Relocation within the UK (home, good schools, to live in)

[mullins95]

Hello

I currently live in Newcastle, where I have always lived. I have been offered a job with a different company than the one I currently work for and they have given me the option of:
- Coventry
- Rugeley
- Dunstable
- Doncaster

The problem is I have never been to any of them! I am not particularly bothered about being close to Newcastle and I have no children so good schools do not matter; I just want to live in a nice area with good transport links.

I love the countryside and the abundance of National Trust/English Heritage properties in the North East so an area with access to nice walks would be a bonus.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for reading

[BereniceUK]

I used to live in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, so I wasn't far from Rugeley, just up the A51. Rugeley has two rail stations, so that's a good start for transport links, especially for the size of the town; also a regular bus service to Stafford. You have two power stations dominating Rugeley, but to compensate you have plenty of nice countryside, notably Cannock Chase. Rugeley is much different and smaller compared to the other three places you mention. Not as good for shopping, at least when I lived in Staffordshire (4+ years ago). However, Stafford is nearby for a larger selection of retail outlets.





I can't comment on Dunstable, never been there. The town of Doncaster is nothing to write home about, although I have warm memories of visits there. Once you get out of urban Coventry there is some beautiful surrounding countryside with attractive small villages.

[Crazy-Cat-Lady]

I'd pick Coventry to be honest. Out of all of those, it's largest and has by far the best transport links being on the West Coast Mainline with regular trains to both London Ruston and Birmingham New Street. As far as countryside, you'd have Warwickshire on your doorstep.

Dunstable would be the bottom of that list for me. I grew up in nearby Luton and the town doesn't have a whole lot going for it (or didn't when I was a kid back in the 90's) it doesn't even have a railway station.