Ashby vs Belper

[ratty6464]

Hi, moving to the midlands, seen a couple of houses.

Question is, does anyone have any experience of Belper and Ashby? Ashby seemed a nicer place with more bars etc, Belper seemed a bit hemmed in with not many decent places to go out.

I live over 150 miles away and getting time to spend there is a nightmare. Any thoughts / recommendations appreciated!!

[andymadmak]

well, both are OK. Belper is certainly not hemmed in, and even has a rail line to Derby. (or 15 mins by car) plus it sits on the edge of the Peak District so lots of country pubs etc.
Ashby is nice, but can suffer a little from EMA noise. I suppose it depends on where you will be working/commuting to.

[Fish]

Belper is two stops on the train to Paris and close to Derby/Nottingham...

I came from Belper so maybe biased. Peak District also on your doorstep.

[Fort Jefferson]

I know Ashby very well, and yes, it is a nice place. But your house needs to be away from the A42 because it is noisey. If you tell me the name of the road, I'll tell you if you can hear it.

[mrmaggit]

Derbyshire has far and away the worse police force for hassle. I only go now if I really can't avoid it.

[bbc]

mrmaggit said:

Derbyshire has far and away the worse police force for hassle. I only go now if I really can't avoid it.

Please could you expand on this?

[mrmaggit]

bbc said:

mrmaggit said:

Derbyshire has far and away the worse police force for hassle. I only go now if I really can't avoid it.

Please could you expand on this?

Yup, be glad to. I used to go to Matlock and Derbyshire generally almost every weekend, I just got fed up of seeing coppers hiding out, pulling people over for "checks", and the imposition of many (IMHO) stupid speed limits. Final straw was coming up the hill towards Tansley and a copper ran out from behind a bush on somebodys drive, waving a lollypop shaped thing with "slow down" on it. I doubt if I was doing 20mph at the time, as I was in a line of traffic!

Go and spend my money in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire nowadays. Much more hassle free, and I even get to watch steam trains go by as well.

[bbc]

mrmaggit said:

Yup, be glad to. I used to go to Matlock and Derbyshire generally almost every weekend, I just got fed up of seeing coppers hiding out, pulling people over for "checks", and the imposition of many (IMHO) stupid speed limits. Final straw was coming up the hill towards Tansley and a copper ran out from behind a bush on somebodys drive, waving a lollypop shaped thing with "slow down" on it. I doubt if I was doing 20mph at the time, as I was in a line of traffic!

Go and spend my money in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire nowadays. Much more hassle free, and I even get to watch steam trains go by as well.

Ah, thanks! I live in Matlock and never thought about this - I tend to not use the car/bike at weekends due to all the tourists, so it hasn't affected me. I know plod crack down hard on bikes (but with the local death rate, I'm not surprised), and they're keen on our local 'Max Power' lads too.

I completely agree that the speed limits are farcical; the County Council have taken this to the extreme. The A515 - 50mph? you're having a laugh.

Thanks for the clarification.

andy.

eta - come during the week after about 6 pm - believe me, it's loads better....

[Fort Jefferson]

mrmaggit said:

Go and spend my money in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire nowadays. Much more hassle free, and I even get to watch steam trains go by as well.

Me too.

[BRMMA]

I had the misfortune of living in Belper for a while, it felt totally backwards to me and all the women looked like John Daley, it's near a few nice places though

[BelperJim]

BRMMA said:

I had the misfortune of living in Belper for a while, it felt totally backwards to me and all the women looked like John Daley, it's near a few nice places though

Yeah it's pretty well known that all women in Belper look like John Daley. The amount of times I have lost my wife in the crowds of similar faces.

[Alex]

Do they still have topless barmaids in the Duke of Devonshire?

[vladcjelli]

Alex said:

Do they still have topless barmaids in the Duke of Devonshire?

Nope, but they've managed to exorcise the unique and all pervading smell that it had for so many years.

We've lived in Belper for nigh on 18 years, so it must be doing something right (or there's something wrong with us!).

Close enough to Derby for a night out (not sure if good thing) or close enough to Nottingham if that takes your fancy.

I think it suits us because we can drop in on the urban type stuff, and then retreat to this small town surrounded by hills and fields.

Don't know what stage of your life you're at, but bringing up kids here is proving to be a pleasant experience with a fairly nice community around (albeit made up of female John Daleys).

[slimtater]

Why just look at Belper or Ashby, especially as very different places. Some other nice places in between such as suburbs of Derby e.g. Mickelover or Allestree.

[vladcjelli]

Meant to say earlier, post links to your potential Belper houses and I'll let you know what the neighbourhood is like, in my humble opinion.

[BelperJim]

vladcjelli said:

Meant to say earlier, post links to your potential Belper houses and I'll let you know what the neighbourhood is like, in my humble opinion.

Yeah last thing you want to do is end up on Parks Estate. I would also look at Holbrook and some parts of Denby.

[BRMMA]

to be fair i was 19-20 when i lived in Belper and it's not the sort of town that offers much to that age group, especially those brought up in a city. i can imagine it's a decent place to live once you have kids & a wife etc, just try and avoid getting one of the pint swilling john daley look-a-likes in a rugby shirt and you'll be alright

[Balmoral]

Ashby - up itself and can be just as chavvy as anywhere else
Belper - nice enough

[The Angry Gopher]

Depends what floats your boat really. Can't comment on Ashby, but as a Belper resident, It's on the edge of the Peak District so great for outdoor pursuits. Great driving roads locally, never been stopped by the police on bike or in car. Must be doing something wrong! There are great real ale pubs everywhere, and a superb indy cinema.

But, I wouldn't have liked to have grown up here, it can feel a bit claustrophobic at times.