Where to live in North Manchester

Not that bothered about riding straight out the door tbh. In London now and have chosen Manchester partly for the city lifestyle, but less of a trek to get to the decent riding (Wales/Peaks/Lakes at the moment are all weekends away and Surrey Hills is 90 mins drive so anything less will be ace

Binners – apart from Chorlton do you anything positive to say about anywhere else in Manchester?

Not really. To be honest with you, if I didn't live there, West Didsbury or Sale (which are also great) I'd live a lot further out of town instead

Not that bothered about riding straight out the door tbh. In London now and have chosen Manchester partly for the city lifestyle, but less of a trek to get to the decent riding (Wales/Peaks/Lakes at the moment are all weekends away and Surrey Hills is 90 mins drive so anything less will be ace

Sounds like you need a 'Zone 2' equalivilent of Manchester then. Close enough to go out to some good bars/go into town for a night out but not too close to the centre.

I'd love to live in the sticks however people would visit us less, we'd have less choice of things to do and mrshora would be climbing the walls..

I'm parrallely to WDids, Dids, Chorlton etc (around in a circle) and it takes me <15mins to ride into the centre in the morning.

I live in darwen, it's 'ok' as a town, but there is some ace riding from your door step…

I really like Darwen. Its getting a bit better too. Theres actually a really nice bar just opened there last week. And the riding from there is superb. I've got an great cheeky 2 hour loop from there which is perfect for an evening jaunt

The trains into manchester are every half hour at peak times and actually very reliable

Darwen?

DARWEN?!?!!!!!! what the ****!

What next Pendleton?

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ever actually been there Hora? No. Thought not. Alright – there are a lot of cross-eyed hunchbacks but its generally ok. You've got Egerton and Entwistle round there too. Which are also lovely.

Pendleton is one of those places that you go to, just so you can come back out of it (unharmed – if you're lucky) and thank your lucky stars you don't live there. Its like an open prison. And I lived there for two years when I was a student. Grim grim grim!!!

Nice to see some of the usual nonsensical prejudices coming out now – knew it would only be a matter of time 🙂

There are lovely parts of both North and South Manchester – equally, there are terrible parts of both as well. As Ed Hornby said previously, you need to go for a drive round and check for yourself – there is a massive amount of snobbishness on both sides, usually promoted by people with no proper experience of the other's position.

It used to be that the majority of Factory/Mill/Business owners lived in South Manchester, away from their places of work, many of which were based elsewhere due to the need of a steady flowing water supply and/or a damper environment, both of which the hillier North, East and West could supply. This hasn't been the case for many years, but snobbishness and prejudice linger on.

Hora, parts of Bury are really very nice indeed – go for a ride round Ramsbottom, Simister, Holcombe, Affetside, Helmshore, Summerseat etc and tell me you don't agree. Have you actually been to any of these places?

Equally, many parts of South Manchester are awful:
Chorlton is an overpriced suburb like any other which was quite pleasant about 25 years ago – it's nothing special, just that loads of meeja types live there and have eulogised it as some sort of trendy utopia. Admittedly, compared to it's immediate surroundings, it, and Didsbuy for that matter are quite pleasant, but really, you wouldn't want to live there. Think 'Nathan Barley'. Very, very violent compared to the North as well.

Avoid anywhere within a 4/5 mile radius of the city centre – without exception, it's a terrible mess of a place that has just been left to rot by successive generations of self serving politicians.

Apart from that, have a drive round and make you're own mind up. Rossendale, Calderdale & North Bury would be my personal preference in the North, with Marple, New Mills area (as per Bunnyhop's post) in the South.
Parts of Oldham (Greenfield/Uppermill/Delph etc) are very beautiful, but suffer from poor transport links.

Mossley, to the East, is very pretty, great riding, cheap and has a direct and regular train service to the centre of Manchester.
Partner's daughter has just bought a stunning house there very cheaply – I'm impressed.

Stretfords good. We've only had 2 shooting deaths in the last year or so 😀

hora – guess you've been to darwen them hehe 🙂 you must admit there is some good riding though.

Darwen moors, Rivington, only 7mi for the start of the MTL, and only 1hr to the lakes and the North york moors etc…

the more MTBers we get in darwen the less chavs we have 😉

I've been to Darwen or at least I've driven through when I took you there binners.

Its like……..Horwich? (ducks!)

Rusty Spanner – They're in the process of putting a metrolink into Oldham so transport links will be massively improved soon.

Yep binners, replacing a train which carries bikes with a more expensive tram which doesn't.

Unlike Sheffields' tram system, which happily takes bikes. 🙄

You're right fella. All part of our wonderful 'integrated transport policy'. Marvelous isn't it?

OP whereabouts in London do you live and what do you like about that part etc?

I've lived all over SE London. Brixton was poss my favourite cos dead easy to get in on Victoria line, + the street was really friendly with a good community. We spoke to each other (yes, really!) and even had street parties. I'm in East Dulwich now – great for local shops – greengrocer, bakers etc and really easy to get into town. I'm 37 now so not bothered about local bars, I've had my drinking years… so long as there are decent places in the centre of town when I fancy a night out.
What I don't like about E Dulwich is the silliness of house prices (£250k for a one bedroom flat) and the major trek to get out on my bike

If you want a city life, within the M60 (i.e. in Manchester, as opposed to the places Rusty Spanner lists which are most definitely not in Manchester), there are relatively few recommends, but the popular places like W Didsbury, Chorlton etc in the south are relatively expensive because they are great places to live. Talking small geographical clusters in a big city, lots of people want to live in the popular bits, pushes prices up.

