Where to live?

Davesnave

HollySocks wrote: »

I presumed all of the south east was too pricey, hence never looking at the Tarka Trail. And having no transport or anyone it may be a bit remote...But lookin at the cycle map , Barnstaple looks great..And 3 bed terraced houses on RightMove for £160-180k.

The South East is pricey, but we're South West, and I've given examples of what I'd call reasonable sized towns with no price premium for being close to the coast. There's a train line at Barnstaple and plenty of buses for days out, so it's not isolated, but it's still an hour or more's travel to anything resembling a city.

You won't have £160k to spend on the property, though. To budget realistically you'llneed to allow for some stamp duty on the purchase, solicitor's fees and a contingency fund for all those things that crop up once you've bought.

Do you really need 3 bedrooms and a lodger? Larger houses cost more to run.

Blondetotty

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-75345692.html

Something like this might suit? Right next to Anchorsholme Park and across (a quiet) road from the promenade. From there you can cycle or walk for miles next to the sea or catch the Tram to South Beach in Blackpool or right up to Fleetwood. Plenty of shops in the nearby area and very decent public transport.

I know Chatteris Place and it's got a fair few quiet retired people living there. It's a reasonable area and quite nice. I agree with you to look along the Bispham/Cleveleys area. There are a few roads just off the main Queens prom that you could easily do on your budget and as soon as you cross that road you're on that walking/cycling promenade where dogs are most welcome on leads.

Murphybear

Davesnave wrote: »

People are going to suggest seaside resort areas, but that won't necessarily be where you get the best bang for your £ when it comes to housing.....and you only have £160k.

If you want a dog, then a flat with a garden is probably the minimum you should think about. If you want to be in friendly, non-rough areas then forget the larger conurbations and go for small towns where you will get known quite quickly, especially out with the dog.

In the town local to me, you can't walk down the street without people saying "Hello" and starting random conversations; unnerving to folks from big towns, but it's what gives this area such a friendly feel. You won't get that sort of thing in a large town or a touristy spot. From your list, maybe you'd get something like that in Mumbles (Swansea Bay) but Mumbles and the areas around it is pricey.

Here in Devon. we have something called the Tarka Trail, which is a cycle route that follows old railway tracks and covers both seaside locations and many miles inland too. Towns on that route which are, small, coastal, but not really holiday destinations are Barnstaple and Bideford. They're reasonably affordable, so you could check them out. Most of the cycling around those places on the Trail is relatively flat too; not something you could say about much of Devon!

I like Bideford, as Dave says not too pricey. We used to go there a lot for Atlantic Village (it is a shopping outlet village). Not really keen on Barnstaple but it is well priced.

Personally I like most areas in Devon apart from some bits of Plymouth

Blondetotty

PS Give me a shout if you need any help with the Bispham/Cleveleys area. My partner has lived there his whole life so knows the area well and we'd be happy to help with photos, maps or info if you need any.

Murphybear

Have you thought about Milton Keynes? They have something called Redways

"The Milton Keynes Redways are a network of over 270 km of safe paths (generally surfaced with red tarmac) that criss-cross the entire city of Milton Keynes used by cyclists and walkers."

We moved there from London in 1996 as property was reasonably cheap then. I don't know what it's like now as we moved to Devon in 2004.

HollySocks_2

Thanks for that link to Anchorsholme. Bit freaky you posting that, i was just up there on Friday looking at properties and getting a feel for the place. And i looked at one a few doors away but the same type of place.


Its the only place ive been to so far, it was quite easy to get to. And the seafront sems really lovely. And that property ticks all the boxes, although the one i did look at was a bit bad as in the tenants had trashed it quite a bit.But thats all cosmetic stuff i know..


Dave i did take into account the sols costs etc. The inheritance is actually £170k, so budgetting for £160K house, with a bit left over for bits of furniture etc. Thanks for your help though, everyones been really helpful here.

Almost too many areas now to look at ha



3 bed is a lot, but just trying to have back up plans if i get sent back to work etc, the rent-a-room scheme looks good. Scary having people in youre house, but still a good scheme.

HollySocks_2

Thanks Blondetotty. Ive done a total of 3 trips to Bishpam/Clevelys. Never been there before, but the promenade is pretty amazing for cycling. One place i was looking at was on Holmfield Rd, nr Bispham town centre...I'm not sure if that area is as nice as Cleveleys? The time i spent in Cleveleys it seemed to mostly consist of pensioners sitting having coffee, cyclists and dog walkers, all if which are fine in my book :-)


Is Cleveleys better than Bispham. Not sure how you say Bispham, i must have sounded drunk when i said it to the tram tricket person. Any areas to avoid? I know everyone says Blackpool has bad problems, but honestly, i really enjoyed my 3 visits there.I never felt unsafe as i did on the Manchester housing estate. Then again, i didnt venture into the back streets of Blackpool much.


