I'm trying to amass as large a deposit as I can manage, not necessarily so I gan get a larger house, but to get as little mortgage as possible. I think probably around £60k - £70k before my gf gets completely sick of the current situation (I'm surprised she hasn't already) and makes me buy one! I've also got a bit of unpaid leave from work in which I'm going to do a bit of travelling which isn't going to exactly help things on the deposit front.
In terms of areas, I'm not too sure. Right now I'm living in Huyton, and I whilst I'm not exaclty a huge fan it, I like the close proximity to the M62 as I always seem to be in Manchester for some reason or other, whether it be work, restaurants, concerts, etc. I can get to Manchester in about 30 mins if the roads are OK. I notice you've posted a couple of houses in Childwall, which is certainly an area I'd consider.