Commuting from Leeds to York - doable?

bagpussbear

I work in Leeds and live about 10 miles out. I don't know much about York or the commute, so won't comment. But Leeds is good for shopping, and night life so might be better for you?

My boss has recently bought a flat on the docks area, although she rented there for years too, she is a single female and liked that area and the fact everything was close by. Morley is cheaper, and only 10mins on the train (very regular trains) so that's another thought?

kinger101

Driving is fine if you can start work at 8 am or after 10 am. Traffic will be horrendous if you need to start at 9.

walwyn1978

The train is the sensible option if you're keen on living in Leeds/working in York.

I live in Tadcaster, in between York and Leeds (9 miles from the centre of York). I work in York in various locations, the office is right in the middle of York. To arrive at 9 I have to set off at 8 or I risk not making it in time, due to traffic and the fact that much of the York ring road is single carriageway.

The train makes much more sense as you're not at the mercy of roadworks, traffic etc.

Also, York is poor (and expensive) to park in - unless your work has a car park (not many do in the city centre) you're relying on public car parks (very expensive as they're aimed at tourists), eg the one next to my office is £5 per hour. Or, as I do, you have to park a long way out and walk in (a mile in my case).

I love York, I grew up there and it's a great place to work. But it is NOT car friendly at busy times.

martindow

Around Leeds you can get a Metrocard

http://www.wymetro.com/TicketsAndPasses/MetroCards/

In conjunction with a season ticket from the boundary to York this may reduce the monthly cost from the £200 you quote.

nkkingston

Yes, you can have some fun fiddling the season tickets with the trains. You're crossing the West Yorkshire / North Yorkshire border, and it's cheaper if you're travelling within either, so split tickets if you can. It seems bizarre for a twenty minute journey, but it can be worth it. You can also bus it much cheaper, but it's a much slower journey. If you're living or working out of the city centre for either, travelling does get more awkward. If you have to get a bus to the station on either side it's a bit of a headache.

The A64 is a horrible road, and York's inner ring road is usually congested from 7am-10:30 and against from about 14:30 onwards (I used to live in a flat overlooking it). Got to factor the school traffic in as well as the commuters. Honestly, there's no real need to drive in York at all, it's so small, and there's not a lot of call for it either in Leeds because the public transport is good and the taxis are cheap. I'm a permanent pedestrian and I've found both easy to live in.

I lived in York for a decade and loved it. It's so easy to get everywhere; nothing's more than a twenty minute walk away. There's good cinemas and restaurants, but the nightlife is almost entirely pubs; the clubs would feel very parochial after London! Me and my other half both got jobs in Leeds, so it made sense to move. I've adjusted now, but it still catches me out when I want to go to a 'big' shop, like homebase, because it's a much longer walk to and from (totally spoiled in York living so close to homebase we could carry new furniture home in under five minutes on foot!). A lot more stuff is out in the suburbs in Leeds.

The best housing is outside the city centre in Leeds - you're looking at places like Headingley and Chapel Allerton if you want a parking space and a nice area without going full on suburbia. Both are about a forty five minute walk to the station, and the buses are pretty good. The closer you get to the center the more studenty it gets, until it flips to businessy and expensive.

York is significantly more expensive than Leeds, in terms of housing, going out, travelling and parking. It's priced for tourists and students. But on the other hand, it's still significantly cheaper than London!

70sthrowback

For nightlife and shopping if you are used to London, then Leeds is more akin albeit on a much smaller scale. York is beautiful, but its more a chain pub or traditional pub place for drinks. In terms of on trend places to eat/drink street food, pop up cafes etc Leeds has come a long way in the past few years.

Where to live is a personal choice, but if the above is important then Leeds is a safer bet. I have read Horsforth, Morley, Chapel Allerton etc mentioned. But if you live here, factor in driving time to get out of Leeds. Or to get to Leeds Train station. The ring road is horrendous in a morning, even before you get to the A64, I live not too far from the M1/A64 junction and have worked in both Leeds and York. It takes me 25 mins to get into Leeds centre and about 30 mins to get into York. That is to arrive around 7:45, anything later and these journey times increase massively.

Visit both places and see what you think. You may prefer the feel and lifestyle in York and you are not too far from Leeds to prevent you going out there.

lady1964

My daughter works in York city centre and lives approx 12 miles away, just close to Selby. She gets the park & ride, drives to the Designer Outlet village then the bus into the city, costs her about £40 per month. There is also a bus from their village, takes approx 30 minutes (although we did this trip on a Saturday morning), £5.50 return but I think there may be discounts for weekly/monthly tickets. I think the bus runs quite late at night too, I know I was surprised at how late it runs on a Saturday night.

Her rent for a 3 bed house is easily under £600 per month, not sure how this compares to Leeds and the sort of place you'd be looking for but may be worth a thought?

CellaR

Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond to my post! You've really given me lots to think about.

I'm going to visit both York and Leeds in a couple of weeks time to get a feel of both places as one person suggested. I think then I will have a better idea of if im willing to commute from Leeds or if I'm happy to live in York. I do really like York but I enjoy the hustle and bustle of London (minus the grumps in the morning) so I feel York may be a little too small for me.

If I did decide to live in Leeds I think i would go for your suggestions of leaving the car at home and taking the train. I would be starting work at 9 and finishing at 5.30pm so would no doubt be stuck in traffic.

If i was to get a train from Leeds,As my new job is in Heslington, I would have to get a bus from York station. Therefore I would want to live in walking distance from Leeds train station which is why I was previously looking at Leeds Docks.

Will keep you all posted once I've visited Leeds and York in a couple of weeks - thanks again!