Mountains, lakes, beaches, history. Every weekend is like being on holiday, except when the weather is crap
It’s rubbish, don’t come here.
Why have you asked the same question about the northern parts of Scotland, China, Canada, Australia and Wales?
10 mins from the sea, country side, mountains, A55 and a some towns.
Best of everything.
Great physical geography terrible job prospects.. wasted potential (north west wales)
Nice place to live but spend most my time away for work
Its great if you like the outdoors. Fantastic scenery from beautiful beaches to amazing mountains.
Public transport isn’t great, patchy and slow. For example a train from Pwllheli to Manchester airport (the nearest international) will take over 5 hours.
Would agree with most of what others have said, it’s gorgeous in every direction but job opportunities are non existent. Two of my three children have left for better job opportunities. The other is an outdoors gal so is trying desperately to find a decent paying job so that she can stay. My husband is able to work remotely so we are okay but his head office is down south so a terrible commute once every month or two.
The other big downside is trains. One line out and the cost is extortionate
It’s been a while since I lived there; but there’s amazing outdoor activities and scenery, and some pretty good restaurants and pubs.
Aside from that, there’s next to nothing to do when it rains (feels like 80% of the time). Winter is very depressing. The biggest towns are pretty small. You have to go to Chester or Liverpool to get a decent choice of theatre, entertainment, shopping etc.
Moved here in our 50s around 10 years ago from Essex. Never going back. Weather is not as bad as advertised, scenery is great, virtually zero traffic on most days. I used to call my drive to work from Colwyn to Anglesey ‘the million dollar view’. People have been very welcoming, I had no real problems getting a local job. If you are a building/construction trade or handyman, your phone wont stop ringing. Sadly, house prices rose sharply during and after covid, but still reasonable unless you are in the second home towns on the coast. All in all, I wouldn’t move back, ever.
I heard rumours about North Wales, apparently they still make sacrifices to old gods, and only ever eat crispy duck on Wednesdays
It’s like living in heaven, if in heaven you have to also pretend Rhyl doesn’t exist.
It’s changed a lot. I was born there and grew up there 70s/80s and my parents still live there so I visit often. It’s beautiful, and lots of the services like nhs are far better than I have in the east Midlands. However, public transport is definitely not as good. The biggest difference i can see is the huge expansion in tourism in the last 10 years. There are far far more of them in the rural areas, and being more inconsiderate about parking and litter. We lived very near the entry point to the dinorwig quarries and the damage the new tourists are causing is considerable. When I go back now, I rarely go to the places I used to like as there are so many people – down the Llanberis pass, anglesey especially Newborough etc, I just avoid now. So many properties are air b&b now too, it’s very difficult for local people to buy homes – i know that’s an issue everywhere but it does seem worse than where I live in England. The towns are very dilapidated too, Bangor is a shadow of what it was 30 years ago.
BCUHB should be put out of our misery.
Otherwise, on top of what others have said, it feels like north and south are totally separate. When politicians talk, it often feels like north Wales is excluded from their thinking.
Plus I hate that big entities like the Open University will insist that because you live in Wales, you have to go to Cardiff for a face to face tutorial. But you live on the north Wales coast so you could get to one in Liverpool or Warrington much quicker but no, you live in Wales so you have to go to sodding Cardiff! (Cardiff is fine, the lack of decent transport links/road network is not)
Great up here provided you steer clear of Rhyl. The countryside is amazing, the lakes and mountains are beautiful, people are friendly on the whole. Plus its a cheap place to live, I have a nice house on a single income I couldnt afford in most of the rest of the country. You give up on convenience if you’ve come from somewhere urban before though. Everything is very spread out, its a long drive to the nearest big shop etc.
Not bad, thanks for asking!
Absolutely fine, thank you.
Edit: Rhyls fine, just the people are shit.
I moved to the Conwy area in March and I love being so close to Eryri.
wet and welsh … (ish)
Love it !
I’ve never really left north wales, lived here all of my life, so can’t comment on pros and cons, however we have breath taking scenery- we have mountains, the sea, forests, lakes and waterfalls:)
I personally am not a city person, but Liverpool/ Manchester are not too far away, about 1-2 hours depending on where you area.
North Wales varies massively – flint/ Wrexham are very industrial, with massive industrial estates and factories. Wrexham and Gwynedd feel like different countries !