I did put an offer in on one on Holmfield Rd and they accepted. But that was 6 weeks ago, and they havent found anywhere themselves yet so im a bit stuck. Which was why i'm thinking of what other areas...I dont want to wait too long and this seller doesnt seem to be in any rush to find a place themselves :-(




I did like the fact that a lot of the signs on the seafront said all dogs must be on a lead..having lost one dog to a staffie in Manchester, that really does appeal. And certainly in Cleveleys, most of the dogs seemed to be of the tiny toy variety. Yappy, but not going to exactly take your leg off :-)

Blondetotty

Hi HollySocks

Personally I would err more towards Cleveleys than Bispham but it’s subjective. There are good and bad patches in both of those places but if you’re visiting and seeing the area and not putting in offers sight unseen then you’ll get a reasonable feel for it. Holmfield is okay. Bispham isn’t as busy, or as well stocked if you like. There’s way more facilities in Cleveleys without the need to drive but Bispham is okay. Cleveleys has everything from the cinema near the waterfront (tucked away behind the main drag), loads of shops, pubs, restaurants, banks etc. Funnily enough we ate at Pulcinellas in Cleveleys on Friday evening and had a lovely meal. I know you said you don't go out much but if you do ever feel you want to explore slowly and potentially go out, the options are there.

The main areas I would avoid would be the North shore and some of the south shore area. Tbh the south shore near the promenade is okay some of the roads further back I’d avoid. The central Blackpool and north shore areas (roads going back from the north pier and around the train station) I probably wouldn’t want to live in but from central Bispham area up towards Cleveleys I’d be happy with. We’re right at the bottom end opposite the sand dunes and have cycled from over the road at the start of the promenade right the way up to Harts amusements in Bispham.

As for dogs yes if they’re on the promenade they need to be on a lead but further up Cleveleys at the Rossall school they can come off lead, which is nice as there’s no main road or tram track so they can come off safely. You can also take your dog onto various beaches (Rossall & Anchorsholme) in Cleveleys although some of the bathing beaches have restrictions during the summer months. For dog walking and cycling though it really is a great place and you wouldn’t get bored with the places you can go. I do think a dog would be a great idea for you though and yes Cleveleys does have a larger than usual, I imagine, percentage of pensioners and a lot do have small dogs and yes the cafes are busy! Blackpool and Cleveleys council do put online all the details of places you can walk dogs on and off lead. I’ve been up and down with friends with dogs and they’re a sociable bunch, I’ve never seen anything nasty or vicious but I’m well aware they exist but on the whole both owners and dogs seem pleasant and well behaved.

https://visitcleveleys.co.uk/environment/beach-care/dogs-on-beaches-in-cleveleys/

There is a Halfords near Blackpool airport. If you didn’t mind walking the bike down the main road to the start of the promenade (about ¾ mile) you can then cycle all the way up to Cleveleys. Failing that, I’m sure they would deliver if you visited, chose the bike and then ordered online. That’s what we did and we only live 3 mins drive away!

One thing I will say is you might find some of the houses around that area to be more suitable for you with regards to lodgers. Some have a bedroom downstairs with a bathroom and then a lounge and bedrooms upstairs so you could potentially have a lodger downstairs and you upstairs and just share the kitchen. With the example I sent you could potentially use the conservatory as a lounge for your lodger and keep the second floor to yourself. Something like that might be less of a stretch for you to manage.

Feel free to ask any other questions about the area, or PM me.

Niv

Giddypip wrote: »

New Brighton is a lovely area. Cycle routes on the prom that run for a few miles. Lovely coastal walks. xx

I found it funny that the first response was a nod to New Brighton, as I was reading the OP my first thought was 'she should move to New Brighton!.




OP - New Brighton is on the other side of the Mersey to Liverpool. Its a nice area, plenty of space to cycle and walk dogs - there has been quite a lot of regeneration in the area as i think someone did note (may have been you actually). It even features on channel 4 trailers (the ones with the walking four and the red crane's in the background and the one with the clown statue.


I would say it is worth having a short break in all the places on your short list to get a feel fro the place.


Regarding rent a room (If you needed to consider it) - you could 'trial' your anxiety by using air b n b and only making it a available for the odd night to see how you get on?

PasturesNew

The best way to see an area is to buy an All Day Bus Pass and travel round on the bus as you see what sort of people get on/off and where... and get to nosey round areas at leisure seeing how it all looks...

If people are getting on/off the bus you'd not want to sit next to.... that road isn't for you

You don't get the same "submersion experience" driving or walking round so much.