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!

That’s cracked me up ‘weirdly predictable alternative women’ - also very pathetically predictable when they attempt to fleece you for £80 for a reiki session or a home made nettle potion!

I would move somewhere that has the things you like to do on your doorstep and doesn't require a drive and finding parking etc.

For e,g Wareham has a cinema

Once you live somewhere and are working f/t there are only so many artisan cafes and coffee shops that you need.

Is this house move / region move somewhere you are likely to stay for retirement because that might influence whether it’s a long term lifestyle choice or an interim property investment prior to retirement.

You absolutely won’t stick out in Dorset with a brummie accent. There are very few “born and breds” and an awful lot of people who have come to the area for the lifestyle. We moved away about 15 years ago but I’d move back in a heartbeat.

we lived in Poole and compared to where we are now, the takeaway options in Poole are positively plentiful! We’ve only just got uber taxis and Uber eats here

I grew up in Ringwood, Hampshire, which isn't far from Bournemouth. Lovely town with cafes/shops/pubs, and on the doorstep to the New Forest. It doesn't have a train station though! Good old Dr Beeching closed it down, many moons ago!

Broadstone, Corfe Mullen, Canford Heath, Canford Cliffs, Lower Parkstone, Penn Hill, Ashley Cross, Lilliput, Wimborne all would have properties within your price range. I've lived in Upper Parkstone and personally I would avoid it, there's nicer areas.

Name changed for this. I grew up in Weymouth.
I still love Weymouth Beach, the esplanade and the harbour area but it's true that the town centre is pretty dire. Cineworld was the latest thing to go, where I saw all my childhood films sadly.
Dorchester has a nicer town in my opinion and Poundbury is a posh area.
Bournemouth and Poole have more going on (theatres, shops, university etc..) but yes there will be rough areas.
If you are going to be relying on trains there is a train station in Upwey, between Weymouth and Dorchester and Upwey is nice.

I would live somewhere where there’s a station. The roads can be dire, particularly in summer months and if you have children (or want to avoid the traffic) it is really useful.

The village of Wool (and East Burton) are lovely for walks and are reasonably served by two pubs, a couple of shops, a bakery, pharmacy, surgery etc, as well as being a short drive to the coast.

Wareham is also nice and there are more options for going out, supermarket etc. Dorchester is worth a look too and there are two stations, so you can also travel north to Yeovil/Bath/Bristol from Dorchester West, as well as between Weymouth and London via Bournemouth/Southampton from Dorchester South.

I live in Christchurch which is on the edge of Bournemouth (it's the BCP -Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole - area now, completely contiguous.) It's great, as is the whole area IMO. You will hear people complaining about Bournemouth town centre and yes it has suffered a bit from the pandemic and online shopping like many places but is still pretty. Southbourne/Westbourne/Christchurch are all lovely, lots of independent shops/restaurants etc, nice community feel, and the coastline is truly spectacular. Poole also has lots of nice areas. You're also only a stone's throw from the Jurassic Coast on the Poole side and the New Forest on the Christchurch side. It's a wonderful place to live, highly recommend.

My friends live in Dorchester and love it, there’s villages too, but with teens you need to check public transport which can be patchy. Weymouth itself has nice bits . Budget is everything as some parts of Dorset are £££

Thank you so much for all of the info, opinions, advice and suggestions - you’re all fabulous! I’m taking notes and have made a list. Feel like I need to buy a big, old school paper map, possibly an A-Z (if those are still a thing) and crack open the highlighters.

Work will be office-based in either Bournemouth or Weymouth, so the commute is the major limiting factor to where we can live. It feels less overwhelming now that you’ve all helped me out!

The list of places to explore is quite long, which is a very good thing. Hopefully, there will be a place we just love and which feels right - would make it easy! I’ve looked at Poundbury online and I’m not sure it’s quite our cup of tea - perhaps it’s a bit love it or hate it.

Awww, as a southerner (born in Boscombe, grew up in Bournemouth) now in a big city in the midlands, I miss the south coast horribly. I couldn't wait to leave when I was younger but now when I go back I just think how lovely the lifestyle is there. I think you could really love it. Your budget and the areas pp are suggesting mean you could live somewhere really fabulous. Second all the recs you've had so far about where to look and where to avoid.

I was born in Sherborne. Haven't been back in many years but it was lovely when I lived there.

Ooohhhh, I live in Christchurch too 😀

It's very love it or hate it, famous for people who live there not being allowed to hang washing out as King Charles thinks it's unsightly. I guess if you also hate washing lines it would be a haven🤣

Christchurch. Its lovely here. Far away from Bournemouth town centre but also close enough for it to be a 15 min drive. Near to Hengistbury Head and Mudeford. I wouldn't live anywhere else.

I grew up in wareham but now live in Weymouth and love it. I’ve lived in Ferndown/Bournemouth previously and they’re pretty awful in my opinion. The Purbecks are lovely if you have dogs as plenty of scenic walks.

Is work either Bournemouth or Weymouth, your choice, or do you have to be able to get to both?

They’re an hours drive apart with no traffic at all, and 1hr 45 with bad traffic, so it will make a difference.

Lovely area though!

Just the one, haven’t decided yet….

If you're based in Bournemouth, Westbourne or Southbourne. Lower Parkstone, which is Poole is also nice and on the train line. Christchurch and surroundings are lovely too. As other posters have said, Wimborne is a pleasant town but a lot of new estates have been built recently, so doctors and schools are having to cater for a lot more people. If you're based in Weymouth, then Dorchester might be your best bet. Weymouth isn't bad, but has a rough element like Bournemouth. Some of the problem families seem to be shunted around between the two. Central Poole also has a rough element.

Wareham is lovely and it’s possible to commute from there to either Weymouth or Bournemouth by train

Me too! I was born here.

im biased obviously OP but with your budget you could get a lovely place here. It has a cinema, train station and good bus routes - so it’s easy to access the other Dorset areas that other posters are suggesting. You can be at the beach in 5 mins or in the New Forest in 15. Plenty of supermarkets that you don’t need a car to get to.

Agree with Westbourne, parkstone etc. There are lots of really nice roads around Bournemouth, meyrick park area maybe? Your budget is great for the area.

Nothing beats an Airbnb stay in the style of house you might want to purchase in an area thats a contender.
so for Easter can you do two nights or so in a couple of the places mentioned?
i’ve recently moved to Dorset and our new place is 400 metres from two separate places we used as trial runs.

I am so jealous. I LOVE Dorset. Good luck!

Me too, I love Christchurch

I grew up in Swanage until i was 30 and then moved to Christchurch.

Swanage is lovely to visit but quite isolated and a bit dull in the winter

Christchurch is lovely, friendly and close to the New Forest with lush beaches and easy access to Bournemouth. Its definitely my recommendation