Patrick2007

Hi, it is expensive for sure. Having worked in numerous jobs i found the feeling of being a Pom and not one of their own a bit much. They certainly liked giving it out but couldnt take it i found. Making yourself fit in can get you down after a while i found it all very false but horses for courses as they say....

Nods

I'm also thinking of returning to Yorkshire. Went back to visit family last October for first time in 3 years. All nieces and nephews are getting to that age where they are fun every minute, 5 to 10 years old. Fantastic place compared to Thailand in terms of hospitals, schools, roads, rivers, air quality, normal day to day things like shopping. Business in Thailand is VERY hard, for the non-local, corruption at every step in the government, customs, tax office etc.

daunted

how about Settle in North Yorkshire?? I lived there for several years and it is a beautiful place and made lots of lovely friends. Only 20 mins into skipton, hour each way to Manchester or Leeds

johnh009

I can see you have quite a knowledge of Yorkshire but you forgot that other famous adopted Scotsman - James Herriot.

sallysimmons

Interesting - I have thought of Settle as a possibility but haven't been there yet. May visit when we go back to the UK later this year. Train connections are the only worry.

Does it have a thriving sense of community? Friendly people? I'd love to know more.

daunted

is definately worth a look We have very many happy memories of living there and made some fantastic friends who still live there. There is a train service though i cannot remember how regular, there is also a train service on a different line from Giggleswick (lovely name hey). Settle and Giggleswick kinda merge into one. Do you have children? There is a shiny new primary school with a very good reputation. There used to be a Middle and High school but it has now changed so kids stay at primary for extra year and then go straight to high school. If you decide on a visit let me know and i can arrange for my best mate to meet up with you and give you the insider knowledge

Spacecake799

Hi,

Can you tell me what the secondary school is like? Do you know how well it works with the kids doing an extra year at primary? Our son would start year 8 so you mean he would be a new starter like every other year 8?

Thanks

Carole

Lothianlad

True enough - apparently he was an irascible old sod and must have adopted the Yorkshire tendency of telling it as it is, no half measures - and I soon found out that the Yorkies don't hold back on telling you what they think, which is probably why he became much respected in the Thirsk area of North Yorkshire where he practised.

A well known American writer now permanently resident here in the UK - living down in Norfolk now, in East Anglia- Bill Bryson, who has had a permanent love affair with Great Britain and is currently President of the Council for the Preservation of Rural England....the only thing that winds him up about this country is the widespraed practice here of leaving litter lying about in profusion. It drives him bloody bonkers.

Bryson lived for a while in the wilds of North Yorkshire and he very much appreciated the way many of his farming neighbours would acknowledge him when he drove past them driving in the opposite direction by simply raising their index fingers off the steering wheel while looking straight ahead, all deadpan in expression...the only sign of recognition, and he described them as the salt of the Yorkshire Dales earth.

He also describes the deadpan straight faced sense of humour displayed by a railways ticket office man at a train station somewhere in Yorkshire. Bryson was writing a book at the time based on his travels all around the UK and as a result had to keep all receipts for monies paid for future reimbursement by the publishers or some such people. He asked the booking clerk for a single ticket to Settle, or some such place and asked for a receipt for the fare paid. The clerk told him that the cost would be £18.40 or whatever but also told him that the ticket was free but he had to charge £18.40 for the receipt.

In his book Bryson siad that had this occurred back home in the USA the passenger would have cussed like crazy and indignantly yelled back at the booking clerk "Hey, buddy! - what kinda cock-a-mammy set up is this?"

sallysimmons

When I was two, my parents moved out of Leeds and into a small North Yorkshire village to give me a better place to grow up. My dad finished work early on Fridays and every Friday lunchtime, he went to the local chippie. Year after year he went there, and year after year they never said a word. Then after 13 years, he walked in one lunchtime and the owner nodded to him. Just a small nod, nothing special, but my dad was thrilled! Then as he handed dad his food, he said 'So lad. How are you settling in?' It took 13 years to get that level of recognition and dad couldn't stop talking about it!

daunted

Hi Carole, the secondary school is pretty good - well it was when my eldest went there LOL Here is a link to it http://[URL="http://www.settlecollege.org.uk"]www.settlecollege.org.uk[/URL]/ That will give you all the information you need. Only negative i have about the living there is that there isn't a huge amount of stuff for teenagers to do - BUT it was never a problem for my kids - lots of sports so if that is their interests they will be good. There is also a private school in Giggleswick which is a boarding school but takes day students too, here is a link to there, (it has an excellent reputation and has students from worldwide that go there due to its reputation) http://[URL="http://www.giggleswick.org.uk"]www.giggleswick.org.uk[/URL]/ Whilst i am on the subject of schools Skipton has a Boys Grammar school which also has a great reputation http://[URL="http://www.ermysteds.n-yorks.sch.uk/homepage.htm"]www.ermysteds.n-yorks.sch.uk/homepage.htm[/URL]
My ex husband lives in Skipton and its a beautiful place to live right on the edge of all the Yorkshire Dales :-) Hope this is some help.

daunted

Oh bugga!! how do i do links?? LOL THE LINKS SEEM TO BE WORKING IN THE QUOTE BUT NOT IN MY INITIAL POST LOL

johnh009

Settle has a direct rail link with Skipton, Ilkley, Leeds, Bradford (Leeds is just over 1 hour). By UK standards, it is a small and isolated town, I would say Skipton is a better bet if you want to live in this part of the World. There are more facilities and Leeds is only 30 minutes away by rail. Just my opinion of course, it all depends on what you are looking for.

sallysimmons

I know Skipton well - very nice place. But a little pricier than Settle.

Lothianlad

Settle, in North Yorkshire, is well connected to the railway network, and the line between Settle and Carlisle is probably the most spectacular in the UK - or should I say England? We have some pretty spectacular routes here in Scotland, too, through the Highlands all the way along to the Islands.

For British rail enthusiasts the Settle to Carlise line is probably one of the most travelled, and the fantastic scenery and the route the line takes justifies that big time - the Ribblehead Viaduct is one of the main features, as is the station at Dent, the most elevated train station on the entire UK rail network.

A trip from Leeds City train station, through to Settle, and then onwards along the famous Settle to Carlise line, through the Pennines via such places as Appleby-in-Westmorland and then going gently downwards through to Carlise, just short of the Border with Scotland. It's really well worth riding that line - if for the sheer grandeur of the scenery alone. Too many men died during the construction of that line in the 19th century, some because of the very harsh weather conditions, others from "industrial" accidents.

The trains do not travel quite as fast as this one as it rushes through the wild and rugged countryside of North Yorkshire and Cumbria on the Settle to Carlisle run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QMRW...eature=related


As for the town of Settle itself it does appear, from this YT clip, to be quite a fun place with a fair bit of community spirit within its boundaries. With all due respect to our American friends in here I'm not too sure that Settle's praises should have been sung in an American accent, but there you go.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS5Vl...eature=related

johnh009

I assume you mean house prices? From what I can see, they look comparable and more than likely, house prices have further to fall in the UK. Here are two comparisons. The Skipton property also has four bedrooms as opposed to three in Settle and is in better condition. Also, you may spend more time and money commuting in Settle (if you need to):

Skipton

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-17626356.html

Settle

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-14834373.html