Living in and around Manchester (again!)

I live in East Cheshire. Given the choice I’d live in one of the villages to the east of Macclesfield. Good pubs, reasonable mountain biking and not too pretentious.

Good access to the Peaks too.

Delamere’s a bit flat.

Ah, just checked google maps. A) Salford isn’t where I thought it was. B) The drive’s a bit long.

I live in the damp North. If you could tolerate the moisture I'd be looking at Ramsbottom.

It’s Cheshire you want?

I’d go with what @Kramer said. Macc and wilmslow have the distinct advantage of being close to the roads up to Manchester and the M60 and being within taxi distance of the trainline to London and manchester.

more interesting could be further out towards the Peak or into the fringes of West Yorkshire if you dare go East.

Nearer to the city and still pleasant are Cheadle Hulme, Didsbury, Chorlton, etc.

For value for money and hills, head North not South (or West). Plenty of people here live out that way... prepare for lots of advice... I'm out to the East, direct trains to Salford... it's very well connected to a lot of places.

South East - Marple/Bredbury/Romiley/Woodley/Gee Cross. Although Marple is shoot for traffic getting to the motorway.

Henbury and Bollington are quite nice, and a bit closer to Salford.

If you're selling in leafy Surrey, you can probably afford the nice bits south of town.

Near Macc is a decent suggestion, but how close to Salford do you need to be?

It can be a PITA to get across most of the time.

You might like it round Lymm, Altrincham way. Closer to Salford and M6.

According to the ever-reliable MEN, Norden is the new Didsbury.

i always remember Alderley Edge as being a bit ‘gauche’

Alderley Edge is very much the home of the orange-skinned trout-pouted lady driving a lime green Lamborghini SUV.

Villagey wise, we live in Disley. We like it, it's weird that it's intersected by a very busy road but within minutes either side of that you're in countryside. I grew up in Poynton, very different now to when I grew up and I'm not keen, but I can see why people like it.

I like Bollington, MrsIHN ain't too keen.

Marple/Bredbury/Romiley/Woodley/Gee Cross

None of these could be described as villages.

Norden is the new Didsbury.

I was in Norden at the weekend.

Seems nice enough and has plenty of pubs.

In between Altringham and Warrington is where I'd look. Dunham Massey, Heatley, Lymm, Broomedge Little Bollington those sorts of places. I used to live in Northamptonshire, and it's the closest I've seen up here that replicates that sort of countryside. 

Norden is the new Didsbury.

Nordens always been nice. As usual I'll recommend where I live (Rammy), because its ace. Rawtenstall is also very nice nowadays. Beyond that it all gets a bit 'high six'

I'd rather remove my own kidneys with a teaspoon than live in any of the places mentioned in Cheshire as they're just completely flat, boring and characterless and a sea of 4x4s and tennis coaches

Anywhere north of Manchester is better for access to Salford. Don't underestimate just how bad the traffic is southside. As noted, it rains here A LOT. The locals have webbed feet 😀

If you head out North East-wards you've got Saddleworth which has some nice villages, and plenty riding on your doorstep. Salford 40-ish mins is away depending on time of day etc.

In between Altringham and Warrington is where I’d look. Dunham Massey, Heatley, Lymm, Broomedge Little Bollington those sorts of places. .

If you have more than a passing interest in mountain biking then DO NOT live in any of these areas. I live in Alti and for evenings and short days it's a bloody nightmare.

If you want somewhere hilly you could always look at Uppermill but would need to factor the travel to Salford, if you need to have a short drive then Culcheth could be an option but it's flat so road bike from the house rather than MTB for the other options like Rammy etc

How 'village' does OP want. How good for cycling (MTB and road is North, East, and South East of Manchester. Road mainly would be West and South West.

None of these could be described as villages.

Unless you're an estate agent... 😉

Can anyone recommend any quiet little villages that are out of the way, but within a 40 minute(ish) drive?

As IHN says, most of what is around Manchester is a mix of small town urban sprawl where one bit blends into the next...

