UKH

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are considering to move to New Mills.
We are both in our thirties and we live in North East London. We want to move somewhere quieter, with access to countryside and climbing. I used to live in Manchester so I know the city and Peak District.

We have already visited New Mills and we are planning to go back in a couple of weeks.
We would like to hear from/connect with people living around there.

This is how we see it at the moment

PROS
- Commutable into Manchester Piccadilly (my girlfriend's future office location)
- Not far from a big city.
- Access to Peak District and local crags (Windgather and Castle Naze in 20 minutes. Hathersage 35minutes)
- Nice surroundings and parks for a walk
- It seems the house market is reasonable (rent 2 bedroom flat <<£1000/m, although everything is reasonable coming from London)
- Apparently it has good nursery and primary schools (we are thinking of starting a family)
- Boy scouts groups around (we saw one in Chinley, I was member of a Scout group)
- A good Italian restaurant, a few nice cafes (A Tavola and Door34)
- The Shrub Club seems a nice bar.
- New Mills Art Theatre. (How is this? )

CONS
- A bit sleepy/small. ? (How is iliving there? None of us have live in a place that small...)
- The closest climbing wall seems to be Stockport Awesome Walls (25minutes drive)
- We don't know anyone there. I have a couple of friends in Stockport but we don't know anyone who lives in New Mills.

We would appreciate any comments or message! Many thanks

J

 

Other threads in UKC about New Mills, a bit old though

New Mills, High Peak, what's it like? (2010)
https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/off_belay/new_mills_high_peak_what's_it_l...

Outer Manchester where to live
https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/rock_talk/outer_manchester_where_to_live-...

All the pro's are true.

In the cons,

1. yes it is quieter- that's what you said you wanted !

2. 25 mins isn't that long.

3. You'll make friends.

I live in Disley - about a mile from the Shrub Club.

It seems to be a great blend.  It is both accessible to a great city and the national park.  It feels like I live near both.  Everywhere is reasonable accessible, so I can do North Wales or the Lakes for s day, alongside anywhere in the Peak, Yorkshire, Lancashire or Llangollen.  Compared to London, everywhere is easy to reach.

Generally the area is really friendly (I am an incomer).  I don't spend loads of time in New Mills, but it has plenty of facilities - a nice town with a mix of local people and commuters.  Lots to recommend

There’s a pretty decent crag closer than that!

I'm in Kettleshulme....I never had a good feel about New Mills....can't describe why but just never have. Whaley Bridge is nicer in my opinion....all the same advantages....slightly further out but good train line....nicer place to live I'd say....

No frills

Handy for the hills

That's the way you spell New Mills

Half Man Half Biscuit, "The Light At The End Of The Tunnel". Not a bad summary!

Also Lloyd Cole went to school there, for those of us of a certain vintage. 

b

Don't... You'll hate it.

Indeed.

... And a mate of mine punched him on the nose for scratching his Pink Floyd album in the Sixth Form Common Room.

Shut it, Dave... What do you know?

Thanks for the comments.

Yes, we saw the crag in New Mills. It could be a option for a quick session. I forgot to list in the original post.
We visited Whaley Bridge and got the feeling that New Mills had more to offer. Maybe we should have another look.

Any comment from a new parent or family with young kids?

Thanks,
J
 

Is it that bad ?

Driving down the A6 into Stockport is grim at rush hour

There's Rope Race at Marple which is nearer, though smaller and routes don't seem to change very often!

Join the Mynydd CC. About 50% of the members live in New Mills!

The advantage of New Mills however is that there are two different train lines in to Manchester, so if one is fubar'd as they often are (perhaps less so since retirement of the good ol' Pacers?) then you've a better chance of getting in to town on time.

I moved up to Hebden Bridge from New Mills in 2020, but wouldn't hesitate to ever move back there. To be fair we were a mile up the valley in Birch Vale, but New Mills was our local centre. 

Pros:

- Yes the commute to Manchester is easy, my wife did it daily until Covid struck. As I just mentioned in a reply, you've the rare advantage of two train lines so if one is blocked then the other is usually open. 

- Not far at all, 35 mins. 

- Access to the rock is superb, and probably why my logbook is so numerous. Pretty much the entire Peak, east and west, is within a 40 minute drive. 

- Prices, we let out a 2 bed cottage for £650p/m.. could possibly be higher now but haven't checked! 

