Hello guys n girls!

My name is matthew & I have just accepted a job in chester and will relocate there in the next few weeks.
I plan to base my self in the one of two towns handbridge & loche.
My question is, do any of you leave in or around there, what are these areas like to live in but also just as importantly what are the riding/trails like, where are the trails, and is there any local biking clubs

Llandegla is a stones throw from Chester but there are plenty of places around Chester itself for rides

Delamere isn’t far away, and though the marked trails are somewhat dull, there is lots of unmarked stuff available (and legal) to ride. Ask on here (as I did recently).

If I remember correctly Cheshire Chunky Monkeys are based there, and although I only rode with them once, my face graces their home page, which is nice. CCM

Clwyds very close as well – lots of rides available online around there. Berwyns, CyB and Penmachno easily accessible. Big road scene as well.

EDIT: No advice to give about living in Chester itself, I live in a village to the North.

avoid the lache like the plague unless you want to get your bikes nicked in record time or score hard drugs.

Hanbridge is nice but expensive, depending on your circumstances and needs for commuting to work I’d either move a bit further out for example Hoole, Upton or newton areas, or nip over the border to the taffs (avoid wrexham it is a hole!) but caegrwle, rosset llay etc aren’t too bad where you are closer to good riding and still only 15-20 mins from chester/

Big question is where the job is. The Lache is a largish old council estate and is probably less than welcoming of outsiders, could be worse though, it could have been Blacon. Avoid Blacon.
Handbridge is nice and well connected if you’re going to be working the Wrexham side of Chester or wanting the Chester by-pass.
Age will be another factor, there are now some quite nice looking city centre flats around the City Road/Boughton areas.
Lots of Victorian terraces in Hoole. Lots of Victorian terraces and students around Garden Lane but some tidy looking flats around The Teflord’s Warehouse basin.
Wrexham isn’t a complete hole, there are some reasonable areas in and around Wrexham, looks like tazzymtb has been intimidated by the locals. 😉
Riding locally should be good, but I’m not too familiar with it as I spend most of my time road riding. Delamere is compact and from what I’ve seen mostly fast XC riding with nothing too technical. Llandegla is a bit more technical but still requires nothing more than a XC bike.
You could have chosen worse places to live.

looks like tazzymtb has been intimidated by the locals.

yep, they’re all freaks,especially my mates that live there 😆

We’re not all freaks I’ll have you know….some of us are inbreds aswell 😕

.some of us are inbreds aswell

that’s evolutionary adaption in action, the flippers you have are better for holding the microwave meals from iceland 😉

North whalian myself, buri work in Chester. As above really, if you need to rely on public transport/no car then avoid living in north Wales as the transport links ain’t good. Lots of rental properties in Chester itself as it’s a university city, hoole is nice and walking distance for the city.
If you have a car then you could choose north Wales, the Wirral (avoid ellesmere port), little/great Sutton is not bad.

I would be working in chester business park just off the wrexham road (heronsway.
I would really like to cycle to and from work off road if poss hence my choice for handbridge, Lache is a no go now (drugs and crime & large housing estate aren’t for me.
Im open to suggestions so if you know of a decent area near the business park that has good cycle routes, im all ears 🙂

That limits your choices really. Hand bridge or hoole will probably be best…or even central Chester. Plenty of terrace properties to rent. Places to avoid are Blacon and the lache. Everywhere else should be fine.
Local bike shops aplenty…bike factory,alf jones in wrexham, plus a couple of others.

drugs and crime & large housing estate aren’t for me.

Don’t worry, it’s not large. 😐
Budget would be a good idea and lifestyle would help too.

Budget: based on renting £900 max 2-3 bed house
Life style:restaurants, out doors fun/activitys and the rest of the time is spent with missus and son doing the latter

You’ll find something in Handbridge easily, I’ve just found something in Curzon Park for 900.
You might even want to look towards Pulford, Rosset or Marford for more rural living.
Get looking on Zoopla/Rightmove etc, then post it up for opinions. From 700-900 you’ll not go too wrong except for commuting problems and even riding through the city isn’t going to be a huge problem as it’s mostly pedestrianised.
Chester is a tidy little city.

I have just finished reading up on the area & with all your comments I feel I will be able to find some where nice that meets all our needs.
It is going to be a exciting move especailly being so close to wales and the hills

First of all. You lucky b’stard!

I lived near Chester for 20 years and currently working out how to get back.

What about Westminster Park? Tother side of the Wrexham Road from Handbridge

Hoole definitely. Also the Garden Quarter around Cambrian Road, Cheney Road and Gladstone Road. A bit cheaper but they have a great sense of community there.

Someone above mentioned flats near the city centre especially round Telford’s Locks. If you don’t need a house then yes go for it. Also Upton and The Bache between Plas Newton Lane and Mill Lane. Boughton Heath and Vicars Cross Ok also. Basically stay away from Blacon and The Lache and you’ll be fine. Also loads of nice villages within 15-20 mins of Chester.

For riding. In 20 -30 mins you have the Clwydians. Slightly further SW there’s Llangollen and the Berwyns then Snowdonia is only 60 mins away. Go east and you can get to the Peak District in 90 mins. If you have a road bike then pootling round rural Cheshire on a sunny evening is about as good as it gets.

Damn- just made myself homesick!

Hi,
Lived in handbridge for 2 years, it’s a nice area especially for the business park. Lots of the terraces don’t have parking, it was a nightmare when we were on Pyecroft Street as often we couldn’t get parked anywhere close to the house. The newer built houses at the back of handbridge are the better bet in my opinion if your renting.

Lache isn’t nice as said above.

We have just brought a house in Huntington which is another nice enough area, but just the other side if the city better suited for a motorway commute than Handbridge.

Any Cestrians ever fancy a ride let me know 🙂

Any

Westminster park on the outskirts of the Lache, along with Saltney and Broughton, all nice areas, i work in them, large out of town shopping centre at Broughton park, free parking unlike in chester.

Dont get Boughton and Broughton mixed up there are 2, Boughton is just outside chester near vicars cross, Broughton is in Wales, and cheaper council tax.

Lots of off road cycle routes safe for kids to ride, along with wales down the bypass,Delamere the other way, the river dee for water, and the seaside on the wirral or north wales.

Edit double post

I loved growing up in chester, ace place. Many a fond memory of riding from upton to moel famau for a day in the clywds on raliegh BSO in the mid 80’s. Having done the ride again recently gwernymyndydd road climb is still a swine, just do it now on a singlespeed

Many a fond memory of riding from upton to moel famau for a day in the clywds on raliegh BSO in the mid 80’s

Ha i used to do that ride as well, on a saracen from Davies Bros bike shop, down the river dee, then up to mold and onwards, great ride home though all down hill, now go in the car

Just for info mate, we meet each we’d evening during the summer at Mold sports centre 7pm. Keep track of rides on facebook. nwmba…..

Steve