Relocating to the area...

[OoooShiney]

I am starting this thread for lucyfer2000 who asked this over on the Mumsnet Somerset Local pages on Thu 23-May-13 22:07:24

hiya!! so sorry to hijack this post. But, I am moving from Essex due to husbands job (he has been working in Bristol for the last 18 months and now looks set to stay there). I need advice on areas around the Bristol/Bath area to live. I have tried desperately to post on the local bath talk site but the link doesn't seem to work!!
Can you help me ooooShiney? - is it possible to repost this??
I can only seem to add to a thread, not start one!!
I am keen to live in the Bath area because I want something buzzy and cultural- but too big a city (like Bristol). Ideas of lovely areas would be fab. Good schools are top priority!!
Thanks so much

Hi

Which part if Bristol will your husband be working in? Will he be going by car/train? If it is car, then look either close to the West side of Bath (Newbridge) or the East side (for the A46 - Larkhall/Batheaston/Bathford). Newbridge/Batheaston and Bathford all have great primaries. If he will go by train, then maybe somewhere more central? Bathwick/ Widcombe have excellent primaries.

Depends on your husband's work and what you are looking for (town or a very close by village - like Bathford/Batheaston). Also depends on budget and what type if house you are looking for.

My husband will be working near the m4/m5 interchange area. I think it is more likely that he would drive in than take the train.
I don't need to live actually within the town ( I am thinking that this is probably the most expensive option anyway). It would be nice to be within perhaps a 30 minute walking distance or on a good bus route. However, nice local villages around bath could definitely be considered too. I am visiting the area in a few weeks time and that should help me. So it looks like Newbridge, batheaston and larkhall may be good. Can you walk to town from these areas? I've also heard that Weston is a nice area? I know that Bath is a very expensive area to live in but I am willing to live in a smaller house for now, if it means we get the benefits of an exciting town nearby! However, I am also not oozing money from my pores so could you advise which of these areas are less expensive but maintain the 'Bath buzz' - or are not in Bath but 'close enough' !! A tall order I know, but local knowledge must definitely be the only way to know this sort of thing!

We are likely to be renting when we first move anyway...
Thanks

Being on the northern side of Bath would be good for getting to the motorway. There is a great primary school called St Stephens in Lansdown. I have done a little work with them in the past and know it's very popular. It's an easy 5 min bus trip into centre or 20 min walk, although you'd probably want to catch the bus home as it's a pretty steep hill. Quite a pricy part to live in though. Weston village is a longer walk into the centre, but again on the better side for a Bristol commute. Next to Victoria Park which is lovely. Batheaston may also be worth a look. Just to the east of Bath, 5/10 min drive to centre depending on traffic.

We've just moved to Farifield Park, having lived in various places in Bath over the past 15 years. I really like it, bar steep gardens (not unusual in Bath). We can walk to our old stomping ground of Larkhall, walk to town and I can get to the A46 for my Bristol commute easily. If our budget had been higher (was 320 max for 3 beds plus garage) we would have stayed in Larkhall, but actually Fairfield is great so far. Good infant schools locally.

Hi Everyone, hope you don't mind me joining your post, but we're thinking of relocating to Bath area from London and would really appreciate some advice! We have a 2 year old and 6 month old so we really want to find an area with good state primary and secondary schools (we don't want to move again!). We don't really have to be in any particular area and wouldn't mind being a few miles outside Bath and our budget for 3bed house is around 325K. I've seen a lot of really helpful posts already, but still a bit confused about the best place for us. It sounds like Bath is a great place to live though, so quite excited to explore our options. Thanks!

I'm not too sure about primary schools in Bath, but the secondary schools I would look at in Bath are Ralph Allen and Oldfield School. If you have boys Beechen Cliffe is also very good. Further out of Bath, Saltford and Keynsham are nice family places, with good primary schools that feed into Wellsway School which is very well regarded. Bradford on Avon is a lovely town to the south east of Bath, which I believe also has a good secondary.
If you actually want to be in Bath itself then Coombe Down is a lovely area, with what I have heard is an excellent primary which feeds into Ralph Allen. I'm sure someone else will be along to give you some more info, but hopefully that may give you a start!

Mite be worth looking by swainswick bypass or batheaston sort of area, all good for links to motorway