Also, a 40 min drive in quiet times can easily be a 90 minute one in rush hour.

Around Delamere / Antrobus etc looks quite nice?

Can anyone recommend any quiet little villages that are out of the way, but within a 40 minute(ish) drive?

I live in Delamere, and if it's a quiet village you're after it's perfect. There's a mainline station into Manchester and on a good day / outside of rush hour you can drive to central Manchester in under an hour.

Incidentally my in-laws house in the village is on the market

OP are you more MTB or road?? Makes a bit of difference potentially.
Not mentioned yet, but west lancs is interspersed with nice villages, decent rail links to Salford/Manc from Burscough, Parbold, Appley Bridge. Flat as a pancake from the coast until Parbold, good for road riding as easy to warm up and then hit a hill 5 miles into the ride, MTB is lacking though with the exception of Pimbo Bike Park for jump lines. However within an hour there’s North Wales and South Lakes. I’m west lancs and despite the lack of door step MTB I’d not move to Cheshire. I work in Cheshire (Daresbury) and even so it doesn’t appeal enough to consider a move, even though there are lots of nice villages.

Villagey wise, we live in Disley. We like it, it’s weird that it’s intersected by a very busy road but within minutes either side of that you’re in countryside.

Disley is ace... miss that area. I wouldn't chose it, or anything out that way, for easy access to Salford though. If it wasn't for the Salford link, I'd suggest Rowarth or Mellor.

OP are you more MTB or road?? Makes a bit of difference potentially.

Agreed. Any negative comments about Cheshire (including by me) assume mountain biking is the main interest... loads of lovely road riding (with plenty of mtb still an option with a drive)... and transport routes to Salford can be very good considering the proper rural vibe you can find (with the right money).

Not mentioned yet, but west lancs is interspersed with nice villages, decent rail links to Salford/Manc from Burscough, Parbold, Appley Bridge. Flat as a pancake from the coast until Parbold, good for road riding as easy to warm up and then hit a hill 5 miles into the ride, MTB is lacking though

Actually you can pop over to Rivington pretty quickly, and there's great gravel and road from the door as you say.

Caution on Saddleworth is the roads east of Manchester are generally shit. And Salford is on the west.

Lives in the North East side of the urban conerbation that is Madchester.  15 minutes for the centre by train.  Local riding from my doorstep inc The peaks, 20 mins drive if that to Yorkshire  and quiet enough to sleep well at night .

Don’t underestimate just how bad the traffic is southsideeverywhere

Binners likes to give the impression that south Manchester is a car park, whilst in north Manchester they're picnicking in the streets. IME experience the traffic is equally crap wherever.

South Manchester is a car park ! Hence cycling to work.

Swing by Tarporley on your way back down south as that village is very English, but slightly longer than 40 minutes away from Salford.

Binners likes to give the impression that south Manchester is a car park

It is. I lived there long enough to know. Its not great in the north either, but if his folks are in Salford and thats going to be a regular journey, then living north makes more sense than having to get across or around the city every time, at walking pace.

If it was me in that situation, looking at it for myself, I wouldn't be contemplating South Manchester, even though there are some great places to live

Used to live in Chorlton for 6 years. Didn't like it much. Very much depends where you live. I was surrounded by scrotes and had bother. Also, cycling from the door is crap.

Been in Congleton over a year now, really like it. Hills to the east, flat to the west. Small enough place, and we live in a quiet area. Salford would be doable in 40 minutes.

In Cheshire Goostrey and Comberpatch are quite nice, I ride around that area quite a bit. It is primarily road but there are quite a lot of nice bridleways (unsurprising given the horse/population ratio) if you like a bit of gravelly stuff. Further east towards Macclesfield is Gawsworth which fits the village bill including an excellent olde worlde pub. From there the Cheshire roads and Derbyshire lanes are accessible. Sutton up above Macclesfield is a pleasant spot and Bollington mentioned above, not to be be confused with Little Bollington, is really nice if you like that sort of thing (I do, gritstone dourness, great pubs, hills nearby).

