Moving to Penrith or Kendal

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matron 16 Nov 2016
Hi everyone.
I work as a nurse in Salisbury. I have visited Cumbria a handful of time and climbed a few mountains!
I am considering moving for lots of reasons. I want a more active out door life. Property is affordable , clean air country life and the rainy gusty winds I love.
I was considering Kendal or Penrith. Any areas to avoid? As a nurse I hope to find work without travelling to to long.
It would be great to hear from people who currently live in the area and those who took the plunge and moved.
Thanks!
 JLS 16 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

>"Any areas to avoid?"

Flooding rivers.
matron 16 Nov 2016
In reply to JLS:

lol. please feel free to tell me!
 JLS 16 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

Beyond having friends who got flooded in Kendal, I know little of the area.
There will be lots of "affordable" property in and around Penrith and Kendal due to past flooding events.
I'm pretty sure these places will flood again so be aware.
2
 Rob Parsons 16 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

For a start, have a look at https://www.foe.co.uk/page/flood-map-england-wales

https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk also has related information.
Post edited at 16:54
 Phil1919 16 Nov 2016
In reply to JLS:

Unlike York, Gloucester, Thames valley which will never flood again......

Plenty of higher ground around Kendal and I'm sure Penrith. If you do buy on the floodplain, at least the river goes up and down very quickly. I'm from down down souff, but have chosen to live happily in Kendal for 30 years now.
1
 Lord_ash2000 16 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

I've never lived in either but pass through both fairly often. From my limited experiences I'd probably go for Kendal myself, its got a big climbing wall in the centre and seems generally a nice place to live with an attractive town centre and nice houses etc. It's also close to a lot of climbing, you've got the Limestone to your south (Scout scar is about 5 mins out of town) then you've got all the cragging in the central lakes not to far to your north.

Penrith, again has good travel links but is a little more isolated. You've got eden's sandstone on your doorstep and the easten lakes crags such as Gouther not too far away, Keswick and borrowdale stuff is about 30 mins away. Town wise, its alright and also has some nice period houses etc but just all seems a bit more average to me on the whole.

Both have flooded recently so get yourself a house on the hill, worked for us in Cockermouth. Beware of surprisingly cheap houses with "recently renovated ground floors and river views"
matron 16 Nov 2016
In reply to Lord_ash2000:

Hiya

I had a look at cockermouth and really liked the place but my boyfriend said its a high risk area for flooding?

Or he could be having me on!!
matron 16 Nov 2016
In reply to Phil1919:

Thanks for your response. So I need a hill with a house on top.
Any areas to avoid buying in kendal, that are a bit rough or at a high risk of flooding?
 Chris Ridgers 16 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:
I have just done something similar and moved from Somerset to Preston. I was aiming for Ambleside but was restricted by my job.

The best advice I can give is to take the time to look around the different arias you would like to move to and see what they are like for yourself. I would also recommend renting for a bit before you commit to buying somewhere, that way it is easy to move if you find you don't like it there.

Good luck
 phizz4 16 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

All three places have their pluses and minuses and you can avoid flood prone areas quite easily. I would give some thought to your likely place of work and what the daily commute will be. Kendal has good, easy access to places like Lancaster but you might not want to commute over Shap fell to work in Penrith or Carlisle in a snowy winter. Travel along the A66 linking Cockermouth and Penrith is usually OK but Cockermouth can feel a bit isolated from the rest of the country compared to places along the M6. You could rent for a while until you get a 'feel' for a place before committing to buying.
 plyometrics 16 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

We moved to Kendal in 2011 and have not regretted it. It's a cool town with lots of like-minded "off comers" like us. Quite a hippy vibe when you get under the skin of it.

Don't be worried about flooding unless you choose to ignore the results of any searches you carry out on any property purchase. Fortunately, much of Kendal's residential property is built on hillsides either side of the town.

The town isn't cheap for housing, but it's certainly not over priced.

One of the few downsides for me is the town's one way traffic system, which can be a massive pain in the arse at 'rush hour'.

Would highly recommend it though.

Best of luck!

 Ridge 16 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

> Hiya

> I had a look at cockermouth and really liked the place but my boyfriend said its a high risk area for flooding?

> Or he could be having me on!!

Lots of Cockermouth is well above the floodline. It's probably the nicest of the 3 places, but it's not cheap compared to the other two.

Also you need to think where you'll be working. The NHS in Cumbria isn't in a good way. West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven is being run into the ground, with everything being moved to Carlisle. The cottage hospitals are also taking a hammering at the moment.
Removed User 16 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

I agree with phizz4, surely you need to decide where you're going to work first then decide on where to move to. Are you planning to work in one of the Acute Hospitals (Carlisle or Barrow), a Community Hospital (various ones scattered throughout Cumbria) or in the community? Distances in Cumbria are big and the travel can be slow once you're off the M6. I live near Penrith and work in the NHS. I like Penrith, contrary to what a lot of people may say it's got quite a lot going for it as a town, and you have the North Lakes (and the much quieter but beautiful Eden valley and Pennines) on your doorstep. People who live in Kendal will I'm sure list the benefits of Kendal, it all depends what you want.
Happy for you to PM me if you want to ask anything else (though I'm not a nurse).
matron 16 Nov 2016
In reply to Removed Usersmm:

Thanks for your reply.

