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Original poster

Hello there - advice on relocating to Bristol

51 replies

GentleToothFairy · 22/01/2011 11:42

Hi!

I am looking to move to the Bristol area with my husband and two little ones (aged 18 months and 4 years)and could do with some advice please!

My husband would have to commute to BS1 for his job. I have family in Droitwich so would like to live maybe north of the city so that I am closer to them. Ideally I would like to live somewhere that has access to childrens facilites; library, tumble tots, playgroups, dance classes etc and also has something for the grown ups; gym, restaurants, a few shops. Schools are also on the list as my son is due to start primary in September.

I have thought about Thornbury or Chipping Sodbury or Portishead or Keynsham (actually I have RightMoved every house within 30 miles of Bristol so am open to suggestion!) and would realy welcome folks opinions on these places to live esp with regard to the potential commute for my husband.

Thanks

OP posts:
shazmark · 22/01/2011 12:49

Thornbury, Almondsbury, Olveston Easter Compton etc all lovely. Easy access to M$, M5 and M32 into Bristol. Also easy access to Bristol parkway for rail travel. Excellent state secondary schools at Marlwood and The Castle Thornbury. Transport into fee paying Bristol schools also available. Small friendly primaries in villages and well thought off schools.
Nice rural location and access to Cribbs for shopping too in minutes. Quite a rural area so can feel a bit isolated but you can easily get to North Bristol if you drive in about 25 mins. Reasonable kids activities in Thornbury- nice park, good toddler groups and leisure centre but obviously not so much on offer as in Bristol. hth Are you especially looking for looking for rural type property or do you want a town property?

only other point i'd make is that travel out of Portishead in the morning onto M5 is awful. Queues back miles- really put us off living there although otherwise it is a great place.

Original poster
GentleToothFairy · 22/01/2011 19:41

Thank you so much for the info. Urrrm at the moment I live 10 miles away from Liverpool in a small town that has access to beaches and green space but with good links into the city but enough going on locally to keep me and the children occupied if we dont want to make that journey - I suppose thats the type of place I am looking for near Bristol. Kind of got the feeling that travelling out of Portishead is terrible which is putting me off a little.

Right, am off to search the househunting websites armed with the names of places that you mentioned. Thanks again.

OP posts:
deepheat · 25/01/2011 11:46

If you wanted to be more 'in town' you could try the Gloucester Road area. Loads of things for the little 'uns (the place is literally teeming with pushchairs) and for their parents. Very easy access to BS1 and only 10-25 mins to M5 (depending on time of day). Areas to look at would be (starting with most expensive first) St Andrews, Bishopston, Horfield, Filton (though Filton is further out).

Good luck.

Original poster
GentleToothFairy · 25/01/2011 13:50

Oooh thanks deepheat - will check it out!

OP posts:
whimsicalname · 26/01/2011 11:34

Or you could go inner city! St Werburghs, Montpelier, St Pauls aren't the most glam bits of the city, but we have some lovely parks (including the newly done up St Agnes one which is brill), great kids groups, an Ofsted outstanding nursery and diverse schools. Dead easy to get into town (10 min walk) and out of town (just by M32) and all sorts of shops and cafes nearby.

Did I mention the city farm? Organic supermarket? Chinese supermarket? I could go on and on...

8rubberduckies · 26/01/2011 12:01

I grew up in Yate, which Chipping Sodbury is right next to, in fact they kind of blend into one large satellite town, as the estates being built around the two joined up quite some time ago, and I would say to avoid. The centre of Chipping Sodbury is lovely, but you also have miles and miles of 60s - 70s - 80s housing estates in the area. It was fine for when I was young, but I couldn't wait to get out by the time I was 16. Not a lot to do and some parts of Yate are pretty run down. I don't know what it is like to live there now, as I moved away 18 years ago, as did my parents, and now I just visit other family there occasionally, but Chipping Sodbury seems to have a lot of retired folk, and Yate shopping centre is dire.

I agree that the Thornbury area could be well-suited to you, with much better access to the motorway and Bristol city centre than Portishead.

I am very biased towards Gloucester Rd though, as I have lived in the area for 7 years now, and I love it Smile. Some bits are very, very yummy Mummy, other bits a bit more laid back and alternative, but all have loads to offer a young family. I live in Ashley Down, which is a 5 minute walk from the bars, independent shops, family pubs and local food retailers of Gloucester Rd, and a quick trip with the buggy through the allotments down to St Werburghs city farm. Great schools in the area, and pretty affordable. Me and DP are lucky enough to work locally, but it's an easy commute into the centre as well, and easy access to the motorway.

Original poster
GentleToothFairy · 26/01/2011 21:27

Oh ladies this info is great, thank you!
Gloucester Road sounds (and looks) very appealing.

whimsicalname can you let me know the name of the nursery you mentioned please?

OP posts:
EmmaRachel · 27/01/2011 11:30

I relocated to Bristol over 4 years ago so I could go to Uni at Bristol, we planed to buy in the centre, but the house fell through at the last minute, we had sold our house in Milton Keynes and I was already living in Bristol during the week and going home weekends so it really was a quick decision that needed making. One of the girls on my course lived in Thornbury and suggested she helped me find a rental for 6 months, then we could get a better feel for Bristol and the surrounding areas and buy again.

I am so glad this happened! (With hind sight of course, it was very stressful at the time!)

Thornbury is great for children, the schools are amazing, the primary schools rage from small to much larger, my youngest goes to one which has just been rebuilt so it is state of the art, (Shares a sight with a special school so has a pool and all kind of cool facilities!

My eldest has just started at one of the 2 excellent secondary schools, and I can't fault it.

