Thinking of moving. Manchester vs Cardiff

[jamesj197]

paulrockliffe said:

I reckon Manchester wins for biking, it's what I was doing when I was there so I know it like the back of my hand.

There's lots of good stuff in South Wales, but where Manchester wins is really riding from your door. If you start from Reddish Vale there are decent off road tracks and trails that link up various parks and housing estates out through Stockport, Werneth Low, through to Etherow Country Park and Marple. You can get a good evening ride in just with those trails. From Marple there's slightly better stuff that gets you as far as Hayfield and from Hayfield you're into the peak District proper. All from your back door if you have the energy. I used to get the train out to the Peaks and ride home. Really miss those trails as I've nothing comparable up where I am now :-(

If you've time to drive, you've got the Peaks, Calderdale, Rivington Pike all close enough in an evening and if you've more time on your hands North Wales, the Lakes and Yorkshire are not very far away. Wheelbase in Staveley can be got to in an hour and a quarter from South Manchester if you go first thing in the morning, from there you're straight into proper Lakes riding.

If you have to live in a city and you're into mountain biking you won't find a better place than Manchester.

I used to ride with a great club while I was there, www.meetup.com/manchestermountainbikers great for finding your way around and meeting people to ride with.

Thinking about it, if you want any type of cycling you're going to struggle to beat Manchester. National Cycle centre with velodrome, BMX centre. National standard BMX facilities in Platts Field Park. Really really good road riding, all hilly if that's your thing, or there's all the little lanes around the Cheshire Plains if you want flat riding. Great road racing scene and lots of road clubs too.

Thanks that's really helpful, Manchester's looking good. It's going to be a tough decision.

[Swervin_Mervin]

NerveAgent said:

I've lived in both and I prefer Manchester, there is a bit more going on for me.

I live in Sale, its about a 15-20 minute tram ride into Manchester, the houses are a fair bit cheaper than Didsbury/Chorlton as there is no hipster tax, however Sale town centre is not up to much! Further towards Altrincham and prices go through the roof for the decent housing stock.

My top tip is Timperley. Nice village atmosphere, good amenities, and strikes a good balance imo on the cost of buying/renting compared to places like Didders and Chorlton.

I'm obviously biased, but it would be Manchester for me. It's hard to explain, and maybe it's just me, but there's a real buzz about the place at the moment - it's a very vibrant place to be. That seems to have come about in the last couple of years, despite the rate of development that's been going on for nearly 20yrs now.

There are a lot more foreign people knocking about (Spanish, Italian, Japanese etc) despite it always being quite a multi-cultural place, and the nightlife is starting to feel a lot more cosmopolitan. I think it's borne out of the success of the Northern Quarter. It developed from a very Mancunian heart and the independents that started there survived the downturn whilst the big chains went to the wall. From that it seems to have a bit of a swagger now and the NQ culture has spread right out, even into the suburbs of Didsbury, Altrincham and Chorlton.

[skahigh]

jamesj197 said:

paulrockliffe said:

I reckon Manchester wins for biking, it's what I was doing when I was there so I know it like the back of my hand.

There's lots of good stuff in South Wales, but where Manchester wins is really riding from your door. If you start from Reddish Vale there are decent off road tracks and trails that link up various parks and housing estates out through Stockport, Werneth Low, through to Etherow Country Park and Marple. You can get a good evening ride in just with those trails. From Marple there's slightly better stuff that gets you as far as Hayfield and from Hayfield you're into the peak District proper. All from your back door if you have the energy. I used to get the train out to the Peaks and ride home. Really miss those trails as I've nothing comparable up where I am now :-(

If you've time to drive, you've got the Peaks, Calderdale, Rivington Pike all close enough in an evening and if you've more time on your hands North Wales, the Lakes and Yorkshire are not very far away. Wheelbase in Staveley can be got to in an hour and a quarter from South Manchester if you go first thing in the morning, from there you're straight into proper Lakes riding.

If you have to live in a city and you're into mountain biking you won't find a better place than Manchester.

I used to ride with a great club while I was there, www.meetup.com/manchestermountainbikers great for finding your way around and meeting people to ride with.

Thinking about it, if you want any type of cycling you're going to struggle to beat Manchester. National Cycle centre with velodrome, BMX centre. National standard BMX facilities in Platts Field Park. Really really good road riding, all hilly if that's your thing, or there's all the little lanes around the Cheshire Plains if you want flat riding. Great road racing scene and lots of road clubs too.

Thanks that's really helpful, Manchester's looking good. It's going to be a tough decision.

Cardiff also has easy access to loads of Mountain biking, just by going straight up the Taff Trail into the Brecon Beacons. There's the recently opened bikepark wales and mountain biking clubs like halfway up.

