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[Closed] Where to live in the North West????

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Yup. 🙂
It's great.
No litter, decent shops, friendly people, loads of green spaces,

We had no intention of moving here until we actually visited and looked around.

It's nice. I find it much friendlier than Tod (where I lived for 20 years) and Hebden. Better for shopping, still has amazing riding and the level of investment is insane.

Good rail links, easy access to the Lakes, North Yorks, Calderdale etc.

I love the Rossendale Valley too, looked all over the place, but I'm glad we moved here.
We're at the back of Towneley Park. Very quiet, nice views, good neighbours and not too expensive.

Great town.


 
Posted : 12/08/2020 9:01 pm
 grum
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Admittedly it's been a while but I've worked in Burnley quite a bit. It's always seemed quite run down and racist to me but maybe that's what you're into 😛


 
Posted : 12/08/2020 9:09 pm
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It's much less racist than Waterfoot, Bacup, Stacksteads etc.
We have Asian relatives and were warned off those areas.
No more rascist than Tod, Haslingden, Rawtenstall or Accrington and much nicer than Hebden, which despite the facade has major issues with alcohol, drugs and crime far out of proportion to it's population.

Rawtenstall is lovely, certainly compared to Haslingden and parking in Crawshaw Booth is a nightmare.

As to run down, the level of investment is just unreal.
Come for a brew, we'll give you the guided tour. 🙂


 
Posted : 12/08/2020 9:20 pm
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Got to admit ive aiways had a soft spot for Burnley, worked there for 4 years, live overvthe hill, somehow its a lot nicer than the other mill towns. Really has had a lot of investment as well.

What's wrong with the Bacup / Tod road, it's a bit of a climb on a bike but the downs and views are great. Anyway my house is at the same height, we really do get different weather from the valley bottoms.

It's a bit scary how many of us live within 20 miles off each other, kids go to the same schools etc.


 
Posted : 12/08/2020 9:35 pm
 grum
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Rusty would love a brew but I'm not in the area any more. My view may have been skewed by working in rough areas and with young offenders etc. I do know some Bangladeshi guys there and they still haven't forgotten BNP councillors getting elected in the area though.


 
Posted : 12/08/2020 9:41 pm
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Norden near Rochdale looks nice and less than 30mins from haslingden albeit over owd betts which can be tricky in winter

Personally I would avoid living anywhere that meant I needed to use the M6 or M60/M62 , car parks at rush hour


 
Posted : 12/08/2020 10:19 pm
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Burnley is actually a lovely place to live.

There's some nice bits of Burnley.

There's some very very not nice bits of Burnley.

I'm in the process of moving to Padiham which is technically Burnley. I've bought a 5-bed house for 160k, so with the OP's budget they could get a 9-bedroomer... (-:


 
Posted : 12/08/2020 10:22 pm
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Helmshore / Ramsbottom side of the valley has a good cycle path link to Haslingden, the other side of the valley (Rawtenstall onwards) doesnt.

My favourite places in the Valley having lived here all my life and been to Haslingden primary and high school are:

Lumb Village / Irwell Vale (but it floods)
Helmshore
Bits of Ramsbottom
Bits of Rawtenstall


 
Posted : 12/08/2020 10:36 pm
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I live in Rammy and am almost physically repulsed by commuting 🙂 so I'd suggest trying to live close by work.

I would second RNP's list as a starting point.

You could also look at some smaller places in the area like Stubbins, Edenfield, Chatterton.

I wouldn't look along the valley bottom through Waterfoot, Backup, Stacksteads, etc. Possibly showing my ignorance (mostly only ever drive/ride through) but they don't fill me with joy.

I also wouldn't look so far as Tod, lovely as I'm sure it is: just too much of a commute for me.


 
Posted : 13/08/2020 9:24 am
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Burnley? Beware muslamic rayguns


 
Posted : 13/08/2020 9:41 am
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Chorley - well the W's and the B's anyway...Withnell, Wheelton, Whittle-Le-Woods, Brindle & Brinscall

I moved up here about 12 years ago - biking, hiking, transport links, services, close to the Lakes, Dales, Manchester & Liverpool - ticks all the boxes for us and feels very much like home


 
Posted : 13/08/2020 9:53 am
 nbt
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much nicer than Hebden, which despite the facade has major issues with alcohol, drugs and crime far out of proportion to it’s population.

