Moving to a new area

[IHateMovingHouse]

Ok, I may be BU, but I really wanted some opions.

Our Landlord has decided to sell the house we rent (4th House in a row!!!) so the OH wants us to buy a house somewhere out Wilthsire way, because basically we cannot afford to buy in the area we have lived in for the last 8 years.

He's keen on area's like...

Calne - I hear there's a big drugs problem
Devizes - Been told it's weird and a lot of in breeding
Chippenham - told it's really low class chavvy estate.

Now I don't want to offend anyone as these are what I've been told by other people and I don't know the area at all.

Is it unreasonable of me to want to stay and rent in a nice area that we know and have been in and made lots of freinds. Or do we move to an area we don't know but "stop throwing money" away as the OH keeps reminding me.

DD is 1, so although we're not looking at schools yet, it's obviously on the radar, and our local schools both get outstanding ofstead results, but the ones in these areas don't seem to fair too well, so it makes me wonder what the areas are like for baby groups and nurseries.

i don't know the areas but why not spend some time there? you could stay in b&b's, and check out the parks and the pubs while you're there

You do sound a bit snobby to be honest!

Would you feel better if you went to have a look round the areas and got to know them a bit? Hang out in the shopping centres for a few hours, visit a few cafes and see if there are many mums there, ask them what they think of the areas, go see estate agents and ask them about the different areas of the various towns, arrange to visit schools so that you can see what they're like for yourself...

For what it's worth, the poshest people I know live just outside Chippenham.

Depends how far you're moving. Anyway, are you SURE you want to buy a house in the current climate?

For someone whose trying not to offend, you are sounding quite offensive.
"A lot of inbreeding"?

I know lots of people from Wiltshire and they are not closely related, junkies, or chavs..

We often go for days out in that county as it is just so pretty and a really nice friendly part of the country we have always thought.

I'm just repeating what I've been told, I really don't want to offend or upset anyone.

I am probably picking up the bad and focusing on that as I love where we currently are, and can't stand the thought of moving

@ LadyThumb - if we look at how much we've spent on rent the last 10 years I can see why we should buy now, prices are low interest rates are still low, so it seems to make sone sense.

OK - so lets try a slightly different approach - who can tell me the nice things about these areas?

@ Jenga - we did go to Calne this weekend, and it is in a nice enough place, but my concern was that so many of the shops in the centre seem to be closed down, so I am worried we'd be moving to an area that is slowly dying

I plan to take Friday off work and go and do some viewings in Devizes and Tidworth, so we'll see how that goes.

Hi, i actually live in Chippenham, and to be honest with you, i wouldn't describe it as that chavy, i no its not perfect but now where is now days, basically i grew up in Corsham, a really sweet little town 3 miles out of chippenham, (nearer bath, 9 miles to be exact) Also, Camillia Parker Bowles lived there before she married prince charles, i have been in her house as i used to now the old lady who lived there befor she did. anyway, i married and moved to Andover in hants, (now that is chav city!! ha ha) i moved back to wilts to be near my parents and as i grew up here really liked the area so was glad to come back 'home'. Any way, to sum up the area, i would say very pretty, as lots of bath stone buildings, (esp corsham, as there is the old bath stone quarries there) also as it is quite near to Bath there is good shopping also swindon is not far, about 25 mins and bristol 30 mins the other way, Also just up the road from chippenham is the lovely little National Trust village of Lacock, (cranford was filmed there, as was numerous other films inc part of Harry Potter) The town center itself is not bad, ladies shops include massive New look, Dorothy perks, peacocks, to name a few, a couple of little boutiques, tesco metro, currys pc, handful of charity shops, millets, pound land, clairs, argos, and this is really the tip of the ice burg. as regards council estates, there are quite a few 1950's and 60's style ones that are quite ok, a couple of large new developments. as regards the people, they are on the whole very friendly. there are lots of pretty villiages dotted around chippenham, like castle coomb which has a great race circuit, also Biddestone which is really pretty and lovely to visit on a sunny afternoon to feed the ducks. I would honestly say there is not a big crime prob here, good festivals in summer, a lovely park in town called John coles park. anyway, i hope this info helps, as regards devises, i know its very pretty little place i dont know what the people are like, as regards calne, i always feel it is a little bit depressing there, any way i really hope this all helps and you find your ideal place to live.