That's what I'm aware of and I'm not even a mountain biker! Ask someone who knows about it and they can tell you how awesome mountain biking is around here.

Sounds like you will be happy whichever way you choose to go.

[jamesj197]

skahigh said:

Cardiff also has easy access to loads of Mountain biking, just by going straight up the Taff Trail into the Brecon Beacons. There's the recently opened bikepark wales and mountain biking clubs like halfway up.

That's what I'm aware of and I'm not even a mountain biker! Ask someone who knows about it and they can tell you how awesome mountain biking is around here.

Sounds like you will be happy whichever way you choose to go.

Both look like great places which makes the decision even harder. I think i will have to have a good look around each and see what they feel like.

[Matt..]

I've lived in Cardiff since 2008 and do quite enjoy it. It's small though, and most of the inner city areas are populated by students. Housing is relatively cheap in most of it, though there's a rapid rise for the better areas.

I've not visited Manchester, but would say there's likely to be vast amount more going on.

For mountain biking you'd be hard pressed to beat South Wales i'd imagine.

Another positive note for Cardiff is how easy it is to get to London. It's a 2hr train ride.

[Swervin_Mervin]

Matt.. said:

I've lived in Cardiff since 2008 and do quite enjoy it. It's small though, and most of the inner city areas are populated by students. Housing is relatively cheap in most of it, though there's a rapid rise for the better areas.

I've not visited Manchester, but would say there's likely to be vast amount more going on.

For mountain biking you'd be hard pressed to beat South Wales i'd imagine.

Another positive note for Cardiff is how easy it is to get to London. It's a 2hr train ride.

2hrs from Manchester as well.

[Ynox]

I'd probably go with Cardiff.

I used to live there (now sadly work has taken me to the South East) and I miss the place a little (moved due to the missus being down this way and more job opportunities).

There's good bars there, good restaurants, good shopping, decent mountain biking (some of which is no distance from the centre), easy enough to get to Heathrow (~2 hours drive or 1.5 hours train to Reading then Railair, or 2 hours train to Paddington then train out), the bay is nice. It has nice parks. It's quick and easyish to get to some decent beaches (Gower and further West). Accommodation is relatively reasonably priced too. Cardiff airport is crap and should be shut down though - Bristol / Birmingham / Heathrow being the order of the day for most flights really.

Sure, you get the valley warriors coming down and spoiling it for everyone and the centre can sometimes be a 'little' punchy in the wrong places, but this happens anywhere.

My only real concern about Cardiff would be job opportunities. On the whole it's ok (get a good employer and salary wise you can be laughing compared to the cost of living), but there is still more to be found in the South East of the UK. That's the main reason why I personally think I won't be moving back sadly.

Edit - if you're in Bristol then it's quite possible to commute from Cardiff to your current job. Worth getting over to Cardiff and having a look around. Or just stay in Bristol - it's a great city.

[SwissJonese]

bennyboydurham said:

Cardiff Welshies aren't very 'Welsh' at all really and have a deep distrust of the 'quick, talk in Welsh' folk you get in West and North Wales, mostly because 99% of them barely speak a word.

+1

I was born in Cardiff and my wife is English. We only get jokey about the English when it is rugby match day. My wife has had no problems being English in Cardiff, in fact most people we speak to are English.

We only recently moved to Cardiff a couple of years ago after 10ish years in Bath/Bristol and then 6 years in Switzerland. Very surprised about how much Cardiff has changed for the better, great city for shopping (feels more like a mini city), great parks, the bay, close to the Gower for proper beaches, near mountains for biking and hiking (Brecon), and the jobs market is improving all the time.

However I do think Bristol has better paid jobs (especially in IT), but some big companies have moved to Cardiff so things are getting better. And the weather in Cardiff always seems a little worse than Bristol.

My main office is in London and the commute every so often is quite pleasant. As everyone has said Cardiff Airport is rubbish, Bristol is the nearest Airport to fly, although I find Heathrow pretty easy to get to (M4).

So maybe so a little search on Rightmove to see cost of rental/purchase (it was quite difficult to find in Cardiff) and then find out how much you can earn and start there?

[Rickyy]

I live about 15 miles from Cardiff and did live in Cardiff for a short while. My flat was next to the main entrance of the Millenium Stadium! It's a great place, not very big as cities go, but still a lively place.

I wouldn't worry about the whole Englishman in Wales thing in Cardiff. It's a very diverse and multicultural city.

As others have said, match day brings a whole host of idiots from various parts of Wales.

The thing I like about this area of Wales, is that you can be in the city centre and take a 20 minute drive to be in some beautiful country side. In about half an hour (traffic permitting) you can be in the Brecon Beacons, where there are some fantastic roads.

