look elsewhere (Didisbury, Chorlton maybe).
The ease of getting to work (20 mins) is of course balanced by the distance from any serious mountain biking - you're looking at a drive but not an onerous one. Hayfield is 13 miles from my house - the A6 generally sucks balls but if you get an early start it's fine.
A colleague of mine lives near Strines and rides in every morning (ca. 13 miles), gets the train back. Seems to work very well for him.

New Mills seems a decent spot to me but everyone I mention it to says it's a shitheap. Not sure why, maybe there's a bad estate there and the scallies make their presence felt. Location speaks for itself though in MTBing terms.

Posted 3 months ago #
justatheory - Member

Forget South Manchester - Cheetham Hill, Moston, Harpurhey and Blackley are where it's at.

Posted 3 months ago #
Andyhilton - Member

I'm a Sale resident and am therefore biased towards Trafford. We have the best schools in Greater Manchester (non fee paying). We still have a grammar school system and the results are usually good.

Look at Hale, Bowdon, Altrincham, Sale and Timperley.

Tram & Buses into Manchester and 40mins drive from Hayfield.

Posted 3 months ago #
banks - Member

Depends what your after, Mellor's fine providing you play lacrosse support City and have BMW, i'm obv biased towards Marple because it's got a Gregg's!

Posted 3 months ago #
beagle - Member

New Mills ace for riding - great location. The folks lived there for a wee while and it's not a bad place but I didn't feel comfortable going for a pint with my old man in the centre. They've since moved away, but not for those reasons to be fair.

Posted 3 months ago #
nbt - Member

All the pubs in Marple are Robinson's. SOMe nice pubs, but you have to go out of the village to get a pint of something different. traffic can be a bitch, but trains are pretty good. most stuff's been said already, but I do know that one forum user has chosen to send her son to Marple High rather than Stockport Grammar. happy to answer specific questions ehere or by email, and to show you local routes

Posted 3 months ago #
Rod - Member

We're in Heaton Moor - chosen as it's a nice area (lots of pubs/cafes/bars/local shops/restaurants - all independent) with easy access to the city centre (lived in Ramsbottom before that which is nice but the commute is a bit of nightmare). The train is less than 10 mins into Picadilly, driving is about usually 25 mins at rush hour and cycling is 25 mins (or you can take the longer off road route that joins the canal near the velodrome).

The boundaries between the Heatons are very blurred, so don't discount Heaton Norris altogether as some bits are nice (and we sometimes get described as Heaton Norris). The new tram link at Parrs Wood will improve the links for Heaton Mersey too.

The doorstep riding is pretty good if you're out for at least a few hours (low level off road stuff for around 45 mins to get into the hills). Road riding requires half an hour of suburban stuff before it gets nice (choice between Cheshire lanes or the Peaks). I'd rather have the best riding right on my doorstep but that was the compromise we had to make for the quickest commute.

Like all of the more towny areas, though, you need to be a bit security conscious as burglaries and bike theft are common.

Price-wise, it is pretty expensive - but no worse than Cheadle/Bramhall and the likes (and better value than Didsbury). The fact that a lot of the house are big (and stunning) Victorian semis means that the average prices will look high.

Although I do often wish I could live in the hills (or ideally Whistler ;), it's a pretty decent compromise (and the schools are pretty good I think - our Little Sausage is about to turn one so we'll be thinking about that in more detail in the not too distant future!)

Posted 3 months ago #
sambob - Member

Macc is good, and Kings is an excellent school (I'm saying that and I go there!). Whaley Bridge is nice, quiet, 40 mins on the train to Manchester, 30 mins on the bus to Macc (bargain too). Overheard someone say today "It's not New Mills that's the problem, it's the people in it" which is surprisingly true, riding is superb though, same with Hayfield. Stockport Grammar is a good school, big though if your kids aren't used to that. Mellor is good too, gorgeous village but still only 15 mins drive to Stockport or 25 mins on the train from Marple to Manchester. And the riding is pretty hard to beat. Alderley/Prestbury/Wilmslow/Hale are expensive, and can be very Cheshire set. It'd be fine in the summer though when they all move to Abersoch for 6 weeks.

Posted 3 months ago #
nick1962 - Member

justatheory - Member

Forget South Manchester - Cheetham Hill, Moston, Harpurhey and Blackley are where it's at.

Aye right

Not so sure of why you have to relocate to S.Manchester but the STW Towers area in Calderdale,Hebden Bridge,Todmorden etc has great riding on your doorstep ,is on the main MCR/Leeds trainline,35 mins or so and property is half the price of S.Manchester.No idea about schools though.

Posted 3 months ago #
Bunnyhop - Member

As someone who resided in Bramhall for 14 years I know it well.
Acre Lane area is indeed very nice. Ack Lane West or East is one of the main roads into Bramhall and can feel busy at rush hour, however it's very wide road with lovely houses, different housing stock from huge mini mansions to teeny cute very old cottages.
Any school around Bramhall is good, however Cheadle Hulme school is indeed the best in that area.

As for Marple, the school there is very good, an stwer (waves to James) has just moved to get his girls into Marple Hall.

Our end of Marple (by the Peak forest and Macclesfield forest canals) is very nice, with doorstep riding, plenty of independent shops, cute cinema and theatre.
All our neighbours hail from the south, they loved it so much they've all stayed.

For £300,000 you should get a decent house in Cheadle Hulme and at least a 3 bed semi in a really nice part of Bramhall.

Stockport is made up of 50% green parks and countryside, so not all bad.

Just stay away from Adswood!!!

Posted 3 months ago #
smell_it - Member

MTFU move to north manchester, your kids can go to the school of life

Posted 3 months ago #