Dorset - if I have to move there, where should I live?

[NotTheMrMenAgain]

First off, I know that IABU by posting this in AIBU, but I don’t know anyone in real life who knows Dorset, so I need the traffic.

It’s looking like - due to work transfer - I could be moving to Dorset in approx 18 months/2 years. I wouldn’t want to do it without proper planning, so we’re starting a series of exploration visits over Easter. The problem is, I don’t know the area at all. DC went to Bournemouth for a day and said it was “full of Uni students, but nice” - that is the sum total of our experience 😆. Of course I’ve googled the heck out of it, but mostly opinions seem to fall broadly into two camps - the “we love living in the countryside” people and the “the seaside towns have gone to shit and are full of drug addicts” folk.

Please can anyone who lives in Dorset, or knows it well, offer some advice about where might be a good place to visit, with a view to moving there?

We are honestly pretty easy to please! Coming from an industrialised Midlands city (which we love), we would be happy to be somewhere near the sea or countryside. BUT, I’m aware these locations are very different and bring their own challenges - like the coast being packed and the roads super busy during school holidays and the lack of supermarket on the doorstep and multiple takeaway delivery options being a shock to the system. But, it looks like it’s going to happen, and we’re very happy to make the most of it.

We’d need to be a reasonable commuting distance from either Weymouth or Bournemouth for work - an hour in the car or on the train. Obviously, the journey would look very different in the peak holiday season. We’re planning on doing weekend visits during all times of the year, but I know we won’t get a realistic idea of what it’s like until we move, and then it’s a done deal!

Really grateful for any advice or suggestions, thank you!

I would live in Parkstone. If fact I did and would go back in an instant if life took me that way.

I live in Dorset, so feel free to ask any questions. You can PM me if you want.

Central Bournemouth has gone down hill in my opinion but there are some decent parts, like South borne/Westbourne. However, I live in Poole, which isn't far away but it's not like Bournemouth. Old part of the town, quay, beaches. I'm happy to give you recommendations of decent areas in Poole if you PM me. There are some nice surrounding smaller towns but it depends how rural you want to be. Poole has a train station too.

Parkstone/Southbourne.

I wouldn't go too out in the sticks. It can take half hour to get from parkstone to Bournemouth despite it being a few miles

Also live in Dorset but rural, there is one train line between Weymouth and Bournemouth so well worth looking at stops on those of you need to commute, I am near Wareham, traffic can build up from the coast going through Sandford in the summer but if you are commuting, apart from a Friday night, you will be going in the opposite direction, also feel free to PM me

South of Ashley Road though?

Poole is much nicer than Bournemouth (which has sadly become pretty seedy IMO).

What’s your budget and do you need to factor in good schools?

I live in Weymouth and quite like it here. Lived here all my life however the traffic in the summer is horrendous, pretty like much of Dorset. I travel 45 mins to work twice a week and quite often find it takes half an hour longer in the summer. Crossways (just outside Dorchester) is lovely, lived there for 7 years and would move back if i could.

What are you looking for in an area? I personally would avoid Bournemouth and Weymouth themselves unless you are desperate to live walking distance to the beach. Southbourne and Hengistbury head are nicer areas over that way. There are various nicer suburbs to Poole and lots of lovely villages further out but it depends what you are looking for.
Traffic into Bournemouth is awful if you were considering commuting via car so might be worth looking at areas with train station.
Property prices also vary based on area if you are looking to buy. North and West Dorset cheaper than South and East.
Also, you can get takeaways delivered in the majority of the county 😂 and there are many many supermarkets. So might not be quite as much of a culture shock as you're anticipating unless you are aiming for a village in the middle of nowhere.

Avoid anything with oil fired central heating and hot water if you can

I know the western part of Dorset pretty well, and I have quite a fondness for Wareham. It's a proper market town, small enough to have a nice atmosphere but big enough to have a decent range of shops, some nice cafes, pubs etc. It also has the cutest small cinema, which was still open last time I was there, although that was pre-Covid. There are lovely country walks around the nature reserves at Arne and Hartland.

