Thinking of moving to Yorkshire in the next 12 months, specifically to the area listed above.

Am I insane or is a great place to live (countryside with large areas of urbanisation within reach for employment).

Any tips from locals on places to avoid or look at would be much appreciated.

Ta.

Similar thread about a couple of months ago. Are you with or without kids as that will make a difference to where you might want to be and what your main priorities are eg house cost, cycling or commuting to Leeds, Manchester etc. I live in guiseley and love it, but then again everyone loves where they live (I think!)

You won’t go wrong with Otley and I quite like Skipton.

Loads of riding in the area also.

Can’t stand Keighley though – just feels run down every time I drive through.

Living in Leeds/yorkshire

Stay away from Keighley and 99% of Bradford and you won’t go far wrong.

Don’t do it man, take you 10 years to learn the language.

No, its much quicker than that because people actually speak to each other up here rather than avert their eyes and ignore you like the south.

Stay away from Keighley, 99% of Bradford and 85% of Leeds and you won’t go far wrong.

To echo what wihernsea said first of all you need to decide which big city you need to be near to if at all. Then you can start seeing where you want to be. Skip ton has. The dales on the doorstep and less than an hrs drive to the lakes. Otley has great food and drink and is losing it’s clicky nature as that population gets replaced. A very strong road scene centred around chevin cycles and the amazing ilkley moor within riding distance. Keighley has never made the change from industrial town to a modern, regenerated place. I would look at bail don or shipley if that’s your price bracket.

No way, Leeds is much better than that. Loads of nice areas to the north, east and west. Shitty bits like Armley etc but its loads better than Bradford which is almost entirely the worst place I’ve ever been. I work there and never thought it could be as bad as people said it was. It is.

Thanks all, especially withersea for the link to the previous thread.

Was just a joke comment davyboy, would rather live ooop north than anywhere in the south of the UK. But, then again, wouldnt like in England for any price anymore.

+1 Baildon, I’ve been here since 98 and I’ll only be leaving to go to Vancouver

Also +1 avoid Keighley

Also, if work is south of Leeds/Bradford, as it is for me, the commute is a PITA

Isn’t the Kash Curry House in that part of the world?

As John says, you don’t want to be crossing Leeds/Bradford in a car at rush hour. Horrific. Good train services though into Leeds and Bradford.

I live in Skipton. Definitely worth checking out, excellent riding nearby. Otley OK too.

Keighley is a shitehole. Bits of Shipley/Baildon etc pretty similar.

Have a look at Steeton or Silsden for a nice wee village with excellent train links to Leeds.
If you need regular access to M62 or M1 then consider south leeds or areas such as Thorner and Bramham.

A lot depends on whether you have kids and where you work (or in what industry).

I live in a nice village in south east Leeds and for a working family its perfect. The commute from North Leeds or round Bradford on a morning and evening would have me like Michael Douglas in Falling Down.

Takes me 35 mins to get to my desk in Harrogate on a morning.

Best off living in Harrogate then 😉 I can walk to work in 30 mins 🙂

Wilsden & Harden are lovely

Yeah but in Harrogate I couldn’t turn the corner on a saturday afternoon without bumping into a work colleague. Plus by the end of month one living there you have been to every restaurant and activity worth doing. Good schools though, would love to have my two in St Aidens.
Much prefer a 10 minute train ride into the seething metropolis of Leeds.

What Mugboo said – ridings not too bad either.

Yes very good primary and secondary schools – we are very fortunate.

Naa, come to Boroughbridge, much more civilised & not far to the North York Moors or the Dales.

& miles from the dumphole of Leeds, (even though my Mrs works at LGI.)

Lived in Otley when I was a kid – seems a lot quieter now than it used to be. Aren’t there some good trails at Stainburn just outside Otley? Great pork pies too.

Yep stainburn is about five mins in the car, Gisburn less than an hour, Dalby 1.30, lakes and north Wales 2-3 hours. And plenty of other riding as well. Only thing it lacks in my opinion is being close to the sea, but we can’t have it all (sadly)

The Aire Valley is all OK except Keighley centre, as said. Baildon/Saltaire to Bingley are OK. Outskirts of Keighley are OK(Howarth,Oxenhope,Riddlesden). Silsden/Crosshills/Skipton are good.
Wharfedale- Otley/llkley/Addingham/Burley all very nice and expensive. Bradford council are very MTB positive, so the whole Aire valley is good for MTB. Bingley and Beckfoot Grammar are in the top 5 West Yorkshire schools, below Ilkley and Bradford Grammar.
Commuting south (into or thru Bradford/leeds) on a morning is major hell, but north, east or west are ok.

All the other stuff, Lakes, Dales, North Wales, Peak District, north yorks Moors, southern Scotland etc etc are all reasonably/very accessible.

As others have said, working out where you will be working and your commute will be key.

There is a reliable train service into Leeds and Bradford from anywhere from Shipley to Skipton. Having to drive in along that route wouldn’t be good. But the commute by bike along the canal to Leeds is good.

Otley has no train service. But an enormous number of pubs.

Comments on how expensive the area is depends on where you are coming from.

Naa, come to Boroughbridge a retirement village / webbed feet central

FTFY 😉

Another Baildon dweller here, fantastic riding from the door. BD postcodes are much cheaper than LS postcodes.

I don’t like North/North East Leeds, too much urban/city sprawl no decent riding from the door step.

Aire valley all good apart from Keighley which is best avoided.

I know this may be difficult, but get a job first and then ask the question again, as above traffic can be a nightmare depending on which part of Leeds/Bradford you have to cross.

Naa, come to Boroughbridge, much more civilised & not far to the North York Moors or the Dales.

webbed feet central

That’ll be because it floods every 3 days won’t it?

You’re putting it down to evolution, I’m putting it down to inbreeding 😉

😆

Cheers all.

We are with kids, eldest of which is currently 3, so looking to put down roots in a place which has good schools. Currently no idea about future job however the sprawling metropoli of Leeds, Bradford etc will be as good a place to start as any.

Currently living and working just outside Harrogate and I have 12 months in which to put Beamers life plan 2.0 in place.

Skipton has two good grammars.

I thought Harrogate had some too? Why are you wanting to leave there? You do know you’re already in Yorkshire?

Best primary school in the area – Aspin Park in Knaresbrough. Then close second are Rossett Acre, Pannal and Western.

For secondary schools there is St Aiden’s (as mentioned above) but you *DO* have to find god (convincingly) to get in. Harrogate Grammar is very good too (and out of LEA control now).

Horsforth might be worth a look too.

We were considering there and Otley when we were planning to move near Leeds.

Thu if you’re in Harrogate already you may as well stay put.

I’ve spent most of my adult life commuting to/from Bingley-Harrogate, it’s a pleasant car commute apart from three days a year when the Yorkshire Show is on, oh… and when it snows it’s a bstard. 18 miles and Takes 40mins to west/south Harrogate, probably 15mins from Otley, so you don’t need to change jobs.

Shipley or saltire would my choice if I had to live there

Perhaps Pennine of this parish can help