The view Binners expresses is very typical of pretty much everyone I know round here tbh.

A lot of Manchester's satellite towns seem to have had the life sucked out of them because they're so close to the city – think Altrincham or Stockport.

There are hillbilly towns further out where for sure there is nicer riding from the door, prices are cheaper and you get more for your money – if that's your priority? But if you moved from London to Darwen, Bury, Rossendale etc, you'd think you'd landed on Mars.

You need to look and see obviously.

'Chorlton':

-The 4x4s are parked around the corner outside the organic newspaper shop.

'Didsbury':

Adjacent Areas:

Darwen:

I forgot to mention Turkish Delight. End of debate.
[Now where are those kebab ride photos?]

Geronimo – spot on! 🙂

Geronimo spot on! 🙂

On the nail there Geronimo

Steve – fancy a leisurely social jaunt tonight fella? We could discuss our morzine plans over a creme de menthe and…. dare i suggest… a kebab at the turkish delight?

Adam, I lurve you! I'll ask the boss. We're thinking a similarly easy paced curry ride Weds night if you're interested, in the inner city region of Manchester known as Brook Bottom?

Oi, binners I said if you can wait until tomorrow I'd do Rivi with you. Snowslave you are more than welcome. Im too knackered tonight!

Ps. Also Chorlton is hosting the MegaMela next month- Im going 😀

Snowslave, you are Nathan Barley and I claim my £50.00!
Bet you ride a fixie. 😀

Just because people aspire to live somewhere doesn't automatically make that place any better than anywhere else – please explain why Chorlton and Didsbury are any better than any other suburb?

They're just quite pleasant bits of South Manchester, and in comparison to their surroundings shine like a chip of glass in a dog egg.

Yes, I've been in the Met, The Great Kathmandu, Turkish Delight etc, have mates living on Beech Road and have worked in Didsbury.

Other places have nice restaurants, Kebab shops and pubs you know.

The view Binners expresses is very typical of pretty much everyone I know round here tbh.

Yes, I've met people like that too – can't believe some people are so shallow as to wish to be defined by geographical location. Still, saves on having to cultivate your own personality I suppose. 😉
That's a joke by the way, before a flounce of South Mancs descend upon Tod, ready to beat me to death with their manbags……

Looks like we could be in for a busy weeks riding/drinking/eating then. Hurray!!!!!! Its a dream ticket!!!! 😀

Rusty spanner. You're wrong. He's not Nathan Barley. I am!

You can say what you like. I've livid in Chorlton for 12 years and I absolutely bloody love the place. I'm happy as a pig in shit there. So whats the problem?

Rusty Spanner you are rubbish and I claim my £50.

No problem binners, I quite like the place 🙂

But to insist that civilised life in Manchester is confined to two small and affluent suburbs is just, well, a bit ignorant.

Many residents of Chorlton and Didsbury seem to be contemptuous of those living in other parts of the City, some I know even insist they wouldn't live anywhere else in the North.

I think that says more about them than it does about the rest of Manchester.

I'm just trying to redress the balance a bit, hopefully in a slightly humorous way – no offence intended!

brooess,

Don't turn down doorstep riding too quick. It's ace.
You get home from work, quick change & your off in minutes.

I live near Edgworth with Winter Hill & Lee Quarry all very close and very rideable. Dales an hour away and lakes & Peaks 1.5 hours by car, and a train line direct to Manchester.

Many residents of Chorlton and Didsbury seem to be contemptuous of those living in other parts of the City

I couldn't understand that thinking. After all they live in Manchester. Its hardly the cultural and glamorous capital of Europe is it?

I imagine Dresden ranks higher.

Hora. You're always sat ouside the Marble, scratching your beardy chin and nursing a pint of Scruttocks Old Nob Rot, having ridden there on your pretend fixie. You are 'Chorlton' personified

But, if it offends you, please feel free to **** off back to Yorshire then. Please. Go on 🙂

I'm not allowed back. I am too scallified now. I am a faux-Manc sculpting myself on you. 😉

I lived in 'North' Manchester for 2 years. It was horrible, sorry i don't want to cause offence to any who live up that way, but you couldn't pay me enough to live back up there…I'd say at a push Ramsbottom wasn't too bad

Houns. You lived in Rochdale. This is not North Manchester, it's just a toughnut town north of Manchester.

How about the wonderful hamlet of Swinton and Pendlebury? Just four miles from the centre of Manchester / Salford, great transport, great weather.

Like Paris without the tower 😆

DS

Hora, how about Hebden Bridge?

You'd fit in perfectly there 😀

Never been tempted on your visits?
You could sit outside the Shoulder with an overpriced pint or have a traditional Yorkshire £3.00 skinny latte at one of the acadamies for the employment of posh pretend-hippy gap year kids caffs.

Lot's for Mrs Hora to do as well, the Chess club in the Trades on a Monday night is buzzin'.

romiley and surrounding area is nice and the riding is great round mellor / marple area

Rusty' I was sat outside a cafe not so long ago in Hebden. The girl (must have been 18) was saying she was pregnant, her Dads fine about it but she wasn't sure who the father was- her mate was telling her about setting up a studio for her work soon.

I thought 'yeah right, most of the 'artists' in Hebden are work-shy dodgers giving themselves phantom/made up parallel lives to avoid the doley-title!

only certain people actually allowed to live in Hebden Bridge (you've got to fit in if the face fits ! lol
'Tod mor den' is 'home of singletrack' with an abundance of hills right on your doorstep. its fantastic…lots of yeehaas and whoohoos as you speed down the rugged terrain.. if i was a millionare tho id rebuild the town and set it out differently… but hills are awsome ..i luv em !