...living north makes more sense than having to get across or around the city every time, at walking pace.

I often drive around the M60 from Stockport area up to the M61 passing Salford. Outside of rush hour it's rarely a problem.

I'm being rather selectively quoted, but I think we're all pretty much saying the same thing - the traffic everywhere around Manchester is crap, and if he needs to get to Salford regularly, that possibly needs to be higher up his list of decision factors.

(FWIW, if I had to drive from from Disley to Salford once a week, say at the weekend, I'd probably live with it. Any more than that, especially in weekday evenings and mornings, then that would quickly become less than fun)

I live in Salford.

...

Not exactly sure what I'm contributing here. Um, getting here is really easy, from here?

Binners likes to give the impression that south Manchester is a car park, whilst in north Manchester they’re picnicking in the streets. IME experience the traffic is equally crap wherever.

South Manchester is a car park ! Hence cycling to work.

Its ALL Bad. I regularly travel round the fringes of the M60, both directions, all parts - and all of it, and its surrounding villages/towns, are just as bad as each other. Thats modern life, unfortunately. Its not possible to live in the densely populated corner of the NW and avoid it. Just as per West Yorkshire, Birmingham area, etc etc...

ETA - I do have friends in Uppermill, and know little about it other than getting the impression 'this must be a great place to live if you like riding bikes'.

(FWIW, if I had to drive from from Disley to Salford once a week, say at the weekend, I’d probably live with it. Any more than that, especially in weekday evenings and mornings, then that would quickly become less than fun)

I'm just down the road from IHN and my next door neighbour commutes to Salford most days.
She has to leave by about 6.40am if she wants to do the journey in 40 mins, otherwise it can take over an hour in rush hour.

That said, she loves this area and seems willing to put up with the commute and timings.
I'd cycle it but obviously that's not practical for everyone.

Its ALL Bad. I regularly travel round the fringes of the M60, both directions, all parts – and all of it, and its surrounding villages/towns, are just as bad as each other.

That's pretty true - most of the surrounding areas are absolute traffic sewers, especially anywhere it gets hilly. Glossop for example and that whole stretch of the M67 into Mottram.

If you have more than a passing interest in mountain biking then DO NOT live in any of these areas.

The man lives in Surrey currently. MTB mecca it ain't. And arguably there's more MTB an hours drive from any of those places than there is in the entire SE England, so while local riding may be shit, it's still a better option that he's got now.

The man lives in Surrey currently.

This is a good point

Alderley Edge is very much the home of the orange-skinned trout-pouted lady driving a lime green Lamborghini SUV.

He'll love it 🙂

The OP hasn't mentioned cycling at all so a lot of the above concerns with places may be a non-issue 🙂

The man lives in Surrey currently. MTB mecca it ain’t.

Erm, I'd bloody love to have the Surrey Hills trails up here. It is literally (a metaphorical) MTB Mecca.

I'd swap them Rivi in a heartbeat - and they're better than most of the Peak, Hebden etc too.

Lymm and then M62 / M602 into Salford

I’d swap them Rivi in a heartbeat – and they’re better than most of the Peak, Hebden etc too.

😳

I’d swap them Rivi in a heartbeat – and they’re better than most of the Peak, Hebden etc too.

Takes all sorts I suppose.

I'll stick a hand up for Ramsbottom and Rossendale.

Yes its a bit damp but houses are cheap, the the cafe/bar culture is on the up and the riding is fantastic.

I’ll stick a hand up for Ramsbottom and Rossendale.

Ramsbottom and Summerseat are different propositions to Rawtenstall, Waterfoot and Bacup

Yeah, apart from Rawtenstall my advice is stay out of the valley bottoms. Get up on the hills and its ace, proper riding from the door, both MTB and road. Rossendale is something like 80% moorland although you'd never know driving through. Apart from rush hour road links are good. Trafford centre is 45 mins from north of Bacup for example.

