Moving to Greater Manchester area

amaferanga

I've been offered and accepted a job in Manchester and since commuting from Sheffield isn't an option we're moving, me and the missus. It's a new world to us both really as we know nothing about the area around Manchester. We're looking to rent for a bit, but can't decide where.

I'll be working in Manchester (at the Christie) 1 day a week and at other hospitals in the north west for the rest of the week so for work I just need to be close to a motorway. More important for me is access to good cycling. I won't be commuting to work by bike much anymore (for the first time in my working life) so want to be somewhere close to good cycling without having to battle through a city or down busy A roads for miles to get somewhere peaceful and enjoyable to ride.

The missus will be working in Manchester city centre and wants to get either a train or tram to work. 30 minutes is about as much as she can stand on the train/tram with maybe a 10-15 minute walk to a train/tram stop.

We also want/need at least a 2 bedroom house with some sort of additional storage - garage or loft for bikes and stuff. Maximum we want to pay in rent is £600 so that rules out some of the 'nicer' areas I guess.

My new boss has recommended up Bury way (north of Bury looks better to me, but too far for the missus) and we've also been looking (online) at house around Hyde and Marple. Glossop appeals to me, but the missus reckons it's too far away as well. Being close to a train/tram station and the countryside is more important than living in a great area - safe and peaceful is what we want.

So where would folks familiar with Greater Manchester recommend given what we're looking for?

Ta.

stannie

Bury or Bolton would be good choices. Or Westhoughton.
I live in Glossop which is great for trains to Manchester ( just over half an hour) but a nightmare to get to by car. Although being at the base of the snake pass and the wood head pass and 5 minutes from the a national Park does have its advantages.
I would probably avoid Hyde but Marple or Marple Bridge are quite nice, and it is very easy to get to the Peak District from there, but they might be out of your price range.
Good luck - let us know what you decide. ( and welcome to the red side of the Pennines)

willhub

Didsbury, Altrhincham ? I'm sure there are about 30 mins from city center and near tram stops, and also you've got Manchester Wheelers + Seamons CC for cycling too.

mr_poll

Horwich? Right next to the M61 and not far from the M6 - its 30 mins by train to Manc CC and you have Rivington and Anglezarke on your doorstep for riding.

edhornby

Prestwich/Whitefield, on the tram, close enough to greenery, motorway, you can even ride to the christie if you are organised - I live in Whitefield and was in prestwich before, relatively sensible prices also

ilm_zero7

Oh bad luck mate, but I suppose a job is a job in this economic climate

napoleond

South side!
Cheshire plains for all your flat rides, club chain gangs, time trials etc and the Peaks for hills.
Good motorway and rail access.
Altrincham, Knutsford, Wilmslow are all good.

Sirius631

I was born in Bury and lived there until I was 22. In Prestwich and Whitefield you really are in the Manchester urban sprawl. On the north side of Bury there is the district of Brandlesholme, the last district before you hit countryside and the Pennine moors. I think most properties around there are 3 bed, though, but you may be lucky. I don't think prices are too stupid. You can get the bus straight down into Bury, into the terminus and from there onto the Metrolink into Manchester, which is a good, reliable service.

Cycle club wise, there is Bury Clarion or, if you ride out to Heywood (as I used to) there is ABC Centreville.

I'd say Middleton and Oldham are good for connections into Manchester to, but they are depressing. Take your missus to Bury town centre, The Rock development and the famous outdoor market. Great shopping.

If your work includes Fairfield Hospital then that is just along the main road from Bury to Rochdale. From Bury you can jump on the M66 which flows into the M60 orbital motorway, and you'll be at the Christie in no time.

I'm trying not to be biased, but I'd say that in terms of quality of life, Bury outstrips any other town north of Manchester within your travel radius. anything to the south will either be mired in the urban sprawl or out of your price range.

Bolton also has good links to Manchester, but the motorway route to the Chrisitie is not as good: M61, M62, M60.

amaferanga

ILM Zero7 wrote:

Oh bad luck mate, but I suppose a job is a job in this economic climate

Wow could you be any more condescending?

amaferanga

NapoleonD wrote:

South side!
Cheshire plains for all your flat rides, club chain gangs, time trials etc and the Peaks for hills.
Good motorway and rail access.
Altrincham, Knutsford, Wilmslow are all good.

Looks good to me for cycling, but probably a bit far for the missus and the wrong side of Manchester for most of my work I think.

amaferanga

willhub wrote:

Didsbury, Altrhincham ? I'm sure there are about 30 mins from city center and near tram stops, and also you've got Manchester Wheelers + Seamons CC for cycling too.

