[Closed] Chichester or Sheffield?

Chichester is quite posh. I don't think Sheffield is, never been there, so don't know really.
Chi, as the locals call it, is a nice place, a small city, with nice coast and countryside nearby (decent riding, though probably not a patch on what Sheffield has) - road links are pretty poor though (unless you're a fan of roundabouts).
Would definitely choose Chichester out of those 2, but then I'm a southerner.

I know Sheffield pretty well. Depends what you're after really. It's a big city with everything you'd need. Good links with the M1 going through. And if you're on the South West/West it's actually quite nice in places and the Peak District is on your doorstep. The two university's keep the gene pool fresh and the natives diluted.

Went to uni in Sheffield, I love the place. Would move there in a heartbeat.

They're very very different, you'll never get a consensus!

Chichester for my money.

Well, Sheffield is, as far as I can see, the best city in England to live in if you like riding bikes/Climbing / walking/ running.

Chichester isn't.

I've just had to look up where chichester is, if it was me then Sheffield but really depends what [s]you want and what[/s] the wife says...

I don't know a huge amount about either, but if you're on this forum and like outdoorsy activities then Sheffield might be a better bet?

I believe Chichester has more interesting native species of spider 😉

Chichester for my money.

You'll need quite a lot of that there.

To me Sheffield has all the benefits of a big city but you can ride out of it in 20minutes. The only disadvantage is that it doesn't seem to have the critical mass of cities like Manchester and Leeds so every time there is a down turn in the economy it tends to get hit hard (that could just be the profession I'm in)

Well, Sheffield is, as far as I can see, the best city in England to live in if you like riding bikes/Climbing / walking/ running.

Chichester isn't.

Living not too far from Chichester I'd agree with that. Chi isn't even the best town in Sussex for these. If you want Culture though...
Factor in the tourists and traffic jams in the summer and the vast difference in property prices. For the price of a 2 bed terrace in Chi you'll get a 20 bed mansion up in the hills near Sheffield.

Sheffield. My mate just bought a 3 bed house with a massive garage and garden for the price of 2 bed Chichester flat. Better riding and less traffic.

Chichester is nice and there are some lovely villages North of the city but out of the two, Sheffield riding accessibility beats the 'nice' factor.

Some criteria would help maybe?

How on earth did you come up with those two options?

I've lived in Sheffield for 25 years now, I can't imagine wanting to move anywhere else in the U.K.

It is a big city, but feels small as it's not a conurbation. I live about as far west as is possible, buts it's still only a £10 taxi from city centre and 60 seconds to the Peak.

As a city it has a plethora of restaurants, shops, cinemas, theatres etc. Pretty central in the country so no where is all that far away (apart from Chichester...!). I'm sure house prices are cheaper up here, but they aren't perhaps as cheap as you'd imagine.

Crap for surfing and sailing.

[i]Crap for surfing and sailing[/i]

Chichester wins there 😀

Well, Sheffield is, as far as I can see, the best city in England to live in if you like riding bikes/Climbing / walking/ running.

Plus if you want there is everything from Manor Estate for the oiks to Ranmore for the toff's.

Lots of employment.

I live about 15 miles from Chichester and wish I lived that close to the Peak District instead. Nice enough down here but not as nice for MTB as up there. Also check google maps for traffic around the Chichester bypass this evening 🙁

As a born and bred Sheffield lad, Chichester sounds posh, flat, and expensive!

Sheffield is chuffff-in brilliant!*

(* may have a slightly biased view! 😀 )

You'll need quite a lot of that there.

More than Sheffield, but it's not that bad.

As said though, there's presumably a reason you've been drawn to these two. What are those reasons? If it's just about riding then Sheffield stands up well. If you need to be near London and don't want to be stabbed then Chichester fares rather better.

I work near Chichester but live near Brighton. I would never want to live in "Chi" as it's a constant traffic jam.

Funnily enough we were in Chichester Saturday afternoon.

Only for a trip to A&E sadly. The ambulance driver was very nice and the care at St Richard's was very good though.

Never been to Sheffield. I imagine the weather is less nice.

As a previous and recent resident of Sheffield and now living 20 minutes out in the Peak District I find my fondness of Sheffield grows. Whilst it's certainly struggled over the years, there is a lot of development underway, both at a local level and wider, and it feels quite an exciting place to be. [url= https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/feb/10/sheffield-alternative-city-guide-music-culture-food-drink ]Even the Guardian likes it.....[/url]

Given the bulk of my family live in London I don't find the 2 hours on the train much of a hardship.

