UKH

First time on the forum - I’m glad I’ve found you! I really hope we can find some ideas of where to live around The Lakes that suit us.

My husband and I (early thirties) and our dog are hoping to relocate to The Lakes next year, while we have chance with our jobs. We currently live in a city and we hate it. The majority of our weekends are spent near Ullswater as we have a caravan there (and I’ve been coming here for 30 years). We’ve only recently starting considering a permanent move, since originally we were going to move to the Peak District (where I’m from) but that was mainly influenced by locality to our family. 

About us: job wise we will be flexible on area, as we are both GPs and we’ve got some good options I think. Our hobbies are all outdoor - hillwalking, climbing, sailing, cycling, triathlons. My husband is also an expedition medic and does more mountaineering than I do. We don’t have children yet, but that is a possibility for the future so schools/ community is important for us.

Having said that, we are more drawn to villages rather than towns. We would love to be able to walk straight out the door rather than have to drive to all walks. We’ve looked pretty much every other weekend for 3-4 months at the villages around Penrith and found a few we like e.g. Askham, Helton, Stainton. I find it’s hard to judge sometimes how many of these villages are full of second homes, though and I don’t want to live solely with holidaymakers for neighbours. 

Penrith and Keswick is where I know the most, and I’m not overly keen on the really touristy South Lakes, so we rarely venture there. 

I’ve previously worked at Westmorland Hospital in Kendal but don’t know too much about the area. I still feel the North Lakes is probably where we are headed. 

Has anyone any advice on where to look? 

In reply to thosethreewords:

Around Hesket-new-Market/Mungrisdale/Uldale is nice. Not too busy, good community spirit and lots of good walking and cycling.

In reply to thosethreewords:

Don’t have the right kind of insight for north Lakes and whilst I acknowledge your south lakes view, there are plenty of quieter “tourist free” areas to live.

Indeed, if you want village, but still close to convenience, then places like Brigsteer, Underbarrow, Crosthwaite, Bowland Bridge etc (Lyth Valley basically) are all quality residential venues all within a short drive or bike of Kendal.

All got pubs, village halls etc and appear on the face of it to have good community activity.

FYI My wife and I are Kendal based and absolutely love it, although the long term plan is to move more towards the Lyth Valley or Staveley area both of which we really like.

Best of luck with the love whatever you decide!

In reply to thosethreewords:

As long as you are prepared to accept the high house prices you can’t go wrong with Keswick and the surrounding villages. Great running, biking and climbing on your doorstep and a great community of motivated nice people. Cinema and theatre in town if that is your thing. It gets busy in holiday times, but the hills and crags are empty on the evenings and you can always find quiet places to play on the weekends. 

In reply to thosethreewords:

How desperate are you to live in the LDNP? There are a lot of very nice places a few minutes drive outside the park boundaries without the ridiculous price tag. Might be worth thinking about.

In reply to thosethreewords:

Give it time.....

In reply to thosethreewords:

Sliverdale, the Yealands Kirby Lonsdale, Staveley, Burton-in-Kendal, are all worth a look, even though they're South Lakes.

Future political moves might also make just over the Scottish border an attractive proposition. I've always been attracted to Annan.

In reply to Greenbanks:

Ulverston similarly.  It's Lakes-like without being very touristy at all, more of a locals town.

In reply to thosethreewords:

Kendal has a great deal going for it and always ranks high in all these best place to live surveys.

I lived there for a couple of years and really liked the town.

Pros: friendly, lots going on, all amenities, big local produce scene, the film festival and other arts. Good connections south (don’t underestimate the travel times to get from the central lakes and out).

cons: not really in the hills and can be a pain in the arse to get to them with traffic at busy times. Can’t really think of any others.

In reply to thosethreewords:

Some things you might want to consider:

1. As already mentioned house prices vary massively. Outside the NP prices drop steadily and planning regs aren't so tight in case you want to alter or extend.

2. Climate varies hugely. It is considerably better weather 5 miles south of Kendal than in Kendal, and then another 5 or so miles south you have the Costa del Silverdale. Coastal areas eg  Ulverston, Millom also get more sun and less rain than even a mile or three inland. Then the Eden Valley is also blessed, being in the rain shadow of the mountains.

3. In holiday times the traffic in the most popular parts of the Lakes must be a huge source of annoyance to residents.

These three considerations brought us to just north of Milnthorpe.