Traffic is not generally a problem, the only real exception is the A55, which gets clogged.
The only downside to me personally is that tourist season hits hard, Snowdonia is hell on toast in summer. Having said that, I generally head off up the Clwydian range or the Berwyns for my fresh air fix.
House prices vary massively- whilst some areas are utterly ludicrous, especially in tourist hotspots, you’ll get much more bang for your buck here, i pay 580 mortgage on a 2 bed terraced house.
Whilst there are areas with massive social problems, generally these areas are pretty obvious. Even Rhyl has nice bits !!
To add on to a previous commenter- any board that covers all of Wales are generally south based, the Welsh assembly government appears to have forgotten that there is a wales north of Merthyr! Travelling from north to south is an absolute ballache, you’re looking at4-5hours in the car down some pretty windy roads. The train takes 4 hours generally, and services are temperamental.
Overall though, I love it, wouldn’t live anywhere else :
I wish I could live in North Wales. My wife and I love the area around Porthmadog. I work from home full time so I could make it work. She however doesn’t want to move.
Moved to North West Wales nearly 10 years ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to buy a house with a lovely sea view not far from the beach, the house needed a lot of work doing to it, I am still going with it.
Yes, finding work can be challenging at time, I have been lucky so far, I run my own little coffee/sandwich shop, which is just about ticking along (very seasonal trade).
I love the little town I live in.
Hi what’s Penrhyn Bay like ?
Beaches, hills, lakes, mountains, more trees than you can count, two international airports less than an hour away, London is 2 1/2 hours by train. What’s not to love?
Just stayed in Gwynedd for the week. Gorgeous scenery, both natural and industrial. And it was great to be able to start a conversation in Welsh and know it would be appreciated and reciprocated.
But didn’t see very many young people out and about or working, and in a lot of the less touristy towns there were loads of closed shops.
I can see exactly why people choose to retire there, but also see why the youth run from it.
Ive just moved to a village outside Caernarfon, ideal for me as I wfh full time and love the outdoors. It feels like going back in time, in a good way. But as others have said, not many job opportunities.
Lived in Caernarfon, Bangor and Anglesey in my twenties (I’m Scottish) views were stunning, plenty of great people (and plenty of not so great 😬) I treasure my time spent in NW. Especially since I brought a Welshman back to Scotland with me and we have the most beautiful son together (not kidding, he’s got my sharp featured facial structure.and high cheek bones and his dad’s blue eyes and curly blonde hair)
♥️
I live in Flintshire and like it or not second homes have already killed north west wales (soon to be so few children in the peninsula there won’t be any schools etc) and it’s moving closer. We love people who come here, my town makes its money in the summer without tourists it has issues but maybe remember when you leave on Sunday others do still live here so maybe don’t buy EVERYTHING etc
Opportunity in Holyhead for example is very sparse and the attitudes around here are very close minded. Still some great people and memories, but the town is essentially a shadow of its former self.
Like anywhere, it depends on which part you live in. Eryri is worlds apart from the shit hole that is Deeside.
I wouldn’t know, I live in the south so obvs rarely go there.
Pretty good if you are a Wrexham fan!
Grew up merioyndd (Corris, Bala, penrhyndeuddreth, Dolgellau) and now living in Scotland. I miss it.
It’s the people you surround yourself with especially in smaller communities, we look after one another. Then the walks are amazing, plus the whole working remote is brilliant.
Though remember if you live the east like mold, Wrexham and possibly Llangollen they do speak English more than Welsh, but from Ruthin west, it’s more Welsh especially where I lived and folks might find that hard. Especially if you have young ones. Xx
Our family left the city to return to our born and bread stomping grounds in meirionydd. So many things have improved in the 20 years hubby and I were away. In the last 15 years public transport has improved massively but employment has declined somewhat, especially in the tourist areas like the Cambrian Coast. I think if you have a skill like plumbing or building or even work remotely, it’s much easier. It took us a few years to build up a customer base for a gardening business and the slower pace here suits is much better than city life. And boy is it pretty to look at! The sunsets on the coast are worth it all!
I moved to Anglesey this year, I was lucky enough to find a good job here and I don’t think I’ll ever leave.
I feel so much healthier, and every day is like being on holiday.
People are great, slightly mad in the best way possible, and the sense of community is very strong.
40 comments
Its like south wales but norther
I have no complaints 👌🏻
Beautiful nature, countryside and castles. Ageing seaside resorts. Limited job opportunities.
