Should we move from Bristol to Weston-Super-Mare?

[ShipShapeandBristolFashion]

I'd like some advice please. I can find info on this topic from many years ago, but nothing from the last couple of years, and I'd like to hear current views.

Should my husband and I move from Bristol to Weston-Super-Mare?

We've lived in Bristol for 15 years. We were both students here. We own a little terraced house in one of those grotty 'up-and-coming' areas of inner city Bristol! Our house and garden are really lovely, but small. The area we live in is considered 'trendy' I guess but, as it's so inner city, we see horrible stuff all the time - litter, dog poo, fly tipping, drug dealing - and it's dragging us down a bit. We also think we are generally ready to leave Bristol and live somewhere smaller (town or village) where things are less frenetic (we aren't interested in moving to another area of Bristol - we know the city very well and know how little we can get for our money!)

We would like:
To live in a nicer area - a smarter looking street, where people keep things tidy!
A bigger house with a kitchen-diner
A big garden
A workshop/garage for my husband
A driveway - my husband is sick of having his nice car damaged by parking on street!
A sense of space/light/maybe views
Access to great walks for our dog

I need to commute to Bristol by train, and my husband needs good access to the West of Bristol/Clevedon for his work. We have a budget of £300k for a house.

Weston-Super-Mare delivers on all of the things I'm looking for. We have checked-out the area up the hill around Ashcombe Park and those streets are SO much nicer than the area we currently live in. And Weston Forest, the Beach, Uphill and Ashcombe Park look great for our dog. For our money we can afford a large 4 bed semi or detached house.

BUT, I want to be realistic about Weston's downsides. I know there are more than typical numbers of drug addicts and people in recovery and the town centre does feel quite down-at-heel. We visited on a sunny evening in the summer and the beach was covered in litter. My husband and I like to go for a glass of wine/pint early on a Friday evening - is there ANYWHERE decent to go? I know there is the Brunello Lounge now, and a Coffee#1 and a few other nice restaurants. Is there much else? We're obviously spoiled rotten living in Bristol, with so many bars/restaurants/pubs to go to and I'm concerned about feeling isolated.

FYI, we may or may not have children in the future, but I think it's more likely that we will not.

Obviously you can't have everything, and we're going to have to make some compromises to achieve the right balance between area/house/garden/ease of commute. I'd really appreciate views from anyone in their 30s living in Weston please. Are we crazy to be considering this move, or would you tell us to go for it?

Thanks in advance!

[FluffyNinja]

Clevedon's a better option.
Or Hutton?
Weston's just manky.

[urbanrock]

Portishead has nice pubs and bars but no train.
Nailsea might tick all the boxes although the station is a fair walk out of the main town.

[PinkFlamingo888]

I don't like Weston at all and have family there so have spent a reasonable amount of time in different areas at different times. I'm in a similar position to you and don't want to live in the centre of Bristol anymore but we're more interested in Clevedon/Portishead/Nailsea/Backwell. Anywhere really that isn't Weston!

[catslife]

Isn't the dog access to the beach at Weston restricted during the tourist season?
I would try and see what the area is like at different times of year before you make a decision. A seaside resort is very different in the Autumn/Winter than in the Summer. I was brought up in a seaside resort (not Weston) and outside the holiday season it was very quiet and bleak.

[YoullNeverWeeAlone]

If you don't like inner city grot, I really wouldn't move to Weston.

[pinkie1982]

My friends moved from St Annes in Bristol to Worle, the housing estate on the right hand side of the ring road into WSM. They bought a nice 4 bed detached house with a garage and small garden for around your budget (albeit two years ago now). They love it there. No trouble, no through traffic, supermarkets 5 mins down the road and easy access to M5 & A370. Ten mins by car to WSM sea front & shops. I wouldn't live in Weston itself and I come from a grottier area in Bristol than you!

[2014newme]

No no no.
Yes you can get a lot for your money housewise
But the town itself is grotty, large number of mental health and drug user beds in the town. Down at heel, shabby.
Just not a very nice place
Backwell, Nailsea and Yatton are all on train lines to Bristol
Clevedon is lovely and more what I think you are looking for but not in train line
Portishead is vibrant lots going on but again no train lines yet
Could you drive to Bristol? Or to the park and ride?
I don't think weston will give you quality of life. It's a depressing place

[Ploppie4]

Look at Stroud. There is a bit of deprivation centrally (as there is in many towns) but it is an alternative, green, hilly, beautiful Cotswold area. Offers real quality of life and the people are ace. Lots of incomers mostly from London and Bristol.

