Moving to Exeter!

[user1489958359]

Hello,
I'm after some advice on areas and schools please.
We are planning on moving to Exeter next year and have been looking west, south/west of the city. 10 miles max from city centre and good access to the M5 as husband will be commuting from Gloucester. We have 3 boys two of which are in primary school so we need a good choice near by and a pre schooler so play groups and a pre school too.
Any other local knowledge/advice that you can pass on would be great.
Tia.
Rebecca:)

Have you thought about areas like Topsham, Clyst St Mary, Woodbury, Clyst St George, Lympstone which have easy access to M5 and decent primary schools - but are not too far out for city centre access too. I guess it depends whether you want a village, town or to be within the actual city? If you're at the other end of the city (say, more towards Dawlish, Chudleigh, Alphington) the extra bit of travel to access M5 north bound can be problematic peak season. Aim to be nearer J30 if you can afford to be.

Have lived here all my life, taught her for twenty odd years and have a toddler, so if you want to know anything more specific, feel free to PM me.

Imo topsham, Woodbury etc can be very expensive. I've lived in a small village on the outskirts of Exeter for over 16 years. I now live in a town just off the m5 and would suggest look at what is your budget and then come back to see what people think of each area.
All the best x

Yes, good advice! Thank you. We have narrowed it down to exminster and exmouth. We will be renting and ideally paying £750pcm. We are in the process of checking out exmouth schools... Any advice there would be great!:)

Don't know anything about Exmouth schools in afraid. Exminster has a wonderful primary school and now Bridge road is nearly finished it's a short hop into Exeter. It's a nice village with good choice of pubs, swans nest (outskirts) and The Stowey are worth a visit to help meet locals.
All the best.

Exmouth is a bit of a pain getting to and from especially peak season.

Thank you! Much appreciated:)

Even with the 'improved' Bridge Road, Exminster can be a pain in terms of getting into Exeter because of Countess Wear Roundabout. Exmouth/Exeter journey never bothered me when I commuted as I enjoyed the journey and there are two ways in - in case one is blocked. The train from Exmouth to Exeter is brilliant too: regular, cheap and stops in the city centre (Central Station). The villages between Exmouth and Exeter are lovely and not all are expensive (Clyst St Mary, Clyst St George and parts of Lympstone arent bad - they make the commute better as well). This gives you a wider choice for secondaries too.

Thanks for all the info! What do you say about exmouth as an area.. Lots of nice, friendly, normal people?! Crime? Community? Nice place for kids to grow up?

It’s a typical town. Different vibe in summer (v touristy) and can feel drab in winter (though that’s when I prefer the beach). One enormous secondary school (used to be the largest in the country) and several primaries. Large Tesco. There is more poverty there than people realise - which makes it a slightly poorer cousin to neighbouring Sidmouth, Woodbury, Lympstone etc.

If your DP is commuting up the M5, personally Exmouth and Exminster would be out for me as I’d want better access to J30. Have you looked at Chudleigh, Cullompton, Wellington, even - all more commute friendly. Or even Exeter outskirts such as Clyst St Mary, Ide, Pinhoe/ Westclyst, Alphington ... all have easy access to the M5. I’d particularly recommend Chudleigh as I have family there who commute all over the region. You can be on A38/M5 in minutes, yet it’s a lovely family town - great primary, lots of children’s activities, pool, park etc.

I currently live in an Exeter outskirts village, and have taught in the area for 22 years (lived here all my life) so feel free to PM if you want to ask anything specific.

Thanks that's great! We'll check out a few more places and then I might ask for advice on schools! Thanks again!

I have lived in Exmouth and liked it a great deal, however I agree about the commute into Exeter and even just getting onto the M5 in summer or at peak times can be a real pain, and that would put me off now- what about more Cranbrook way, or Cullompton although that's not in Exeter in either case. I'd drive down the M5 and see how easy it is to access places.

I grew up in Exmouth. When your young it's amazing. 2 miles of Sandy beach. Lovely quaint town centre. Good places to play and everyone you grow up with goes to the comp (Exmouth community college) but when your older it's a drag having to commute to Exeter to work. The trains are packed. The roads are (although not big city bad) can be a pain. And if theirs an accident on the m5 the whole of Exeter and surrounding areas are at a standstill.

I chose to live in Exeter. We live in Clyst Heath. It's a five minute drive from the motorway. 15 minutes into town bar traffic and right next to a train station that links up with the main lines. You have Crealy adventure park on your door step and a big Tesco . Its quiet. Hardly any crime. The school's are fantastic and a new Ikea being built 5 minutes away. Exeter cheifs rugby ground near us too
Exeter is a lovely city. People are friendly (alright my lovers 😉) and we have access to the main train line to London/Penzance ect.
Good luck with whatever you choose. I hope you love wherever you end up.

I think that's a good point- you might not be thinking about independence yet as your boys are in primary, but it comes around very quickly, and by top primary/first year secondary, children are wanting to meet their friends in town. I think Exeter is great for the pre-teen/teenage years as they have a lot more to do than I did in a small town at the same age.

OP - have PMed you.