I like it
It depends where in north wales you live
Mountains, lakes, beaches, history. Every weekend is like being on holiday, except when the weather is crap
It’s rubbish, don’t come here.
Why have you asked the same question about the northern parts of Scotland, China, Canada, Australia and Wales?
10 mins from the sea, country side, mountains, A55 and a some towns.
Best of everything.
Great physical geography terrible job prospects.. wasted potential (north west wales)
Nice place to live but spend most my time away for work
Its great if you like the outdoors. Fantastic scenery from beautiful beaches to amazing mountains.
Public transport isn’t great, patchy and slow. For example a train from Pwllheli to Manchester airport (the nearest international) will take over 5 hours.
Would agree with most of what others have said, it’s gorgeous in every direction but job opportunities are non existent. Two of my three children have left for better job opportunities. The other is an outdoors gal so is trying desperately to find a decent paying job so that she can stay. My husband is able to work remotely so we are okay but his head office is down south so a terrible commute once every month or two.
The other big downside is trains. One line out and the cost is extortionate
It’s been a while since I lived there; but there’s amazing outdoor activities and scenery, and some pretty good restaurants and pubs.
Aside from that, there’s next to nothing to do when it rains (feels like 80% of the time). Winter is very depressing. The biggest towns are pretty small. You have to go to Chester or Liverpool to get a decent choice of theatre, entertainment, shopping etc.
Moved here in our 50s around 10 years ago from Essex. Never going back. Weather is not as bad as advertised, scenery is great, virtually zero traffic on most days. I used to call my drive to work from Colwyn to Anglesey ‘the million dollar view’. People have been very welcoming, I had no real problems getting a local job. If you are a building/construction trade or handyman, your phone wont stop ringing. Sadly, house prices rose sharply during and after covid, but still reasonable unless you are in the second home towns on the coast. All in all, I wouldn’t move back, ever.
I heard rumours about North Wales, apparently they still make sacrifices to old gods, and only ever eat crispy duck on Wednesdays
It’s like living in heaven, if in heaven you have to also pretend Rhyl doesn’t exist.
It’s changed a lot. I was born there and grew up there 70s/80s and my parents still live there so I visit often. It’s beautiful, and lots of the services like nhs are far better than I have in the east Midlands. However, public transport is definitely not as good. The biggest difference i can see is the huge expansion in tourism in the last 10 years. There are far far more of them in the rural areas, and being more inconsiderate about parking and litter. We lived very near the entry point to the dinorwig quarries and the damage the new tourists are causing is considerable. When I go back now, I rarely go to the places I used to like as there are so many people – down the Llanberis pass, anglesey especially Newborough etc, I just avoid now. So many properties are air b&b now too, it’s very difficult for local people to buy homes – i know that’s an issue everywhere but it does seem worse than where I live in England. The towns are very dilapidated too, Bangor is a shadow of what it was 30 years ago.
BCUHB should be put out of our misery.
Otherwise, on top of what others have said, it feels like north and south are totally separate. When politicians talk, it often feels like north Wales is excluded from their thinking.
Plus I hate that big entities like the Open University will insist that because you live in Wales, you have to go to Cardiff for a face to face tutorial. But you live on the north Wales coast so you could get to one in Liverpool or Warrington much quicker but no, you live in Wales so you have to go to sodding Cardiff! (Cardiff is fine, the lack of decent transport links/road network is not)
Great up here provided you steer clear of Rhyl. The countryside is amazing, the lakes and mountains are beautiful, people are friendly on the whole. Plus its a cheap place to live, I have a nice house on a single income I couldnt afford in most of the rest of the country. You give up on convenience if you’ve come from somewhere urban before though. Everything is very spread out, its a long drive to the nearest big shop etc.
Not bad, thanks for asking!
Absolutely fine, thank you.
Edit: Rhyls fine, just the people are shit.
I moved to the Conwy area in March and I love being so close to Eryri.
wet and welsh … (ish)
Love it !
I’ve never really left north wales, lived here all of my life, so can’t comment on pros and cons, however we have breath taking scenery- we have mountains, the sea, forests, lakes and waterfalls:)
I personally am not a city person, but Liverpool/ Manchester are not too far away, about 1-2 hours depending on where you area.
North Wales varies massively – flint/ Wrexham are very industrial, with massive industrial estates and factories. Wrexham and Gwynedd feel like different countries !