- Shrub Club is brill. Not sure on the theatre, not my cup of tea. 

- You will make friends, folk are quite social and community minded. Very active Facebook groups and the folk I know regularly comment on neighbours etc (good or bad.. ) 

Cons:

- Not too sleepy for someone used to it, but coming from London I could see why it might feel that way.

- Rope Race in Marple is 15 mins. But when you've got  New Mills Torrs you don't really need an indoor wall!

Like I say, I wouldn't hesitate to move back there at all. Lovely little place. Always had a reputation for being a bit rough 20 years ago however there's not really any evidence of it today with it fast becoming a popular commuter hot spot. No more so than anywhere else, anyway. 

I grew up in new mills, left for Uni in 2007 and only been back for about 6 months total (post Uni and between jobs). A few acquaintances my age (from elsewhere) have moved there recently and initially I was like "why?!" like a petulant teenager, but then I though on it and I know why - It was a good place to grow up (though I was shipped off to a school elsewhere - still state but Church school) with access to outdoors, people similarly minded to my parents so we had plenty of sociallising as kids, even with going to school elsewhere - this was helped by my parents being involved in a lot (local NCT, church, climbing club, fell running club etc. etc.) and different kinds of kids groups. Family members of Mynydd CC (parents decided to take us out walking/climbing/camping 'prioperly' rather than join cubs/scouts etc) - parents still members. Ran for Pennine Fell Runners (based in Hayfield) for 8 years. Snowdonia and Lakes about 2h away is handy.

Quite a few of the old pubs are now houses, but there's still quite a few about. Shrub club is nice if a bit wanky and expensive (though not by London prices), but even some of the previously 'rougher' pubs are OK for a pint or 7 of Wainwright or the like. Robinsons is always a risk though! And The Pride of the Peaks - I daren't venture in!

From recent visits it is a bit more gentrified than it was, it always seemed very relaxed compared to the more uptight Marple/Disley, bit of a posh Cheshire/mill working Derbyshire vibe in the past, but I'm not too sure how this holds up now. I don't know another town its size that doesn't have a greggs/costa or similar chains on the high street - you're spoilt for choice for hair dressers and cafes! Potts is probably the best bakery bread ever, and their shortbread bears were a staple for walks as a kid. Lack of a 'proper' supermarket means travel to Glossop/Whaley/Chapel for Aldi/Tesco/Morissons.

I've lived in New Mills since 2011 and now have a young family (3.5 and 6 yr old). We love it here.

As others have said, there's a nice sense of community (with annual events like New Mills Festival and the Lantern Parade etc), some nice cafes/eateries/pubs. As well as climbing, you've got great MTB'ing on your doorstep and caving nearby. There are occasional issues with antisocial behaviour or break ins etc, but I don't think New Mills is any worse than any other town in that respect.

My wife and I commuted regularly to Manchester until covid (now it's more of an occasional thing). If your work isn't too far from Piccadilly then the commute should be under an hour (plus you've got two train stations in NM). Note also that the Greater Manchester Traincard is valid as far as New Mills too.

We are finding that it's a great place to bring up kids - the primary schools are all pretty good (a mixture of large and small ones, and they all get the same Ofsted rating of 'good') and there's a lovely nursery school in the town centre, good play area at High Lea Park, and an abundance of kid friendly walks in/near town. It's a shame that the Surestart children's centre shut a few years ago though.

Further afield, Whaley, Chinley and Disley are all nice places too, if you want somewhere smaller. But I have no hesitation in recommending New Mills.

Slight risk of being under water at some point but then the OP shouldn't have a problem with that.

I'm trying to keep it a secret.

Driving down the A6 into Stockport is grim at ANY hour

Another thumbs up from me. Been here two years. I'm 50m from the crag. Great running from the house around the canals, up to Black Rocks (Cheshire) and Kinder. Good mountain biking and easy to get to the Peak at 4pm - just one dodgy junction then u r onto quick roads.

Handy having a lockdown crag as well....bouldering, trad, bolted grit........

Thanks very much for all the comments. I really appreciate them.

I will definitely check out the Mynydd Climbing Club and Pennine Fell Runners! Thanks
In terms of supermarket we saw a Co-op fairly big in New Mills and then I think there was an Aldi towards Chapel-en-le-Frith.
Great to hear that it's a good place to bring up kids.