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there is always Garforth or Aberford ( North Leeds )
Great schools, 2 minutes drive to either A1 or link road to m62 and m1 30 mins drive into Leeds at rush hour and only 20 mins if not.
Train access on the main leeds York and machester lines and plenty of pubs
Nice high streets and a good mix of properties.
Just an idea oh and plenty of local riding both on and off road
West London? Therefore Hebden Bridge. It is the last outpost of the Northern Line.
Kendal
Excellent train links to London & Scotland
Virtually in the Lakes
On the M6 1hr 20 to MAN - or use the train from Oxenholme
Lovely place
Cumbrians on the whole are very friendly welcoming people , still respect each other . Many people come up this way for two year contracts and end up staying. The good lady might wonder why you ever spent 12 years in the smog!!!
Burley in Wharfedale fits the bill quite nicely for you I reckon. Not quite as expensive as Ilkley or Harrogate, but a bit nicer than Otley or Guiseley IMO. The issue with Ilkley Grammer has been resolved for now by the way.
I was brought up near Kendal and went to school at Kirkby Lonsdale & while it's a really nice area, the houses are at least as expensive as Ilkley & Harrogate and you really have to drive to Kendal, Lancaster & Penrith to get to the range of shops & facilities you can easily get around Leeds & Bradford. Convenient, it ain't 😉
Second interview next week.
Current shortlist in rough order. I think I'm set on NW of Leeds for ease of access to Dales and Leeds (have family in both also) Harrogate seems a bit out on a limb for this requirement.
Horsforth
Menston
Ilkley
Burley
Harrogate
FWIW, A65 traffic thru is Ilkley is a pain
Horsforth
Menston
Ilkley
Burley
Harrogate
Also may be worth looking at Rawdon, Bramhope (where I come from originally), Adel and Cookridge which are all close to Horsforth and Menston, and all have lots of nice properties.
Good shortlist that, if you find yourself a nice place and avoid a few areas then I don't think you could go too far wrong in any of them.
Adel & Bramhope are on the A660 Otley Road, which on the section that goes from Weetwood roundabout to town. i.e. studentville, is an even bigger pain than the A65 through Ilkley.
No trains out that way either.
But they are nice. Bramhope is also very convenient for the airport
I live in one of the 'villages' on the Ilkley train line.
A65 is busy - but then show me a road into or out of Leeds that isn't ! At least living the right side of Leeds towards the dales cuts out a lot of driving through suburbia when you do want to get away.
Schools are all good round the area - not sure why the downer on Guiseley schools - did you included Tranmere Park in that assessment? My knowledge suggests they are all 'good' and more than their fair share are 'excellent'.
Train service to Leeds/Bradford is by far and away the most convenient way to get to work but if you wanted to cycle there is the canal tow path down Airedale or off road routes via the Chevin/Golden Acre Park/Meanwood Valley.
You can see planes taking off from LBA from my garden - fortunately it's still a regional airport and long may it's development be stalled 🙂
But most importantly the local riding is excellent both on and off road.
Another vote for Menston here, i've got a place in the highroyds development n really enjoyed living over there. Lots of great biking around there too. It's got plenty of decent pubs, shops and is only 15 minutes into Leeds on the train.
Just got home, told the Mrs about the second interview. The shortlist appears to now be
Ilkley