So I could get a decent 2 or 3 bed house with a loft or garage in Didsbury for £600 /month? That's a rhetorical question cos I know the answer is no btw.

amaferanga

singletrackanne wrote:

Bury or Bolton would be good choices. Or Westhoughton.
I live in Glossop which is great for trains to Manchester ( just over half an hour) but a nightmare to get to by car. Although being at the base of the snake pass and the wood head pass and 5 minutes from the a national Park does have its advantages.
I would probably avoid Hyde but Marple or Marple Bridge are quite nice, and it is very easy to get to the Peak District from there, but they might be out of your price range.
Good luck - let us know what you decide. ( and welcome to the red side of the Pennines)

I'd love to live in Glossop, but figured the traffic would be a nightmare - it always is when I've passed through. What's it like early though, say 7am? Is Hyde really bad then?

tiredofwhiners

amaferanga wrote:

ILM Zero7 wrote:

Oh bad luck mate, but I suppose a job is a job in this economic climate

Wow could you be any more condescending?

By pointing out that its rains more than the average in Manchester

nickyboy zz

Also resident of Glossop here
So you need decent commute into Manchester city centre, access to motorway network for NW, access to decent cycling and affordable rentals.

Commute to City Centre - pretty well anywhere on the periphery of Manchester has good public transport links into the city either by train or tram. Shouldn't be a big issue

Access to motorway network. Glossop's downfall relative to some other locations. Getting beyond the M67/M67 interchange is 30 minutes, even with a 7am start. If you're heading North or West of Manchester after that it is still a pain compared to other locations (I'll come onto these in a minute)

Decent cycling. Of course all the East and North Manchester locations are excellent to get into the hills. Glossop's (and Marple etc's) advantage is that you can get into the Cheshire plains in about 45 minutes. They basically start west of Poynton which you can't easily get to from North Manchester. You can do South Lancs flatlands from there but not sure how they would compare

Cost - the big shakeout. South and West Manchester, forget it unless you are wiling to compromise greatly on location and/or property. Much cheaper in East and Noth Manchester

So for me, you have a choice between a number of decent East/North Manchester locations, starting at Glossop in the South East up to Bury in the North. Don't discount Oldham area as East of there are pretty places like Greenfield, Uppermill etc but they may be getting a bit pricey. If I were you I would go for Bury area. Easy commute, cheap, good cycling and easy access to motorway. Glossop's probably got slightly better cycling but for you to be getting around the NW there are better places to start from

nickyboy zz

fossyant

Hyde is fine - I live Bredbury/Woodley area. Hyde rail line is a bit crap for the missus though. Traffic is a bit poop, and I'd deffo avoid Marple and Marple Bridge as they are a mare to commute out of to get to the M60. I am a mile from the M60 and can take 20 minutes in the car.

Heatons are a good option - very good mainline rail service. Also Reddish - easy access to M60 - my brother has just moved there from Romiley as the traffic was a mare getting to the M60. He's 5 minutes from it despite being twice the distance away - it was taking 30 minutes to travel 2 miles.

Further South - Cheadle.

Traffic is going to be a big consideration if you've got to drive for commuting. South Manchester is a bit crap. I had to drive to work today, it's 6 miles shortest distance, took 50 minutes. On the bike I do twice that distance in a loop, and do it in 35-40 minutes.

The Little Onion

Saddleworth - near motorway, 30 minutes on train from city centre, great cycling, semi-rural. And the rent is relatively cheap

amaferanga

Thanks for the ideas guys. I like the look of Saddleworth area.

Secteur

Bury sort of area is where you need to be. Fits all your criteria, plus there's lots of hilly hills and essentially no flat roads. Perfect!

redjeepǃ

Sirius631 wrote:

I'd say Middleton and Oldham are good for connections into Manchester to, but they are depressing.

Can't really argue with this, but Alkrington on the outskirts of Middleton is quite nice. Otherwise Saddleworth is probably a good choice.

schweiz

I was born and bred in Royton. To be honest, where my folks live is nice enough http://goo.gl/maps/SLu2C. A quiet housing estate and I don't remember much in the way of crime except the odd spate of break-ins over one summer holiday period which were strangely linked to those houses who had a particular window cleaner! Tandle Hill Park is close by and is nice to go running especially up to the 'Monument' which is a War Memorial. The views on a clear day are superb from Jodrell Bank to Winter Hill.

