Does anyone know Cheltenham?

[Glitterbiscuits]

Adult DC has their first teaching job in Cheltenham starting in September

They are looking to rent a small flat or studio rather than a house share. They won't be on big money so trying to keeps costs down

Are there any places to avoid in Cheltenham?
Any good second hand furniture places?

I'm trying to think of way they can get out and meet people after work, gyms, clubs or classes?

Any suggestions warmly appreciated

Bump!
Anyone?

The town has some social problems, but so does everywhere.

There isn't anywhere I would actively avoid to live.

Charlton Kings, Leckhampton, Hatherley are the more expensive bits.

St Marks, St Pauls, Hesters Way, Town Centre the cheaper areas

Thank you.
I think we need a weekend visit to have a good look

Won't it depend on which school they will be at mostly? And how they will be getting to that school? Ie bike walk bus or drive.

You don't want to be on the wrong side of the town centre .

We used to rent in Cheltenham but found it really hard to find an affordable flat. Within the town centre we saw a few dingy basement flats which weren't very nice. We ended up in a decent place in St Marks near the train station.

Most places around Cheltenham are fairly assessable but lots of pricey places.

I'd def recommend they go for a weekend and start at the school and look out from there as its going to be much easier to be closer to work to start with at least rather than choosing a lovely area thats a ballsache to get to work from in peak traffic and thats a different direction to their colleagues.

Might be cheaper if they get somewhere to live in Gloucester, then drive to their school -it's not a long trip. Obvs depends on precisely where the school is.

Some practical pieces of advice - 288 Bar and Wok is a fabulous place for very reasonably priced, fresh and tasty food. Also super friendly.
If they like swimming, Cheltenham has a spectacular outdoor pool which is very popular but unusual in being a 50m pool with lanes for proper swimming all the time. Lots of comedy on at the Town Hall

Someone's already posted about areas.
There are a multiple 2nd hand charity furniture places in town - the Sue Ryder shop on the Lower High Street is one, or the Salvation Army in Kingsditch.
Emmaus is probably the largest - it's down the road in Gloucester and is furniture only.

Cheltenham has bad traffic problems especially during the rush hour times. As PP have said, it very much depends where the school is; to advise where would be good to rent.
What sort of budget are you looking at for the rent?

Hesters way and St Marks are the areas I'd avoid

I'd not look at Gloucester either, there's a reason it's a lot cheaper than Cheltenham.

If you're looking at a flat in the centre the nice areas are eye wateringly expensive. You could look at places like Bishops Cleeve, Prestbury, Charlton Kings or Leckhampton as they are slightly further out so a bit more cost effective

A lot of Cheltenham property has annexes. I have been looking to move there for a while and a separate annex would suit our family. So there should be options. The last one I saw (1 bed basement with small garden) was advertised at approx £700pcm, very central. It's a good shout to start from the school as possibly cycling/walking will help avoid traffic issues. But perhaps try asking the school - an existing staff member might be thinking of letting out.

The only issue with places in the centre of town is you need to check the parking situation (assuming they have a car). A LOT of parking in the centre has gone permit only in the past year.

Also I'd add Hatherley to the list if you're going to mention areas like Leckhampton and Charlton Kings. It's cheaper with better access to the M5 and the station for when they want to venture elsewhere.