[Bluebarge]

Access to the sea is what would clinch it for me. There are some great beaches about an hour west of Cardiff (Porthcawl, Gower) so a surf after work would be possible in the summer. Can't do that in Manchester.

If you won't go near the sea without your water wings, however, that probably won't be a big selling point

[Swervin_Mervin]

Bluebarge said:

Access to the sea is what would clinch it for me. There are some great beaches about an hour west of Cardiff (Porthcawl, Gower) so a surf after work would be possible in the summer. Can't do that in Manchester.

If you won't go near the sea without your water wings, however, that probably won't be a big selling point

Manchester's less than an hour from the N. Wales coast

[jamesj197]

Thanks for the help. I've had a look on some job websites and it looks like there are enough jobs for me in both Manchester and Cardiff.

[h0b0]

I grew up in Saddleworth which is 30 minutes (13 miles) outside Manchester by train. It's a group of villages with an appearance similar to Holmfirth which is "Last of the Summer wine" country and is over the hill from the photo below. Greenfield has the station but you can live in any of the other villages. They still have a country village mentality with lots of local events. And, everywhere has access to some of the best biking you can find



Search for OL3 on right move for ideas.

Edited by h0b0 on Thursday 22 January 13:19

[jamesj197]

h0b0 said:

I grew up in Saddleworth which is 30 minutes (13 miles) outside Manchester by train. It's a group of villages with an appearance similar to Holmfirth which is "Last of the Summer wine" country and is over the hill from the photo below. Greenfield has the station but you can live in any of the other villages. They still have a country village mentality with lots of local events. And, everywhere has access to some of the best biking you can find



Search for OL3 on right move for ideas.

Edited by h0b0 on Thursday 22 January 13:19

Looks great, Thanks.

[Bluebarge]

Swervin_Mervin said:

Bluebarge said:

Access to the sea is what would clinch it for me. There are some great beaches about an hour west of Cardiff (Porthcawl, Gower) so a surf after work would be possible in the summer. Can't do that in Manchester.

If you won't go near the sea without your water wings, however, that probably won't be a big selling point

Manchester's less than an hour from the N. Wales coast

Not unless you want to test the N.Wales speed cameras on the A55 and even then that only gets you to Rhyl - a dumping ground for Scouse benefit claimants where the only waves are in the Rhyl Sun centre, and the beach is a million miles from anyone's definition of picturesque. Rhosili it ain't.

Cardiff - Porthcawl is 35 mins.

[BoRED S2upid]

Swervin_Mervin said:

Manchester's less than an hour from the N. Wales coast

If your a fast flying crow maybe! If he's in the centre of Manchester it could take him the first 20 mins to get out then it's at least 90 to decent North Wales coast.

Depends what you want from a City. Cardiff does punch above it's weight it's a pretty small city you can walk the full length of the city centre in 20 mins but has a lot to offer. Manchester has that cafe society thing going on where you live in the little villages that have most things that you need day to day so no need to venture into the city centre all the time.

[themanwithnoname]

Another Manchester mountain biker here, we've got rolling hills, rocky downhill stuff, a couple of near the city centre trails etc etc. Oh and an hour away from Wharncliffe woods from the opposite end of town.

I live in one of the less well known suburbs between Altrincham and Warrington - and is only known for its reputation 20 years ago - the village has gone through a major regeneration and is actually getting quite nice. I'm 12 miles out of town and have a Cheshire hanging off my back garden.

The city itself - everyone has covered that. Housing goes from very cheap to what the actual, they can't really expect to get that.

We're South West Manchester which means I'm 15 minutes off the M6, 10 off the M60, and if they stop fking about with it, 20 minutes off the M62.

I'm also 90 minutes from the middle of Shropshire where my folks are, and can get to the base of Snowdon in about an hour 45.

However cardiff is way closer to a bunch of great trail centres and wales looks nicer on the whole...

[Swervin_Mervin]

BoRED S2upid said:

If your a fast flying crow maybe! If he's in the centre of Manchester it could take him the first 20 mins to get out then it's at least 90 to decent North Wales coast.

I was assuming a southern suburb, so yes you're right in that regard. But 90mins from the burbs will get you virtually to Holyhead, even at the legal limit. As for whether there's anywhere on the N Wales coast you'd want to get to in an hour, that's another debate

[blueg33]

Car thefts in Manchester seem high. I have an office there and every single employee has had their house broken into in the last 2 years, car keys liften and cars gone

[paulrockliffe]

On that, bike thefts in Manchester are really really bad, especially around South Manchester. I know loads that have been done over the last few years, one chap has repeated burglaries, they just give him time to get new bikes then hit him again.

That said, I don't know anyone that travelled with their bikes in the boot and out of sight that had theirs stolen, but it's something to bear in mind.