[Closed] derby - possible relocation

Where do you live now?

Currently in Scotland .

So I am spoilt for riding and nice places to live...

Unless you hate it, I’d stay.

You are Frank Lampard and I claim my five pounds.

I thought from the title that there were plans afoot to move Derby, just checking they weren’t moving it too close to me. Luckily, I got the wrong end of the stick...

possible relocation

You are Frank Lampard and I claim my five pounds

Steven Gerrard, surely 😉

My wife and I have lived in and around Derby/Derbyshire for the last 20 years, first as students at the University and now with 2 young Children. In a nutshell, It’s a small city surrounded by pretty nice country side on 3 sides.

🙂

If you're talking about the employer I think you are, then there's a chap on here who does it from Sheffield. So, plenty of scope for somewhere to live and access to good riding.

Derby isn't too bad. Good road connections. Should find some very reasonably priced property surrounding the city.

Ashby de la Zouche is nice and I've heard good reports from.

It’s a small city surrounded by pretty nice country side on 3 sides.

This. Derbyshire is for the most part a really beautiful county.

North of derby for the best riding, and a reasonable commute. I live about 15 miles north and have good biking from my door. Have lived here for 10 years and really like it. (But then I have never lived in Scotland so who knows...)

The problem is likely to be expense. Too far north and you hit the Manchester commuter belt. Consider Staffs as well

To follow the usual stw protocol is be looking around belper. It's where I live. Very vibrant town which has come a long way in the last 20 years. 15 min commute, buses every 15 mins and very good riding from the door. Derbyshire is a beautiful county to live in and still very quiet.

I'd happily relocate from Scotland if I lived there, quite simply because of frigging midges.

We live just outside Derby near the A52 out towards Ashbourne which gives you good access to the City (or big town) and of into Derbyshire itself. Derby is OK but not particularly exciting. Derbyshire is lovely but prob more expensive to live in (or afford housing etc). It is well linked by roads to the rest of the country with pretty easy access all over. Mickleover can be a good compromise over Belper if cost is a consideration but it lacks a real community feel in my opinion as the centre is a roundabout with a Tesco.

https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/moving-to-derbyshire-south-yorkshire-wheres-nice/

I moved from North Wales to Nottingham last year. Ended up living in west Nottingham which is great. Good access to the Derby dales and the peaks are about 1 hour away. I cannot ride from my door as easily but it makes up for it in other ways. Both Notts and Derby have great access to everywhere really.

I really like the area around Ambergate for riding as its close and a lot of fun. Belper would be a good place to start looking I reckon,

Ashby de la Zouche

Fat man? French? He hasn’t been up here for couple of years. Last time I saw him, he were with his son.

some useful information here, thank you .

Belper seems to come up a fair amount. via a quick Google of the above suggestions it looks like the north and west of derby is the place to be looking...

Glad to know there is a reasonable amount of riding around also.

If I was to look at 40min commute... what would be the furthest places to live..

any areas to avoid?

Presuming you will be comuting to tth sinfin site? 40 minutes will get you about to allestree (5 miles) at 8am / 4pm. Traffic is shocking heading north. Use Google maps with an arrival time to get an idea..

If you are working shifts / can start early it will make a big difference or will be cycling in..

Ambergate / black rocks / crich is great for thrashing around on a bike stuff is fairly hidden so a local rider would help. Big days out require an hour's drive.

They do offer flexi time however depending on your family arrangements so you can avoid the worst of the traffic. It does depend on what site you are based though.

Are there any nice villages to look at as oppose to small towns?

I've been in the Derby area for the last 20 years and the surrounding area is beautiful. Derby itself is a bit Meh, has it's nice spots, great for decent beer, but you don't need to live in Derby, there are plenty of options within a 10 mile radius of Derby that are just stunning and some of the nicest and most picturesque vista's the UK has to offer. And you certainly don't need to head to Sheffield for good riding - though the excellent riding in and around Sheffield is only a short car journey away. There is plenty of great riding within a stones throw around Derby.

Derby and the surrounding suburbs are currently being heavily developed into huge housing estates, I live in what once was a nice little village, but over the last 20 years has been developed into a huge housing estate and is getting even bigger, so if you don't want to live on a huge housing estate then avoid Derby and it's closest suburbs and head out into the country side a bit more. You'll pay the usual countryside premium, but it's Derby so  house prices are hardly massive. Depends if you've got kids or not, currently it suits me to stick living on the estate for convenience/proximity to kids school and friends etc. But we do long to get out into the sticks a bit as soon as the kids leave school.

Unfortunately if  you're working in the city then getting  out to the best MTB areas after work does mean battling through the worst of the Derby traffic, but to be fair it's not that bad compared to some areas. If no traffic I can get from my desk to the top of the Chevin overlooking Belper in about 40 mins, if the traffic is bad it's about an hour. So not a major problem compared to some cities.

