If you could live anywhere in Cumbria….

Where?

I have kinda fallen out of love with Cumbria over the last 6 years and long to be back in Stirling or further north/north-west/islands. This isn’t an option so I am casting the net over the county and immediate surroundings one last time before taking an extreme option.

Throw me some suggestions – where is worth going for community, schools, riding and general lifestyle.

i would live in threlkeld/keswick/braithwaite.
easy in and out of the lake there, ideal for motorway.

Grew up in Ulverston although I haven’t lived in Cumbria since the 90s. If I were to move back, I’d think about Kendal or Stavely as Oostun seems to be getting progressively wankier.

Oh you poor thing!
Do a swapsies with me…I get Cumbria, you get……………………..Leicestershire 😉

lol – no chance, I moved far enough south by accident last time!

Bob, I agree entirely – the town is going downhill, it seems that there is a core population trying to turn it into Grange-Over-Sands mk II at the moment, but with a hint of Workington and Barrow to add a little spice!

Stavely is the dream… suspect that the finances are going to put the brakes on that one though! I am currently gazing at maps, and looking at where there are trails to give a starting point!

OP

Your photos make me want to head down there most weekends. 🙂
What would Penrith be like as a place ?
I only know it as a tourist,but it seems to be good location.

Keswick, very frequent visitor not sure of schools children grown up.Riding great all around area.The town, people , businesses very amiable and accommodating . Would really be happy living there. Landscape surroundings are stunning its a great location for outdoor activities sports etc. Can’t comment on employment available someone else may have a comment.

Oostun seems to be getting progressively wankier.

Where is Oostun?

Capt. – are you sure you can’t be tempted?
Leicestershire is very under-rated donchya know 😉

The dream is that one day we’ll live in the Lake District though I doubt it will be for a good while yet.
Staveley is a nice place…a bike shop/a place that sells amazing pies…and some tidy trails not too far away too…what’s not too like? 😀

I was looking around Penrith – well, more out towards Appleby/Kirkby Stephen direction as there is a lot more for the cash out that way. I am not sure I would convince the other half that it was a good way to go though. Not sure on the trails situation, but other areas of life are pretty decent.

It has a pretty good leisure center too.

Ullverston is great because its not as chocolate box perfect as a lot of Cumbria – great beer too.

Staveley has really good community thing going but living near Wheelbase, Brewery and the Eagle could the ruination of you!

Or leftfield suggestion Cleator Moor or Frizington because cycling up through Ennerdale to Black Sail is stunning. You could never get bored there.

Ooston, or Ulverston as it is also known, it in the South West of the county… almost in Barrow-in-Furness infact, which is probably a large part of the problem!

Employment is not an issue as such, I am a mobile engineer so am all over the place, but it would be nice to be close to main routes, which is keeping me from getting too excited about places in the Duddon/Eskdale/Wasdale!

Oh in that case how about Shap?

PS Tebay is all sorts of weirdness!

Where are you now?

I really like Kendal.

Tomaso – I was finding that the pubs are getting worse to be honest. Good beer still I grant you, but The Swan is not what it was (saying that The Old Friends seems to be picking up, not that I have ventured the vast distance there in a while due to young children and no drinking buddies to drag me out!)

Found that the community side is a bit lacking unless you grew up here or are enough of a hippy to fit in with the lot down The Gill.

I think Ulverston has a split personality going on – a bit downbeat and Barrow-like on the one hand, and incredibly elitist on the other!

Alston is home for me

lol Tebay… it always rains there doesn’t it????

Lythe Valley

S of Grizedale

Silloth – golf?

Duddon Valley

Keswick area – or move back to Stirling…

Staveley is a good shout not many cheap properties with decent bike storage, trust me I have looked ! they have a good postie though 🙂
Cannot fault Kendal but needs some decent pubs in the town plenty of good ones on the outskirts.You can get to Staveley off road from Kendal most of it cheeky mind!

I always enjoy Keswick but visit fairly infrequently.
I’ve always thought the traffic/parking in the summer would really piss me off if I lived there though.

Tourists are a very real issue Rascal. It is one of the main reasons I have (more or less) ruled out the central Lakes. Which is a shame, as that would be a handy area for work!

75% of my work is in the National Park, at a guess. The rest is spread between Cheshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire and most of Scotland!

Did you not put up the same post 9 months ago 🙂

Here.

Cockermouth, all the plus points of Keswick but without all the stupid tourists. Easy access to good riding, good beer and the rest. It’s where I’d move back to.

The Old Friends seems to be picking up

Well it’s had long enough! I cut my drinking teeth there, clubbing together to buy a couple of pints of fosters (topped up from the drip tray), then refilling them from cans of special brew under the table. Grim…

I dunno, I lived down the ‘pot and you could more or less ignore the NIMBYs up town, and could do so again quite happily (if I could afford to shop at Booths) as the town/location is perfect in many other ways.

