I have lived and worked in Lancaster for four years now. It’s not a bad place to live, though the night-life and shops are not brilliant. It’s in a great location though. If you climb up to the castle and priory, or to Williamson Park you can see the Lake District Hills, and if you go 5 miles out of the city to the east you can be in open fell country with views across to the Isle of Man, South to Wales and East to the Pennines. If you want great shops, Manchester is an hour away by train.

Lancaster has quite an alternative ethos, with a couple of very nice alternative and vegan food shops and cafes, and some great real-ale pubs. It has suffered a bit over the years from lack of jobs and investment, but is trying to regenerate now, and the university seems to be expanding all the time.