Relocating to Cardiff

[RelocatingCardiff]

DH’s work is planning to move their offices to Cardiff at the end of next year, so we’re seriously considering moving. Currently in London.

I don’t know much about Cardiff but I’d like to live in a leafy village / small town close to a good primary school and not too far from a good secondary. I’ve heard Radyr area may fit the bill?

Any suggestions would be most welcome :)

Whitchurch is lovely if you can afford it.

Radyr yes, Rhiwbina is lovely, Thornhill too

What is your budget?

Radyr is nice but its lacking in atmosphere. Whitchurch is lovely and has a lot more happening. Penarth is absolutely gorgeous but its hell to commute out of. Whats your budget?

Thanks for replies! Budget is around £500k.
Needs to be near good schools (private is an option but at an absolute stretch so preference is good state school).

We relocated four years ago and love it! We are just outside Penarth and while traffic can be busy it’s like that all over Cardiff in the morning. It depends of course where you are going to - we both work in the bay so not too far and we can walk or cycle though tend to do that in better weather.
Stanwell is a great secondary but you need to have children at one of the feeder primaries to get in. There is a small private school for boys in Penarth called Westbourne. Girls can go to Howells in Cardiff as a bus picks up from penarth area.
Dinas Powys is just a mile or so from Penarth but may make you outside catchment for Stanwell. Though it has good primaries. We prefer it as it has more of a village feel though less than five miles from Cardiff city centre with good train links. It’s got massive woodland areas so very popular with walkers and dog walkers but also close to seafront in Penarth or Barry. There is a good doctor’s surgery there too and it has a couple of pubs and cafes. Sully is another village next to Penarth and a lovely area but not as decent transport links (no train) and my now teens like being independent. Both Penarth and DP have rugby clubs, tennis clubs and cricket and rowing on offer with leisure centres and the international swimming pool and ice rink on the doorstep. Penarth is lovely and lots of places to eat. Lots of large scale community events too throughout the year like a food festival, music picnics, fireworks etc.
I’m sure you’ve looked on rightmove but do be aware that houses in the areas I’ve mentioned and those up thread are not cheap! You should be ok with your budget but I live in a fairly ordinary detached house and it’s not far off your budget.
We absolutely love it here though!

You’ll get a decent house in a nice area with that budget. Roath Park (by the lake) is also very nice.

Melinda that sounds lovely! Not really considered Penarth but there may be times that dh will need to travel to Bristol too so penarth maybe a bit too west of Cardiff. Rhiwbina and thornhill areas sound good too but not too sure on the schools there.

I don’t know those areas well but I will say I spent two and a half years commuting to Newport which is on the way to Bristol and could join the motorway easily at Leckwith and loop back to Bristol traffic without too much bother.
Wherever you move to you will be fine! We love Wales.

North Cardiff has good schools. I don't know the ratings though but they certainly have good results. 500k is a nice budget. You should find something pretty decent for that. If I had that budget I'd be looking at Whitchurch or Rhiwbina if you want a home with character.

Hi, I've lived in Radyr since 2016 after moving from Dinas Powys when I got married! Loved Dinas Powys, lived there for 19 years, but love Radyr! It's been nice going from a village with lovely people to another one! I didn't find the commute too bad living in Dinas Powys, in fact I found it easier than Radyr which has quite busy roads! Penarth is beautiful and definitely somewhere I'd aspire to live but veryyy expensive! Radyr has lots of walking trails and good schools, also private schools nearby. There's a good mix of very expensive houses and averagely priced ones all in nice areas. We decided to move here because it had good state schools, primary and secondary and the people are really friendly with a good community feel. We love it! You could probably get something lovely in lots of good areas of Cardiff for 500k 😊 for your husband commuting to Bristol, the M4 is right by Radyr so it would hopefully be quite a straightforward commute for him! Good luck with everything!

Hi there! Did you move to Radyr in the end? We are currently looking to move out of the city and are looking for a lovely, leafy, town or village with great community and easy access to nature - a good place to bring up young kids but some nice cafes etc too, farmers market would be a big plus too! Thinking Radyr or Dinas. Thanks so much for any insight!