Money no object, then Staveley or one of the villages around the edge of the Lakes, Penny Bridge, Bouth kinda places.

Yeah – was all set to go for a place in Catmel, but it was a bit dark, needed a “good” £50k spent on rennovation and just seemed too expensive in the end.

Since then we have been toying with jumping over the border again, but only just. Had a look a few weeks back and didn’t fall in love. To get to the good bits it is too far to commute. So kinda going back to it all again and having some hard conversations with ourselves about what it is we want!

The problem is everyone wants to live in Cumbria, so finding somewhere suitable that is also just about achievable financially is proving rather tricky.

Bouth… hmmm – that is a good call!

This property looks good live in half of it rent the other half out start a BnB or sell the other part!
I,m sort of tempted but would need to throw some cash at it!
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-29956440.html?premiumA=true

Yeah, I was looking at that the other day, I really must stop by and have a poke about to see if it would work on the outside space side of things. I need storage for work gear as well as mountain bikes/motorbikes!

I really like Staveley as a place, always seems to be stuff going on there, and I am not sure I could do Kendal now (other than the very fringe up around Serpentine Woods perhaps)

Have friends that live in Milburn which is between Penrith and Appleby.
It’s a village virtually on the slopes of Cross Fell. Had probably my most miserable ever bike ride up there a few years back…saw 2 people all day – it was the coldest and wettest I’ve ever been, it was blowing a gale, thick mist and slushy snow lying around. On the decent my front wheel kept going axle deep in hidden bogs – truly hideous ‘character-building’ experience.
Very pretty but sod all there though – no shop…not even a pub – outrageous!

Their parents live in Penrith – I’ve always quite liked Penrith….stayed/eaten and drunk there loads of times in years gone by. One or two of the boozers are apparently a bit tasty though – not in a good way either.
They have a Booths which is as good a reason to move there as I can think of 😉

I think Ulverston has a split personality going on – a bit downbeat and Barrow-like on the one hand, and incredibly elitist on the other!

In classic STW style – are you sure the problem isn’t you? 😉

Probably is 😉

I do work in sewage, people tend to keep away from the smell as much as anything!

You definitely need to be near the motorway with your work area. I live in Cockermouth and get sick of having to drive to Carlisle or Penrith to get on it, especially during work hours when you usually get stuck behind something. Tomaso’s leftfield suggestions made me laugh – unless you worked at Sellafield, I don’t think many would chose either of those unless you were from those parts (especially Frizington).

hmm just read Tomaso’s alternative guide, Cleator probably on some up and coming list….

Never found the Cockermouth to Penrith drive too bad but I was normally doing it at 7am or 7pm (and getting paid for it), up to Carlisle is a ball ache though thoug I assume they have finished the bypass now.

Nearer the motorway is a plus, even the A590 from Ulverston out gets old (about half an hour, usually twice a day).

That isn’t to say we won’t go further – Broughton-in-Furness is on the radar, just.

I can’t see me living in Frizzy or out the Wild West anyway! I work up that way enough 😉

Kendal or environs

I do the dreaded 590 every day – it’s a ball bag. But can’t convince the frau, that and it’s dearer.

I’d imagine Penrith is like Ulverston and then some, work there the odd day and it seems a bit errrr Ulverston-ey.

Things would be better if they would build that tunnel under the bay!

I suspect it will never happen though.

The Kendal area does make most sense in terms of work, and still fits in quite well with a few other factors, and if I happened to find £500k+ in a black bag it would be reasonably easy to find somewhere over that way 😉

assume they have finished the bypass now

Yes, they put the finishing touches to the 163rd roundabout recently I believe.
Dizzying……..

If you want fairly normal community, pubs, shops etc with fewer tourists – Cockermouth (Dearham/Broughton/Brigham sort of places are cheaper), Penrith (though not as much MTBing), Milnthorpe? or Brampton (if the geordie side of Carlisle is acceptable).
A left-field suggestion would be Lancaster (not Cumbria obviously) but Lakes/Dales access and cheaper.

Made the move to Cumbria almost 5 years ago. Best move ever! Did what we could to move into Windermere, before you all shout tourists, bloody tourists, we’re not too bothered by them due to living up on a hill! No getting away from it though, it’s way expensive. I’ve just valued a small one bedroom holiday cottage (600 sqft) in one of the other honey pot towns – £450,000 amd 3 people falling over themselves to buy it!

I’d happily live in Staveley – great village with a good scene going on. I’m also liking Ulverston too. Expecting values to start increasing soon due to impact of expansion programme at GSK. Investors are already moving in, buying the smaller rentals and HMO type properties.

What about Broughton?

Saw a property in Barrow the other day – £90,000, £5,000 to spend and would generate £35,000pa gross income.. No wonder these are being snapped up!

£90,000, £5,000 to spend and would generate £35,000pa gross income.. No wonder these are being snapped up!

Eh?? – How many bedrooms? Is it some sort of 16 room multi occupancy arrangement??