Where to move in the UK? Outdoorsy couple in their late 20s

Posted by lilididi1@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 21 comments

My partner and I moved here from New Zealand a year ago. We currently live in Alnwick Northumberland. It’s been great, but difficult to meet people and we would like a bit more going on around us. We don’t want to live in the midst of a big bustling city. We don’t care for nightlife or shopping. What we do want: \- Hiking close by (as close as possible) \- Within \~3 hours of Edinburgh (have family there) \- Bouldering gym close by \- Jiu Jitsu club close by \- Ability to meet like-minded people \- Places to go wild swimming would be a bonus \- Mountain biking trails a bonus too. We loved Kendal in Cumbria, but couldn’t find jobs there. We are currently considering: \- Lancaster \- West Glasgow \- Inverness \- Penrith \- Sheffield (possibly a bit far south) \- Perth We would be very grateful for any suggestions, or insights into some of these places.

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21 Comments

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Choice-Demand-3884@reddit

Penrith ticks nearly all of your boxes. However, if you couldn't find work in Kendal it's doubtful you'd find it in Penrith. I live just outside but I'm lucky enough to work from home. As others have said - Lancaster could be a good shout. Or Carlisle - it's had a few fallow years but has had a ton of investment, and it's starting to show. It's a city in name but more of a big town in reality.

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lilididi1@reddit (OP)

Theres surprisingly a few jobs going in Penrith, but not in Kendal.. for our industry anyway. Do you find Penrith has a good enough social scene with being a relatively a small town?

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Choice-Demand-3884@reddit

Ah, interesting about the jobs. Not what I would have expected. I'm a bit of an introvert so the social scene is something of a mystery - but it's a very friendly and welcoming place. There are some nice pubs in town. I always see someone I know when out and about. Outdoor pursuits are big here - there are a lot of fell/trail/road/ultra runners, cyclists and hikers. Another advantage (we've found) is that you get the best of the Lakes and the Pennines without the invasion of tourists towns get inside the national park. We also have useful shops and services rather than a million places to buy fudge or gore-tex. Penrith is nowhere near as pretty as (say) Keswick but it is a very nice town. It's also very well connected by road and rail. Decent buses too.

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MaxLikesNOODLES@reddit

York \- direct fast train to Edinburgh \- plenty of bouldering gyms, but also accessible to the peaks and the dales for good yorkshire grit climbing \- I'm sure there is Jiu Jitsu \- plenty of young people \- good places in north york moors (Dalby Forest) or the dales for mountain biking \- pool bridge farm for wild swimming, but also some good spots in the rivers in the region too (obviously check sewage maps) - only like an hour from the coast The city itself is flat, but its access to good outdoors in 30-45m drive is excellent. I'd suggest North Leeds if you want it on your doorstep like Otley or Saltaire (Skipton and Ilkley better, but older demographic so less likely to find like minded people at your age), but York gives you much better access to Edinburgh.

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The_39th_Step@reddit

Manchester and Leeds have the best job markets in the North. If you live close enough to them, so that you could occasionally work there, that would work. They also have lots of lovely nature near by. Judging by wanting to access Edinburgh, I reckon the Yorkshire side is better

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alphahydra@reddit

Milngavie. Just north of Glasgow, and part of the Glasgow conurbation, but *right* on the very edge of that, with a friendly, mid-sized town vibe and vibrant town centre of its own with lots of indie shops as well as chains and supermarkets. Lots of local clubs in Milngavie and Bearsden, and anything that isn't catered to there is available in Glasgow. Some of the best state schools in Scotland too, if that's a consideration for the future. The Campsie Fells, Kilpatrick Hills, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park are all very quickly accessible. Infinite hiking and cycling options. The West Highland Way begins in Milngavie and the Highlands proper start less than an hour's drive away. The Souther Uplands are a similar distance in the other direction. Commuting time into the city of under 30 mins by train. A few trains go direct to Edinburgh per day (though most services involven a change at Queen Street station) but it's under 1hr 30mins either way, by train or car. It's a bit on the more expensive side for Glasgow for property, partly because if its ideal position and good schools, but it's cheaper than nearby towns like Bearsden, and it's better in a lot of ways.

