Hubby has a job offer in north Devon.. What's it like?

[Diamondjade10]

Hi all,

My hubby has had a job offer in Barnstable/bideford and we currently live in the south east with 2 young children, just wondering what it's like to live there as havnt been before, going down to check it out on the weekend, just want some advice please

[quoteunquote]

great surfing.

[FootOfOurStairs]

Nice scenery/countryside, but v rural. It feels "far away" even within Devon due to the lack of motorways/rail services. Lovely surfing/beaches/villages/pubs. Quite a few social problems in the bigger (not v big) areas like high teen pregnancy rate and employment is tricky like many seaside areas. Will you be looking for work too as that may be hard?

[Beamur]

I don't know it well, but have holidayed there and loved it - not necessarily the same as living somewhere though.

[takeaway2]

We've holidayed there twice and loved it as holidays go. But I don't know about normal life?!!

[Diamondjade10]

Yes I would be looking for work also but not for another year or 2 as have 2 young boys who won't be at school for another 2 and 3 years, is Barnstable a big town, like you can get all your shopping and anything else you need there or do you need to travel around? What would be the best part of Devon to live would anyone recommend?

[takeaway2]

Barnstaple looked pretty large but the stores did not seem v modern. Like the h&m was quite run down (having said that it was the first h&m I'd ever walked into!!!). M&S was also of the older type.

[RegainingUnconsciousness]

Beautiful!

It's our closest town as the crow flies, but not great in terms of commutability from here.

DH & I used to live & work near Bideford about 10 years ago. The summer traffic made getting to Barnstaple a bit of a mission, but I think the new bypass (to Braunton/Croyde) helps.

I would recommend the villages south of Barnstaple, they'll be cheaper than the coastal spots. But if you can afford it, and don't mind the summer traffic, there's some beautiful and very desirable areas.

Come and visit. There's not a lot of work here, if you're lucky enough to have a good offer, you should seize it!

(Oh, remember to visit in the rain, parts of Devon can be quite bleak in January)

[cece]

Its lovely. I'd move to Braunton myself.

[RegainingUnconsciousness]

Oh, there's a massive Tesco's in Braunton, and HRH Wills used to be spotted in the Barnstaple tesco when he was based near there.

Rail links are poor, getting to Exeter's a bugger. But Devon is massive and you'd (well, I would) be happier in a village closer to Barnstaple than living in Exeter and commuting from there.

I could harp on about this for ages. Must control myself!

[whymummywhy]

Barnstaple is great...all the shops you need and close to such lovely beaches etc. Look at villages like Tawstock and Instow for good schools. Get used to a more relaxed pace of life....and rain

[MrsGSR]

I loved growing up in Devon. I now live in a small city in the Midlands and there is less to do here than there is in North Devon! We drive down regularly to see family, Birmingham to Barnstaple takes us about 3 hours and we can get to London from Barnstaple in less than 4 hours, on a good day! Trains are rubbish from Barnstaple but not to bad from Tiverton.

We never really needed to go farther than Barnstaple for shopping, although my very fashionable sister used to order online a lot when we became teenagers!

[purplewithred]

I was born and bought up round there. All perfectly civilised nowadays, big supermarkets everywhere and there is always the Internet. Great place if you have a secure job. Houses are cheap if you aren't fussy about character.

Watch out for the horizontal drizzle. i found it a very dull place to be a teenager and moved away the minute I could, and if its temporary watch out for the house price differences, you might find it very expensive if you want to come back to the south east.

[cece]

I thought the Tesco in Braunton was tiny! LOL

[singinginthelifeboats]

Lovely place to live - I worked there for three years a while ago and now we holiday in Cornwall and I get all 'homesick' when we drive through Devon.
There are 'social' problems associated with rural and sometimes isolated communities but the upside is the slower pace of life, the beautiful scenery, the lovely locals, the space, the freedom, the fresh air, the sea.......sigh....
As far as shopping is concerned there are planty of food shops and hardware shops etc and the Internet and the odd trip to Exeter should cover everything else.

But it does rain........

[Diamondjade10]

Thanks everyone for your reply, you all seem to say it rains but doesn't everywhere in England? Where we are it's always raining to so not much different really, we do want somewhere that's not isolated though we want a good community with kids groups and stuff to do with the little ones and meet new people, I don't know if Barnstable has that to offer??

[RegainingUnconsciousness]

Cece, maybe it is.

I may have been blown away that there was a tesco in Braunton at all!

[RegainingUnconsciousness]

The 'social problems' are no different than in all communities. Devon does, however, have an incredible level of apathy. I think it's 'the slower pace of life' that pp referred to, but it does become infuriating in certain situations. I have colleagues who've worked out of county who say there's a marked difference when you cross the border!

Regarding children's groups, I know Hatherleigh are very active and have a great reputation. That's as far north as my knowledge on that front goes, but I'd imagine the groups continue towards Bide/Barnstaple.

[MrsGSR]

Most of the bigger towns, like Barnstaple, aren't too bad for apathy, smaller villages can be very frustrating!

It seems to rain more in Barnstaple than elsewhere, but being close to the coast its also a few degrees warmer in winter and slightly cooler during heatwaves.

How old are your children?

[Diamondjade10]

They are 2 1/2 and 1 years so very young at the mo, we are used to "village life" and living in the country, have never lived in a town or city, but just want to find somewhere close by the sea with friendly people around and shops not miles and miles away

[MrsGSR]

There are quite a few baby and toddler groups around, a friend of mine goes to one in Westward Ho! Baptist Church that she really likes but I think there are quite a few to choose from!

Barnstaple has a soft play Centre that my cousins love, I think its open all year round so great for rainy days. The Big Sheep in Bideford is good when they're a little bigger, and also has a big indoor play area. The cinema in Barnstaple is pretty good. Paignton Zoo and Combe Martin Wildlife Park are good days out. And whenever it's sunny there is the beach!

We recently took my nephew (2.6) and niece (7) to the beach. We bought some nets (£1 each) and spent the whole day looking in the rock pools. They both loved it, as did my DH!

[holmessweetholmes]

Watching with interest - this is exactly the area I want to move to!

[StrictlySalsaDancingDiva]

Hope you enjoyed your weekend, I've lived here for 25 years and love it, great place to bring up DC.

The shopping isn't too bad, you can get most things (although we've never had an H&M!) and if you want a few more of the High Street shops, it's only an hour to Exeter.

It is fairly remote for travelling around the country but you get used to it.

Depends whether your DH is working in Bideford or Barnstaple as to which side of the river to think of living, if you want to ask anything specific, feel free to PM me.

[Orangepeel123]

Hi I am a nurse and looking to move to Devon however I would need a small holding or house with land as I have 4 horses and I have a 16 year old any ideas I don’t have a huge budget !
Thanks in advance for help and advice

[Bamaluz]

Orangepeel - you need to start a new thread, otherwise people will see it's an old one and not read to the end.