Also the road links are excellent - you've in between the M6 and M1, you've got the A38 and A50 that means if you're heading anywhere you can quickly get onto the main roads to whisk you off. I'm from Manchester area originally and can be back at my dads house in south Manchester in a little over an hour if the traffic is good. Heathrow is only a 2.5hr drive away if you avoid the traffic and if you choose the right train London is a little over an hour away. Birmingham is a 45 min train ride or 1hr drive away (I can get to Birmingham quicker than Nottingham!). North Wales is 45 mins away with the main trail centres a 2 - 3 hour drive away - you'll spend longer driving through Wales.

So all in all a pretty good spot to live in the UK. It's grown on me over the last 20 years.

Shirley on the west - towards Ashbourne.

There are a few 'hamlets' some with a pub - perhaps look at Hazlewood & Farnah Green. Wouldn't be my choice but you could also look at Kirk Langley, Brailsford and Hulland Ward. Unsurprisingly, the nicer the village, the more expensive the houses.

wobbliscott thanks for the details there. Have little ones so good schools is definitely a big consideration. The transport / access to main roads and overall location is one of the positives compared to where I am now.  Its part of the course for most suburbs these days to start expanding as long as these areas expand in a good way is the key thing.

marcus  will check those out.

Any hints about good schools (primary and comps) There is the obvious ecclesbourne which seems to add 150k on to the house price.

I can then look at catchment areas also.

how does cost of living in derby compare to  other parts of country ? this is probably a question that can only be answered by someone who has moved into derby. London is obviously more expensive 🙂

We moved up 18 years ago from Sussex. For "proper" mountain biking then wrightyson is pretty on the nail with Belper.

We ended up in West Hallam, near Ilkeston, similar smaller villages around. Half the village works for the obvious Derby employer, quite a lot commute in by bike. Village has a decent primary school, decent range of small shops for a little place, 2-3 decent pubs for food and similar number of cafes, enough activities for kids and families to get involved with. Local riding is more gravel than MTB, but surrounded by bridleways, towpaths and Sustrans routes. Can still be at Chatsworth in an hour by car, half that for the riding near Belper.

Being Ilkeston keeps house prices down, although it's not that bad a place, about 10 years behind Belper in the gentrification stakes. New cycle club has gone from 0-300 members in a year, no problem finding someone to ride with whatever you fancy.

Just seen your last comment - yes, Ecclebourne catchement adds around £150k to house prices - friends of friends are looking at that option to downsize and double their mortgage. Unless you genuinely have the money to keep up with that then your kids will not fit in with the "in crowd", if they do, then they are guaranteed some of the best quality and range of recreational drugs parents money can buy, according to kids I know through Scouting who have been there.

Ilkeston comprehensives might not get the same academic results but at least the kids have no more imagination than a bit of weed.

Our little guy is starting in Kirk Langley Primary School in September. It is well rated by other parents that go there but is very small. It will be shared classes between 2 different year groups. This also puts you in Ecclesbourne Catchment Area but so does places like Duffield which is also nice.

Our mortgage on a 3 bed home is less than the rent on a 1 bed cluster home we used to have in Bedfordshire so it is pretty good value for the midlands. Cheaper than living in Nottingham as well and the right side to get into the Peaks. Other than that we haven't noticed any major savings. Fuel is pretty cheap compared to down south.

possible relocation

You are Frank Lampard and I claim my five pounds

Steven Gerrard, surely

If it's both, I hope they are not working for the same employer.  We tried that for years, and it doesn't work.

In terms of areas to live then Belper is a good shout...not the best side of derby for the work commute in my mind, but better for access to the countryside and good bus and train links into Derby. Mickleover/Littleover are more established and there is a big development at Mickelover so plenty of new housing going up there. Mickelover is probably the sweetspot because you can get to and from work OK and you're the right side of Derby for access to the countryside. I'm a bit further round at Hilton which is good for me getting back to visit family up Manchester way and access to motorways, but have a good 30 min drive to get to the best biking spots.

I keep eyeing up Wirksworth as a potential place to move to when kids fly the nest. Far enough into the sticks to be away into the countryside and right in the heart of the best mountain biking so no need to drive to ride, lots of pubs and nice shops, a nice little Derbyshire town but with a bit of an under-developed feel, hasn't had the growth of Belper because public transport links are not there, but prices are lower as a result so you can get some cracking properties for little money and all it would take is for a decent bus link to Derby for it to become the next Belper.

A lot of people I work with live in Ashbourne. A bit too far out for me for the daily commute, but a nice enough place. Strikes me as the sort of place the Audi brigade are drawn to as it has a Waitrose, so one for the Hunter welly and Barbour jacket crowd, but I'm probably being a bit too harsh. It certainly has good schools.

Only places to avoid are those inner city areas, I'd say Sinfin, Pear Tree, Allenton. I lived in Sinfin when I bought my first house. Not great! Woken up frequently by blue flashing lights outside with some sort of shouty f-ing and jeffing commotion cracking off with the neighbours or the local scally-wags! You just don't need the hassle.