Not for everyone but its pretty good and cheap.

Poynton seems to fit the bill. 40 mins from Salford, small town but enough going on, excellent road cycling and some reasonable mtb on the door with it being in the edge of the Peak District.

I live in Macclesfield. Riding from the door for both MTB and road. Cheshire plains to one side, Peak to the other. Loads of tech riding in the Forest. Loads of pubs and eateries. Easy to get into Manchester by train in 20 minutes. Close to the M6 for everything else.

Absolutely would rate. We moved from Nottingham and absolutely can't imagine going anywhere else now.

Tockholes, horwich Belmont n bits of chorley are ok too

Poynton is nice except the horrendous mess of the shared roads in the middle - blooming nightmare on a road bike with all the damaged block paving due to weight of vehicles. Good idea, poor materials.

I would look at houses in areas with reliable public transport and a decent commute by bicycle.

Some of the areas suggested are nice to live in but could be a hightmare for commuting.

The guy I used to work with joked about getting a commode seat for his car as he spent so much time commuting a short distance.

Right, I live prety much half way between Delamere and Antrobus, so can give you my thoughts about those two places. Delamere has the advantage of the station as Steve says, but it doesn't really have any focal point to the village, everything is quite spread out. It's also on the SLOWEST LINE IN THE UNIVERSE, takes over an hour to get to Manchester. Chester about 10 mins the other way though.

Antrobus does have an actual village centre but is surrounded by a massive area of sparsely populated farmland, so you could still be quite out in the sticks. Very convenient for the M56/M6 though in terms of getting into Manchester or Salford.

Next to Antrobus is Comberbatch, (also noted above I see) but the real gem around there is Great Budworth. I don't know that houses actually come for sale very often there, and you'd probably not get any North/South divide price advantage either. Mobberly, Mere or Ashley between Knutsford and Wilmslow would also be worth considering - if you like planes.

I have a soft spot for Bollington and a studied indifference to the Cheshire plain, which is kind of a transplanted heaven for big, south-east style roadies. Disley, like High Lane and Marple is full of people who think they live in a peaceful village but open their front doors onto the A6 or similar hell road. IHN lives in Disley in the same way that folk in Everest Base Camp live in Kathmandu 😉

A lot of this stuff is very subjective. I love Glossop, but it's not really comparable to the OP's preference for: 'Nice and quiet, village vibes and quintessentially English which i love (think Midsomer Murders without the body count!).' Ditto virtually everywhere else that's being suggested, unless you really think of the A6 as some sort of bucolic country lane, in which case may I recommend any number of excellent local opticians. There's a lot of recommending 'where I live or used to as per usual.

I suspect somewhere in Cheshire to the east of Manc is probably your best bet, Ive ridden through various pleasant enough villages on the road, though don't remember any of them specifically. Either that or embrace a more rugged, northern mill town vibe.

Edit: I googled Great Budworth, looks spot on, but undoubtedly with a nasty undercurrent of very genteel murders.

Edit: I googled Great Budworth, looks spot on, but undoubtedly with a nasty undercurrent of very genteel murders.

Actually you're more likely to get lasered to death by space aliens. It was used heavily for the last remake of War of the World's. 

I live in Ramsbottom, and having grown up in a village Rammy doesn't really feel like a village to me, more of a small town. Ditto Rawtenstall.

Around here Holcombe, Edgeworth, possibly Hawkshore have more of a village vibe IMO. There's also a fairly quiet area north of Edgeworth but south of Blackburn which feels fairly rural to drive through without actually being that remote.

However this is all North Manchester and as advertised it is quite damp!

As others have said, Very much depends where you live and work. I'm only 10 miles South East of Manchester, but have a reasonably good off road commute into the city - worst bits for traffic are completely avoided by various tracks and shared routes. Driving in takes 45-60 minutes or more. Ditto coming in via any of the motorways. If you are working outside of the city then you've a little more choice. Public transport is pretty poor in places - you might want to consider somewhere on the tram lines ? - nothing out where I live - Trains are every half hour into Manchester and are standing room only for £7.90 a day.

