Cool! Give me a nudge when you get here, I can buy you a drink and sign your PGP key. If you need any advice or info on the area, don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks!

So far we're planning to rent in NE1, which should be very central, for a year. Then if we can find something we like we'll be buying a house. (In both cases something with 3/4 bedrooms.)

Cool! I work in NE1 (specifically, here -http://www.thecorenewcastle.co.uk/) ; but I live at the coast. If you can't find anything in NE1 that suits, then anything within walking distance of a Metro station (http://www.nexus.org.uk/metro) should be reasonably convenient. The coast is 30 minutes from Town on the metro, which is towards the longer end of a typical metro commute. Jesmond and Sandyford are nice central places to live; High Heaton slightly further out and more affordable.

Thanks! Jesmond is one area that has jumped out already as having nice houses that we can afford.

Right now we're slowly selling items and working out how to make the move nice and simple - though I guess we have five months to get it all arranged.