Moving somewhere within 1hr commute of Manchester City Centre

[TeaTrain]

Hello I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe in these unusual times.

I have a question for those working at Man Pic (apologies mods if this is in the wrong place, I tried to figure out the best place I promise!).

I have recently become a Trainee Train Driver at Pic and due to the virus and having a 9 month old son have decided to move out of our owned Apartment 5 minutes from the station to somewhere with a bit of outdoor space. We want a safer neighbourhood.

I was wondering if anyone had some recommendations for nice areas to live for a family? Some I have looked at are Sale, Wilmslow, Prestwich, Knutsford. All seem to have outstanding schools too.

As I have to still be within 1 hr commute I thought others might offer their opinions. While aimed at drivers due to the rota working, anyone else is welcome to recommend!

Thank you in advance

 

[4F89]

Is the hour still a requirement once in the job? I know a few drivers that live more than an hour from their depot / BOP.

 

[185]

Quite a few at Picc living in Glossop or Hadfield, Greenfield / Marsden and up in Bromley Cross. If you've a car, those are reasonably within reach... and price wise, affordable decent properties for 1st time buyers.

 

[DB0161]

Take a look at Romiley and Marple areas. Both have train stations and 15/20 minute into town. Nice pubs, restaurants and good schools

 

[Matt85]

Worsley.

 

[TeaTrain]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!
Yes it’s still a requirement to be within 1 hrs commute of the depot.

I have been to look at some houses in Marple which seemed quite nice too. The other areas I will research. I don’t mind the commute and would prefer something with some green space for the little one to enjoy.

We are fortunate enough to have a deposit saved and no need to sell our current Apartment in the city centre. It has a parking space too so that’s a bonus. We would if there was something that we really loved and needed the funds.

 

[Watershed]

Wilmslow would be my pick - if you can afford anything worth buying! Generally a very pleasant area and for those diagrams that start and end within reach of the first/last service, you have a good choice of trains into Piccadilly.

 

[py_megapixel]

I do not work in central Manchester myself, but I have close friends who do, and have spent significant amounts of time in the Manchester area, so can provide some suggestions.

Many of the south Manchester suburbs with a station will fit those criteria. Altrincham, Wilmslow, Handforth, Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall etc. You could also consider Didsbury, which is more of a city-centre type place, though I know less about that.

Of those, Wilmslow and Cheadle Hulme probably have the best links into Manchester, and both have extensive green space. They are both quite posh areas (Wilmslow probably slightly more so) but have slightly different feels about them. Wilmslow is a bigger place so has a few more facilities but is also further from Manchester. Cheadle Hulme is known for its secondary school and is generally considered quite a good place to raise children, and there are also plenty of parks and meadows dotted around. It really depends what your priorities are.

If access to the outdoors/the countryside is important you then look at somewhere somewhere out into the Peak District. Disley's nice, and you can get to Manchester on the train in less than an hour, but in the car it might be longer than that at busy times.

 

[theironroad]

Is the hour still a requirement once in the job? I know a few drivers that live more than an hour from their depot / BOP.

Not sure why anyone would want to be more than a hour away by choice. An extra 2+ hours every day of commuting whether by train, bus, car isn't a great work/life balance.

Sure it's doable and for short term reasons may be necessary but can't imagine many people really want that sort of commute every day.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not sure why anyone would want to be more than a hour away by choice. An extra 2+ hours every day of commuting whether by train, bus, car isn't a great work/life balance.

Sure it's doable and for short term reasons may be necessary but can't imagine many people really want that sort of commute every day.

The main reason to do this in the context of Manchester would be that the city is getting rather expensive in North West terms. Preston, Chorley, Wigan and Warrington are all way cheaper, have some reasonable areas and are all within an hour of Manchester by car or train (unless you're aiming to arrive by 0900, but I can't imagine many traincrew shifts starting in the middle of the morning peak).

Many of the south Manchester suburbs with a station will fit those criteria. Altrincham, Wilmslow, Handforth, Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall etc. You could also consider Didsbury, which is more of a city-centre type place, though I know less about that.

