As the Great Move North approaches at an accelerated rate, we’re starting to think about places/areas to consider.

Marple/New Mills/Disley/Poynton are all in the pot as I’m kind of aware of what these places are like, having grown up in Poynton – they meet the rough ‘vaguely villagey, rideable/walkable to the great outdoors, commutable to work, a few decent shops/restaurants/pubs’ criteria.

Whaley Bridge is another possible (opinions welcome)

Romiley, however is a mystery to me. I used to work wth a couple of people who were from there, but I’m not sure I’ve ever actually been. What’s it like in comparison to, say, Marple?

Not too different TBH. Bit closer to the motorway. Bit further from the trails. No cinema, but it does have Polocini café

While the places you’ve mentioned are a bit..

Romiley is more…

Does that help?

That Polocini cafe looks cool 🙂

The main difference I’ve noticed between Marple/Poynton/Disley/New Mills is Romiley is a bit scruffy and less ‘villagey’ feeling.

That’s based on visiting for shopping and using the leisure centre. I’ve not actually lived there.

I’ve heard a lot of -ve stories about New Mills, mostly to do with drug abuse amongst the youth population and related crime.

Marple has a great village feel & the shops are pretty good. Ditto Poynton. Poynton’s top of my list for our next house move.

Binners – not really, as I can’t see the second pic 🙂

Is that better? Basically, just work on the principle that the closer you get to the picturesque joy that is Stockport, the worse it is! I personally wouldn’t live anywhere that involved the A6, south of Manchester, to get anywhere. Does that help?

Yes, I can see it now. And I think you’re confusing it with Glossop 🙂

And I know you’re a North Manchester evangelist, but I’d prefer to have indoor plumbing and electric lighting 😉

Picky bugger! 😉

What can one say, one was brought up in Cheshire and one wishes to maintain certain standards.

One was actually born in Glossop, but one doesn’t mention that if one can help it…

I personally wouldn’t live anywhere that involved the A6, south of Manchester, to get anywhere.

Ditto.

The A6 south from Stockport is an absolute swine during the day, and an absolute bar-steward during rush hour(s).

It took me almost an hour to get from Stockport station back home to Hawk Green the other friday (during rush hour). It’s only maybe 5 miles. Compare this with 40 minutes to get the 12 miles home from work (Wythenshawe to Hawk Green) at the same time of day.

Thankfully I rarely need to use the A6, but I would seriously consider whether my day to day travels would necessitate using the A6, and if so look at other areas to live.

Romiley is the same as any and every other area of Stockport other than Brinnington and Adswood (don’t….just don’t) and Mellor (see below) in that they have council estates that are getting on in age and as such, are not as nice as they once were. The Cherry Tree estate in Romiley has a very poor reputation, much like the Rose Hill and Waterside estates in Marple and Offerton estate in, predicatably, Offerton.
As Romiley is a compact area, it feels the effect of the estate more than most areas.
The Cambridge Road area of Woodley (just up the hill from Romiley) is nice but don’t go to far or you’ll be in to Woodley’s council area.
*Disclaimer to appease the serially offended*
I am by no means a Council Estate Fascist being born in a house in Gorton’s council housing estate and brought up screaming and kicking on Offerton Council Estate.
I’d bin all of the above and any other apart from Mellor. yes. Mellor. Go there. Beautiful and the only area of Stockport that is correctly noted as being a village.
Even Heald Green and Gatley have council owned houses although they try their best not to admit it 🙂

One was actually born in Glossop,

Cool! You get to count to 37 without running out of toes! 😀

Why’s everyone posting pics of my cousin/brother/uncle BillyJoBob? 🙂

Cheers Monksie. Is there much actually in Mellor (like shops’n’stuff).

My Dad was born and brought up in Gorton BTW. Him and my mum got married in Gorton Monastery. She was from Denton though and married beneath herself 🙂

You get to count to 37 without running out of toes!

Problem is I’m 38 🙂

Mellor is very nice indeed, near open countryside, however there isn’t much to it. The nearest shops to Mellor would be in Maple Bridge (very, very nice indeed).
Mellor and Marple Bridge will add an extra nought onto any property price that is in Romiley.

I still call Marple a village ( I know that it isn’t) because we live in the countryfied part.

Poynton is still lovely and as you know now has a Waitrose – Swoon.

I went through this exact decision 12 months ago. We considered Romiley for awhile but decided against it in the end simply because it was too rough. Marple was a close contender but the only affordable properties were in the old council estates (Rose Hill etc). Moved to Hayfield in the end.

I thought Poynton was full of footballers, WAG’s and private-plated Range Rovers…..and therefore absolutely frightful!!

I thought Poynton was full of footballers, WAG’s and private-plated Range Rovers…..and therefore absolutely frightful!!

No, that’s Wilmslow/Alderley Edge. Poynton has always struck me as pretty normal. Although I think Poyntonists like to perpetuate the image of being posher than it really is. Maybe because technically Poynton is not part of Stockport.

