Give me a lovely village or town in Somerset or nearby

[anyideasonthis]

Please tell me your secret (or not so secret) gems of places!! We're moving house, 2 young dc, and want to live in a village or near smallish town with a fun, friendly vibe. Arty and down to earth too if that's not too much to ask. We have always lived in places with not much sense of community, and would love to have that.

which bit of Somerset?

Uptown Noble, Batcombe, Frome

Porlock

Bradford on Avon

Dulverton, Milverton, Nether Stowey, Churchinford, Chard..

As PP has said, which part of Somerset? Taunton is the county town.

Ah brilliant, thank you all. @allthstmalarkey we can go anywhere... not tied to anything. Rural ish preferred.

Only saying Somerset as we like it and fancy being close to Bristol but it could be Gloucestershire too.

Bradford-on-Avon is in Bath and North East Somerset (unitary authority).

Frome
Bruton
Wells

So not actually necessarily Somerset then but around Bristol in which case you can factor in the Forest of Dean (Chepstow and beyond).

Wells is lovely. Lots of villages round it...

Frome.

www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/somerset/articles/frome-what-to-see-do-attractions/

Sorry, can't remember how to do short links.

Is Wells a bit old fashioned and traditional? No offence intended!!!

Definitely not Wells 😂
Bruton is really lovely

What’s your budget (roughly)?

Village wise I’d go for Croscombe or Doulting or if you want a market town with good community Shepton Mallet (lots of events for kids, very affordable). There are some nice places around Cheddar too.

Or (if you have a chunkier budget - as they are dearer for a good size family home) look at Chew Magna or Bruton.

Bruton or frome

Or Bridport if you want to be by the sea in Dorset

Oooh you ladies are a wonderful collective fountain of knowledge!!! It's gonna be a long night on Rightmove......

@slatternsdelight why not Wells? Stuffy not edgy??

Shaftesbury ?
Bridport ?
Frome ?

Axbridge, near Cheddar. In theory it's a town, but much more like a village. Very strong sense of community and good mix of incomers and those who have lived here all their lives. All generations mix together well. Excellent, caring school. Loads of local events - Santa in the Square, Axbridge day, Blackberry carnival. Super place to bring up children and very good social life for the parents though you probably wouldn't realise any of this if you were just to visit for the day. On the edge of the Mendips, Cheddar Gorge, Strawberry Line cycle path etc so good outdoors lifestyle. It has its own tiny cinema and two good pubs. 40 mins to Bristol. No train station, but think this has helped it to stay more of a hidden gem than places like Frome (was almost not going to post so as not to raise its profile to much, we like it just the way it is!).

Def look at Bradford-on-Avon and environs e.g. Turleigh, Winsley etc.

Cirencester is lovely

I'd suggest Milverton. It's a village but nice. Are you from Somerset OP? You might find it a bit of a shock if you are from somewhere radically different. If you wanted to go to a city you would have to go to Bristol or Exeter as Taunton is a bit rubbish really!

Actually given your second message I would say Bradford upon Avon would suit better.

Bradford on Avon would give you the options of Bristol or Bath if you need a shopping fix.