[Ploppie4]

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-60614476.html

[MakeItStopNeville]

I would 100% go for Stroud over Weston. Stroud’s a great place to live but you need to drive to make the commute doable.

[Ploppie4]

Or even wotton under edge.

[AdoraBell]

Only been there once, it has a touch of the grim about it, unfortunately. I wouldn't want to live there. And I say that as someone who grew up in the East end of London before it got swanky areas.

[Doublechocolatetiffin]

No, please don't. It's a miserable place. I'd also say Clevedon or Portishead. Nailsea is also ok, but the town centre isn't quite as nice and I don't think there are as many restaurants/bars.

[BikeRunSki]

My friends moved from St Annes in Bristol to Worle, the housing estate on the right hand side of the ring road into WSM.

I designed the foundations for that estate.

[Toooldtobearsed]

I have been very, very poor - in childhood through until i married. Just getting by when the two boys arrived, could run one car, but had to choose between a microwave and a tumble drier shows how old I am
Well off, combined salaries 100k+ (in the NE)
Now? Retired very early, comfortable but not 'rich'.
I could never, even in my rich days spend 1k on a handbag or 40k on a holiday. It would scare me rigid. No problem with those who do though, fgs, it's personal choice!
So....at various times in my life, i could have been looking for help to stretch a chicken to feed 4 for a week, questioning Butlins v Haven, wondering what to do with a surplus 40k, and now, planning a luxurious (to us) holiday.

So, yes, MN is for everyone, no matter what the financial situation is.

I must admit though, i think the 'type' of person on here is of the more middle class, liberal persuasion- nothing to do with money, more an attitude of mind.

[Toooldtobearsed]

Sorry, sorry, no idea how that happened....... wrong thread😣

[Joinourclub]

supermarkets 5 mins down the road and easy access to M5 & A370.

Pretty sad when that's the most a place has to offer, somewhere to buy food and easy access to get away!

I'd also much sooner choose Stroud, but I don't believe there are direct trains to Bristol so you'd need to drive to Cam-Dursely. It's easy to get to the M5 and therefore south west Bristol area.

I'm not sure what Dursely itself is like but probably worth checking out.

[MsJudgemental]

Weston is a right dump! I don't know where you found any nice restaurants as the last time we were there we ended up going for dinner in Clevedon which is a MUCH nicer town. Portishead also has a lot going for it, but that doesn't have a train service (although I seem to remember seeing that they might reopen the line).

[MsJudgemental]

Sorry- Clevedon doesn't have a rail service. Do you have to get a train?

[OzziePopPop]

Another vote for Backwell or Clevedon. I grew up in Clevedon and it's very handy with the motorway. I now live in Backwell and the schools are fantastic with a real village atmosphere. We love it here.

[2014newme]

Ozzie the op needs a train station, Clevedon does not have one

[booksandcoffee]

Clevedon and Portishead have much more charm. Whilst nothing is certain in life they are still planning a passenger train service from Portishead to Bristol for 2020 and both towns have reasonable bus services into Bristol. Portishead house prices have already gone up in anticipation of the train service and wI'll most likely go up further when it comes to fruition. If you still decide that you want to live in Weston then the bit on the hillside by nearest Birbeck Pier but facing town is OK, you will just probably be heading out of town a lot!

[Rudi44]

On a sunny day W s M can seduce you if you look at it through the glare of the sun but I personally wouldn't move there from where I imagine you might live in Bristol, I think you will find exactly the same issues. Clevedon, Portishead? Even somewhere like Keynsham if you just want to be out of the city.

[yetmorecrap]

Depending what you like doing and your work, why not look at a cheaper area in Bath (there are some)(we live in Bath) or Keynsham, both on the train to Bristol and superb state schools . Bath still has plenty to do and if you pick 'edge of' areas and 'less pretty' , is no more than Bristol , keynsham too is perfectly pleasant . I know portishead and ckevedon well, fit ok if you don't need to get into central Bristol every day or use the train , personally I prefer a bit more cultural life and buzz, but that's an individual thing I guess. Weston? Horrible place

[ShipShapeandBristolFashion]

Thanks everyone for your replies.
I'd be interested to know what it is specifically that is so horrible about Weston?
The houses I've looked at on Rightmove for £300-350k are beautiful - immaculately maintained with stunning gardens - so they must be lived in by really decent people. They are also on streets 10 times nicer than I currently live on so, although I know there is going to be loads of anti-social behaviour in Weston, I'm not convinced any of it would be on my doorstep like it is now. We don't like Weston in sunny weather when it's crowded, but we love it for a long beach walk when the weather is bleak - and when we've done that there are dozens of other really normal looking people walking nice dogs.
I'd just be interested to hear specifics please.