Poynton is still lovely and as you know now has a Waitrose

Well, I have got quite used to shopping in Waitrose 😳

I thought Poynton was full of footballers, WAG’s and private-plated Range Rovers

Nah, it’s not quite into The Only Way Is Cheshire country, it’s just the boundary. Think of it as the River Stix to Prestbury’s Hades 🙂

I’ve lived all over the Uk from Inverness to Portsmouth, and I’d say the best place I’ve lived out of all of them, is Whaley bridge . If you want to have the outdoors on your doorstep I’d find it hard to beat it. Plus a regular train if you want to get into the ghetto for nights out etc.

Although I think Poyntonists like to perpetuate the image of being posher than it really is.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, those living North of Brookside Garden Centre clean the houses and/or offices, or work in the businesses, of those living South of Brookside Garden centre 😉

Maybe because technically Poynton is not part of Stockport.

Oi, there’s no ‘technically’ about it sunshine 🙂

Whalley Bridge all the other places are not even close to being as good based on your comments.

mattrgee

Moved to Hayfield in the end

Where do you work (if you dont’ mind me asking? I like Hayfield but I thought that it’d be an arse commuting wise?

Avoid Mellor and Poynton – they’re both full of lacrosse players …

I like Hayfield but I thought that it’d be an arse commuting wise?

You’ve just summed up everywhere on your list 😀

If you’re commuting by car towards Manchester, Stockport or the M60, Binners speaks truth

Yeah, I know I’m hardly heading for a commuters’ paradise, but Hayfield’s

a) even further out
b) hasn’t got a train station

Alright, to turn it on it’s head a bit, if I wanted somewhere that’s not a god-awful commute into Manchester and is still vaguely on the edge of rurality, here would I go?

North! 😉

Specifically?

Seriously fella. I know we’re all banging on about it, but there’s a good reason. The A6 at rush hour is absolutely horrendous!! In fact, its absolutely horrendous all the time. Full stop! I’d seriously suggest that wherever you’re contemplating moving, you try to drive from there into Manchester or Stockport at 8am in the morning, then do the reverse journey at 5.15pm

If you reckon you could face that on a regular basis, then good luck to you. I couldn’t personally. That’s for certain! I don’t know how people do it every day, without getting all Falling Down about it!

My mate, rides his road bike to the city of Manchester stadium and back every day fir work, but he is a fitness monster! When I lived in Whaley Bridge, alot of my mates commuted by train to manc every day. Straight through line with no changes, easy peazy 🙂 I worked in the lower middle class suburban blandness that is Poynton 😉

As said above, driving into manc during rush hour from anywhere on the edge of the peaks, is madness.

My wife drives from Hayfield to New Mills (free parking) and gets the train into Manchester. £90 a month iirc.

You’d get more for your money in Whaley Bridge though.

Oh aye, I’m no stranger to the fact that the A6 is an utter nightmare. There are (or hopefully will be) other options though (different route, train, bike etc) and it’ll depend on where we get jobs anyway.

I like the idea of SW Manc though because, well, I know it, and it offers the mix of near to work/transport links (important for me as a contractor) and near to the country.

To be honest, I don’t really know North Manc at all and I’m open to other ideas, but those are key criteria.

Oh, and she’s rom Yorkshire, so it’ll take some convincing to get her to live in Lancashire 🙂

Whaley Bridge is awesome. Very easy to get the train into Manchester, and a short drive/ride to Chinley and you can get the train to Sheffield in 45 minutes.

Alright, to turn it on it’s head a bit, if I wanted somewhere that’s not a god-awful commute into Manchester and is still vaguely on the edge of rurality, here would I go?

Saddleworth (but keep it quiet please). Bit of a pain to drive but you can get the train from greenfield into town in about 20 mins, close to M62, new cafes where folk seem to enjoy sitting outside of in subzero temps, good food, normal folk and annoying snobs, sociable riding group head out from greenfield, and folk dont really give a toss if you ride on wednesday afternoon bridleways.

Oh, and she’s rom Yorkshire, so it’ll take some convincing to get her to live in Lancashire

Solves that one too! Ok it is oldham, lancashire postcode but they are quite proud of their white rose

A chap at work once summarised Romiley as the place where people from Marple go for a fight.
I’m quite lucky not to have to commute at rush hour very often. The A6 is truly horrible, you knew that..! We do have other roads round here though…!!
Coming in to M’cr at rush hour from the north can be as much fun as the A6.

We looked all round this side of Manchester, from Diggle down to Chinley and across to Knutsford. NO matter where you look you’ll find good points and bad points. The eastern side Manchester is not bad – lower property prices on the whole, and the trains from Mossley etc are pretty good, but the roads aren’t great

New Mills is a bit interbred

Chinley’s a bit of a bugger to get to / from

Poynton’s on the wrong end of the A6

Knutsford prices are higher due to the perceived affluenece

Prestbury is full of Nouveau Riche

etc etc etc

FWIW, my Dad commuted from Poynton to the centre of Manc for 30 years and rarely used the A6.