Moving to Stroud area

[caracat]

Hello, we are planning on moving to Stroud this summer (!) Ot seems a lpvely place. We are currently looking for somewhere to live. Can anyone advise on places to avoid?? Perhaps there are none! - There seem to be a lot of lovely places but our budget is limited meaning we get more space in certain areas/roads/ and it would be great to know your opinion. We are a couple with a daughter 1.5 and son 5.5 yrs. Many thanks!!

What is your budget? And do you want to live in a town (Stroud or otherwise) or the surrounding country villages? Also, what's the motive for moving here?

We visited a few years ago and loved it. We are moving away from London. I grew up in a nice green area of London but we can't afford to live there any more. Weve also just had enough of it and want a change of pace. We loved the area/energy/atmosphere of Stroud and have had it in mind and visited a good few times since. Ideally would find somewhere within 3 miles. Would be nice to be higher up surrounding areas maybe, rather than actually in the town. Budget is roughly pushing up to 250 . . .

Welcome! Stroud is lovely, and the whole 5 valleys area I've totally fallen in love with.
We moved from London here 5 ish years ago.
I don't know Stroud residential areas that well but the villages I particularly like are Randwick and Sheepscombe. I lived in Woodchester for a bit and although gorgeous I personally wanted a bit more going on within walking distance so we moved to a town in the area.
Towns that are worth looking at if you haven't already are Nailsworth, Wootton, Tetbury. We moved to the more down to earth Dursley. I love it, but it has a rep and I don't really know why but I've seen it slated on here before. Keeps prices down though :) Great community, fab facilities, good schools, not in the grammar area. The most beautiful countryside and yet a v easy commute to Bristol or Gloucester as its a bit closer to the m5.
How many bedrooms do you need and what style property do you like?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-45809088.html

Thiis is nice for young families if you can extend your budget or negotiate well. Btw if the comedy child unfriendly garden puts you off, just a word of warning they are often like that!!

One thing we did when moving from a distance was that one of the local agents drove us round the area so we could get a feel for different places and distances. Agree with Local that there are a number of small towns but be mindful these tend to be lower in the valleys as they were built around the wool trade and the mills. Minchinhampton is the exception to that as its high on the common. I have friends who live there with small dc and love it but prices tend to be on the higher end. Hence linking to avening - still nice (and close to Minch) but more affordable but with good village amenities. Also close to Tetbury which is a nice oldy worldy town (against strouds more alternative vibe). Do you need to commit anywhere? We did and this pushed us north of Stroud - easy access to the m5 and Cheltenham

Thank you both :) I've seen that property on there! (I'm looking all the time!) We are coming this weekend and squishing in a few viewings to get a feel of more areas - seeing a range of prices and hoping we somehow fall in love with the cheapest :/

One cheaper place is in Cashes green area?? It looks like a more uniform perhaps ex local houses but has an amazing looking garden. . .Nailsworth looks nice I want to check it our more. We saw a lovely property off Painswick road too but was too pricey for us . I will need to commute 2 days a week to London (!)
Thank you for your help and input - appreciate it

Yes the garden proper toddler accident material! (Or 5 yr old boy may destroy rock garden. . . . . )

Hmm. I'm not sure Cashes Green has a great reputation tbh. Hence the prices really.....

For commuting to London I drive to Swindon - 35 mins by car and an hour to Paddington. Stroud trains are 1hr 30 but not very frequent - hour+ gaps. Trains to Swindon are every 15 mins (or less) from Paddington.

Have fun this weekend and I can recommend lunch in the butchers arms in Sheepscombe or The Lodge on Minchinhampton Common.

We had comedy stone drops in ours which the kids survived

Thank you. Really helpful x

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-57972193.html

Uley is a lovely village, arts centre and cafe, pub.

I second Butchers Arms in sheepscombe and if you fancy a treat the Gumstool Inn in Calcot. Really good!

Have a fab weekend! I'll send more links if I see anything!

Gonna check out that Butchers arms! (Localnickname like that garden and street view). Thank you helpful ladies

Why not go for central Stroud so you can walk to the station? Driving to Swindon and back (plus parking) would be a killer. Okay, the trains aren't so regular, but would you really want to add two hours' driving time on to your working day?
Horns Road is in Old Town, at the top of Stroud. Great community, schools, pubs, lots of young families, and you can walk to woods, streams, countryside in about five minutes.

But I have to say, having made the move, if it were me I'd stay in London. Sorry.

I drive to swindon for work, it takes over an hour but will depend upon where in swindon you need.
My dh commutes to London twice a week and drives. He goes super early, west london and takes a couple of hours (but he does leave at 4am). He's home by 6 though.
Other friends I know that commute to london go from Stonehouse or Stroud stations. Kemble might also be worth considering?

Thanks. The train is most likely I think. . . Will have to leave super early. Shotgun why don't you like it?? Will look up horn's road...woods/streams etc...sounds lovely close by

Should also add it took me 3 years to stop pining London. I missed it (my friends mainly) so much. The turning point for me was when my eldest started school and I made some really close friends. Dh however felt like it was home immediately.
I could never live in london again now. From our house we can walk through woodland, over a hill, around a quarry and follow an ancient woodland path to a hamlet called Waterly Bottom (!!) To a pub that stocks fab gin and does great pies.
We do this a lot :)

that sounds lovely!! - don't get me wrong. I love London. But we can't buy here. It's only because of a family death that we can buy anything at all - anywhere. Rent prices are ridiculous too. I don't want to be on the outskirts somewhere working in the rat race to achieve nothing. I want more time with children and for myself. Better air. And beautiful surroundings. My mum will visit a lot...etc.... staying is too much hard work giving our land lord all our money!

I love a lot here too. Friends, the area I'm from, but London life is pushing a lot of us away . And in many many ways I'm very much looking forward to it

It's not that I don't like it; it took us a long time to get settled for various reasons and I still miss where we lived before. I'm aware that I couldn't or didn't make the most of being there while the dcs were young, but now they're older I really could!

.everyone always raves about London & its easy to take it for granted when it's what you know. . . .

How old are your children? Do you mean evenings/socially? Or work wise?

Teens and older now. And I didn't/don't work. I might be kidding myself, but I feel as if I had a more realistic chance of retraining/starting a new career where I was then. Doesn't sound like that's an issue for you though. And if you're renting and have very young dcs, I appreciate starting out in London is vwry difficult.
There's lots of MN threads on the pros and cons of moving out of London if you search.

And I mean the lack of culture and decent restaurants which don't involve a 45 minute drive really.

I live in Stonehouse and love it. It is flat! There is great cycling round here. We are right on the canal, which is beautiful and amazing work has been done and is ongoing to open it up fully. The cycle path into Stroud is now complete. We are also a stone's throw from the M5 which offers an easy commute to Cheltenham and Bristol. We can walk to the mainline train station to Paddington and there is also ongoing pressure to reopen the other line which would give a direct link to Bristol.

In the town itself, we have a range of shops, some nice little independent shops, a few pubs and a couple of fantastic restaurants. We have the cricket club within walking distance and my children go to a lovely School in the Stanleys and will go to the Grammar which is an easy cycle away.

It's not as quaint as some of the villages, but practicality won out for us. You certainly get more for your money and we don't have to worry about the shady side of the valley!

Good luck!