Anyone Live In Belper or Know The Area ?

[Raindogs]

Was working in the area recently and really liked the look of the place, so much so that we (1yo daughter & wife) are considering moving into the area.  I don't know much about the area however so if anyone can give me some info on the area it would be appreciated.

[jakally]

My home town.

V.nice, queit-ish town.

Some facilities /POI (Leisure Centre/Swimming Pool, Historic Mill Buildings), but v.handy for lots of places (Derby, Nottingham, Peak District).

Most importantly, only 35 mins drive frrom DTD!

What else do you want to know?
What's important to you?

[Raindogs]

My home town.

V.nice, queit-ish town.

Some facilities /POI (Leisure Centre/Swimming Pool, Historic Mill Buildings), but v.handy for lots of places (Derby, Nottingham, Peak District).

Most importantly, only 35 mins drive frrom DTD!

What else do you want to know?
What's important to you?

Any good pubs and resturants ?
Is it a friendly town ? (some country towns can be a bit unfriendly to outsiders)
Are the schools decent ?
Any Trout in the Derwent ?

We've been living in Birmingham for the last 18yrs and last year had our first child.  It has kind of got to a time in both our life where the attractions of living in a big city have lessened as we no longer have as much of a social life.  I was passing through Belper on the way to Homesford and I really liked the look of the place.  This got me to thinking of moving.

[jakally]

My home town.

V.nice, queit-ish town.

Some facilities /POI (Leisure Centre/Swimming Pool, Historic Mill Buildings), but v.handy for lots of places (Derby, Nottingham, Peak District).

Most importantly, only 35 mins drive frrom DTD!

What else do you want to know?
What's important to you?

Any good pubs and resturants ?
Is it a friendly town ? (some country towns can be a bit unfriendly to outsiders)
Are the schools decent ?
Any Trout in the Derwent ?

We've been living in Birmingham for the last 18yrs and last year had our first child.  It has kind of got to a time in both our life where the attractions of living in a big city have lessened as we no longer have as much of a social life.  I was passing through Belper on the way to Homesford and I really liked the look of the place.  This got me to thinking of moving.

Lots of pubs, plus a few restaurants.

Belper has grown quite a bit over last 10 - 15 years, so has a good mix of long standing residents and new residents. No problem with new people feeling 'outsiders'.

Primary schools are fine. One secondary school which gets mixed reviews, although there are others with better feedback within 5 miles.

No idea about fishing.....

Hope this helps. Good luck whatever you decide.

Jak.

[pokerram]

and loads of sheep bah bah

[RED-DOG]

Yep. Plenty of trout and grayling in the Derwent. (Girls weren't the only things I used to tickle)

[tikay]

Belper is a lovely area, I know it well, having worked in Heage, & philandered in adjacent Belper, for over 20 years.

Some very large, new, Housing Estates have spring up in recent years, but the Town still has much charm.

The High Street is quaint & old, but bisected by the A6 Trunk Road, though King Street is a nice Shopping Area. There are scores of lovely Listed Buildings in Belper, & Arkwright's Mill is outstanding, being considered one of the UK's most important Inductrial buildings from the Victorian era, it's magnificent, & is open to the Public. I think it's owned by the local & very wealthy Gee Family these days, who are huge toy Importers. The Mill stands on the magnificent Derwent, & there is good fishing to be had.

There is a Sainsbury's & a Safeway. Stunningly good Golf Courses abound, all hilly, including one just south of Belper, "Chevin", & the flatter Quarndon, in Derby.

The A6 north of Belper, runs to Matlock Bath, Matlock, Buxton, & thence, accompanied by a dramastic vista, to Stockport & Manchester. In fact, the stretch of the A6 just north of Belper, up to the Whatstandwell wibbly-wobbly bridge, is one of the the most beautiful stretches of road in the UK. It follows the Derwent, & once past Whatstandwell, goes into a tree-tunnel, eventually emerginig at Arkwright's other Mill, south of Matlock Bath, then to the Grotto, with Cable Cars stretched above the road to the cliffed escarpements. Just off the A6 here are Wirksworth & Cromford, both quarrying towns, with huge quarries as far as the eye can see. Middleton Mine is here, too, a sort of mine in a mountain, which you can enter in Middleton, & emerge from in Hopton, some 3 miles away!

On the stretch up to Whatstandwell, the west side is steep, & thickly wooded, but if you look carefully, across the Derwent which runs along the West of the road, there is a huge, camaflouged, portal, set into the deeply forested bank, which leads, via a 6 mile underground tunnel, to Carsington Reservoir. I'm not sure if water goes from Carsington to the Derwent, or t'other way round.

Achingly beautiful villages, built in local stone, are everywhere, Via Gellia, Bonsall, Darley Dale, Ible (where I so-nearly purchaed a stone cottage, & have regretted not doing so ever since) & too many others to mention.

The local "thing" is Well-Dressing, which is a much-cherished local tradition, held annually, in this part of Derbyshire.

Bus Sevices & Railway connect to Derby, Sheffield & Nottingham. The Railway runs in a cutting all the way through Belper.

Belper was, once upon a time, the place where all nails were made. Fancy that. It's said that if your surname is Naylor, your family-tree traces back to Belper. Oddly, the local area surnames are dominated by "Walker", though I know not why.

The major local employers are LB Plastics, Silkolene Lubricants, & the Bowmer & Kirkland Group.

A few years back, Belper had a famous, infamous perhaps, MP, who became Foreign Secretary, George Brown. George could often be found laying face down in the gutter in the early hours. Liked a drink, did George.

Oh, & Belper has a Bus-Garage.

It's a lovely place, truly.

[Nakor]

Did you play for Belper Tourist Board in your youth TJ?

[tikay]

Did you play for Belper Tourist Board in your youth TJ?

OK, OK.

Seriously, I spent many happy years in & around Belper, I still live just 20 mins away from there, & it's a grand place. I wish I had time to write more about it.

I broke my duck in Belper, too. And I'm not talking Ducks, either.

Another big employer in Belper is Deb Chemicals, who make Swarfega I think. I met Deb (hairdresser) there, but that's another story.

[Raindogs]

Did you play for Belper Tourist Board in your youth TJ?

OK, OK.

Seriously, I spent many happy years in & around Belper, I still live just 20 mins away from there, & it's a grand place. I wish I had time to write more about it.

I broke my duck in Belper, too. And I'm not talking Ducks, either.

Another big employer in Belper is Deb Chemicals, who make Swarfega I think. I met Deb (hairdresser) there, but that's another story.

Thanks for the info.  I have to go back to site next week and I will stop off before I go home to have a proper look round.  Housing looks quite expensive for the type of property I am after.