In fairness, I have only spent 2 weeks in Chichester doing a course, so I can't say I have any great knowledge of the place.But I thought it was nice enough.

In summary, I would go to Chichester for a weekend, but I'll stick with Sheffield for the rest of life.

I've been to sheffield loads as my sister lives there, it's great city it seems to me. people are friendly, 2 trail centres and right on the peak district door step, good motorway connections, great music scene. The only thing it's lacking is an airport and a premiership football team!
The roads are minging though.

I live near Chichester.( bias )
I guess that the company who you work for ( or might be going to work for ) have 2 sites in the UK . 1 in Sheffield , 1 in Chichester.

Life , unfortunately does not revolve exclusively around bicycles , so you have to factor in the other reasons for choosing where to live.

Crime Rate .- I am sure someone with more time on their hands than can confirm that the crime rate in Chi is a lot lower than Sheffeild.

Education.- Dunno, But if it were me = Chichester

Access to The London . Neither great but Chi easier

Cost of houses. Chi = Hideous , Sheffeild = realistic

Ameineties I don't Sheffeild well enough but its probably got more in the way of sports centers. Chi has reasonable cinema, Big supermarkets, all the usual chain stores are there. No bowling though, and Im even certain of the Sports Center.

If you are into sailing , windsurfing, SUP = Chi
If its bikes/climbing/ hikes = Sheffeild

Chi traffic can be a nightmare on Fridays and BH weekends , but once you know the patterns you can usually avoid the worst of it.

Its not that there isn't any mtb nearby . Within 40 mins You could be at Stanmner , QECP, LW, Punchbowl, SDW is rideable from your doorstep.

The only thing it's lacking is an airport and a premiership football team!

I never liked Sheffield and have no 'want' to return. Also I found the Peak to be far too busy at times although you can escape the crowds with a bit of effort. That said, it'd still be Sheffield from the two options.

Although I'd be using Chichester prices as my budget. And definitely south west somewhere.

I'd choose Sheffield.

I lived there for a few years after uni and would move back if I could. I lived in Lodge Moor and loved the fact that Stanage was my local riding spot and literally just up the road yet the city centre wasn't too far. The roads are rubbish though; pot hole central.

I looked at houses recently just out of curiosity and they were more expensive than I thought. Big issue for me is work - I'd need to travel to Leeds or Manchester which puts me off a bit.

as for football no hope there..

Interestingly, the best part of 55,000 rock up each week to support the two clubs they host. So they clearly feel there is some hope.

Roads in Sheffield used to be terrible right enough, but over the last few years every single street and pavement has been resurfaced and they are now pristine. Just a few left to do I think.

Weather is nicer darn sarf. 🙂

I u8sed to ;live in Chi & also Pagham too. Traffic around Chi is grid locked quite often these days. The main 'benefit' of Chi is to live inside the walls per se. Then you dont have to drive and you can enjoy the city. This is expensive. If you live outside, you can spend ages trying to get inside if you see what I mean.

Road riding, excellent
MTB, better in the winter IMHO as the 'deer trails' are easier to find. Otherwise you tend to get lumbered with the SDW. Though Queen Elizabeth Country Park isn't far and is a giggle
Track riding you have Portsmouth track and Calshott Spit

Having been MTBing around the Hebden Bridge area, Id always aim for the Peak side of Sheffield if it were me

If you do move to Chichester, ping me a message and Ill gladly pass on details of some local cyclists who would be happy to ride with you on or off road

I live in Chichester and have contemplated moving to Sheffield. Chichester is nice but dull. Sheffield is exciting, great city. Your choice

To add to what's already been said, the traffic doesn't bother me as I commute from Chichester. It's those that have to go through it that suffer. It's a bypass so you aren't affected by traffic in the town. In the next five years the bypass is being upgraded, expect disruption whilst this goes on.

as for football no hope there..

Interestingly, the best part of 55,000 rock up each week to support the two clubs they host. So they clearly feel there is some hope.

Sheffield but then I'm biased! Seriously though-houses are affordable, has a really nice friendly vibe to it, you've got the peaks in your doorstep, peculiar of stuff going on etc.

Happy to answer any specific questions about the place either here or via email (in profile).

Chichester for me. Near the sea (I love sailing) plus West Whittering for kids etc, South Downs for biking, reasonably close to Heathrow/Gatwick all this plus I am from London so Southern bias. Without wishing to get flamed North / South divide is oretty clear in terms of economic prosperity and opportunity.

Chichester is lovely, but define what lovely is.
Sheffield seems to have more going for it in regards to outdoor leisure, but factor in the weather and such.