Salford can be a bit tricky to get to anywhere near rush hour, especially from the South and East, so bear that in mind. Salford/Chorlton sides of Manchester have good cycling infrastructure for commuting, the rest doesn't.

I suspect somewhere in Cheshire to the east of Manc

Sorry, I meant 'west of Manc' there.

I lived in Manchester years ago and still go back.  It sprawls - just conurbation and suburbs / dormitory towns for miles.  Traffic is awful.  It rains a lot - not in inches but in rainy days.

For what the OP suggests I would live in one of the wee towns to the north I think and put up with the damp and proximity to Binners

I agree with BWD, everywhere being mentioned in South Manc, the suggester clearly hasn't read the req's, especially Poynton.  Likewise, are we just laying bingo buzzwords suggesting Chorlton 🤷‍♂️

Macclesfield and area are better suggestions but the commute to Salford could be tough depending when the OP will be visiting.

IHN lives in Disley in the same way that folk in Everest Base Camp live in Kathmandu 😉

I mean, the fella has a point

Overall though, the request is for a pretty, quiet village with easy travelling to a Salford. I honestly don't think that such a thing exists, so, as with any house move, he'll have to pick his compromises

Fwiw, Goostrey is nice

Was going to mention that Great Budworth was destroyed by Martians during the last (truly forgettable) invasion, but @tthew beat me to it.

I live in Simister, which has a quieter sort of feel to it, despite only being a mile or so from one of the main A roads into Manchester. You could get to Salford in about 20 minutes.

Mrs The Spider commutes by bus and whinges about it constantly. I drive to Rochdale daily and (says it quietly) it isn't too terrible on the M60/62 for my three junction route.

Don’t forget Salford is quite big and also encompasses places like Worsley. But I’m guessing we are talking about central Salford near the Uni? I was born and grew up in Salford, lived in Ramsbottom, Bromley Cross and Didsbury. I then moved to Shropshire about 12 years ago but commuted to Salford Uni where I was a lecturer for 21 years. I split travelling between the train and driving across Cheshire.

Depending on how often you are heading into Salford, just live in Shropshire, it’s epic.

We did initially look across Cheshire for somewhere to live and couldn’t find anything we liked; lots of lovely villages but the lack of hills for mountain biking meant it was a hard no for us. If we were road cyclists or just coffee shop strollers, there are lots of great villages and traffic isn’t too horrendous to Salford depending on frequency and timings.

I liked Ramsbottom (it’s a lot nicer now too, I still have friends there) and also spent lots of time around Rivi, nice spot, but definitely moist. Traffic can be an absolute arse though depending on timings and exactly where in Salford you are talking about.

I’ve never lived in Macc, but that general area would definitely be on my to look at list, especially from a MTB perspective.

It’s priorities, I would prefer to live in my perfect location and take the travelling pain, but that’s me! 😀

I live in Ramsbottom, and having grown up in a village Rammy doesn’t really feel like a village to me, more of a small town. Ditto Rawtenstall.

@tomparkin - you should nip onto one of the Rammy facebook groups and ask if its a town or a village. You'll be there all day, 500+ replies, 30 bans, 2 death threats and 20 flounces 😂

I lived in Manchester years ago and still go back.  It sprawls – just conurbation and suburbs / dormitory towns for miles.  Traffic is awful

Sounds like you're describing the M8 corridor between Glasgow and Edinburgh there 😉

I'm not really sure north Manchester is any damper than south Manchester. The north west of England is damp, you have to accept it if you're going to live here.  Lancashire is a good shout, as although it's further, the travelling doesn't take so long due to the lack of traffic. It only becomes slow once you get close to Manchester. Since Salford is on the north side of Manchester, Cheshire can be a lot longer journey than further away in Lancashire. Crawling around the M60 can be a nightmare and my friends from Cheshire seem to hate the train service.

