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Harrogate/Knaresborough sort of area - where to live? (Read 2335 times)

ali k

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My wife has just been offered a job in Northallerton. Neither of us want to live there and would prefer somewhere closer to the Harrogate / Knaresborough area and she'd commute from there. Top considerations are:

- A nice quiet rural feel but not totally isolated. She wants to be walking/cycling distance from local shops/cafe but neither of us want centre of town. So advice on nice villages or areas within Harrogate/Knaresborough would be great.
- Not a ridiculous commute to Northallerton.
- Easy to get to Malham/Kilnsey and the grit.
- Ideally 2/3 bed stone terrace or semi-detached housing.

- Not looking to have kids so good schools are irrelevant/negative factor!

Any suggestions or local knowledge would be fantastic  :)

andy_e

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Have you considered Ripon?

ali k

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Have you considered Ripon?

Yes, my wife is quite keen for there due to a shorter commute. I was a bit worried it was further from Malham/kilnsey and potentially a decent wall for wet weekends, but if it's a nicer place to live I guess I could compromise!

dave

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Never mind Markham,  Northallerton good location for Scugdale.

ali k

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good location for Scugdale.

You've got me! That's the true reason for the move.

Andy E - another question I forgot to ask...is there a good scene of keen locals up that way?

andy_e

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Sorry, I'm not sure! I'm in Leeds now but when I lived in Durham I used to drive through Ripon to get to Nidderdale and it only takes 15 minutes...

hstmoore

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Having grown up in Ripon here is some climber-based info:

Brimham (inc Eavestone, Whitehouses etc.) - 10 minutes away

Harrogate Climbing Centre (nearest wall) - 25 minutes with no traffic, 40 minutes in bad traffic (the traffic is often bad once you hit Harrogate and the wall is effectively on the other side of town from where the Ripon road arrives).

Slipstones - 30 minutes

Almscliff - 40 minutes

Kilnsey - 50 minutes

Closest NYMoors crags e.g Wainstones, Highcliffe Nab, Scugdale - about 50 mins

Leeds Walls - a good hour

Moorland grit - 1 hour

Malham - 1 hour 10

In climbing terms Ripon is a really good place to live if you like Gritstone bouldering (and trad to a lesser extent) given that Brimham is very close and Slipstones and Almscliff are close too. For sport, Kilnsey is pretty close, as are some other crags e.g Trollers Gill, but Malham still feels like a bit of a trek (although 1 hour 10 isn't bad for Malham and you don't have to drive through Bradford...).
As a place to live Ripon is really nice. It is a market town with a square in the centre and sufficient shops, pubs etc. Good bus services. No train station. The town itself is really nice to walk around and it's right in the middle of some great countryside for cycling and walking. There are some good schools, particularly Ripon Grammar School, if that floats your boat. It's a pretty quiet place that doesn't really change - especially in its tendency to vote Tory. You're close to Leeds (50 mins) York (45 mins) Harrogate (20 mins) and, in your case, Northallerton (15 mins) making it a good location for jobs etc. Lots of nice villages and minor crags to explore nearby.

Let me know if you want to know anything else.


 

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