Move to Larkhall or Bathford?

[LaceyCardiff]

Hello

My DH and our 12mo DS are moving to Bath from Cardiff (for lots of reasons but new jobs is the most pressing!). We have spent a bit of time in Bath getting to know different areas and love Larkhall and Bathford - they both have such a lovely feel and tick lots of practical boxes too.

A big concern for me is about the community and getting to know other mums with babies (yes he's one but he's still a baby to me ). Any thoughts on which of these places might be best to build friendships? We're leaving behind a lovely group of very supportive friends and have no family close by so fear of being lonely and regretting the move keeps me awake at night! We've only lived in Cardiff for three years, moving there from London, so not afraid to throw ourselves into groups and activities to meet new people, but we've never moved with a baby and cared so much about growing long-term roots.

We're open to renting before committing to buy, but we'd still have to choose a place to rent so same problem really.

Thanks so much for any thoughts, advice or general words of positivity

@LaceyCardiff they are both nice areas and I doubt you’ll find anyone saying anything negative about either of them. I prefer Larkhall as it has a villagey feel but is still close to town. There is loads that goes on locally for toddlers and town is an easy, flat walk away along the canal. You should check out the Facebook group ‘mums in Bath’ , people love giving advice about where to live on there!

Haha thank you @letthemysterybe I'll check out that FB group!
That's great to know, and I felt the villagey vibe too
Not a lot of baby-related stuff going on on Larkhall's FB group but maybe that explains it if the 'Mums in Bath' group is the place to be!
Thank you for replying, really appreciate it!

You’re welcome! Kids stuff on ‘mums in bath’ and ‘kids of Bath’. The Larkhall Facebook page is mostly about lost cats! Have a look at the New Oriel Hall website, lots of activities go on there for kids and grown ups too.

@LaceyCardiff did you make the move? We’re considering a move from SW London to Bath. We don’t have kids but looking for a sense of community, safe and just generally a lovely area. I’m unsure as I lived in Bristol previously and didn’t love it - other than Clifton!

Hi @planforeverything
We were all set to put our house on the market in March and then corona put an end to all our plans...but now we’re on the hunt again and hoping the lack of stamp duty will get a few more properties on the market - fingers crossed because there’s not a lot to choose from at the moment
Hope your search goes well