If I were to go back now I'd probably head up to one of the Saddleworth villages or Littleborough, Milnrow and out that way. There's some nice places north of Bury towards Rawtenstall too. Oldham town centre just depresses me when I go back but Mrs. Schweiz likes to support the UK economy by visiting Manchester!

msmancunia

schweiz wrote:

I was born and bred in Royton. To be honest, where my folks live is nice enough http://goo.gl/maps/SLu2C. A quiet housing estate and I don't remember much in the way of crime except the odd spate of break-ins over one summer holiday period which were strangely linked to those houses who had a particular window cleaner! Tandle Hill Park is close by and is nice to go running especially up to the 'Monument' which is a War Memorial. The views on a clear day are superb from Jodrell Bank to Winter Hill.

If I were to go back now I'd probably head up to one of the Saddleworth villages or Littleborough, Milnrow and out that way. There's some nice places north of Bury towards Rawtenstall too. Oldham town centre just depresses me when I go back but Mrs. Schweiz likes to support the UK economy by visiting Manchester!

I live at the bottom of Tandle Hill - it's wonderful

For links to Mcr and beyond I'd probably go either Saddleworth way or up near Bury - Birtle is really nice up there.

Laird_Attwood

NapoleonD wrote:

South side!
Cheshire plains for all your flat rides, club chain gangs, time trials etc and the Peaks for hills.
Good motorway and rail access.
Altrincham, Knutsford, Wilmslow are all good.

+1 from North Staffs up. (bar Crewe)

straas

Fits the bill in terms of motorway and proximity to rail, and has a loft!

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to- ... 76882.html

Fairly central with balcony for bikes - likely not suitable though

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to- ... 16271.html

Suitable, no idea about the area though

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to- ... 95218.html

amaferanga

South Manchester is bad for work. West looks bad for cycling. North and East work for both.

We had a look at Hyde, Prestwich and Saddleworth areas today. Saddleworth looks like the area for us, but we haven't found anything we like and can afford yet. Having so many bikes and a cat and a girlfriend that needs to get a train to work are making it difficult....

mrushton

I live in Bury and the area around there is excellent in cycling terms. Bury/Bolton have some good area for living. Bolton has better train links to Manchester and the south of Manchester. Someone mentioned Horwich. Good train link (Bolton/Preston) and some great cycling (Wigan,Southport,Preston,Lancs Moors). Good m-way access but busy at peak hours, well all day really. Saddleworth is lovely but when it snows it's an area that gets shut-down first and for cycling it's all up and down,v.little flat.Oldham/Rochdale are grim.

thegibdog

Moved over to Manchester a few years ago and ended up renting in Prestwich. Nice area, great for the motorway and the tram and not too expensive. I assume in Saddleworth if you're wanting something near a station it would limit your options quite a bit whereas it should be easy to find a place in Whitefield or Prestwich within walking distance of a Metrolink stop as you've got Whitefield, Besses, Prestwich, Heaton Park & Bowker Vale as options.

bigjim

I live in Prestwich and it is definatley not urban sprawl. I can be riding down a country line within 1 mile from my house. It's a nice area with one of the best schools in the UK. My son [who is a nurse} rents a nice semi here with garage for £600 a month. You have great access to Manchester or Bury on the Metrolink or bus service. I have Drinkwater park 500yds from me [lakes, bike trails etc] from where you can ride off road almost all the way into Bury or beyond and in the other direction most of the way into Manchester on a riverside path. I'm also within half a mile of the biggest Park in Europe with it's peaceful bike rides. I ride out regularly with Bury CTC to visit Yorkshire, Ribble Valley, Cheshire plains, Flyde coast etc.
By the way the rain thing in Manchester is a fallacy. There are places in the UK that have a much higher rainfall than Manchester. The climate is pretty average.

CiB

Littleborough & Smithy Bridge on the edge of Rochdale are ok [compared to some places anyway] and have good rail links into town, with the benefit of being on the edge of open countryside and plenty of nice rides in easy reach.

southdownswolf

Just be careful of women in white vans if you move to Lancs.

Zingzang

bigjim wrote:

By the way the rain thing in Manchester is a fallacy.

The fallacy is in believing it's a fallacy.

There are places in the UK that have a much higher rainfall than Manchester.

Yes, a few, but with considerably smaller populations in the main.

The climate is pretty average

Yes, averagely appalling.

bigjim

Yes, averagely appalling.

You're very confrontational. A lot of people are [often rightly so] offended when someone calls their choice of home.
Why are you so keen to do this? Got problems?
Still if it helps you. :roll: