Contemplating a move Oop North…

Jamby, you can be at checkin for a load of decent international airports reasonably quickly. In other news we have stuff north of watford

It’s not even worth factoring in if you barely travel, if you travel every few weeks maybe. No matter what your friends do.

I live in rural Northumberland and can reach 2 airports very easily with no overnight stay, I’ve driven to Manchester and Liverpool too with ease to and from a holiday.

My wild guess Molgrips is that is why he asking where to move in the North with good riding and that he doesn’t want to live in Wales.

I didn’t mean Wales specifically, I was paraphrasing the earlier poster re Scotland.

Lordy you lot, I’ve got tons of staring at the map to do now! Brilliant!

To clarify: I drive a big yellow taxi for the NHS, mostly scooping the vomit-covered Public off the pavements on weekend nights, and getting spat at by demented 102 year olds the rest of the time it seems (or maybe I’ve just had a bad week?). Thusly, where there’s humanity, there’s work.

Secondly, no kids to worry about. I’m gone 40 and still waiting to grow up myself. I just can’t get over how much sprog-raising costs compared to nice biking adventures in nice places.

Thirdly – and brace yourselves – I’m so southern I was born in Africa. But Ms Cheekysprocket is Midlands born and bred, so I figure it all balances out sort of. And being a wage-slave to the NHS (God bless her and all who sail in her), has got to count for something, ja?!

Sheffield’s rubbish. Don’t move here

To clarify: I drive a big yellow taxi for the NHS, mostly scooping the vomit-covered Public off the pavements on weekend nights, and getting spat at by demented 102 year olds the rest of the time it seems (or maybe I’ve just had a bad week?). Thusly, where there’s humanity, there’s work.

Yorkshire it is then as they pay band 6 for Paramedics or come to Northumberland where like elsewhere it’s short of Paramedics.

I had the choice of anywhere due to being self-employed with foreign clients and chose here – Bollington

If you ignore the rain (which I can’t obviously – you’ve got to have something to moan about) it fits just about everything else.

Commutable to Manchester.
Large town close by – Macclesfield.
Trails from the door, 1.5hr to Llandegla. 50mins to Delamere. 20mins to main Peak District centres of Castleton and Hope. Josh Bryclend up the road. 2hr to the Lakes.
Great schools.
30min to Manchester Airport.
Great local community.

For cheaper, I’d consider New Mills, Whaley Bridge or Chapel-en-le-frith.
For dearer, I’d consider Poynton, Disley
If you’re a premier league footballer, then Prestbury.

Only downside is that due to boundaries, we’re pretty much stuck with a tory MP 🙂

Yorkshire (not Leeds) for the win.

Having grown up in North Manchester I am biased but you can get to the Lakes, North Wales and the Dales in good time – easy day trips; not to mention the local stuff (I include trips to the dark side that is West Yorkshire 😉 ) . Downside getting to the Peak though is a pain in the **** arse and I’d rather go north. I’m near enough to the city but can ride out of my door to Cragg and Lee Quarrys.

Sheffield is a great city and the doorstep riding is faultless

Hey Drac, that’s why Yorkshire is particularly high on the list. Yorkshire Ambulance Service also just gave a colleague of mine an £8K golden hello for moving up to Leeds. Mind you, he’s on permanent relief and had his flat broken into within a week of moving. Ulp.

North Yorks Moors?

Plenty of humanity about, calling Middlesborough civilisation is a stretch, but plenty of nice places to live thereabouts like Great Ayton, Guisborough, Saltburn, Whitby. Fantastic riding all arround the local area, everything from techy steep singletrack in Guisborough woods to 100 mile moorland epics. North wales and Scotland are accessible for a weekend and the Lakes are doable in a daytrip.

Many are paying subsury to attract people, some areas will put you on relief but area where they are really short and have problems attracting people may offer you a position. More remote stations helps if you move near by.

Geographical locations are available in:

North of Northumberland on the Scottish Borders in the picturesque market town of Berwick Upon Tweed.
Central Division in the cultural city of Durham and surrounding areas.
South Division in the vibrant city of Middlesborough, and coastal areas of Hartlepool and Redcar and many more.
Are you looking for a new adventure? Why not consider the North East as your new home, we are offering:

A relocation package of up to £8,000 (subject to terms and conditions)

I wouldn’t go any further north than Devon.

South Division in the vibrant city of Middlesborough, and coastal areas of Hartlepool and Redcar and many more.
Are you looking for a new adventure?

Not sure how much Redcar has changed since I last had to go there but it was certainly an adventure 😉
North Northumberland is great but can be a bit local at times

Haven’t been for a long time but that about sums Redcar up.

I wouldn’t go any further north than Devon

Quantocks maybe, but yeah, this ^^^^^

I grew up in Manchester and have recently moved down south…very far down south to New Zealand.

I live in the Wharfe Valley just north of Leeds. For us it’s pretty much ideal. I work in Harrogate – 25min and MrsJ north Leed 35min. Riding wise there’s some limited but fun stuff on out doorstep – Otley Chevin, Baildon Moor, Ilkley Moor. 30-40min takes us to the Dales proper, similar to Calderdale, 90min to the Lakes. Can even manage Llandegla in a reasonable day trip at the weekend. And despite being in a pleasant town on the edge of the countryside I can be in central Leeds in 20min by train.
Not sure where a paramedic would be based but as a fellow NHS worker it’s pretty convenient for many of the Yorkshire hospitals.

There’s 62 station locations across Yorkshire so covers a wide patch.

http://www.yas.nhs.uk/TalktoUs/premises_map.pdf

Hmmmmm, think it’s going to be a busy ten days on the road scoping this whole lot out… 😯

Maybe have a look around Halifax / Hudderfield way, if Yorkshire is a priority.