Also, if your new job could be based in either, factor in living costs.

I cycled through Chichester last year: good god, the traffic! If you can find a decent job in or near Sheffield I reckon you could enjoy a really good quality of life.

I live in Sheffield, and we have family near Chichester, and I've spent a reasonable amount of time there.

Sheffield wins hands down for me, by a long long way. I've lived here 10 years now and the place has changed a lot. It's a brilliant city, the Peaks is an obvious draw, but there's far more to it than that. Lots of non-peaks riding right within the city.... The peaks is busy at weekends, but the nice thing about living right next to it is you can go in the evenings and early/late at the weekends - when there's barely anyone about.

but beyond the bikes, the city centre is very vibrant, aided by two city centre universities, it has the highest student retention rate in the country (post graduation who chose to stay and live here) and the place is very friendly. Also several excellent schools The city is built across several hills/valleys, with what feels like many village centres that have merged into one city, so different areas have nice 'local' feels.

There's a lot going on as well - lots of parks with events and all sorts going year round - an excellent city for families IMO.

Three's also a ridiculous amount of breweries in Sheffield!

Ref the crime levels note above... my car insurance is cheaper in Sheffield than Chichester (I've looked from similar previous where to live ponderings). Not sure what you can read into that but there you go!

Oh, and Sheffield traffic can be busy in certain places at certain times of day, but it's not the nightmare gridlock that is Chicester.

FWIW I generally find cycling on the roads of Sheffield far more pleasant than round Chic/West Sussex where I've been shouted at multiple times for having the audacity to cycle on roads.

I live in Chichester and have never been to Sheffield, but we love it here. Yes the traffic in the summer is bad, but that is only because people follow the sat navs and use the by-pass. If you know the area, you'll very rarely get stuck in it. Yes, house prices are pretty high, but you are surrounded by the South Downs national park and Chichester harbour. Great schools, great shops. Fantastic eating, direct trains to London, A3 20mins away. As for riding, I can be on top of Kingleyvale in 30mins (riding). QE park is 30mins away. Rogate 30mins. Lots of local stuff on the Downs with regular shop rides. Surrey hills are 1 hour away and we have 2 wake boarding lakes and some of the best beaches on the South Coast!! Did is say that we love it here!! Lots of country lanes for road riding if that tickles your fancy too. Plus a bike shop with a coffee shop in!(the riders guild)
Edit: also 3mins from Goodwood motor circuit and race course.

Crime stats

http://www.crimerates.co.uk/compare/21690/sheffield-uk/4600/chichester-uk/

[url= http://www.crimerates.co.uk/compare/21690/sheffield-uk/4600/chichester-uk/ ]Chichester V sheffeild Crims[/url]

I moved to Sheffield in November and i love it, We live in Worrall, 4 miles from centre, but has a village feel and really close links to the peaks. Like previous posts, it feels friendly, loads of outdoor stuff, plenty of ale and house prices are reasonable. I wouldnt live anywhere else!

Thanks for the replies, help and offers of advice. All very useful. It is certainlly looking like Sheffield is leading at the moment. My wife would rather the Midlands or North and I like the idea too. We have family near Sheffield ( Worksop way) and Chichester.
As far as football, I like the blades 🙂 so safe with that. Hilly road rides are better for me too. We all like outdoor activities so will be OK with that, though we will miss a hot beach and relatively warm sea. We will have to make our minds up soon, getting fed up with procrastinating. Pulls a pondering yet thoughtful face.

I live in SW Sheffield having moved here 15 years ago from Oxford. It's a great place to live for outdoor pursuits- I can run and cycle into the PDNP within 10 minutes from here, yet have all of the facilities of a big city 15 minutes the other way. It's by far the best place I've lived and is loads cheaper than down south (although house prices vary quite a bit from place to place within the city). Happy to answer any specific questions if you email me.

Wow, those crime stats are surprising.

TLR, where do you live?

Edit: in fact where are all of you? Sounds like we're all neighbours

Wow, those crime stats are surprising.

Not sure how much to read into that. The stats are based on a 1 mile radius from a point (ie an area). I can't work out if the crime is adjusted for population density.

Either way, I live a few miles out of Sheffield on edge of peaks so I don't think those stats apply here.

We have family near Sheffield ( Worksop way)

We have lots and lots of doorstep riding Worksop way. Clumber, Sherwood Pines and decent off-road riding all the way to Sheffield.

I'm born and bread here, I think you get used to the roughness.

For me, it would be Sheffield...