I grew up in Ashbourne and I'm very fond of the place, but it's constant expansion is taking away from the place. It feels more like a town now, and traffic in the town can be a pain, both at rush hour time's and weekends and bank holidays etc as it's still a destination town. Equally in terms of riding from the door heading down the A6 corridor offer's far better options. Last time we lived in Ashbourne, I mainly stuck with the road bike. It's still a 'nice town', but I would not be heading back there.

More cash/Wobbli/robbo. et al.

Some good advice thank you. will keep those in mind. I should probably plan a visit to see what im getting myself into . So will use this info as a guide.

I currently live in a small village out in the sticks with slim transport links and only a pub and a shop so no need for any other amenities as we already get by fine.  As you say its hitting the correct area/ house price/ schools and commute is a bit of a juggling act. lots of points for and against particular area.

A fair amount of thinking to do overall. but if any one has any more pearls of wisdom about the are then carry on.

It has a proper Velodrome, ‘nuff said

Belper is a good shout, I live near crich/ambergate.  Not a bad commute to derby.  Used to live in ashbourne; the commute was horrible (crossing derby was slow and the a52 is cr@p).

Now head down the a38 and easier once in derby.  The riding is on your doorstep here too

Check out dvatc for a riding club.

According to the news part of Derby has just relocated ....

Born and bred Derbyshire. Know the actual derby area very well. Wirksworth as mentioned above was my home town, it' had the usual middle class influences but on the whole it' turned it in to a great town now but housing has definitely crept up. Other small villages around there are a plenty, pick one and I can give you a rough idea. Schools in belper are good, daughter and son both educated here from birth and daughter is looking like doing well in her current gcse's. Genuinely I'd you want any info from good estate agents to decent pubs to important things like whos out riding then drop me a message.

Schools in Ashbourne are the best in the area these days. Nice small villages in the catchment are pricey though. Children from Henry Prince in Mayfield (in Staffs, but we wouldn’t hold it against you) get a guaranteed place at the Grammar school - actually a comprehensive but a very good one. House costs in Mayfield are much lower than Ashbourne. Local riding is distinctly average but the good stufff is close by.

I work at the obvious employer and live in Beeston on the west side of Nottingham.  I can make it to the closest site in Derby in less than 20 minutes and to the main site in 25, so don't rule Nottingham out unless you really want Peak District type hilly riding immediately from the doorstep, in which case the Amber Valley is the best bet.

It has excellent transport links and you can be at Sherwood Pines, Cannock Chase or the heart of the Peak District in an hour, give or take 10 minutes.  The bike commute to Derby is easy with several safe (decent cycle lanes etc) options on/off road.

Some more good info.

Thanks all.

It appears the same places keep getting mentioned. So definitely a good place to start. We will be coming from an area with relatively high house prices so I suppose that's a good thing in relation to the house prices in the better areas.

Where I am in Scotland will be a big hit in terms of quality/quantity of riding if I move, but such are the sacrifice I will have to make.

Don't be too down on the quality/quantity of riding. It will be different riding for sure, but there is plenty of it with the whole of the Derbyshire Dales and Peak district on your doorstep, so top notch riding for sure, and with lack of trail centres in the area you've often got the place to yourself without all the Audi's with Orange Five's cluttering up the roads and car parks. There is always Cannock for that -  though it seems to be more T5's and Santa Cruz's these days.

There are definitely worse places in the UK to live, that's for sure.

Chellaston

you could walk/cycle to work across Sinfin moor (or if your at Raynesway site that's easy too)

good schools

lots of new housing getting built which is a bit shit but means cost isn't that high compared to other similar areas

easy enough to get round the city traffic without going into the centre to get to Black Rocks etc, straight onto M1 or A50/A38 for peaks or cannock etc, close to airport for holidays but far enough away noise isn't really an issue

on edge of city, nice bridleways and canal paths lead to singletrack playgrounds around Ticknall or ride to Morley Woods or Bramcote

lots of nice little villages just further south but prices do go up a lot - Ticknall, Repton, Melbourne etc

shardlow, Aston, Weston all nice too and more of a village feel

I currently commute from Staffs into Derby central, takes about 50 mins but im in before traffic gets mad. Anywhere between is pretty good, A50 is a fast road M6 TO M1 and A38 is pretty good generally, again, time specific. Central to loads of riding, Peak, Wales, etc... decent ale as well unlike Scotland

"shardlow, Aston, Weston all nice too and more of a village feel"

the MIL lives in Aston, nice village, and there are some big developments planned in that area that will probably see Aston-on-Trent link up with neighbouring Weston-on-Trent. There are some nice properties in Weston that back onto the canal so nice for a sort of waterfront property feel. But to the more pricey end of the spectrum.

I am in Little Eaton good routes from the door over to ambergate etc and only 45 mins over to dark peak etc in the car. I don’t work for the obvious employer but it would not be a bad commute from here by bike and avoid the traffic along the river path.