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pastilla889@reddit

Aviemore/Carrbridge/Newtonmore Not sure if it ticks every single box but has proximity to Inverness for Jiu Jitsu etc

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Vodkaboris@reddit

Fort William would tick most of your boxes, but I suppose it depends what you do for work if you can find any vacancies. Badenoch/Strathspey would also tick boxes for you, but I am not sure if we have a Bouldering gym that's open. There is one at Glenmore Lodge but Im not sure it's available for the General public. I'm sure there is a wall at Fort William leisure centre (assuming it's still open).

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Sorbicol@reddit

If you’re in Alnwick, as others have said then just move down closer to Newcastle - anywhere along the coast (Tynemouth, Cullercoats, Whitley Bay) will give you good access into Newcastle and good access back out to Northumberland if you need it. Even Cramlington or Blyth would do, especially with the new rail line they’ve just put in. It takes just under 2 hours to get to Keswick in the Lake District via the A69. There’s plenty of ‘wild swimming’ in the sea (lots of people do this at Tynemouth Longsands beach) There are a couple of climbing walls in Newcastle in and around Heaton and Byker - all easily accessible via the metro. Edinburgh is just over an hour away on the Train, or 2.5 hours away via a car.

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DatGuy82772@reddit

Idk Scotland that well but I do think Sheffield and Lancaster would work great to suit your needs.

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Feeling-Medium-7856@reddit

Given your current location, have you considered Newcastle? Or some of the environs nearby. Tynemouth is lovely, and you’ll have all of Northumberland available nearby but with a bit more civilisation too.

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Desperate_Contact561@reddit

Also look west. A couple of years ago we moved south to near Lockerbie to give my wife better access to family in Manchester while I still work in Glasgow. Regular trains from Lockerbie to Glasgow and Edinburgh, about an hour. These trains run from Manchester Liverpool and London so regular service south too. If the train fails, as it did for me this morning, the drive to Glasgow/ Edinburgh is similar. 15 min from Dumfries, 25 min to Carlisle where there are job opportunities closer than Glasgow. 40 min drive into the heart of the Lake District, without the hassle or expense of living there and both north and south of the Solway Firth is stunning. Also dark sky in the Galloway Forrest park about an hour away. Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle airports all about an hour and a half drive. Manchester airport either direct train from Lockerbie/ Carlisle or 2.5 hour drive. We moved with the idea that we would move on once we retired, but have to say we love it so much we intend to stay. PS also some of the friendliest and welcoming locals about.

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Wonderful_Number803@reddit

Penrith is brilliant if you want the Lake District vibes on the doorstep, wild swimming, mountain bike trails, walking and plenty of clubs. Lancaster is similar and gives you access to the Forest of Bowland and Lakes without being too busy. both have a decent outdoorsy community.

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hoverside@reddit

One of those places around the northern edge of Leeds/Bradford maybe, like Shipley? You'd have the Yorkshire Dales on your doorstep but still be close to the cities.

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GreatestGlasgow@reddit

Anywhere in the Glasgow region

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Sea-Still5427@reddit

What sort of work opportunities do you need ideally?

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eclangvisual@reddit

Lancaster is a good shout. If Kendal wasn’t doing it for you then Penrith definitely won’t. It’s ok but lot less going on than Kendal.

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DaveBeBad@reddit

Newcastle? Bigger city, close to the sea (we saw wild swimmers at Tynemouth in December!!), plenty of sports, and close-ish to the Pennines, Lake District, North Yorks moors and dales (1-2 hours drive)

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Jaraxo@reddit

Stirling or Perth if you want a big town/small city, Inverness if you're sure you can handle the long dark winters. Scotland has objectively the best outdoor access rules in the UK, and subjectively, the best outdoor spaces in the UK, so with the need to be 3h from Edinburgh, somewhere just North of the Central Belt of Scotland is probably your best bet. You'll need a decent sized town for both Bouldering and Jiu Jitsu. [Here](https://www.climbscotland.net/where-to-climb/climbing-walls/) is a map of Scottish indoor climbing walls which will narrow it down.

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