Villages/towns around Bristol and Bath

[Maltesermad]

Hi, I just wondered if anyone had any ideas. I'm currently living in the south east but recently divorced and need to move to a cheaper area next summer. I'm thinking potentially somewhere within an hour of Bristol or Bath, but I don't know if I'm being realistic given my budget.

I will have £300k and I need 3 bedrooms (I have dc). Does anyone know of any good areas (nice town or rural area with cheap house prices - or is this the holy grail?!)

My dc are teens and one would need to go to a 6th form college but the other one is at university.

I would also consider other areas of Somerset but I like Bristol and Bath for the actual cities themselves and also they would be fairly central for us to visit family and friends from there.

Any ideas would be grateful received!

@Crikeyalmightythe Station is lovely, nice atmosphere there.

Wrt Frome Community Hospital,, I think it's underutilised and there's a chance we might lose some of the wards but the MP is onto it. I think what the MP wants is for the RUH to use it more as a step down eg for those waiting on care packages for to be arranged etc.

Yes that's a problem. It's become a victim of its own success! Frome doesn't have the infrastructure for too many developments (plus loads of brand new housing takes away from the lovely housing that is there!) I could understand small developments of council/HA properties but not huge private estates!

That makes sense

Big fire in Frome yesterday at the Saxondale site😵‍💫

BBC News - Frome fire raging as Saxonvale building 'at risk of collapse' - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly8xeqnewpo?app-referrer=deep-link

Winterbourne and Frampton Cotterell. Nice enough villages ; easy access to Bristol and the M4/M5. Cribba Causeway fairly handy. Winterbourne Academy (The Ridings) has 6th form but Filton also accessible for the technical college. Parkway station is also within easy reach. Avoid Yate.

Maybe consider renting before buying as I lived in a village in N Somerset for over 12 years (moved for work) and hated it. Lots of very insular, busybody racist types.

Was very happy when we finally moved.

Oh don’t go to WSM!

Oh god. What a horrible piece of news. Wtaf is going on in this country. I’m so so sorry to hear this.

I agree, I remember being at Trowbridge train station and hearing an announcement that my train was delayed due to a person on the track. There was a collective gasp from everyone on the platform. I heard they got in trouble for saying that and are supposed to say an obstruction.

I lived in Trowbridge for years (although grew up in Bath) and it’s not that bad. I still work there.

The town centre is dire but you’re not far from better town centres such as Bath, Chippenham, Bristol and Swindon and near other nice towns such as Glastonbury.

I live in Devizes now. It’s lovely, but mostly a retirement town. Lots of older people.

You can probably get a house on the outskirts of Bath in your budget. I do love Bath, sometimes when I’m there or driving through it I’m like, “I want to go hoooooooome”.

Goodness me, what an abominable place it must be.

I live in Bath but had to go to Trowbridge the other week - centre as you say a bit crappy and run down ‘but’ I’ve seen equally crap centres when I went back to my original area in midlands it’s not unique , it just looks crap when put against bath or Devizes or Bradford on Avon - - in its defence, the park next to the town hall is very lovely, it has the best looking Wetherspoons I’ve ever seen when the front windows are all open ( next to park) the refurbished town hall is nice with a pleasant cafe and it has a good range of stuff if you like shopping at The range, B&M , home bargains etc and in all fairness the small shopping centre has some useful shops - it also has some lovely old houses on edge going towards Bradford on Avon ( which is 1 stop on train and about 7 minutes drive away and is very pleasant indeed. ). It’s also on the train - I’ve definitely been to worse if on a tight budget - I would personally rather live there and get a decent place and 20 minutes on train to Bath , 7 minutes to BOA than compromise in some really grim bit of Bristol- but I do realise it’s each to his own.

Trowbridge is fine! It’s just not Bradford on Avon. Not many places are. But it is a stone’s throw from it for your Tithe Barn coffee fix. Trowbridge is good for families, has good schools, an M&S and other useful shops, a cinema and is near good walks. I’d live there over Bristol outskirts, but that’s just my opinion.

I grew up in Trowvegas qas amazing back in the 80s, 90's and early 2000s. The housing boom destroyed the town. Have amazing memories thw oark used to be amazing, they used to have an old cinema and hospital was great not anymore. The pros of Trowbridge. Great access to countryside. Longleat, Shearwater lake, Centre parks, Bradford on Avon, Bath.

My fav places in Wiltshire are Warminster - amazing park and town centre. And Devises, fantastic markets.

Melksham is worth a look. More affordable than most places that have been mentioned already. Close to Bath and about 45 mins to Bristol.

Yes , as per my post below yours- I would agree . Depends what life stage you are at really and if a decent house at a relatively manageable price plus all the usual basic shops and retail parks does you just fine then I’ve seen way worse - same goes for Chippenham

Trowvegas 😂

Peasedown St John has some expensive houses but also some cheaper ones. My DB’s in-laws live there albeit on a private estate in a detached house. Quite nice little village. Near Bath.