Forum menu
What's Lancaster like to live in?
I was a student there - always seemed completely dead in the summer as we were such a large part of the population. Great history, nice buildings, good pubs, and really handy for the Forest of Bowland (from the doorstep) or the Lakes are a short drive. On the west coast main line and close to the M6. The traffic through town on the A6 is a pain.
I find Lancaster to have a bit of a small town mentality. Although it's a big Uni town, the Uni campus is a few miles south and is quite self contained so the City doesn't have a "Uni Town" atmosphere at all. Decide for yourself if that's a good or bad thing!
Lots of nice little pubs/bars/bistros, but very much a "same old faces" sort of place.
Lived in Lancaster for about 8 years. It's a pretty nice place with decent pubs and a few nice restaurants, good grass-roots music scene, beautiful surroundings. But....
I kind of agree with what Shibboleth says. And there is literally no mountain biking from your front door in Lancaster. Great road riding but you have to drive to Farleton Knott (15 mins or so) or Staveley (half an hour ish) to go mountain biking. And it is very student-oriented (and a lot of the students aren't really into very good music!). Used to quite regularly hear groups of them singing rowdy rugger-bugger-esque songs about how their Uni house was the best. 🙄
Lots of worse places you could live though.
Nelson
Very large Asian population, large areas, particularly the town centre, very run down. Not a nice place in general. Outskirts OK (Halifax Road area to the South, Barrowford/Wheatley Lane/Fence/Higham to the North).
Bacup
Again, pretty run down, full of Goth-murdering psychopaths. Best feature is the road out of town. Plus Lee Quarry is in Bacup if you like that sort of thing.
Brierfield
See Nelson
Colne
Upmarket version of Nelson. Given the choice I'd rather live here, but there's not a lot in it. Colners are reknowned for being aggressive, tattooed tarmac-layers. And that's just the women.
Clitheroe
Nice, if a bit blue-rinse. Expensive property, residents fairly up themeselves. Consider if a die-hard Conservative voter.
Clayton Le Moors, Haslingden, Great Harwood.
Just no...
I would +1 the Cliviger, Worsthorne and Hurstwood areas of Burnley. It's close enough to the town to be convenient for shopping and services, but the upside is you're literally 5 minutes ride from all the Calderdale trails. Property tends to be a bit pricey but that's subjective, innit?
Burnley gets a bad rep, but bear in mind that it was voted the Most Enterprising Town in Britain lately and that must count for something. There's a LOT of development work going on at the moment and while the town has it's moments it's not all bad. Don't rule it out.
Ormskirk 😀
As a rule of thumb I tend to avoid any NW towns beginning with B.
Kendal too far?
You'll not be going to many footy matches in the Championship this season then? 😉
They're all grim - and I grew up on the outskirts of one of them.
Besides - the mighty saints are doing so well this year, I might buy a mid term ticket for Mcdiarmid Park!
And there is literally no mountain biking from your front door in Lancaster.
Caton Moor & the north Lancs bridleway.
I worked in Haslingden for a couple of years. the banks are closed on wednesdays. well, everything is closed on wednesdays...
I went to a cash machine one day (there aren't that many of them), woman in front of me had no idea how to use it. she wasn't that old either
I never moved to get closer to work, despite the 40+ mile each way commute...
It's close enough to the town to be convenient for shopping and services,
Burnley gets a bad rep,
Presumably because it's Burnley, land of Benedictine and the BNP?
(Says the man who lives in Rochdale, where the town centre is so bad even McDonalds shut up shop after 28 years)
Some Parts of Chorley are ok , Eccleston for instance is good enough for Bradley Wiggins
Heapey , Rivington , Horwich are all close to M61/M6/M65 but still in the countryside
30mins by train into Manchester
If you ride MTB then you have healey nab and rivington on your doorstep
No one has mentioned Leigh yet. I can't imagine why.
Leigh.
Well I teach round there and I asked one of my Students had he ever been there before. His reply was " who the **** would come here voluntarily ?
Most places around that area have suffered long term since the mills and pits shut with little investment apart from new retail parks and new houses with little in the way of new infrastructure.
I live not far from Leigh, and have all my life and my area is now heavily congested, full of commuters into Manchester and Drug Dealers.
Have a look at Summerseat, just between Bury and Rammie, nice village and close to good cycling and good access to M66.
Have a look at Wilpshire where I live, just north of Blackburn. It's between the Blackburn ring road and the A59 so access to the rest of the country is excellent in all directions. Langho is included in that.
Also have a look at the area around Houghton, which is very close to the M56.
Worst access by car has to be Wigan, a nightmare to get to. From the east anyway.