To think there are areas in South Wales we should avoid?

[Vexed80]

Not really an AIBU but wasn't sure where else to post and could do with the traffic. I currently live in the North of England with my DH and 4 kids (eldest two in their 20s). I have been offered the potential of a promotion that will mean a huge wage increase but it means a move to South Wales. I don't really know the area at all but looking at sites like Zoopla and Rightmove, it looks like property is pretty cheap (in comparison to where we are). Starting to panic that it's because the areas are not great? Can anyone give me advice on any areas I should avoid or am I just being ridiculous?? TIA!!

Bridgend (town, not county)- get something on the A48 side, so you can be at the beaches in minutes.
Good schools, mainline station, and easy links to Cardiff/Swansea/M4. Town centre is pretty "meh", but you have all the shops you need there and the outlet place/cinemas etc in Sarn

To be blunt, you don't have enough cash for a decent up-together 4 bed in the Vale, Monmouth, Cardiff or cute villages etc, and I would avoid the most deprived areas of the Valleys, mainly because the transport links are poor.

You won't have a huge choice, as it is quite an expensive area, particularly on the Newbridge Fields side of town

I grew up in the area, - love it. We will be moving back from very "naice" Hmapshire once DH retires. .

I grew up in crickhowell too and agree it's an amazing place to bring up a family! Don't live there now but love taking the kids back as often as we can. Would also include the nearby llangattock there as an option. Abergavenny too is nice but a fair bit bigger than crickhowell, if that's what you're after! I went to college in Usk - it is indeed pretty but bloody Tiny and not well connected so probably a very boring place to bring up kids? I can also agree that Newport/Cwmbran (& to some extent pontypool) are Definitely to be avoided (although being from crickhowell I'm apparently a snob so what do I know?! )!!

I'd go Swansea (you can't afford Cardiff or Monmouth)......Porthcawl doesn't get my vote ummmm avoid Bridgend, Newport and the depressed areas of the valleys...

Or Abergavenny.....

TheseThingsAreFunAndFunIsGood Llangattock is lovely too but the wrong side of the Bridge , gave you been there lately ? It is looking just wonderful you should see The Bear it's GLORIOUS

Caerleon is nice.

I love Cardiff. I would stay at the North end of the city. Heath, rhiwbeina, Whitchurch etc. Are all nice areas.

Vale of Glamorgan is very nice. East of the city such as Marshfield, carleon are nice - I probably wouldn't go as far to Newport.

Westwards, I would look at creigiau/Llantrisant.

Further West - areas of Swansea near the beaches are lovely. I'd pass Llanelli by (I can say that after being brought up there!) , Carmarthen is really great.

You need to do a South Wales road trip!

Narberth is gorgeous (I've only passed through, so don't know what it's like to live there).

Some of the villages near Milford Haven/Haverfordwest are lovely, but having grown up there myself I can categorically say that it wouldn't be much fun for teenagers.

As for the towns themselves, Haverfordwest is basically fine. Milford Haven is a bit of a dump.

My friend lives in Penarth, it’s fabulous! Beautiful houses and beach area.

Never heard anyone say Wales at all is a bad area

In most of the areas mentioned by posters, the houses are far too expensive (for a four bed) for OP.

I work in the valleys and live near Abergavenny. The valleys schools are generally quite rough. Wales is very different to England. Agree with the places suggested. It can be hard for English kids to fit in, especially the older ones.

This is a house within your budget in Cardiff, the Grangetown/Cardiff Bay area. This particular street is very quiet and cut off from main roads but within walking distance of pretty much anything you might want to see.

Pomeroy Street, Cardiff Bay
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-71377027.html

The area in general has seen a lot of regeneration in the last 10 years. It falls in to the catchments of 2 very good high schools just outside of Cardiff, in Penarth and St Cyrus in Dinas Powys (nearby town and village respectively). And Fitzalan High in Cardiff, which was once a fairly terrible school but has totally turned itself around is now being rated highly by Estyn.

