If you live in south devon please help me plan our move

[Devondreaming]

We are a family of 6 living in London. We plan to move to devon which is where my husband is from but he has not lived there in over 25 years. The kids are aged 6-12 and have only ever lived in London.

We have fallen in love with two houses. One in Totnes, one in Ivybridge. We need to choose.

I’d go for Totnes as I like the town and it’s location between moor and coast. But I’m worried about KEVICC as the secondary school. Our eldest is in year 8 at a selective private secondary in London and is doing well there, KEVICC didn’t seem that academically or sportingly inspiring. I’d love to hear I’m wrong. Any views on KEVICC or Totnes in general?

The house in ivybridge is a total dream. But I’m less sold on the town. I liked the secondary school more though. What is living in Ivybridge like?

My husband and I want a community that will welcome us and the kids and have lots of interesting stuff going on.

Any tips or views?

I lived down there some years ago and loved Totnes, and the surrounding area. The town is definately unique, and has a kind of permanent holiday feel with an awareness that the sea isn’t too far away. There is always a bustle on market day, and there’s some really positive community things going on. They even have their own community cinema. The nice thing is its location, so even if you lived on the outskirts of the town, and didn’t want to use it for all your needs, you’ve got Torquay, Paignton and Exeter etc.. near by. The secondary school is like any other in a smaller place, but has quite an arty vibe I believe. It’s quite popular. There used to be the Dartington school of arts down the road. I also lived in Ivybridge for a bit, but didn’t like it. It felt really cut off and a bit dull! I wonder if you decided to move in the end?

Blimey OP! You really have gone small. Whilst Dittisham is sweet, like a toffee box, it only has a population of 400!

Hope you get in with the local GP, aka Maaaarrrrtin from tv show Doc Martin!

Which school have you decided on?

If you chose to retire to a small Devonian or Cornish village that's one thing. Most teenagers can't wait to get out. (That was me! ) Will your London teenagers not long for their old place?

People I know who have teenagers in south London / Surrey towns of a reasonable size despair of the mentality and can't wait to escape somewhere the size of ...... Guildford.

Hope they, and you, settle well!

Actually, I've decided to go further. Are you sure OP? Please think very carefully.

Everything other posters have said is true. Whilst there is so much good, and utter beauty, from visiting, living there is quite a different matter.

The small village mentality, the poverty, teenagers having literally nothing to do. You can't move for tourists in the summer. None in the winter and it's cold, bleak, depressing, very very poor, poverty often, with nothing to do but take drugs?

Maybe rent a place for a year? Down in Devon? Before you finally decide to sell your London home?

Beautiful Torquay on a spring day, is not the same as some tiny village in the middle of the bleak mid winter!

Unless of course you are planning on buying :

Little Coombe Farm

For £3.6 million. currently on Rightmove!

With its farmhouse, 2 cottages to let out, and 20 acres of land!

Which would be fine as a second home/ holiday cottage, for some wealthy banker, but not as a main residence, surely?

I should hope the op is happily settled in her new home in Devon now - wherever that may be - as she started this thread almost a year ago.

Hopefully she is all settled and enjoys coastal living. I love Dartmouth which is quite close by.

I’m amazed at the Totnes snobbery. For teens it’s got a hell of a lot more going on than much of Devon. If others are turning their noses up at Totnes why on earth are they suggesting Ashburton? Feels like a sad imitation.South Dartmoor school in Ashburton requires improvement.I love the green aspect to Totnes. It’s 30 mins by train to Torquay, station very close to the grammar schools. The girls grammar is great but frankly not keen on the all boy environment at the boys.Not the most inclusive, fair bit of complacency too. Results are good because it’s a grammar.

Def no to Newton Armpit and Plymouth.

Exeter has some good schools and outstanding Exeter College Sixth form. Colyton ( co Ed), it’s far more cosmopoliton( not to London standards) and inclusive.

You are going to need to travel what ever in Devon to get all you want.

Also re Kevics it’s Progress 8 score is average, TBGS is only above average not well above average so not that amazing.Alevel progress is only average and Alevel/ IB combined below average for TBGS.I suspect an awful lot of being above average for GCSEis due to the very proactive parents whose kids attend grammars.Kevics progress for Alevels is above average so better than TBGS. Kevics will be taking a far wider range of ability and involvement as regards parents.TGGS is well above for GCSE, not sure whether you’ve got girls/boys or both. But something to consider. Frankly I think CoEd is better as regards boys.

I think you need to visit schools if they’re such a deciding factor then base your search round your choice. That said a lot can change in a very short amount of years as regards schools.

This is a zombie thread

Would love to know where you ended up though @Devondreaming

Oh bugger!
Sorry. How did I not spot that! I was on the original thread, but didn't notice the date!

I went to Kevics ! Many years ago so can’t comment on the school now. I spent my time trying to be a Dartington hippie and being arty ! There was a rumour that the headmasters son took LSD but that was about it. The biggest problem was that the catchment area for the school is huge and rural, I lived in Stoke Gabriel but all my friends lived the other side of Totnes so seeing them outside school was pretty much impossible unless my parents drove me. Buses were impossible. I then went to college in Torquay, two buses each way, took ages. And again I missed out on social life as most lived in Torquay. I moved to London as soon as I left. I love the beaches but in the summer they’re packed and the traffic is dreadful. When I was little it was pretty idyllic but my teenage years were difficult.
Have you spent much time there, you seem to be a bit fixated on the house you could buy rather than the practicalities, I have family there and in London so visit both frequently, both extremely different experiences with children. I would suggest a lot more research and visits before you decide.
However I must say that I am quite jealous , as an older person now I would love to go back there to live but can’t for different practical reasons !

She said she went to Dittisham!

I'd also love to know what you ended up doing OP!

She said she was going to make an offer on a house in Dittisham, that's all.