The pretty north of England town where house prices higher than London | UK | News


The Yorkshire town of Ilkley, sitting in the shadow of the scenic Yorkshire Dales, has long been considered one of the best places in the UK to live.

A lot is made of the general difference in house prices between the north and south, but those moving to the area in the hope of getting more for their money might be sorely disappointed.

The town has an average house price of £519,587 according to Rightmove, making it more expensive than some London boroughs.

An estate agent who works for local firm Dale Eddison in the town said: “You don’t get much for your money, especially in the LS29 postcode.

“It is a really sought after location and we often have people moving up from the south who are surprised that they will essentially get the same here as they would where they have come from.”

The expensive house prices are an outlier for the region, coming in at nearly double the average price of a property in Leeds, one of Britain’s biggest cities and just half an hour away by train.

It is also on average £150,000 more than the town of Skipton, a mere 10 miles away.

Sarah works in a local coffee shop as she attempts to save money ahead of starting university next year.

For her, the idea of home ownership is almost a fantasy, especially if she wants to remain in the town that she grew up in.

Sarah, who did not giver her surname, said: “I am not even thinking about buying a house, I just don’t see how it is possible.

“None of my friends who have moved out of their parents have been able to stay here, they have all bought or started renting in places such as Skipton and Leeds.”

So what makes Ilkley so special?

Its unique location for a start. With the hills of the Yorkshire Dales and Ilkley Moor looming over the town, it’s a pretty, scenic place to live.

Secondly, it is a hotspot for fantastic schools, with four primary schools and one high school being graded as ‘Outstanding’ in their most recent Ofsted inspection, with a host of others being ranked as ‘good’.

The Dale Eddison estate agent also said: “There is every imaginable sports club in the area so it is perfect for families who want things to do for the kids.

“In the town you have everything you could possibly need in a short vicinity and the transport links are excellent.

“You can get to Leeds in half an hour and London in less than three.”

So good are the transport links that at a time when hybrid working is all the rage, many people are looking to escape the hustle of the capital, realising that they can work from a more scenic abode.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, moved to Ilkley in the summer of 2023 after seeing her working habits change significantly. She said: “I love it here and (after covid) when I started working from home at least three times a week we started to think about moving here.”

She was unsure whether or not her bosses in the London office would approve of her living so far away and so she never told them.

She added: “I travel to London once, occasionally twice a week but get to have the best of both worlds.”

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