Potential relocation...

[thegirlwhouk]

We currently live in Surrey and enjoy a fairly cosmopolitan lifestyle. However my DH has a job interview in Gloucester next week and I'm 20 weeks pregnant with 1st baby! If he gets the job we'll be looking to move to the area. It's where he is originally from, his parents live just on the edge of the Forest of Dean. Mine live further north in south Birmingham. Will be nice to live closer to family than we currently do. We think we have narrowed it down to at least looking at North Gloucs, East Hereford and South Worcestershire...

So if this was your list of requirements, where would YOU choose to move to? I want some local views to make sure we don't miss any hidden gems!

• Driveable to both parents houses within 1hr 30.
• House prices that will allows a 3/4 bed house for a max of £350k
• A nice community feel. I like the suburbs here, would be happy in a smaller place but still want good local amenities within a 15 minute drive. Walkable would be a huge bonus!
• As I'll be a SAHM with my first baby for at least a year or so I want to be able to make lots of friends, so I don't feel too isolated.
• Decent schools (though we may choose to go private).
• Close enough to the M5 to allow for a commute to Bristol if necessary.

I think this is screaming Malvern. Nice town, has a Waitrose (not all Worcs towns do), good schools, beautiful countryside in easy reach, lots of activities for babies etc. and you should be able to get a lovely house for that money. Cheltenham would also fit your criteria, but I suspect you get less house for your money.

Here you go some Malvern properties around your budget:

period charm

a 'redecorator' but with fab views

modern but nice

Malvern's not exactly cosmopolitan though. I think if you like that aspect of where you currently live, Cheltenham might be much more your cup of tea. And it's a lot easier to get to the M5 from there too (Can take well over an hour to/from Malvern in rush hour). Not that I'm dissing Malvern - It's very pretty and I go every week for swimming, naice lunches and Waitrose, but it does have the air of a retirement town. Cheltenham OTOH is edgier, has heaps more shops and soft play. Both towns are lovely - I'm not sure I'd want to choose.

I would choose Cheltenham over Malvern every time (sorry to my lovely MN friends who live in Malvern).

Malvern to the M5 is a bit of a faff.

Yes actually I would agree with what Spare and Marmite say too. I just got a bit overexcited at the thought of a 350k malvern budget could buy!

I agree that I wouldn't want to commute from Malvern.

My choice would depend on what side of Gloucester your dh would be working tbh.

We live in a small town 10 mins off j7 of the M5 which is a bit of an oldie town overall, but has great facilities. Its not cosmopolitan by any stretch of the imagination though!

Maybe look at Tewkesbury (small town), Churchdown (villageish, but v close to Cheltenham and easy to Gloucester), and maybe take a look at Stroud which is further from your parents but is largely v nice

Thanks for all your advice :-) All hugely useful.

DH will be working at the Gloucs business park, so on the east side of Gloucester.

I love Cheltenham as a town, but the trade off there is house / garden size. That said, if we lived south of the city it would be a v quick commute so we'd save a heap on petrol...

I love the countryside around Malvern and the houses are beautiful but I suspect you might be right - I think we need something a bit more lively & cosmopolitan. Also interesting to hear you wouldn't want to do that commute.

My DH suggested Ledbury. I've been twice before, nice town but don't really know about living there!

Churchdown could be good, will look into that.

I guess I have to decide if I want the rural idyll or if actually I'd find that a bit much to get used to with a new baby... I've always been a city / suburbs girl myself but I love the idea of living in the countryside.

If you want lively, Ledbury isn't going to be for you! And its a lot further from things than a town on the M5 corridor. I like that although I live in a v small town, we are easily in Bristol or Birmingham (and I know people who work in both) when we want to.

I'd advise spending a weekend in the area and going round the different towns. When we relocated to the area we thought we'd want to be one place, and it turned out that wasn't the case at all. Have a look at the Whats On for them too as that gives you an idea of whether its more Ladies circle or Bumps and babes!

All the "nice" places arent very cosmopolitan at all in the area you have suggested Cheltenham is nice but v v pricey.

If you want nice and cosmo maybe more towards brum may be better places like Harborne or Bournville. Both have good links to the city.