Traffic is not generally a problem, the only real exception is the A55, which gets clogged.
The only downside to me personally is that tourist season hits hard, Snowdonia is hell on toast in summer. Having said that, I generally head off up the Clwydian range or the Berwyns for my fresh air fix.
House prices vary massively- whilst some areas are utterly ludicrous, especially in tourist hotspots, you’ll get much more bang for your buck here, i pay 580 mortgage on a 2 bed terraced house.
Whilst there are areas with massive social problems, generally these areas are pretty obvious. Even Rhyl has nice bits !!
To add on to a previous commenter- any board that covers all of Wales are generally south based, the Welsh assembly government appears to have forgotten that there is a wales north of Merthyr! Travelling from north to south is an absolute ballache, you’re looking at4-5hours in the car down some pretty windy roads. The train takes 4 hours generally, and services are temperamental.
Overall though, I love it, wouldn’t live anywhere else :
I wish I could live in North Wales. My wife and I love the area around Porthmadog. I work from home full time so I could make it work. She however doesn’t want to move.
Moved to North West Wales nearly 10 years ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to buy a house with a lovely sea view not far from the beach, the house needed a lot of work doing to it, I am still going with it.
Yes, finding work can be challenging at time, I have been lucky so far, I run my own little coffee/sandwich shop, which is just about ticking along (very seasonal trade).
I love the little town I live in.
Hi what’s Penrhyn Bay like ?
Beaches, hills, lakes, mountains, more trees than you can count, two international airports less than an hour away, London is 2 1/2 hours by train. What’s not to love?
Just stayed in Gwynedd for the week. Gorgeous scenery, both natural and industrial. And it was great to be able to start a conversation in Welsh and know it would be appreciated and reciprocated.
But didn’t see very many young people out and about or working, and in a lot of the less touristy towns there were loads of closed shops.
I can see exactly why people choose to retire there, but also see why the youth run from it.
Ive just moved to a village outside Caernarfon, ideal for me as I wfh full time and love the outdoors. It feels like going back in time, in a good way. But as others have said, not many job opportunities.
Lived in Caernarfon, Bangor and Anglesey in my twenties (I’m Scottish) views were stunning, plenty of great people (and plenty of not so great 😬) I treasure my time spent in NW. Especially since I brought a Welshman back to Scotland with me and we have the most beautiful son together (not kidding, he’s got my sharp featured facial structure.and high cheek bones and his dad’s blue eyes and curly blonde hair)
♥️
I live in Flintshire and like it or not second homes have already killed north west wales (soon to be so few children in the peninsula there won’t be any schools etc) and it’s moving closer. We love people who come here, my town makes its money in the summer without tourists it has issues but maybe remember when you leave on Sunday others do still live here so maybe don’t buy EVERYTHING etc
Opportunity in Holyhead for example is very sparse and the attitudes around here are very close minded. Still some great people and memories, but the town is essentially a shadow of its former self.
Like anywhere, it depends on which part you live in. Eryri is worlds apart from the shit hole that is Deeside.
I wouldn’t know, I live in the south so obvs rarely go there.
Pretty good if you are a Wrexham fan!
Grew up merioyndd (Corris, Bala, penrhyndeuddreth, Dolgellau) and now living in Scotland. I miss it.
It’s the people you surround yourself with especially in smaller communities, we look after one another. Then the walks are amazing, plus the whole working remote is brilliant.
Though remember if you live the east like mold, Wrexham and possibly Llangollen they do speak English more than Welsh, but from Ruthin west, it’s more Welsh especially where I lived and folks might find that hard. Especially if you have young ones. Xx
Our family left the city to return to our born and bread stomping grounds in meirionydd. So many things have improved in the 20 years hubby and I were away. In the last 15 years public transport has improved massively but employment has declined somewhat, especially in the tourist areas like the Cambrian Coast. I think if you have a skill like plumbing or building or even work remotely, it’s much easier. It took us a few years to build up a customer base for a gardening business and the slower pace here suits is much better than city life. And boy is it pretty to look at! The sunsets on the coast are worth it all!
I moved to Anglesey this year, I was lucky enough to find a good job here and I don’t think I’ll ever leave.
I feel so much healthier, and every day is like being on holiday.
People are great, slightly mad in the best way possible, and the sense of community is very strong.
Comments are closed.