Lancs75

Hubby does not have to work in Manchester but what opportunities we have seen have all been in Manchester so its looking like thats the place he is going to have to work. Ive also seen opportunities for me there.

There are lots of places in Cheshire we like the look of and although my in-laws are there and we know we would prefer the lifestyle we will be getting the bulk of our family support and help with the children from Preston. Which is the whole reason we are moving back, so we don't want to be travelling too far. My parents will be helping with drop offs and pick ups if/when i go back to work. They both work too so we have to be conscious of how far they have to travel. My in laws are retired so have more flexibility than my parents. They also do lots of traveling so wont be as routinely as my parents.

In 3 years we have only had one night(4.5 hrs in total) to ourselves with no children and that was only because we have family from the UK visiting. They babysat so we could spend a few hours alone which is another reason behind us moving back. Realistically all of our babysitters ( my parents and brother who has young children too) are in Preston. Another reason we are drawn to the North Manchester/Lancashire area. We dont intend on going out all the time but once in a while will be nice.

The more im writing the more im feeling that Preston would be so much easier for us to move back to, but, i really want to explore other options close by. I want the option of enjoying a small Cheshire town lifestyle with all the benefits of having my family support in Preston close by. I know im a woman, i want it all LOL

fulwood

You may know these places better than me but Fleetwood? Do you like Lancaster? So much of outlying countryside has and continued to be ploughed up for housing. You've got Garstang, Longridge is nice as well.

Lancs75

I know longridge well as i went to school there, its somewhere i have suggested but hubby not keen unless he finds a job closer. I also have a brother near Lancaster, again if hubby works in Manchester its too far north :-( im warming to Leyland and Chorley, i think they are definite places i want to check out asap.

outback sunset

There are lots of really lovely villages around Preston, Longridge, Grimsargh (can't remember how to spell it)! Very scenic and lots to explore, easy to commute and close to your family. Trough of Boland area is gorgeous.

outback sunset

Agree Chorley area is also definitely worth a look.

Vadio

As I said before, I loved living in Leyland.

Lancs75

I know Grimsargh, Longridge, Chipping, Hurst Green and most of those villages fairly well and most of my old school friends still live in and around that area so i am very in favour of looking at those areas if Leyland and Chorley dont pan out and we have a better idea of work for hubby.

irma1812

For getting into Manchester easily on public transport, yes Bury or Whitefiled are the best areas for north Manchester. Good luck!

Wanderingagain

Hi, I am an estate agent in the St Helens and surrounding area and would recommend looking at Newton-le-Willows, highly sought after as you are on the doorstep to the M6 and the train link between Manchester and Liverpool. It is highly sought after as if is very commutable, only 20 mins on the train to Manchester.

Lancs75

Thank you for that, neither my husband or i know that side if Manchester at all so getting recommendations is great. Ive just had a look at it and like what i see.

We leave our house in NZ in 3 weeks so it wont be long and we can check it out in person.

Thanks again.

MarylandNed

Maybe I'm missing something but if the bulk of your family support is going to come from Preston (including drop offs and pick ups for the kids), why are you talking about living in Cheshire? I know it doesn't look that far on a map but it's more about time than distance and rush hour traffic in the North West isn't exactly a picnic. It hasn't gotten any better in the 15 years you've been away. Even Preston to Wigan isn't a trivial commute - never mind further south. It seems to me that you'll need to be based much nearer to Preston so that you and the kids (and your family members who are providing support) are doing minimal commuting - which means your husband may be doing the bulk of it especially if his job is in Manchester.

Justcol

Chorley has some very nice areas and is easy for access to everywhere else being so close to the motorway.
The surrounding areas of Fulwood and Garstang are also nice. I'm not a fan of Bury, I find it a bit of a nothing town.
I dont know much about Wigan but the outskirts of horwich are ok and its an area where there has been quite a lot of development

There are many replies suggesting south manchester / chesire areas. These are nice places but be warned, you will pay a lot more for housing

fulwood

I know Fulwood very well. My home for 14 years..

scrubbedexpat133

Have you thought about in or around Warrington? Easy access to the road and rail links to all over the NW.

(not to mention the best Rugby team )

munch

I can relate to your situation so much, we moved back to the UK at Christmas after 6 years living in Australia and for all the same reasons as you.
We grew up in Leyland and wanted to live within 10/15 minutes of the family support network, not had any for 6 years and I feel your pain regarding not having any nights out child free, think we had 1 in 6 years!! In our hearts though we really wanted to live somewhere different like the south coast.
We moved to Buckshaw Village which is perfect for us, didn't really want to move on here but now we are we love it. 10 minutes from family, train station within walking distance and trains to Preston and Manchester (Manchester 35/40 minutes), great school, doctors, swimming pool, tesco and other cafes, restaurants etc being built within the village.
To be honest Leyland and Preston really shocked us, they don't seem to have improved over time at all infact we felt they seemed very grim. On the other hand we didn't even recognise Chorley as it has been modernised so much.
Good luck with your move, it is very overwhelming and only now after 3 months do we feel like things are a little more settled. The hardest thing for us has been EVERYONE has a comment to make about how mad you are coming back here, after 3 months of it you do kind of feel like punching them Hope you enjoy all the things you have missed, still can't believe the amount of choice in all the supermarkets and everyone understands our accent.