Chichester is going to have a vast amount of development in the coming 10 years or so. It effectively has to increase in size by 30pc which means plenty of nice Green bits going under concrete. (And by definition the development always impacts the trails out of town, with single track improved with tarmac.)

Also there will be major development of the A27 past the town in the next 5 years and whatever they do about that will be negative for the town.

So if you like it now, you might not like it after the 'improvements'. On the other hand if you don't like it because there's not enough concrete then you'll love it in five years time!

"TLR, where do you live?

Edit: in fact where are all of you? Sounds like we're all neighbours"

I'm at the top end of Dore, not too far from the Dore Moor pub. Anywhere near you?

Could be a good subject for another thread.

[i]Chichester is going to have a vast amount of development in the coming 10 years or so. It effectively has to increase in size by 30pc which means plenty of nice Green bits going under concrete.[/i]

South coast is taking a massive hit in this respect. It's becoming an unbearable place to get anywhere by car. And losing greenery by the week 🙁

I have just looked on rightmove and chichester is quite pricey, cheaper than london suburbs, if it was me i would choose chichester as i like the sea. If the salary was the same though i d head north as it would go further.

I live in Brighton. Out of the two I'd choose Sheffield. Chichester just feels twee! And those bloody roundabouts on the bypass... Haven't been to Sheffield since 6th form when I was at school nearby but I hear plenty of good things about it (and my Mum's side of the family are all from that neck of the woods, just the Derbyshire side of the city).

I just looked up the stats - Sheffield is 20 times as big as Chichester and triple that if you could the whole conurbation!

Ha TLR we probably are neighbours. I live just off newfield lane myself.

Are you the 60 year old black lady, or the 80 year old white lady?

I grew up near Petersfield, so not too far from chichester, now live near Matlock, not far from Sheffield. Sheffield wins hands down for me. surrounding area is stunning. City is pretty vibrant. no comparison riding wise.

"Waves at pook and tlr and superficial from Fulwood"

I'm one of those who came here for uni (in 1988) and never left.
Sheffield is perfect for me.
Only down side is distance from the coast.

Those crime stats look Mickey mouse to me. Are they absolute values or relative to population size etc... I can't see anything on the website. Also.. within a 1 mile radius of the centre... Just by default of the relative sizes, they are very different compositio within one mile of the centre. Looks like a crap comparison site! Maybe it works bettter for towns/cities of similar sizes..? Even then different places are made up differently.

Sheff's ace - vibrant city, great music scene, beautiful countryside on it's doorstep, 2 big footy clubs currently failing to realise their potential. Loads of nice suburbs, towns and villages nearby if you don't want to live in the city

I moved to Sheffield to study in 2002 and have stayed (well I'm now just south of Sheffield).

As others have said, Sheffield is really a collection of villages (some pretty grim, others really very nice indeed). It lacks the infrastructure and commerce of places like Leeds and Manchester which can be seen as a good or a bad thing. I love being so close to the peaks but do feel quite constrained by the lack of work opportunities in my particular area of IT dullness. Having said that, Manchester is just about commutable by car from the west of the city (the nice bit) and from the centre by train.
Re riding Sheffield offers the below all within 30 mins of most of the city and as others have said you can ride out of some areas straight into the Peak(s)

Dark Peak
White Peak
Wharncliff downhill
Grenoside downhill light
Parkwood springs
Lady cannings plantation
Endless roady-ing into the peaks

No experience of Chichester but it don't seem lumpy enough for biking down that way imo 🙂

Docrobster - I'm Fulwood too! I'll shout hello out the front door.

Did you hear me?

^^ you two please stop bromancing about Fulwood!

We lived and got married there but then had to move to the relative ghettos to buy our first house..

Still miss fulwood 🙁 #jealousy

Ah, I too once lived in the professorial belt (Hangingwater Road).

Hillsborough now. It's handier for Greno though 😀

I think it's called the Professorial Quarter now. We've got about 17 quarters.

"Edit: in fact where are all of you? Sounds like we're all neighbours"

Hathersage here. I used to live in Brighton, worked in Chichester for a while and did jury service there.

Sheffield. No contest, for all the reasons mentioned above.

"Edit: in fact where are all of you? Sounds like we're all neighbours"

Should go without saying, but Grenoside. 😉

Crime: They didn't make Four Lions in Chichester 😉

I love the Peak District and Lakes are only 1.5hrs ? Whichever you chose OP the outdoor life will be wonderful

In answer to the OP, Sheffield by a country mile. The best place I have ever lived, so much going for it, though it is often seen as a poor relation to Leeds and Manchester (though I don't entirely agree with that TBH).