I wold like to work in a hospice or as a practice nurse, my background is oncology. I was also planing on taking a year off to finish my masters and maybe do some bank work. I don't want full time work, fed p of slogging my guts for the NHS.

I will have savings to cover the mortgage for a year and my partner is a private tutor so hopefully he will get work.
I agree renting is the best way but at the same time if the right house came on the market then i ma go for it.
My partner knows penrith as he has a relative living in the area, who doesn't know our plans!
Whats the job situation like?
matron 16 Nov 2016
In reply to plyometrics:

thank you for your response. Glad you and your family are happy in Kendal.
matron 16 Nov 2016
In reply to Chris Ridgers:

thanks Ridgers. Going to take another trip up and have a good look around and see what nursing jobs are available etc.
 Guy Hurst 16 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

The NHS in Cumbria struggles to get staff. At least one hospital in the county looks like it will lose all its beds primarily because it can't retain enough nurses. Penrith will be the cheapest place to rent or buy, and hardly any of it is prone to flooding, although Eamont Bridge, to the south of the town, can get a bit interesting.
Removed User 16 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

Penrith is a damn sight more redneck and rural if that's your thing...
2
 Phil1919 16 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

Doesn't need to be much of a hill. You'll get the idea pretty quickly which ones are safe. There are at least 3 old council house estates that are semi sold off. You could do worse, as they are pretty well built, often have big gardens and are spaciously laid out. Pretty good housing stock all round but its a town not a city of course. Like with all house purchasing, you'd want to check your neighbours out re rough areas.
 woppo 17 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

As plyometrics says - Kendal but make sure you live the 'right' side of the one way system for your daily commute.
 marsbar 17 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

You should check if there is any demand for private tuition, it isn't as popular in some areas.
 ballsac 17 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

my personal recomendation would be Penrith, its much less touristy than Kendal, house prices are significantly lower, and - my own view - its much more a part of its locality that Kendal, which (to me) felt a bit like an outpost of fashionable Manchester in the Lakes, rather like being a town in Cumbria, as opposed to being than being a town of Cumbria...

that said, they are worse places to live than Kendal. most places in fact would be worse places to live than Kendal...

the big, crunchy issue is where you're going to be able to find work - living in Penrith gives easy access to Carlisle and Dumfries, less easy access to Newcastle, and while i know quite a few people who live in Penrith who work down the M6 in Lancaster and Preston, or over the A66 in Darlington, they are people who find themselves affected by winter road closures. they - and their employers - know that they simply won't turn up for work, or will be late, or have to leave early, for a good number of days during the winter. and winter in Cumbria goes from early December to late April...

given what your partner does for a living, i'm slightly wondering if Carlisle might not be a better bet - while there undoutedly will be private tutition work in Penrith, or Kendal, and the huge areas around them, i'd be a bit concerned that what income he makes might be eaten up by all the travelling he'd have to do.

 tmawer 17 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

I work for the Nhs and live in Penrith. There has been no flooding in Penrith in the 30 years plus I have lived here as far as I can recall, but nearby Eamont Bridge does flood. Penrith is one of the more central locations in Cumbria and so is used for many Nhs meetings, so if you expect lots of meetings this may be a consideration. As previously mentioned the one way system in Kendal is awful. Plenty of climbing available from both locations; for me a consideration would be whether you prefer to be further north or south given the rest of your travel commitments, such as visiting family......you could do worse than either location!
matron 17 Nov 2016
In reply to Removed User:

redneck? Thought they only lived in America!
matron 17 Nov 2016
In reply to Guy Hurst:

Its sad when a hospital closes down as it cannot retains its nursing staff. Puts extra pressure on the community team and services. I've been lucky in the jobs I have been in I have worked with incredibly supportive staff.
It would be a sad day if I did move all the way to Cumbria and couldn't find a decent job working alongside decent people.
Maybe I could go work on a farm, I love the out doors in all weather. Being Irish I am used to harsh winters and wet summers!!!
matron 17 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

Dear All
Thank you so so much for the responses. I will be back to update and maybe to ask more questions.
Found a lovely house in Skelton Penrith , looks like a decent village. Any opinion on this area?

Once again I really appreciate the responses. Planning a visit in the new year and potentially all of this actually happening in Summer 2017. Watch this space!
 Jim 1003 17 Nov 2016
In reply to matron:

Houses in Skelton seem hard to sell, many have been on the market for over 12 months. The only pub is up for sale or maybe even sold now, according to the landlord, nobody in Skelton goes into it.The primary school is very good.

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