In reply to thosethreewords:

Askham is very nice. A friend's parents are there and I used to visit a lot. I remember doing the classic high street mountain bike ride from there a couple of times, a grand day out! You could easily run over the fells to Ullswater. Pubs were always very friendly with lots of locals and there seemed to be a good community in the village. Penrith not far away.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

I wouldn't choose to live in the NP, as you say: price, weather, traffic, inconvenient for amenities.

If I wanted somewhere rural rather than Kendal where I am (and is perfect for me wanting a climbing wall, supermarkets and an arts cinema on my doorstep), I'd probably choose the Eden Valley for it's beauty and ease of access to decent amenities (Penrith, Carlisle).

In reply to thosethreewords:

A few years off I guess, but if you are moving permanently consider living in the catchment of the excellent state schools in Lancaster (LRGS/LGGS/Ripley St Thomas) or Kirby Lonsdale (QES).

The grammar schools in particular out-perform most of the alternative private schools. The north end of the catchment stops roughly on a line through Arnside->Milnthorpe->Leck Fell. 

In reply to thosethreewords:

i'd definately go for the Penrith area - thats based on the location, the bang-for-your-buck, the fact that its a real place where you can buy wallpaper and get your car serviced, and the quietness of the Eden Valley.

i like Kendal, but the traffic in holiday times can just be ridiculous. i just couldn't live there...

In reply to ballsac:

?? Never even noticed. There's a bit of traffic every day at "rush hour" which is no different in the holidays. The only traffic I try to avoid is windermere-Ambleside on busy days, which can be horrific, so I just go somewhere else. 

In reply to thosethreewords:

We've lived in Ambleside for 8-ish years now and can honestly say love it. Until just over a year ago we were on one of the small estates on the edge of town and these are full of locals. We are now in the centre of town (we have a B&B here now).

There are cinemas, decent shops, great restaurants, good pubs, a good primary school, medical centre, library, etc all within a 5 minute walk. As a bonus, Loughrigg, Wansfell, Red Screes, Fairfield, and plenty more are walkable from here.

Langdale is 15-20 minutes drive, and yes, it's still only 20 minutes in the busy season. Patterdale is also about 20 minutes, Borrowdale about 30-35 mins.

I'm not trying to sell you Ambleside here, even though it may seem that way. I'm just trying to make clear, that if it's the Lakes you're after, then look in the Lakes, and not Kendal, Penrith, and further afield. From those places you'll have the traffic problems that some have mentioned already. I drive in and out of central Ambleside most days during the busy season and rarely experience traffic problems of more than a minute or two, if at all. Friends who live in Kendal have quite different experiences. Penrith will be a similar story.

Good luck with the move, wherever it may be

In reply to Mark Eddy:

I agree with your post. I live and work in Keswick and can spend a week or more not getting into my car, but spending all my free time in the hills running and biking. It’s accessible within minutes from town. As much as I like Kendal and Penrith to get into the hills proper you’re going to have to drive.   House prices are the difference living within the national park.

In reply to thosethreewords:

Barrow in Furness . Small town, quick  access to  western lakes, Wasdale etc, always short of GPs .

In reply to David55:

Everywhere in Cumbria is short of GPs.

In reply to thosethreewords:

I've always found Keswick a lot more touristy than Kendal. It feels like the north Lakes is where you feel most comfortable with however.

In reply to thosethreewords:

Having lived in Penrith for over 30 years, and raised a family here whilst climbing a fair bit, it has been pretty good to me. I enjoy the convenience of being in the town but if buying in a village, and price was not a factor, then Askham or Stainton would be nice. I like Lazonby and Armathwaite, and would also consider Caldbeck or Hesket Newmarket.

In reply to thosethreewords: suprised isn't not been mentioned , butif keswick is too touristy for you have a look at the villages around cockermouth , 

In reply to thosethreewords:

Other places to consider: St Bees, Workington, and  Whitehaven.  Good access to  northern  and western  lakes, and Scottish  hills are not far away. For continuing medical  education,  you will be a couple of  hours from Glasgow,  Edinburgh,  Newcastle and Manchester  so lots to choose from. 

In reply to thosethreewords:

We've got friends who live in Stainton.  They're very active, into the same sports as you and now have two small kids.  The village seems to work well for them, although they do comment that there's a lot of old people around.  We've visited them a few times, always seems pleasant, but do tend to end up jumping in the car for activities i.e. not loads to do straight from the door.

In reply to mike123:

I was hinting at that with my "outside tge LDNP" comment

My only concern with recommending Cockermouth would be the relatively large amount of new housing being built. As Cockermouths popularity is as a dormitory town for Sellafield managers there might well be an oversupply of housing in the next few years. I'd be wary of buying there at present.

