[Closed] bristol/cardiff area vs manchester/bradford/leeds area

The area between Manchester and Leeds is great. Lots of small villages in the Pennines, cheap housing and fantastic riding.

I live in bristol and spend time in Leeds for work. I like them both. I think the people in Leeds are friendlier, but there is a lot within fairly easy reach of brizzle. Not a lot between the house prices, could be more work opportunities down here.

Every time I have been up North to that area I'm shocked at the traffic, both volume and aggressiveness. Bristol is also busy but Cardiff is a lot smaller than any of those places and it shows in lots of respects. You can ride from the centre of Cardiff and be in the hills in 20 mins, with plenty of rural trails. Not so easy from Manchester iirc.

Far fewer people down here in South Wales. The countryside up North I think is a lot busier; an hour from Cardiff and you're really in the sticks, places where tourists don't even go. Hell, even riding from.my door on the edge of Cardifff I rarely see a single mtber.

Don't lump Cardiff and Bristol together tho. They aren't linked really, both quite separate in feel.

I was about to post a fairly considered response and then realised you're some kind of research spam bot.

Bugger off 🙂

I was about to post a fairly considered response and then realised you're some kind of research spam bot.

Bugger off

I also used t work full time in Cardiff, and molgrips is right; it's not in the same league as the others in most meaningful ways.

I also used t work full time in Cardiff, and molgrips is right; it's not in the same league as the others in most meaningful ways.

I wouldn't l live in Cardiff personally. If you want to be in the SW, brizzle is the best place to be.
I don't have much experience of up north but I do like leeds.

Well what criteria?

Firstly it's three areas you're asking about. Your question is so general, it comes down to taste entirely. Your best bet is to take a weekend in each place, get some STWers to show you some riding, see if you can get them to take you to their local, then form an opinion.

All three places are decent enough. Significant cities, plenty of ameneties and countryside nearby. Well - Bristol isn't quite like the others, in that the doorstep riding is more limited with the countryside being more agricultural. With Manc and Cardiff though you're backing out on to upland Britain with moors and forestry and such. You can go on long long rides up in the mountains from Manc or Cardiff. Not sure you can from Bristol.

I wouldn't l live in Cardiff personally.

To be useful that's going to need expanding upon 🙂

I think a big part of the decision will depend on the sort of work you're involved in.

Fair point Molly. I do love be South wales, I visit most weeks. I just wouldn't want to live there unless work meant that I didn't have to cross the bridge because that crossing is expensive and a PITA. Biking aside, there isn't as much to do as bigger cities like Leeds and brizzle offer. I'm not trying to sell brizzle, it's far from ideal.

manchester/bradford/leeds area is in the North, so it rains and is depressing. The roads are cobbled and we all wear clogs and mufflers. Don't come up here it's horrible.

wrecker - Member
I'm not trying to sell brizzle, it's far from ideal.

WHAT? 😆

I love living in Bristol. I'd also quite happily live in south Wales, but not in Cardiff - I'd live somewhere a bit more rural I think, perhaps Abergavenny or that general direction.

Bristol suits me perfectly right now. The mountain biking and road riding are both great. It has a very lively, quality, food and ale scene which I'm really enjoying at the moment - I think Cardiff is a bit behind in this respect.

Yes, Cardiff is much closer to very rural riding, but here in Bristol we are close to the Mendips and the Quantocks, and we're still only an hour away from Cwmcarn, Forest of Dean, BPW and then a little further on to Afan and Brechfa.

Bristol also has its own little micro climate. This is purely anecdotal but I suspect it rains a lot less than Manchester, Bradford or Leeds. I've visited Leeds a lot for work in the past and whilst I've heard it's great for students, it always seemed very, very grey....

Depends what you want to do, doesn't it?

Anyway - re the bridge, it'll pass into public ownership (ie the Welsh Assembly) in I think 2017 when it's paid off, and the suggestion is the toll will come down to about £1.70 or so.

Molly I thought they were just going to drop the VAT off the bridge toll. Is it definitely coming down that much? That'd be really good.

I think Cardiff is a bit behind in this respect.

It is, yes. It's less 'foodie' and upmarket than parts of Bristol, but it's still here.

The riding's no comparison though - you might be able to drive to Cwmcarn in an hour but I can ride there in an hour. I can even ride there on mostly singletrack if I want to take a little longer over it 🙂 An hour from here there's more riding than you could ever get to know well.

Cardiff centre is a much nicer place to be, mind.

s it definitely coming down that much? That'd be really good.

It was mooted by someone in some article.. but apparently the debts have gone up so it might not come down that much so quickly..

Can't disagree with much of what wallop says (hi wallop!) but the traffic in the summer (m4/m5) can be as bad as any with people crashing their caravans (I not joke, sometimes EVERY Friday).
It ain't cheap, and it's not as friendly as some places, despite its "cool" credentials (which are mainly deserved). A mountain wouldn't go amiss either 😀

You are really going to struggle to find better mountain biking than the area around North Manchester.
Manchester is a good city too, if you like cities.

The North Manchester towns are cheap to live in too and you can be riding proper, proper offroad within minutes after leaving the centre of somewhere like Todmorden.

Cardiff always reminds me of Hull

Take from that what you want

I would need to live near a city due to work.

So what Molgrips and I have just demonstrated is that it's all about priorities and compromise. The same goes for north vs south, I'm sure.

It all depends on what's most important to the individual.

For what it's worth I absolutely loved Hebden Bridge when I visited last year, but again whether I could live there would completely depend on where I'm working. The motorways around there can be as hellish as anywhere else.

Hi Wrecker!

Having been a student in Leeds and lived a little south of Manchester for a number of years, I now live just outside Bristol. I like being closer to Cornwall, but really miss being so close to north wales, the lakes, and gritstone.

bearnecessities - Member
I was about to post a fairly considered response and then realised you're some kind of research spam bot.

Bugger off

[b]Agreed, he's asked this question multiple times on multiple different forums[/b]

Dear OP - can I ask why you're still banging on here and elsewhere?

Imo Leeds is significantly less grey than manc or even bratfud. Simply because it's further east of t'hills.

However, it's also a lot less interesting for MTB. Clay + flat = less interesting than hills + millstone grit

I used to live in Manchester, and my mum still lives in the area North of the city, as described accurately by Samuri. That said, I now live in Cardiff and have for the last ten years.

I agree with everything molgrips has said about Cardiff, and it would take a lot to get me to consider moving from here now. I also think that the people are pretty fantastic. Having said that, because I have had to spend ALOT of time up North in the last number of months, I have also had the chance to re-appreciate what the area in the towns North of Manchester have to offer.

I actually agree with molgrips in this respect as well, in that I find the traffic incredibly dense and incredibly aggressive. Moreso than in these parts. Beyond that, though, the land is beautiful, and I love the fact that there are so many traditional businesses about. Finally, the people are also pretty decent. Different, but decent.

Six of one thing, half a dozen of the other at the end of the day.

North of Manchester? Bit grim when the weather is bad (it's like that a lot) traffic is a massive issue and commuting in and out of Manchester from that side without public transport should probably be on the CIA list just under water boarding. The M62 corridor has some nice spots but unless I had to work there I'd pick somewhere else.

I hear the Peoples Republic of Hebden is popular but a gaurdian sub is required.