"Edit: in fact where are all of you? Sounds like we're all neighbours"

Until last week I was in Hathersage, have just moved to Totley, right up from the Fleur de Lys pub. If there are any locals who ride up on Totley Moor drop me a line as I don't know the trails round there that well and don't have many people to ride with this side of town at the moment.

i grew up just over the other side of chichester harbour from chichester so know the area very well, its a lovely part of the world.

the south downs are simply stunning, i still miss not having them to mountainbike in, and the coast itself wonderfully varied from open sand beaches to hidden tidal creeks. the sailing is amazing in chichester harbour.

beyond that london is a short drive as is brighton and of course portsmouth if you want the channel ferries is 30mins away. so as a base to live it has a lot going for it.

i'd move back.

Crime: They didn't make Four Lions in Chichester

In Four Lions they don't commit any crimes in Sheffield 😉

In the late 90s I thought Sheffield was a dump but a lot of money has been spent on it since and it now looks pretty modern and appealing. It's my 'go to' drinking place, some great bars, loads to do

I live in Millhouses, not far from the park, ride to work through Eccleshall Woods, limb valley (or houndkirk and blacka if I leave a bit earlier) the SW corner of Sheffield is certainly not a ghetto. There are plenty of good schools, house prices are way less than 'the south' although not the crazy bargains of 10 years ago.

I like it here a lot and short of being able to live in the highlands/Pyrenees/Tenerife and not work I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

As everyone has been so helpful on here so far and it looks as though I am a step closer to moving I now have the decision, where in Sheffield is good to live and where to avoid? Outskirts or neighbouring villages would also be good. I know Whitwell a little and Worksop a long long time ago. We are hoping for quiet and friendly rather than night life. Outdoors rather than inside.

Good luck with your choice. Yesterday I was digging out some routes a fellow STWer sent me starting in Chichester. Noticed how close the airfield and circuit are, Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival 🙂

What's your budget and house size requirement?

Ecclesall, Dore, Whirlow, Fulwood and Lodgemoor areas are all very nice and right on the edge of the Peak, but are at the higher end price wise. Basically the western parts of S17, 11, 10.

The obvious villages in Hope Valley are expensive, and I'd rather live on the edge of Sheffield personally.

The villages between Sheffield and Chesterfield always look nice, but I don't know much about living there.

We are looking to rent a 2-bed house with garden. We have a 9 year old who will be going into year 6 in September so that is a priority. Budget would be cheap and cheerful if we can. It's been a long time since we have lived in the UK so would rather not commit too much to one house straight away. My wife and I have agreed on Sheffield over Chichester so far which is good. The area would also depend on work availability for my wife, which is why we are trying to see which areas could be suitably so we can narrow her job search down.
Thanks for the help tlr.

When we moved into the Sheffield area last year, we were looking at rental houses and were shocked by the rental prices in the Western side (nice areas) of Sheffield. In the end we rented in Penistone, which is to the North of Sheffield. Rent was much more reasonable and it has excellent access to the countryside (and trans pennine trail), shops and excellent schools. It also has a train station- sheffield is 40 mins, barnsley 15 mins and huddersfield 30 mins which gives alot of choice for where your wife could work. We found it an excellent place to rent while we sussed out out the area and where we wanted to buy.

Cheap and cheerful: Walkley (slightly less cheap, but cheaper than nicest areas), Hillsborough (more cheap, not the nicest but fine - I live there - and very handy for city centre).

Woodseats is cheaper than some bits but still nice, with its own shopping centre. Quick access to the Peak via hutcliffe/ecclesall/abbeydale woods and Beauchief abbey grounds. Not as quick as dore / lodge moor/whirlow etc but prices more sensible.

Part of me likes the idea of moving to somewhere like the outskirts of Sheffield, or somewhere near Hebden Bridge, for those "closer to nature" and "escape the rat race" sort of ideals.

But having come to Southampton ~25 years ago from Wirral (and having lived in the likes of Prestwich; Dogellau; Shropshire), I'm not sure I could return "up North" to what I remember through rose tinted glasses as being much harsher winters and not so nice summers.

The irony for me is that I would have much better odds of owning my own home up there, while through a combination of crazy house prices down here and my own boring personal circumstances I'm not sure these days if I will ever get on the Southampton housing ladder.

And it's not as if there is no access to nature around here, with the likes of the New Forest <10 miles away, albeit these relatively small green zones in the concrete jungle are more tricky to get to without a car.