Happy Valley was a documentary, y'know, not a drama


 
Posted : 13/08/2020 10:09 am
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🙂

I know.

This is a documentary:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PBsURhlQbEo

As a care worker in the valley for many years, it's an accurate description.
Try and see the whole thing if you can.

Despite being brought up in Moston and living in some of the most deprived areas in north Manchester (classed as the most deprived area in northern Europe in the 80's) the only two places where I've been attacked on the street are Hebden and Tod.

Just sayin.


 
Posted : 13/08/2020 11:11 am
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Hoping around the 300k mark if we can get what we want for ours. In an ideal world detached house or bungalow with 2+ bedrooms with a nice driveway and garage.

For 300k you will get what you want in pretty much any area that's been suggested. For reference our 3 bed detached house in Skipton, with garage, carport and drive is worth around 220k. Cross the border in to Lancashire and things tend to get significantly cheaper.


 
Posted : 13/08/2020 12:50 pm
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For reference our 3 bed detached house in Skipton, with garage, carport and drive is worth around 220k

Probably more, some kind of bidding war appears to be breaking out for the 3 bed semi next to us. I think a lot of people are trying to move to greener pastures at the moment.


 
Posted : 13/08/2020 5:19 pm
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Yeah, I reckon so but for some reason estate agents tend to value them for less than very similar sized semi's down the road? defo seems a very active market atm.


 
Posted : 13/08/2020 9:44 pm
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Thanks to everyone and their suggestions. We have spent today having a drive around and are stopping over tonight. We love Rawstenstall, Ramsbottom and Clitheroe, so are hoping when its time to seriously look for a house there are some in our price range avaliable, as some get snapped up so quick. So if anyone is thinking of selling up in a few months let us know 🙂


 
Posted : 27/08/2020 10:28 pm
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Great stuff! Look us up for Monday Night Pub Rides when you’re settled in the area


 
Posted : 27/08/2020 11:14 pm
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Pah come to Costa del horwich n buy my house.

Glad you've had a look n like the area


 
Posted : 27/08/2020 11:49 pm
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Currently in Plockton, it's very nice. Long commute though....


 
Posted : 28/08/2020 11:17 am
 nbt
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Hang on - living in plockton and moving to NW? and duncancallum is living in NW and moving to scotland?

HOUSE SWAP!!!!


 
Posted : 28/08/2020 2:45 pm
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Anyone any views on Bacup and Weir?
Other half has just found a house and from looking on Google thinks the area looks really nice


 
Posted : 28/08/2020 7:34 pm
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I’m in the process of moving to Padiham which is technically Burnley. I’ve bought a 5-bed house for 160k, so with the OP’s budget they could get a 9-bedroomer… (-:

You bought Gawthorpe Hall?


 
Posted : 28/08/2020 7:44 pm
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You could add Reed / Simonstone direct route over to Hyndburn...


 
Posted : 28/08/2020 7:46 pm
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Weir is great if you like wild countryside and proper weather. I do, been here 20 years, great riding, good access to other places, got a nice little quirky bar in the village. Feels lije a proper village, bit of community over the last few years. Bacup is getting slowly better but pretty rough in places. More restaurants opening, street food cafe seems to doing ok, Morrisons improved the town a lot and Aldi are due in next regenerating an old mill site. Even got a tool station recently. Personally I wouldn't live in Bacup proper but on the outskirts it's not bad (and house prices are better tganvtge Rawtenstall end of the valley).

Where's the house?


 
Posted : 28/08/2020 9:47 pm
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Thanks stumpyjon nice to get a view from someone who lives there. Its on Burnley Road. It probably won't be avalible when we are in a position to buy but the price seemed to reasonable and not somewhere which had come up on our radar before.


 
Posted : 29/08/2020 10:22 am
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Burnley road is ok, can be a bit busy, and some idiots do speed down it, it's a bit of a commuter route, as long as it has off road parking you'll be ok. It's not near Northern primary school is it, parents park all up the road morning and evening, often blocking drives, if you're out then, before 8:15 and after 4pm it's ok. At least Burnley road is gritted and stays open through out the year. Used to be lots of houses for sale in Weir but the market has calmed down a bit, maybe different when Brexit/Covid recession hits proper.