Someone mentioned Workington and Whitehaven. They're a bit isolated in terms of distance from the M6 and the rest of the world. House prices are very good in comparison to the Lakes, but it's a bit of a drive to the main fells, and there's not a lot of good restaurants etc about.

In reply to thosethreewords:

We have lived just Nth west of Penrith Near Ivegill on a Farmstead  only 6 houses from the farm building great farm house bigger and more remote and £90,000 cheaper than Staveley where we live now worth thinking about? also look at Greystokes just west of Penrith,  but a busy A590 to windermere . Now moving to Levens just sth of Kendal more sun a great village community and easy access to the sth motorways but still easy to quieter western lakes.  All depends on what you want in life.

keith s

In reply to thosethreewords:

Consider area around Ulverston. Nice town, good access to S and W Lakes, outside NP, slightly drier climate. Worth a look?

We're selling a house there, so I might be slightly biased!

N

In reply to thosethreewords:

Around Keswick as already indicated makes getting out onto the fells really easy, parking can be a real issue at busy times, and make sure you check the flooding risk, I’m sure the MR would appreciate a couple more doctors in the team.

Askham is really nice but there’s not a great supply of properties coming on the market and they’re all grade 2 listed in the village along with LDNP planning requirements make renovation more time consuming and costly. 

Other villages worth considering, Greystoke, Motherby, Blencow, Skelton, Tirril, Caldbeck, Hesket new market, Embleton area. Best pubs - Hesket New Market for drinks, Yanwath, Clifton and Embleton area (lakes distillery bistro and pheasant) for food.

You don’t mention if you have kids and schools are a factor, if they are I’d recommend Nelson Thomlinson Wigton catchment area (probably not Wigton town to live but there’s some nice properties in the catchment area) and it’s handy for Carlisle, Keswick and  Cockermouth. 

In reply to keith sanders:

You'll be just a mile from us.  It will be interesting to see whether you notice the difference in weather between Stavely and Levens. And  Levens has the wonderful Linda's hairdressers! Does me for four quid! Suppose that won't be of much interest to you, though, Keith.

In reply to thosethreewords:

I don’t know if it’s feasible, but would you consider renting for a year before you moved? That’s what we did, and over the course of the year our initial ideas of where we wanted to eventually buy completely changed. I know you’ve been coming to the area for a long time, but there’s nothing quite like actually living in a place to get a feel for the daily grind and if it works in a practical sense.

In terms of recommendations, I’d echo much of what has been said, but just to throw a spanner in the works; you might consider villages across on the edge of the Pennines like Melmerby and Alston (and many others). Access directly onto the fells can be easier, house prices are cheaper, the area tends to be a bit quieter, and they’re still only 20-30 minutes from the Lakes. Just worth considering.

In reply to Dave 88:

Live in Askham. Love it. Close enough to Penrith for all amenities it provides. Can cycle/run from the doorstep. Climbing within 10/15 minutes. Good pubs. Friendly locals. Good little local shop. No real negatives as far as I'm concerned. Any questions just ask.

In reply to thosethreewords:

Be aware if you're looking near Penrith, that if you live in Appleby or the surrounding villages you may recieved large numbers of unwanted visitors during the time around the horse fair.

In reply to thosethreewords:

I live in Staveley and it's got a fantastic community of outdoor people. Almost every vehicle has a canoe or mountain bike on it and OS maps and climbing guides on the back seat. The only thing it's missing is some good GPs!

In reply to pec:

I hate to prejudge anyone, but there's always trouble when the horse fair arrives. It's probably just a minority, but local kids have been beaten up (usually the biggest kid they can find), livestock/caravans/motorhomes go missing, and there's often litter and faeces around their camping. 

I'm not saying it's all of them as there are many lovely traveling people, but amongst them is an element of lawlessness and it taints the annual meeting.

In reply to pec:

Worth mentioning the Penrith pong as well - it can be pretty gagtastic- it’s an animal feed mill to the west of the town - make sure you’re down wind.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

Hair Dresses not been to 1 of them since 1991, bought some clippers for £19.95 and trim every 4 weeks along with our dog Scamp at the same time . Now Roger thats 27 years at 1 a month saving on haircuts plus the last 3 years dog haircuts, minus my original outlay off £19'95 . Hence my ability to spend 6 months a year abroad. From a true Yorkshire lad.

Keith s   

In reply to cander:

Shouldn't that be up wind?

In reply to keith sanders:

True Yorkshire lads tend to stay within the county.......that's why Clarkson isn't one. Or Parkinson.