Hi, just to add as i have just seen you are viewing in tidworth, well i as i said in my prvious message i actually lived in Andover for years and Tidworth is 9 miles from there, it is basically an army garrison, there are a few little shops and takeaways along the high street, there is a lidl there and a large tesco, apart from that a bit depressing, i hope this helps

@ Funkydubs - Thankyou for the info, it's really useful, especially the feeling you say you get about Calne, you hit the nail on the head, and the info on Tidworth is a great help.

I guess I'm just upset with having to leave an area where we've made so many good friends, and have a great little network. I know we'll make new ones, but I have seen how cliquey our local mums can be when someone new joins a group and I guess I'm worried that as my OH is the SAHP he's going to find it hard.

I must admit I did look at Chippenham and seen some nice houses, but I had quite a few people say "oooh you don't want to live there", but I guess with everything you'll always get people who love an area and people who don't.

I'll try and go with an open mind and see what it's really like

You sound much less snobby now

I can totally empathise with you not wanting to leave your friends. We're about to relocate and I'm apprehensive about meeting new people. DP is ex-military so used to moving around, meeting people and making friends really quickly, but I'm much more of a home body!

My plan is to do NCT classes in the area we're moving to in the hope of meeting some more mothers-to-be and then signing up for as many baby classes as possible (admittedly more for my benefit than for junior!!)

Let me know if you work out any fool-proof ways to meet people and / or check out new areas.

I do feel for you at the moment, its very hard and horrible upheaval to move, there are a lot of toddler groups and nursery groups here and most of the schools seem ok, although i actually home school my kids, but before that they went to Neston school, that has one of the best all round reports in the area but you gotta live in neston, which we did in a little cottage (rented) for 6 months. any way, i really hope things work out for you.

I know the areas fairly well, and would say for family life probably chippenham is the best bet of the three options.

Chippenham is fine. The secondary schools are fab, and the two to the north of the town (Sheldon and Hardenhuish) are amongst some of the best state schools in the country. I know people who live in Chippenham and they really like it. As is true of most of wiltshire, it is usually nicer to live in the small villages rather than the bigger towns... but that will depend on whether your budget can afford it! Corsham is very nice, and close to Chippenham but more expensive I believe so don't know if your budget can stretch to that?

Calne, personally I'd avoid. I know people who live there and like it, but it hasn't got the best of reputations and its an area that people from Swindon look down on, so that's saying something!

Devizes is okay. Not the best but not the worst of areas either.

Of course, you are looking at some of the cheaper areas in Wiltshire... so you get what your money pays for! An equivalent house in Marlborough will cost you loads more than Calne, say but Marlborough is a much nicer place, and just a few miles down the road. As with all things, you get what you can afford!

@ Jenga - Thanks, I didn't mean to sound snobby, and I'm glad I sound more normal - and I will let you know if I find a way to meet new people and build up a new network easily.

@ Youngjoly - you're right about getting what you can afford, and I guess everyone would love to have a lovely house in a great area for next to no money, and if anyone finds one of those, let me know :)

It's great to hear positive things about Chippenham, I had written it off and decided not to do any viewings in that area, but I think I will see what it has to offer.

May see if my mum can do some baby sitting so that we can get a proper chance to explore these areas, as viewing with a 1 yo in tow is less than easy.

I am sort of around this area - east of Marlborough.

Just wanted to say if you buy somewhere that's not quite what you'd like, it gets you in a position in a few years time to move to somewhere you do like.

We lived in a rough old town (I won't say which, but none of the ones you mention) for 5 years.

But the money we made enabled us to move to a much nicer town and be home owners there.