I like Weir, no plans to move, you get a lot of house for your money.


 
Posted : 29/08/2020 3:09 pm
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I quite like Todmorden, and would probably be looking in that direction.


 
Posted : 29/08/2020 6:46 pm
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We took a ride up to Weir yesterday and see what you mean about being in wild countryside. My partner loved it but probably a few to many wind turbines for me, you definitely have some cracking scenery.
We took a ride back out towards clitheroe and came across Sabden which we both fell in love with. Not sure how the village fairs when it rains and snows? It doesn't seem to have to many affordable detached houses, so can imagine it must be a sought after area.


 
Posted : 05/09/2020 9:47 pm
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Hi, I live in sawley but have a soft spot for sabden cos I love Pendle hill. MTB riding from the door has sabden woods which are very steep n tech. I mean v v steep, champery is flat in comparison. There's a few nice loops up Pendle hill way, fell running and walking is lovely.

I'm not sure about the primary school and the isolation for kids and you might have to get your head round driving over the nick o Pendle all the time for clitheroe and shops etc

The Wikipedia page for sabden says it's 2 degrees colder than clitheroe etc which I can't decide if it's a troll fake entry or not?

I drive through sabden all the time as my parents live in Fence, in winter I've not experienced impassable snow or ice and I don't recall flooding on the scale of the Ribble flooding on the other side of the valley, due to its proximity to Pendle you get rain run off but thats all. Nothing that would put me off, and I'd verify that wiki entry about the temp

Id move to sabden cos I love the setting and love Pendle hill but with young kids I'd check the school and with older kids have a think about ferrying them back and forth to clitheroe


 
Posted : 05/09/2020 10:42 pm
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..is your girl starting at primary? Our boy is just starting at primary on the other side of the Ribble so we've been immersed in weighing up the best option for him and he got into his first choice, he ll then probably go into Bowland high, although a lot can change in 5 years

In sabden, the primary will obviously be very convenient and is Ofsted good. The other school options would probably be in whalley or clitheroe. Whalley ones are massively oversubscribed I believe cos of the building development explosion. In clitheroe, there's a Catholic primary in the centre that is highly rated with a brilliant new head. I can get the name and other gossip off the wife if you go down this route 🙂

High schools, there's 3 local. 2 outstanding, one good


 
Posted : 05/09/2020 11:02 pm
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...in terms of commute to Haslingden from sabden. You're driving over the hill to simonstone and then hardly any traffic to cross over m65. It might get a bit busy as you get into Haslingden on the a56 but I think you ll be there in 30mins, even at peak. If it's icy or snowy then you can go via whalley so not a prob


 
Posted : 05/09/2020 11:21 pm
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Thanks fingerbang much appreciated. Our daughter will be starting primary next September. To be honest its worrying me as chances of finding a house and moving up your way before the Jan deadline for school applications is probably pretty slim. We have never sold a house before and brought a new build last time so its all very daunting especially with covid to add to the mix too and potentially me having to find a new job too, its all fun!


 
Posted : 06/09/2020 9:27 am
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Ooo North of the M65, that's posh. Don't think Sabden suffers too badly from, snow, commuted through it for 7 years, only remember once sliding down the hill in a 4 x 4. It gets a little flooding, remember water and debris across the main cross roads by the school a couple of times, water running through rather than standing floods. I can believe the temp thing. Mind you Slither of is sea level and gets very little snow.

I get what you mean about the turbines in Weir but you get used to them, they become part of home. I like to think we're taking one for the team doing our bit for green energy. The irony is they are built on an ex industrial landscape, used to be a lot of coal mines so somehow it's a bit poetic the hills that helped cause climate change are now helping to slow it down again.

The power lines are what I dislike, I'd have have another 10 turbines if they would take the power lines down. But again you get used to them, good for weather forecasting as well, they crackle when it's about to rain!


 
Posted : 06/09/2020 9:51 am
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I live on the Edge of Saddleworth and can be In Haslingdon with in 30 minutes. I know if it was me id be looking at Edenfield Rammy or Helmshore, there is very little else in the Valley id look at sorry, I spent years working there and in Accy and Burnley Clitheroe,its not a place id want to live


 
Posted : 06/09/2020 11:38 am
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