Author Topic: If you were to live in a National Park, which one would you choose?  (Read 2252 times)

zuludog

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 172
I lived in Kendal for 30 years, and although it's not in a National Park it is close to The Lake District & The Yorkshire Dales
They are both attractive places to live, which is reflected in house prices, but there are a couple of other considerations. Both planning boards are very strict in applying the rules - some would say petty. And the traffic can be very busy at times
The red tape in the Lake District could well get worse as it has recently gained World Heritage status
No doubt these factors will apply to other Parks as well

So the trick is to live close by on the fringes of a Park, but not actually in it. This has become a bit more difficult for The Yorkshire Dales & Lake District as they have recently expanded & merged

NE Cheshire, to the SE of Stockport, say around Marple or New Mills will give you access to the Peak District and the shopping & fleshpots of Manchester

The area around  and just north of Nottingham & Derby is quite pleasant & rural & reasonably priced  if you find the right spot, but will give access to the Peak District & the M1

NE Lancashire and the South Pennines, Ribble Valley, Forest of Bowland, & Pendle are rural and attractive, and you can get to Manchester, M6, M 65, M62 and so on.
 The old mill towns like Burnley, Colne, Blackburn and so on are cheap but scruffy, though like anywhere there are good parts, with some nice villages nearby
Shop around for house prices, they are in direct proportion to the distance from these towns towards the countryside; there are smaller towns that are a bit more desirable, like Skipton & Clitheroe.
 

BuzyG

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3761
If not for the weather then I would say, head for Scotland and some real mountains and genuine willderness.  But taking the weather into account, take a look at the North West Welsh coast.  The coastal strip gets a lot more sun that they let on and of course there are those cracking mountains.

happyhiker

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 808
Accepting that I am biased, I would pick the Yorkshire Dales. You are close enough to bigger places (Leeds/Bradford/Harrogate) for "big item shopping", even with public transport links if you pick the right place. The Dales have some tremendous walking. You are close enough to reach the Lake District for walking.


I would not live in the Lake District. It is superb to visit and the walking is second to none but particularly in the towns, it is overrun with tourists. My daughter lived there for a few years and got heartily sick of them and moved out.


The North York Moors are lovely but could be a bit quiet to live in. Depends what you want.


Finally, Kirkby Lonsdale is a great town nicely placed between the Dales and Lakes. Propert tends to be expensive though.

rural roamer

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1502
Northumberland National Park would be top of my list.  Some of the most beautiful unspoilt country in the UK.  And access to wonderful coastline and (for your hubby) Newcastle not too far away!

jimbob

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2503
Northumberland National Park would be top of my list.  Some of the most beautiful unspoilt country in the UK.  And access to wonderful coastline and (for your hubby) Newcastle not too far away!
Shuushhh we don't want anyone else to know.
Too little, too late, too bad......

April

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9687
Shuushhh we don't want anyone else to know.

You are right, I wish I hadn't mentioned Northumberland either  ;)
Hate will never win

rambling minster

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 333
Another vote for Northumberland. Nice, quiet walking country and near to Newcastle, a great city.

Would like Pembrokeshire too, as I love rocky coastlines.

Wouldn't mind the NY Moors either, some lovely villages and river valleys, ditto Dartmoor and Exmoor.

Love walking in the Lakes, but as previously mentioned, the villages/towns are a tad touristy and I'm not sure I'd like to live there all year round - prob not so much community feeling.


Never really got on with the Peaks for some reason
« Last Edit: 13:16:35, 16/08/18 by rambling minster »

dank86

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 265
For me, it would have to be Snowdonia I just love the rugged beauty of the area and it leaves me spell bound every time I visit

ninthace

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11821
I found that the snag with living in the Snowdonia area is that:


a.  While it is pretty and good walking country, I found it a bit confined.  Think of planning 100+ trips a year and see how long you can go without repeating a trip.


b.  If you want to go anywhere else is is a long haul to get to the motorway network.
Solvitur Ambulando

dank86

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 265
Fair points ninthace,


B. Isn't an issue for me as I don't drive and tbf most of Wales is very far from the motorway network anyway (we get used to it)


And with A. Your only limited by your imagination, I can think of at least 10 ways to the top of Snowdon, but it's the same with any national park when you start doing lots your going to start repeating them unless you look for different ways

dank86

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 265
Just decided to look out of curiosity, Snowdonia covers 2176 square kilometres, lake District is 2362 square kilometres so not much difference in the grand scheme of things

phil1960

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2993
Re: Snowdonia, I can’t think of one snag of living within its large boundaries, although my home area is the Brecon Beacons at only around 530 square miles, I can always find different places to walk, if you struggle doing that in Snowdonia then maybe the imagination needs a little tweak 😉🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
Touching from a distance, further all the time.

ninthace

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11821
I moved to live near on the edge of Snowdonia after over 5 years living in the central Pyrenees. I left Snowdonia to live in Upper Eden which put me in easy range of the Lakes District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, not to mention the North Pennines AONB and the Howgills. Within this context, I found Snowdonia a relatively confined area in terms of the number of locales to explore and the nature of the countryside created a road network that did not aid transit between different areas as compared to other areas I have lived in. I’m not saying it is not a great area, just that there are more extensive areas to explore.
When I wanted to get to other parts of the UK, it took me around 1:45hrs to get to the motorway network. In Upper Eden I was 25 min from either the A1 or the M6.
« Last Edit: 08:56:30, 17/08/18 by ninthace »
Solvitur Ambulando

harland

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1717
All the above just go to show how lucky we are to live in the UK. O0

phil1960

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2993
I moved to live near on the edge of Snowdonia after over 5 years living in the central Pyrenees. I left Snowdonia to live in Upper Eden which put me in easy range of the Lakes District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, not to mention the North Pennines AONB and the Howgills. Within this context, I found Snowdonia a relatively confined area in terms of the number of locales to explore and the nature of the countryside created a road network that did not aid transit between different areas as compared to other areas I have lived in. I’m not saying it is not a great area, just that there are more extensive areas to explore.
When I wanted to get to other parts of the UK, it took me around 1:45hrs to get to the motorway network. In Upper Eden I was 25 min from either the A1 or the M6.
So it does need a tweak then 😉
Touching from a distance, further all the time.

 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy