Great Somerset Villages

[beebusy]

Hi there,

My husband, 7 yo DD and I are moving from Australia to UK in February. But we don't know where to move to!!!???
We have lived in London before (DH is from there) and know people in London, but would rather live in the countryside.
We've never visited Somerset, but by all accounts it looks lovely, and a bit more affordable than areas closer to London. We've been to some areas in Wiltshire and love Marlborough, but we're probably priced out of the housing market there.
As we can't visit locations before we move, I'm relying on online research which is really, really hard.
I'd love to hear any recommendations (as well a places to avoid) given our following preferences:

Welcoming/good community spirit
Some educated / worldly people (sorry if this sounds snobby, but I live in an area of Aust at the moment where people are very friendly, but most have left school at 15, and have no idea what's going on in the world except for milk and beef prices - and I find it difficult to relate at more than a superficial level).
Flexible with size of town / village.
We're into our food and wine - so good restaurants / cafes
Some art / culture is a plus
Good schools nearby
Pretty historic housing / scenery
Possible to buy 3-bed house for about £250,000
We work remotely, so don't need to be near any particular town or city. Although a train to London would be handy. Both drive, so PT isn't an issue.

From my search so far the following look interesting:

Wells (too expensive?)
Frome
Castle Cary / Bruton

What do you think?!? (doesn't have to be Somerset either - we can really go anywhere...)

thanks in advance!!!!

[minehead]

Everyone in the West Country is welcoming imo. Why not just rent for a year until you find your niche. There are lots of villages that would seem to grant your wishes; expensive bakeries, dress shops, parents who demand why their little darling is not on the netball team, and the price of milk or beef never enters their head, although that is possibly what the local economy is built upon. There is a good theatre in Taunton and many in Bristol. Get a life Britain is small.

[beebusy]

Ouch, sorry if I offended you.
Doesn't sound that friendly after all.

[lordchompleroy]

"Get a life"?

I guess you have helped her eliminate one town from her search. Well done minehead.

Please be aware that not everyone from minehead has an attitude.

[jenny1500]

Hi bee busy, I am from Frome and I now live in Castle Cary and can confirm that both towns are lovely places to live.

[beebusy]

Thanks Jenny for reaffirming what I've read so far about those towns! They both sound gorgeous.
Helps us feel confident in making a 'leap' to one of them. :-)
Do you prefer one over the other?
And do you know any local online resources / community pages?
Thanks again,
BB

[beebusy]

Hi Jenny, a couple of other questions i was hoping you could help me with....

Which mobile phone companies have good reception in frome?

Is there broadband available in Frome?

How is the train back into London - is it reliable?

Thanks for your help :)

[Monstamio]

Wells, Castle Cary, Somerton are all lovely. But I would second renting for a bit before buying as the outlying villages vary so much. There are lots of educated people down here and more families than you might initially think but it's a bit of a Mecca for retired types too so some villages have a much older vibe than others.

Trains from Castle Cary take 2 hours into London paddington and parking at the station only costs around £2.50 for the day which is a win! Don't think trains go direct from Frome but you could prob just drive to Westbury from there.

Finally i work from home and we do have broadband, but it's not the best. Superfast fibre optic hasn't reached these rural parts yet so videoconferencing isn't really an option and streaming movies can be hit and miss. It's fine for email etc though. Oh and in most places you will struggle to get a mobile signal indoors, especially if you buy a character property.

Hope this helps!

[Monstamio]

EE and Vodafone seem to have the best mobile coverage round here, but you can check this for yourself on their websites. Be aware of outdoor versus indoor coverage and take all the claims with a pinch of salt. Sometimes indoor is just one room next to the window!

[beebusy]

Thanks monstamio
All that information is really helpful!

[happygirly]

Hi beebusy we are have also been considering those three towns (and others) for a move from London. Have settled on frome. Hoping to move next summer. Happy to chat more if you send a PM. Good luck!

[beebusy]

Thanks Happygirly,
Have just PMed you.
:-)

[Lisacj10]

Why not consider Axbridge or Cheddar? Axbridge is really pretty and has great local schools and lots of families live there.

[beebusy]

Thanks Lisacj10 - will check them out :-)

[pamperedperfect]

I live in Wiltshire just outside Frome and for that budget you could afford a 3 bed around here too.

Frome is fab and really up and coming with great cafés and shops, a bit on the arty side of things.

[crazymum53]

My mother has retired to a Somerset village near the areas your are considering. It took quite a while to find a house as they seem to sell fairly quickly locally.
Vodafone mobile broadband does work in their house, better than their BT system actually!
Check out the facilities some of the villages are so small they don't have a shop.
Check for flood risks as the main difficulty they had was obtaining building insurance due to flooding!
Would also suggest you consider Shepton Mallet.
HTH

[nilbyname]

Frome is really pretty, and quite bohemian and arty.

I live on the otherside of Somerset.

I would recommend- Langport and the surrounding villages of Drayton, hambridge, wick.
Much more of a villager feel, but really friendly and buzzy. Great pubs, cafes and a good market.

Ilminster is also great, ashill just outside is really sweet and pretty. Small mind. Ilminster has a lively high street and a brilliant vegetarian restaurant.

[nilbyname]

Shelton mallet has quite a big housing estate with significant deprivation and the local primary school is quite challenged.

[beebusy]

Thank you all for your suggestions!

Nilbyname - I got excited when I searched Wick and saw amazing properties in our budget - then realised it was Wick in Scotland! lol...

I'm curious about Illminster. Is there more you can tell me about it?

Think Frome is a front-runner, but would like other options too!

thanks!!!

[IHB13]

Hi beebusy

We've recently moved back to Somerset and have bought a house in a village near Somerton. Somerton is a nice small town with a good pub and local shops. Langport, also nearby seems to be up and coming with nice surrounding villages. Wells is lovely, but as you say, is expensive. The villages around Taunton in the Blackdown hills are nice eg Stoke st Mary and Corfe. Just over the border in Dorset is Sherborne which is a lovely town but expensive too. I've only driven through Castle Cary but it looks nice and good train links to London. CC is less than 30 mins from Somerton to give some perspective on distance.

[beebusy]

Thanks IHB13
Somerton is on the list then! As well as the others you've suggested.
Can anyone fill me in on Westbury?
thanks!

[rainbowdance]

Hi Beebusy, I live in Frome and have done since 2002. It's a great place to live. Apparently it has the most grade II listed buildings in Somerset so very pretty and relatively unspoilt. It has improved a lot in the last 13 years. House prices are still pretty affordable, you could certainly buy a three bed house for £250,000 still, in fact a four bed townhouse on a newer estate would be achievable for that price bracket. I would definitely recommend renting first for a while though whatever so as to see if you really like it. The trains to London aren't great - I think there may only be one a day. Best to catch the train from Westbury which is about 7 miles away and has a fast direct service. I have 02 and fast internet connection no probs. A new school is presently being built (Steiner) not sure if that's of interest to you, it is in the town centre at the site of the old hospital and seems to be generating interest. Otherwise there are some good First Schools, then it's Middle School then Frome College or many children go to other schools like Writhlington, etc once they're 13. Anyway if you want any more advice just ask! I don't know an awful lot about Westbury though, only really go there to use the train station. Best of luck with the move!!

[mateysmum]

I live near Taunton. The town itself is pleasant and there are lots of lovely villages nearby (many now with superfast broadband). Access to the motorway and A303 is excellent and there is a frequent train service to London. Bristol and Exeter are each less than an hour away. There are 3 good independent schools plus pretty good state schools. It is larger than the other towns you have mentioned. All depends what you want.

There's a pretty good choice of properties of different types and prices

Have you looked on Rightmove at properties?

[beebusy]

Thanks rainbowdance and mateysmum

The Steiner school is certainly on the radar, but I believe it's full with a waiting list, so we may not get a place (year 3).

All very helpful advice.

Yes, obsessed with Rightmove and Zoopla.

Arriving next week so will finally check out every where in person!

Dh refuses to rent, thus the importance of all this pre arrival research.

So looking forward to exploring.

Thanks again!
Bb

[Theimpossiblegirl]

The Cheddar Valley schools are very good, so Cheddar, Axbridge, Cross, East Brent, Lympsham, Rooksbridge, Blackford, Wedmore, Mark and surrounding areas are worth checking out. Not far from motorway and rail links to London/Bristol either. Bristol is amazing for shopping and culture.

[Wishfor]

HI We sound as if we are in the same boat almost as we are moving from overseas back to UK after many years. We too are looking at Frome because it has good rail links for southern coast and London and Bristol which has a lot going on too.
I'm interested to hear what people advice me (us) to do and if there is enough going on in Frome or if everyone there gets in a car to go to Bath or Bristol for culture, entertainment etc.