Where to live in Somerset, Devon or Dorset?

[Snowbear20]

DP and I fancy a change, luckily we have friends all over the UK and work remotely so can pretty much go wherever we fancy. Family are all oversees so no considerations there either. Just us and 2 small DC to consider which obviously is great!

We have lived fairly rurally, mainly 30-40 minutes outside a city in villages in various areas of England and now fancy a change to these areas, we love the countyside they all offer (all unique in their own ways) and the pace of life.

So, if you live in any of these areas and can suggest a location we can visit and research that would be great?

We would like

• a village or small town (ideally with a shop to buy odds and sods)
• a primary locally, happily to drive to a secondary if need be
• a good community
• things like swimming within 20mins drive
• a nice pub with good food is always a bonus

Tavistock is a lovely place to live.

Dorchester, as has already been suggested though it can be a bit 'could be anywhere' , but first on my list would be Bridport/Beaminster and the surrounding villages (Symondsbury, Abbotsbury for example).
Great schools, loads to do, good local shops that sell useful stuff (not just touristy tat) and a thriving arts/music/cultural scene. Twice weekly market in Bridport, and loads of great annual festivals (book, folk, and hats to name just three).

Thank you, so many ideas to look into! Time to get on Google!

Bridport! Yes great place.

@DartmoorChef that house looks perfect!!

Sherborne looks ideal too!

Are there any villages in South Devon we should look at? Or avoid for that matter?

By the way, if you work remotely, broadband can be an issue even in fairly large towns. Cable is still quite rare around here, though we have 'fibre to the cabinet' which is all very well except for the fact we are still relying on 50+year old copper wire between us and the cabinet, a distance of over a mile.
I would be ruling out a number of areas because of this and estate agents/sellers are not above telling porkies about broadband speeds.

mrssnippypants raises a good point about BB speeds which would be worth bearing in mind - from her suggestions she's very close to me
The other thing is not to underestimate the sheer endlessness of ferrying teenagers around when there's no local bus

I agree with Snippy. Broadband in Devon can be a little hit and miss but it is certainly manageable and a lot of areas are getting updates to the infrastructure. For instance, where I live, we have fibre to the premises being installed (although, despite a lot of the cable being laid 2 summers ago, it has now been delayed, so I am not holding out much hope of it happening any time soon!). So it is worth checking if any of the areas you pick have this going on.

Our broadband is shocking now so thats OK, pretty used to it and terrible phone signal I actually like it (aside from work) as it means DC gets frustrated with Netflix and plays with toys instead

DP was a teen who lived rurally and had constant ferrying around, we are going in eyes open but we have never lived in Citys so nothing else. Like i said if we need to move when they are teens we will

Sorry to hijack thread but I am thinking of coming to Devon for a holiday (with 3 dc’s) ages 8,10 &13 in the summer - where would you suggest? Any of the places mentioned or are they more places to live rather than holiday? We went to Torquay years ago but I probably wouldn’t want to go back there. Is there anywhere that’s similar to st.ives in Cornwall?

Blandford Forum, a small market town in Dorset is a lovely hidden gem . It has leisure centre, good schools and only 35 mins from Poole and Poole harbour.

Popped in to say shaftesbury and I saw someone had beaten me to it.
I live nowhere near Dorset but I get to visit at least once a year..usually two or even three times and shaftesbury has really grown on me over the years.
I used to think it was a bit boring and fuddy duddy..I’ve been visiting for 15 years so now I’ve probably got a bit boring and fuddy duddy too and it’s just perfect.
Love the people in its very own crystal shop and also the ones in blackfords gifts.
Plenty of coffee shops, stunning view, tesco on outskirts..lovely abbey in the centre
Lovely people

Can’t wait for the weather to change and go back.
The other place I really love us Salisbury. I’ve heard it’s expensive though.

Fannie..not quite the same but swanage is very nice

I’ve upset myself now
My dear friend lives there and we stay with her
She’s been poorly and I’d love to see her
It’s a 7 hour drive and we tend not to go till about April when weather is better for visiting places

In S Devon Modbury is lovely but fairly pricey, Ivybridge is nice ( more town sized) but has lots of bland 70's housing. The surrounding villages are nice, Ermington, Yealmpton, Brixton or if you have more cash Newton Ferrers on the edge of the estuary. S Brent is also nice has a few more shops but a bit further out from the main centre ( not so sure how a close a swimming pool would be either)

Just had another thought Kingsbridge and the surrounding villages good too, swimming pool in Kingsbridge.

Fanniesyeraunt

Kingsbridge and Salcombe are both nice places to stay in the summer time lots of lovely local beaches and places to explore if the weather isn't playing ball!

Salisbury has a great deal of through traffic which puts me off.

Okehampton has just had new broadbabd installed and our service around here is really good.

at Treacherous

My friend has just moved from Salisbury and yes, the traffic can be horrendous.

Ferrying teenagers can be tiresome, but we don't tend to have as much anti-social behaviour as I have seen in other places I have lived, so it's a double-edged sword.

Another vote for East Devon - nice villages such as Whimple, Feniton both on London Waterloo line. 20 minutes to the beach, 15/20 minutes to Exeter. Or seaside towns Sidmouth, Budleigh or Topsham ( Estuary) although more expensive. Personally I would avoid your typical seaside resorts such as Exmouth or Seaton.
South Devon, Salcombe/ Dartmouth are lovely but vv expensive, quite a schlep to Exeter and extremely busy in the summer.