Caerphilly, Blackwood, Cwmbran, Caerleon, Cardiff. All have good road links, decent schools and the more valleys towns the further your money will go.
My 2 have been locally educated, one is a nurse the other still in uni.

Caerleon, Ponthir or Usk

I can't be the only person enjoying the place names in this thread. Everything from the baffling to English ears to downright lovely.

I live in Durham and get what people are saying about the Valleys. We have a lot of the same issues - run down communities in stunningly beautiful countryside. And I agree that if you choose well, you could find somewhere fabulous to live, with a great community (we did just that for over a decade, with the benefit of DH's local knowledge) but choose the wrong village or even the wrong end of a village and you could find yourself battling against constant antisocial behaviour, drug problems, etc.

Caerphilly or Bridgend would be my suggestion, close to Cardiff and within budget

Bridgend. £250K will easily get you 4 bedrooms in a lovely area.

Depending on the ages of your children you need to think about whethet Welsh medium schools will work for them. That could influence which areas you look in too.

RedHelenB has made a very good point.

My DM moved back to S.Wales (she's from there) from the North West of England for work when I was 14. We moved near to Blackwood. As a teenager I hated it. Poor transport links, crap shops and not much to do, as well as being bullied for being English.

We lasted 2 years and came home. The problem with some of the valleys is the lack of opportunities. If we had moved to Cardiff, I would probably still be there now.

I have friends and family who live in Blackwood, Merthyr, Ystad Mynach, Risca and Mountain Ash etc and they all complain about the schools, lack of facilities for their children, transport links and the state of the housing stock.

My friends who live nearer to Cardiff and Penarth have a better standard of living by far and so many more opportunities for their children.

I have lived in South Wales, nearish Kidwelly funnily enough. Its beautiful, but you may need to look for somewhere with an English (as first language) speaking school unless you speak Welsh. I moved to a Welsh speaking town. My neighbours were amazing and always spoke English for me and my child did learn some but it's worth checking first. I would have happily put my child in a Welsh speaking school but I was worried I wouldn't be as quick to pick it up 😁

I was born in Caerphilly but went to school in Cardiff. Cardiff is wonderful, with lots of nice areas: Cyncoed, Radyr, Whitchurch, Heath, Lakeside. There are some great schools in Cardiff (but not in Caerphilly). Further afield, Cowbridge is a lovely. Market town - and agree with previous posters about Penarth being fab. Would also recommend Pentyrch and Dinas Powys.

I've lived in Tonypandy my whole life and can honestly say I don't know of anybody getting bullied or the like for being English, one of my best friends from school days she is English joined my school when we was 8 she nor her family have ever had a problem that I'm aware of, my eldest dd has made very good friends with a girl who joined her class two years ago from england, there's quite a lot of people originally from England living in the valleys, I guess it's the same as anywhere it's pot luck on who your neighbours will be and what sort of community you will have, the community spirit here is the best things about Tonypandy and it's area, it's the type of community that a neighbour will pop out to get another elderly neighbours shopping and such and it's beautiful scenery, lakes and mountainsides some schools you can check for in the Tonypandy/Clydach/Penygraig/llwynypia area are Nantgwyn community college/Cwmclydach primary/ Pontrhondda primary each are lovely schools Nantgwyn does right from nursery to year 11, downsides to Tonypandy not much of a main high street and shops, there's a ASDA a McDonald's an a Iceland a peacocks a new look and a boots and afew other stores and cafes but that's about it there's lots to do as a family and for little ones but older children apart from school clubs have to travel to do any hobby even for a cinema it's a fifteen minute drive away and its looks run down in places other places in South Wales I really like but are more expensive are Pembrokeshire, Carmarthen, church village, Cardiff, Swansea has afew nice areas, Porthcawl, llantrisant, landaff, Gowyer me personally id avoid Dinas, Newport, barry, Bridgend and mountain ash

neither would I want to live in Port talbot