Didsbury is not far off being the most expensive place to live in the North West, yes, even more expensive than leafy Cheshire for what you'll get. Chorlton is not far behind. If you're a fan of the "cosmopolitan, hipster" nature of these places (and to be fair they are nice) then that may be worth paying for, but if not they are just expensive. I think many city centre flats are cheaper than Chorlton and Didsbury because there are so many of them.

While it's a bit far away for this, really (unless you sought a transfer to Liverpool Lime St, if you're a Northern driver), just to use it as a comparison, you will get a large 3 or small 4 bedroom house in Ormskirk (a decent enough market town) for the price of a small flat in Didsbury or Chorlton, and if you went to somewhere like Chorley it'd be cheaper still. Ormskirk is within 1hr of Manchester by car (it takes about 45 minutes, though much longer in the peak) but probably a bit far away for you realistically, but it does serve as a comparison for just how expensive Manchester has got - Aughton and Ormskirk are (slightly behind Formby) considered about the most desirable places to live if you work in Liverpool.

 

[C J Snarzell]

The good thing about the North West is that there are loads of areas where you can get alot for your money with property and still live in a decent area.

Bury is not a bad town to live with some nice suburbs such as Prestwich and Whitefield which are on the main commuter belt into Central Manchester - they also fall on the Metrolink route.

Stockport has some nice areas such as Bramhall, Cheadle, Hazel Grove and Marple - again not that far from Central Manchester with good road/rail links.

Trafford (Altrincham & Stretford) tends to be a bit more on the pricey side as is areas in Eastern Cheshire such as Knutsford & Wilmslow (Premiership footballers territory).

Warrington is a great commuter town central to everything in the North West. Direct rail and the M62 goes straight in to Central Manchester. If you are working shifts as a trainee driver you should miss peak time travel which does get snarled up on the 62.

There are places I personally would avoid living - however I don't want to name them as I may potentially offend other forum members who may live there themselves.

CJ

 

[richfoz84]

I’d say to consider to some nice areas in Northwich such as Davenham/Moulton villages, Kingsmead and Hartford. These are around 45/50 commute times to Man Picc.. also consider Sandbach too!

both have good schools and lots of outdoor space, and under an hours drive to work!

 

[djack123son]

Is the hour still a requirement once in the job? I know a few drivers that live more than an hour from their depot / BOP.

When you join.. but once you've joined you can go pretty much anywhere.. some fly in from Spain.

 

[theironroad]

When you join.. but once you've joined you can go pretty much anywhere.. some fly in from Spain.

Obviously not on a daily basis.

Are they full time or job share?

While it's certainly possible, especially if don't work any free days, a significant amount of time will still be spent in the UK and presumably they have lodgings/hotel/b&b etc near(ish) to their depot.

 

[geoffk]

I've lived in Todmorden and Littleborough. I don't know how they compare house price-wise with the other areas mentioned, cheaper than many I expect, but both are pleasant with Pennine countryside and a canal nearby, some decent pubs (when you're off-duty obviously) and independent shops. Hebden Bridge is, well, Hebden Bridge.

 

[Mojo]

Is the hour still a requirement once in the job? I know a few drivers that live more than an hour from their depot / BOP.

I can't imagine the need to live more than an hour away from your booking on point in Manchester. London is probably the only place in the country where this is necessary.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I can't imagine the need to live more than an hour away from your booking on point in Manchester. London is probably the only place in the country where this is necessary.

Though Manchester is getting notoriously expensive compared with the other Northern cities, even the rubbish bits. So I can see it going that way.

 

[Bucephalus]

Has anyone said Flixton yet? That's a pretty nice place, and obviously didsbury goes without saying

 

[Bletchleyite]

Has anyone said Flixton yet? That's a pretty nice place, and obviously didsbury goes without saying

As I mentioned above Didsbury is outrageously expensive, possibly the most expensive place in the whole North West for a given house size, so unless you specifically want a "hipster paradise" it (and Chorlton) are poor choices even though they are nice. There are other nice places where you will get far more house for your money because they don't have that "cachet".

 

[TeaTrain]

Wow thank you so much for all the recommendations! That is a lot of new places to research!