East of Manchester has some nice villages, such as the Saddleworth area as mentioned. The weather can get a bit grim in my experience though, but there is a nice community and nearly as much Botox and filler as Cheshire.

Plus, Cheshire always strikes me as a giant 4x4 car park, but plenty of people love it I guess.

Somewhere will appeal to you, which is why everyone will recommend their own place. But you have to learn to accept rain.

Plus, Cheshire always strikes me as a giant 4×4 car park

I think a lot of people when you say Cheshire immediately think Wilmslow, Alderley Edge and (aagh) Prestbury which indeed to have more 4x4s than inhabitants. The rest of Cheshire isn't really footballers wives territory.

I avoided mentioning Great Budworth earlier as although a charming place the bits which were not destroyed in the great Martian war are regularly invaded by tourist hordes.

Thanks all - appreciated. I'll keep checking back should more replies come through. Never considered Ramsbottom, but it looks like a funky place these days!

I'm driving up next Thursday so will do some exploring. I'm starting around Jodrell Bank and will work North. Great Budworth looks lovely and being a bit of a nerd, the Martian connection is ace! Could i have found a new home so quickly?!?! 😂

Rammy is indeed damp.  It is worse than some nearby alternatives and gets me down sometimes but over time I always realise it's really the only down side and is massively outweighed by the huge countervailing advantages of living in this location.

I'm sure there are better places to live - but (as @binners has already indicated in terms I endorse wholeheartedly) they aren't in the soulless hellholes of Cheshire.  Elsewhere South of Manchester?  Maybe - but we're talking hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of km...

Sun just came out.  With your constraints, you should move here.  Recommend what you have/did etc etc.  And if you insist on exploring South to North next week, don't wear yourself out and get here bored/hangry/done for the day etc etc

M61 corridor has to be worth a look - most direct route into Salford by far and some nice spots. Horwich usually mentioned but a town not a village.
You'll find proper village living further out in West Lancs if you don't mind some weird. Midsomer murders, odd Scouser edition. But honestly that's a feature compared to the Cheshire plain. I ride round all those places in Cheshire and never get that 'I wonder what it's like to live here?' feeling where it captures your interest. Just feels a bit empty.

Somewhere will appeal to you, which is why everyone will recommend their own place

I don't. I always tell people to steer the hell clear of Alti if they have any interest in adventure sports recreation

@steamtb makes a good point with this

I would prefer to live in my perfect location and take the travelling pain

Need to decide what end of the spectrum you want to be on. I suppose it will depend on how often you are going to be traveling.

I grew up in Macc, but I left about 25 years ago now(!) Even back then the MTB was great (it's what got me hooked and the reason I'm here now)

Think it has only got better since then really, with all the stuff in the forest you can now throw yourself down 👍
Also dining / drinking seems a lot lot better than when I grew up (and it was a slight dump really)

+1 for Saddleworth. Don’t bother with S or W .Manc unless you like your ‘mtb’ flat, boring and full of dogsh1t (or you’re happily resigned to driving everytime you need to get out on an MTB.) I lived there for 12 years so know. It rains A LOT in Saddleworth though, dare I say it more than Rammy (I’ve lived there too.) but it’s lovely, and quirky and pretty quiet as soon as you’re away from Uppermill.

Manchester is bone dry by NW standards.

@tomparkin – you should nip onto one of the Rammy facebook groups and ask if its a town or a village. You’ll be there all day, 500+ replies, 30 bans, 2 death threats and 20 flounces 😂

I think I might try something like:

"Scraping my daughter's pushchair past some ridiculous SUV on the pavement only to find the way blocked by a horrible lot of dogs muck! Properly disgusting. Come on everyone, sort it out, let's get Rammy feeling like a proper village again!!!1!"

Keep an eye out for the mushroom cloud 🍄

@tomparkin - if you can somehow show-horn a complaint about the regularity of wheely-bin collections then it’ll go fully thermonuclear 😃