Always thought they were in a good spot between the riding in Calderdale and the Peaks.

I can recommend South West Sheffield (Totley area). Just sold our house to someone making the same move as you’re thinking of. We settled here over 20 years ago after living in various areas of England. Originally moved up to the Peak District, but got sick of tourists, planning restrictions, parking problems and winter commute into Sheffield. Totley is just over the National Park boundary and there’s great riding from the doorstep – and there’s quite a mtb biking ‘community/scene’ in Sheffield if you’re into that sort of s***;)
If you want to get involved with hands on trail maintenance, there’s a popular group (Ride Sheffield) that do stuff. The weather here isn’t quite as wet as places that are properly in the Pennines… or Tweed Valley.

Good luck!

+ 1 for Bollington – Macclesfield area. I live just over the hill in the overpriced shiny bit… but spend a lot of time around Macclesfield – on school run and general taxi service …

Also has very regular fast train to London – about an hour 50 mins I think.

Good access to pretty much everywhere from East Cheshire. Its not really up north – its kinda like the north Midlands.

Macc Forest, Wales, Cannock, Peaks, Lakes, Delamere – it’s got it going on.

You’ll have a great time as a Paramedic on Teesside.

The MTB and Road riding is shit though don’t bother.

Personally I’d look at Wales, South West of England and the Scottish borders / central belt.

Manchester IMO is just horrid, Leeds is a bit better but not much. Then the satellite towns are some of the most depressing places I’ve ever visited. If houses are cheap in an area, then there is usually a good reason why!

North Yorks Moors?

Or try the Southern end of the Moors. I live 20 minutes by bike from Dalby, York and leeds 30-60 minutes away if you need the shopping/city. YAS will be happy to have you.

Manchester IMO is just horrid, Leeds is a bit better but not much. Then the satellite towns are some of the most depressing places I’ve ever visited.

The actual north is much nicer, there is a hell of a lot between the M62 belt and Scotland. Much of it worth a look, well apart from Yorkshire and probably Lancashire too

. . Then the satellite towns are some of the most depressing places I’ve ever visited

Well there are some interesting places, and to be honest I have lived or worked in quite a few….the north has some serious pockets of deprivation, 3 wards in Blackpool are in the top 10 most deprived areas in the country, add in some of the old mill towns in Lancashire and Yorkshire and it can seem bleak or Grimm….but then down south has some of the most depressing places I can think of….city of Westminster, bgnof Regis, Yarmouth, yeovil, Islington, shoreditch,.

The northern towns have and will suffer from a multitude of issues including the effects of ‘ austerity’, globalisation and a lack of sustained investments outside Manchester.

Rural communities are getting hammered as well, lack of services and transport But there are lots of fabulous places up north, and when we move into a independent north and Scotland things will be much better

and a lack of sustained investments outside Manchester.

You do know Manchester is just about North Midlands don’t you 😉 kind of where the north starts, like a warm up act for the main attractions

Manchester is practically the Isle of Wight.

Right I gave this a bit of thought over the weekend. I reckon the absolute priority has to be to go to a place where you can get good rides from your doorstep. Outside of the SE, E Anglia, maybe E Mids, most places will be within 90min drive of somewhere decent to ride. these places give you the great all dayers you do on your day off/weekend.

However if you work and have a family most of your riding is likely to be in windows of 1 to 4 hours or so. You don’t want to be in the car for a chunk of this time. you simply want to hop on the bike and pedal off. So the quantity and quality of these doorstep trails are critical. They will dominate your mid week riding and probably your winter riding as well.

I’d seriously think about this, and then ask this forum for ideas from particular locations. Moving just a few miles down the road can have a major impact on how accessible some routes are.

I reckon I have 3 very distinct routes I can take from my house for shortish rides. 2 of these have several and substantial variation options, giving me at least 7 or 8 possible routes. This keeps me going over the winter and mid week as I never have to do a route more than once a fortnight.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service also just gave a colleague of mine an £8K golden hello for moving up to Leeds.

Eh…my OH has just got a YAS paramedic job for later in the summer and certainly hasn’t been given this!

Though they do give you 3 pairs of trousers and the band 6 Drac mentioned (some point when then sort out the flipping paperwork!).

1 – We’re looking for reasonably close proximity to Wales, the Lakes and Scotchland
2 – … good map-and-sandwiches-all-dayer trails from the front door… preferably
3 – Trail centres within a few hours’ drive would be a bonus.

Breaking down your requirements – 1 and 3 sound pretty similar and 1, 2 and 3 just mean you need to live somewhere hilly (with reasonable access)

You probably need more requirements to be able to narrow down over 100 square miles of options

Public transport, proximity to shops or amenities, house types/prices, commuting time to certain areas, type of area, hamlet/village/town/city

Or you could just look for a house you REALLY like

I live north of Bolton. place called Horwich its not the greatest in the world but I like it, its got a few goodish restaurants.

I can ride straight out of my back door onto the west pennies its superb!

Id consider north preston as well

Horwich?!?!?!!?!!!

Yep horwich been here 10 or so years. Grew up in formby.

It’s not a bad place to live. I’m the rivington end so there

Though they do give you 3 pairs of trousers and the band 6 Drac mentioned

3 pairs of trousers? I’ve heard tales of such luxuries but I thought it was all a myth.

Without wanting to dampen the north of england love-in, this winter it rained pretty much non-stop for about 100 days (not joking). Anyway, when it doesn’t rain, here in Calderdale there is about 100km of trails and you barely need to leave the valley. And if you make somewhere near Manc your base, you get to come out on the infamous Monday Night Pub Rides.