If you want any more info on Thornbury drop me a line xx

Original poster
GentleToothFairy · 27/01/2011 20:55

Thanks EmmaRachel I will definitely take you up on your offer.

I am planning a few weekend trips to check out some of the places along the M5 corridor/Gloucester Rd artery into the city. It certainly is a stressful but exciting time and will be the last major relocation I make, although the first one with children, so am keen to get it just right for us all! I am tempted to rent for 6 months but am wondering what the housing market will get up to in that time and don't wish to price myself out of the market should it make a big about-turn. My son caught me having a look at hotels in Spain and now thinks we are going to order our new house on the computer and wants one with a swimming pool Hmm

OP posts:
whimsicalname · 27/01/2011 20:55

Hello again, the nursery is called St Werburghs Park Nursery. It only takes a few under 3s (and there's a hell of a waiting list) but they have lots and lots of space for the pre school year, and lots of drop in type stuff too. My two boys (now 6 and 4) were very happy there, and they were wonderful for me last year through a very difficult time.

Because they have quite a big intake, they take kids from quite far afield, certainly up towards ashley down and over towards Glos Rd, so you don't have to move to the doorstep to get in.

hope that helps!

Original poster
GentleToothFairy · 27/01/2011 21:16

Hey whimsicalname - Thank you, I will give the nursery a call.

OP posts:
bratnav · 27/01/2011 21:27

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Stase · 28/01/2011 20:35

A small-voiced vote for South Bristol here! We're in Ashton which is easy for M5 access. Pill is a nice village for families. Southville is yummier, but Ashton is cheaper with bigger gardens and better access to motorway. We do walks round the docks, and visit the Zoo, SS Great Britain, Explore, Aquarium all on foot/bike. Nice shops on North Street. Wasn't my first choice, but happy here now!

Original poster
GentleToothFairy · 29/01/2011 09:29

Wow everyone thanks so much - I am really starting to feel good about the whole move esp with all your positive replies!

Cheers bratnav for conformation about living around Glos Rd,it really does sound fab and a place where we could be happy. Coffee sounds good.

Thanks also Stase - I have looked at Pill but not Ashton nor Southville. I will certainly have a further explore out there

OP posts:
ThePosieParker · 29/01/2011 09:34

Bishopston, Horfield, Southville, Hotwells, etc all pretty good. Further out you go the more space you get but the commute can take a long time....Long Ashton is lovely but lots of traffic in the morning.

If you come to Bishopston you may have to move again before secondary school.

ThePosieParker · 29/01/2011 09:35

Oh and if you're not looking for childcare I can recommend an amazing nusery/pre school in Clifton....montessori and amazing!!

ThePosieParker · 29/01/2011 09:36

PS. I live near Gloucester Road and DH works in BS1....Queen's Square, he runs home and takes less than half an hour.

MmeGuillotine · 29/01/2011 09:57

We're moving back soon too (currently exiled to Weston super Mare) and are thinking of either around Gloucester Road, Totterdown or Westbury Park/Clifton. It's hard to choose but the lure of the shops and cafes on Gloucester Road is hard to resist.

ThePosieParker, what's the secondary school situation like around there? We're kind of resigned to BGS or similar but would prefer a state school.

ThePosieParker · 29/01/2011 10:02

Well as a mother of four, too close to spread fees, I am resigned to having to move. Redland Green is supposed to be great but you practically have to live on the school grounds to get in! Cotham is changing the catchment, excluding some of the not so nice areas and has just got outstanding I think, then Fairfeild/Monks park I have heard a few good stories but wouldn't consider sending my children there....and so I'm hoping to move out to Backwell or somewhere.

MmeGuillotine · 29/01/2011 10:17

It's grim isn't it? We have a three year gap so it shouldn't be too bad until one leaves university and the next one starts a few months later, which will probably be painful. I don't want to go private though and especially not if we feel like we have to.

I've heard that Redland Green and Cotham are hard to get into. Likewise Cathedral School. Have also heard a few stories about Monks Park so am a bit unwilling to send them there.

My husband comes from Nailsea and his brother went to Backwell (he went to BGS) so apparently moving out that way isn't an option for us as he vowed never to go back! Of course, he didn't anticipate having teenagers at that point. ;)

ThePosieParker · 29/01/2011 10:51

Gordano is good.

MmeGuillotine · 29/01/2011 11:02

Oh, yes, that's the one in Portishead isn't it? I've suggested that, but he won't consider it for much the same reason.

I suspect he'll change his mind about all this when our eldest is about to leave primary school. Although we moved to WSM because we were priced out of the Bristol market and that turned out pretty badly so if we get priced out of the schools (very likely) I may have to really work on him to move out of the city again.

exexpat · 29/01/2011 11:14

MmeG - the effective Cotham catchment is wider than people seem to think - it goes down as far as Gloucester/Cheltenham Road and over to the far side of Clifton/Cliftonwood, and I've known people get in from both ends. But of course these things change over time, and you don't want to buy a house a mile away in one direction only to find that by the time you apply, they've changed the areas again, so the closer you live the better.

There are lots of good reports of Winterbourne International Academy (used to be the Ridings High School) if living that side of Bristol (ie actually in South Gloucestershire) would suit you.

Dumbledoresgirl · 29/01/2011 11:19

If secondary schools and good transport links are most important to you (as they were to us when we moved to the area a few years ago) you can't go wrong with Thornbury or surrounding villages.

Mind you, I don't actually rate the town or area for much else....

Dumbledoresgirl · 29/01/2011 11:20

Good secondary schools that should say... The Castle School had an outstanding ofsted report recently, and always performs well academically.