UKC

Thinking about a possible move from the SE for a while. What's the crack? Where to live and where to avoid? Is it full on chavs and pointy heads? Decent climbing wall?

D

In reply to Dauphin:

Those sort of comments will get you a long way oop north !
Yes. It is full of chavs and pointy heads, and I even saw someone with a pig under his arm!
Best stay down south

In reply to Dauphin:

really nice - surprisingly large of normal people, it has a chav element, everywhere does, but its pretty low level.

i'm southern, it was the first place north of Brum i'd ever lived in - i'd go back in a heart beat.

it now has two multi-story car parks...

In reply to Skol:

I am so northern they call me The North. ;}

No interest in living back in the big conurbations.

D

In reply to Dauphin:

In that part of the world Penrith is a big conurbation.

Anyhow, don't bother it's shit now they've closed Blues down.

In reply to Dauphin:

Then Penrith is a good option. Just busy enough. Good access to road and rail links. No worse than any other northern small town for chavs. Small town chavs are less dangerous than large town chavs, in my opinion, if you give a shit about it

In reply to Fatboy:
I don't think he said it was?
Did they film Phoenix Nights there? I saw a woman fire a ping pong ball out of her vag in that club

In reply to Skol:



Just the one?

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Yeah. It was a Slazenger ball. Still got it somewhere

In reply to Dauphin:

Is there still the penrith pong to contend with?

In reply to Dauphin:

Excellent if you like farmers, drinking and fighting.

In reply to Fatboy:

Toppers has gone now too youth!

In reply to Removed User:

More interested in whether it has a Booths or Waitrose. Decent cinema, climbing wall. Rapid access to Lakes, Yorkshire and Scotland are my main considerations, but a thriving art scene would be a bonus

D

In reply to Dauphin:

Don't actually live there but I live nearby. Climbing wall wise, it actually has two, unfortunately neither are great. One's at the sports centre and is a lead wall about 8-9m high, routes up to 7a'ish but nothing amazing. Then there is one at the college campus (Newton Rigg) which is maybe up to 10'ish meter high and has some limited bouldering.

However you have a top notch bouldering centre (eden rock) in Carlise about 30 mins up the M6 and the huge 24m lead walls of Kendal about 30m's the other way.

Plenty of rock about too, there is the sandstone locally and you're only 15'ish mins from keswick and borrowdale so plenty play on.

In reply to Dauphin:

Yeah it has Booths, Morrison's, Salisbury's and a few others. An strangely large number of super markets for the size of the town.

In reply to Dauphin:

Having lived in Penrith and knowing Kendal relatively well (though not lived there) Kendal would get my vote from what you've asked for.

Kendal wall - tick
Access to Lakes/Scotland - tick
Transport links - tick
Kendal Calling - has it's own festival
More of tree hugging community than Penrith has....

In reply to Dauphin:

There's a lot worse places to live for sure....I feel lucky living here, from choice as I wasn't born here. Not too many nasty people, but like all places, some. Climbing wall is a local wall, with routes set by anyone with the interest to set them; I think it's good, but then I would as one of the people who sets routes! The bouldering wall at Carlilse is outstanding, and there is plenty of good climbing within an hours drive.

In reply to greylag:

Isn't Kendal Calling now situated in Penrith?

In reply to Dauphin:

You're alright, big(ish) Booths opened in the last year or so....as did Sainsbury's. Cranston's worth a look, too. No longer are you stuck with an ageing Morrisons!

I'm not so sure on the arty scene (work in Penrith, but don't live there), but some films/talks at Rheged (often mountaineering related). Eden Arts does stuff. Not what you'd get in a city, but not completely dead either.

Climbing walls - yes, leisure centre one is OK, but worth the drive to Carlisle or Kendal - and new one, with ice wall, due to open in Keswick soon.

And, TBH, although it's longer distances, you can get a fair way in the time it'd take you to travel across a city in the traffic. The Cumbrian definition of a traffic jam is somewhat different to a big city one.

In reply to butteredfrog:



haha I've just Googled it and it is in fact held at 'Lowther Deer Park (Nr Penrith)'! Ey?????

That's surely in breach of some European rule!

In reply to Dauphin:
You want London in the Lakes)))

In reply to Skol:


>You want London in the Lakes)))

Yip. All about compromises though. Cannot compromise on mountains and mates for much longer.

D

In reply to Skol:

Or one of the Northern big cities perhaps. Leeds? York? Preston even?

Neil

In reply to Dauphin:

>> It has a Booths, Morrisons, two Coops, Sainsburies and an Aldi.
It has a small cinema, swimming pool and climbing wall.
It is forty minutes to Borrowdale.
It has an art club, a photography club and Rheged is good, look it up.
There are several good pubs inc. a new large Wetherspoons which replaced a chavs nightclub and plenty of eating places. And a tremendous view of the Lakes fells.
Also all the usual carpet stores, outdoor clothing places, Halfords etc. etc.

In reply to Dauphin:

Couldn't tell you now, but I used to live there many moons ago and both my kids - now in their 30's - were born there. I still have many friends (most of whom moved in to the area) who love the place and don't want to live anywhere else. I'd certainly go back if it was feasible.

In reply to greylag:


Yeah - will give you that, but there's Penrith wall, Keswick just down the road & huge amounts of real rock
Arguably better from Penrith than Kendal - unless you're fixated on Langdale - Penrith better placed for the motorway & rail links (cos Oxenholme doesn't count)
see above
in Penrith
maybe, but if that's what you want...

and if he wants culture, Rheged & Theatre in Keswick pretty good, Booths for posh nosh, good curry house, okish pubs, lakes that are pleasant! and if you choose to live in Penrith/Eden valley, cheaper housing! the cinema is 19th century, however...

In reply to Dauphin:

Following this with interest, about to move to Penrith myself and know very little about the place.

In reply to butteredfrog:

the pong is still here!

In reply to Removed User:
Not forgetting the Thai food cafe in the Devonshitre Arcade - top nosh, and the homemade chocolates, and the Toffee shop (not in the Arcade), John Norris for fishing tackle, Larch Cottage nurseries.