Yes the hipster cool lifestyle was what I used to enjoy having lived in London for a good portion of my life and then Man City Centre. Maybe I am getting older lol. I just want a quiet life with a garden to enjoy a coffee either before or after a hard days work on the trains!!

I don’t want to sell my apartment so will try to get something in a safe neighbourhood with some green space. Schools etc etc.

Flying in from Spain??!! You joke surely!!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

As I mentioned above Didsbury is outrageously expensive, possibly the most expensive place in the whole North West for a given house size...

House price hike in Didsbury seemed to co-incide with all the BBC staffers relocating to Media City, Salford, a few years back.

Another vote for Glossop mentioned already in post #3 upthread.

 

[Bletchleyite]

House price hike in Didsbury seemed to co-incide with all the BBC staffers relocating to Media City, Salford, a few years back.

Another vote for Glossop mentioned already in post #3 upthread.

Glossop is indeed lovely.

House price hike in Didsbury seemed to co-incide with all the BBC staffers relocating to Media City, Salford, a few years back.

That's when it went mad, and when Chorlton became its follower, but it was getting that way even before that. Which is a bit funny, as in the late 90s when I was at uni (and we popped down there to do the Didsbury Dozen pub crawl) it was just a fairly nondescript terraced-house suburb.

The coming of Metrolink will have cranked prices up, too, same as Chorlton - before that it was just grindingly slow buses. (East Didsbury station is really at Parrs Wood, at least half an hour's walk from Didsbury village - actually that's one for the renaming thread! ).

 

[flixtonman]

Wilmslow has plenty of green open spaces, is a few minutes' drive from nice countryside and good shopping (if that is a consideration) at Handforth Dean and Cheadle Royal - and its station is served by Avanti, Arriva Wales and Northern. Avanti do the journey to Manchester Piccadilly in 19 or so minutes.

 

[richfoz84]

Wilmslow is quite pricey! But a lovely place.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Flying in from Spain??!! You joke surely!!

I would be surprised if this wasn't a weekly commute, i.e. rest days in Spain, working days in the UK. Weekly commuting is quite common, I've done it a few times myself.

 

[TeaTrain]

Nice for some!! I will have to make do with my holidays and whatever I can get in sunny Manchester lol.
I am still leaning towards wilmslow as well.
This will be our family home for years as far as I can tell so want to be 100% happy. I don’t mind renovating etc as I did most of the Apartment we are in now. (Bar electrics etc of course)

 

[Efini92]

North Manchester is a lot cheaper than south Manchester and the traffic into town never seems as bad. However if you want good schools you’re definitely better in south Manchester. Some areas command a premium for the post codes though.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Some areas command a premium for the post codes though.

Often these are the ones which don't have an 'M' postcode.

 

[Philip]

Lostock just outside Bolton might be a shrewd choice, as the Blackpool-Manchester (and vice versa) services start off very early and finish very late. Not sure if the first and last trains of the day call at Lostock, but they call at Bolton. Also a very pleasant area with the West Pennine Moors nearby. Nearby is Westhoughton, which is a lot cheaper but a very decent little town with a pleasant high street area and a station.

Urmston and Flixton both pleasant enough and unassuming outer suburbs of Manchester with good transport links, a lot more down to earth than some of the other areas, and I think cheaper. Some outer parts of Salford likewise.

 

[Bletchleyite]

This will be our family home for years as far as I can tell so want to be 100% happy. I don’t mind renovating etc as I did most of the Apartment we are in now. (Bar electrics etc of course)

Basic sparks aren't actually that hard, particularly not if you are good at following Regulations, which as a railway employee you certainly will be. You can save a packet even if you have to pay to go on a course to satisfy yourself you are competent. Plumbing isn't too hard either, push-fit is like Lego. I draw the line at gas, though.

Lostock just outside Bolton might be a shrewd choice, as the Blackpool-Manchester (and vice versa) services start off very early and finish very late. Not sure if the first and last trains of the day call at Lostock, but they call at Bolton. Also a very pleasant area with the West Pennine Moors nearby.

Yeah, there are some nice villages on the line towards Preston via Chorley. Or if you want to buy new-build or nearly new, it might be worth looking at Buckshaw Village (Buckshaw Parkway station) built on the old Euxton Royal Ordnance Factory.