I like Dorchester as well, which is better for shopping etc but not as nice for countryside. It still has a nice vibe about it.

Further east, Wimborne Minster used to be nice but I haven't been there for years, so maybe not as nice as it was!

we have a holiday home between Westbourne and Canford cliffs (Branksome chine) and it’s lovely. Lilliput is nice too. There are some lovely villages in the Purbecks but it’s obviously much more rural over there.

how old are the kids and do you have a budget? Coat of accommodation will vary a lot.

@LakieLady it’s still there

I’ve lived in a few areas of East Dorset and would agree with others that places like Poole, Southbourne or Wimborne would be better to live in than central Bournemouth or Weymouth. Bournemouth’s got rough these days. Avoid Boscombe.
As long as you’re near a town you won’t be short of takeaways. Christchurch / Mudeford are smaller and comparatively quiet but may not be for you if you like city life. And traffic through Xchurch and into Bmouth can be a nightmare.

I’d live near Lulworth Cove

On a side note OP, what is your budget if you're buying? It's expensive in Dorset, and that in itself may restrict where you can move too within the county. Also if you're renting, again it's expensive, and there's not much around to rent, unless you have a healthy budget.

What’s the budget??

I liked Parkstone

Thank you, lovely people! I was half expecting to be told to bugger off, nobody wants Brummies in Dorset 🤣. This still
might happen, of course….. DH and DC are ‘posher’ than me, so I’m the only one with a broad accent who will stick out like a sore thumb.

Some places to explore and good ideas - I hadn’t thought of looking at villages along the railway line! Poole sounds like it’s worth visiting, along with Parkstone and Crossways.

Schools aren’t a concern, youngest DC will be Uni age by the time we go. Budget is around 700-800k to be comfy, so wouldn’t really want to go much higher.

I suspect because we’re pretty easy to please and would like a fairly wide variety of places, it makes it a more difficult to narrow down what we actually want. In my imagination, I think a cottage in the countryside would be lovely - but in reality, I’m not sure we’re countryside people as we’re not exactly hardy, not in the first flush of youth and are used to having everything we need within walking distance.

We’d just like somewhere ‘nice’, with a local pub or two and good dog walks. Roll on Easter, for our first exploration trip!

Thanks again everyone - we won’t feel so much like we’re randomly mooching around an entire county, with your advice!

We need to know - where will you work? Do you need to be near healthcare?
Do you need to get to London or leave Dorset frequently? Do you have school age kids ?

All my cousins on one side of the family, and some friends live in Wareham which seems to work well for them

Also, just to mention that I’m not obsessed with takeaways! I know two people who have moved to different, much quieter
parts of the UK, who have subsequently been faintly astonished by the lack of takeaway and food/shopping delivery! I’d like some peace and quiet.

And a big “yes” to no oil-fired power. And the same goes for septic tanks (previous experience - shudder!).

Brummie living in West Dorset here!
If you don’t want rural at all then Lower Parkstone, Branksome, Wimborne, Christchurch, Southbourne. Personally would avoid Poole and Bournemouth.
Smaller towns then Dorchester, Wareham, Bridport.

Dorchester if you need access to Weymouth and Bournemouth, as trains go to both.

its a nice old market town, though it has lost shops like M&S and Next. It has also got quite a lot of elderly accommodation in last decade or so. On the upside there is the Brewery Square development with restaurants, cinema, and on the other side of town, Poundbury which is a unique place, hard to describe really. Dorchester has a lot of history, is attractive, and still feels like traditional Dorset in some ways. If you like the countryside, walking, and nature, Dorset has a lot to offer.
Wareham is nice too though smaller.

We live north of Bournemouth .About 3 miles from the town centre .The town has gone downhill in the centre, but its still pleasant here in the suburbs .The beaches are beautiful ,we have about 7 miles of coastline .we have a detached 4 bed and they are fairly reasonable .About 450k . New forest on our doorstep too and beautiful Purbeck hills and Jurassic coast within an hour or so.

Bridport?