Can I find the Holy Grail near Bristol?

[Buffythechillislayer]

I'm originally from Cardiff but have lived in Hertfordshire for years. Lockdown has made me realise that I don't want to be so far from my family, especially as my sister is just about to have a baby.
I'd love to move to Cardiff but my husband wants to stay in England so we've decided to look no more than 40 mins max from the Prince of Wales bridge.
But I don't even know where to start!
We have 2 boys - so good primary and secondary schools are important, as are amenities for the boys - cinema, swimming, parks etc.
My husband will still need to commute to London once a week.
We love country walks with nice pubs and I love a pretty town centre with independent shops I can mooch around.
I run a travel business from home so good networking opportunities, local co-op spaces and nice coffee shops are also on my list, as is being no more than an hour from a beach!
I'm not asking for much
We have approx £400k for an attractive 3/4 bed with not much needing to be done to it.
All suggestions welcome.
Thanks x

Nailsea is great. Trains to Cardiff and London, great schools, 20 minutes to Bristol, 20 minutes to the sea and lovely countryside on your doorstep. It has a rural feel with the convenience of shops and decent transport links.

I think technically the Wales/England border runs through Chepstow? Buy a house on the English side? And Chepstow is lovely.

@devildeepbluesea

Tbh your husband sounds like a bit of a tosser. I second Monmouthshire, or Penarth. But if you're content to go along with him despite his having no good reason, what about Cirencester? 1.5hrs from Cardiff. I know. I'm from Cardiff and commuted daily from Ciren for a year.

Lol yes he can very much be a tosser at times. But he's lived in or near London his whole life and he's agreed to move away from everything he knows so I can be closer to my family. So if his stipulation is England, then England it is.

I haven't been impressed with Thornbury the last few times I've been there to collect DH from work. If you are looking north of Bristol then look at Yate or Chipping Sudbury (the two places run into each other but have very different looks).

Chepstow is lovely! Not far at all to Cardiff from there. London is such a trek from there though.

Keynsham. Good train links, close to Bristol and Bath

Lower Almondsbury just North of Bristol is lovely. Several other nice villages between Bristol and Thornbury either side of the A38 too.

@MrsMoastyToasty

I haven't been impressed with Thornbury the last few times I've been there to collect DH from work. If you are looking north of Bristol then look at Yate or Chipping Sudbury (the two places run into each other but have very different looks).

Blimey! I am not going to take offence because I have no particular loyalty to Thornbury (in answer to your question OP, we have been happy enough in Thornbury, it does tick all the boxes I originally chose it for, but the older I get, the more I want to live in places with which I have a deep spiritual connection - I know, I know, that sounds a bit woo! - so we will be looking to move fairly soon, but that is not because Thornbury isn't a nice place to live).

Anyway, back to @MrsMoastyToasty, I would love to know what you think Yate has over Thornbury? Chipping Sodbury is quite nice, but Yate itself?

I live Bristol (and am from hertfordshire!). I’ve lived all over the city and know it well so am happy to be more specific about my own area and schools etc via PM if that helps!

Saltford is lovely, it’s a village halfway between bath and bristol with lovely schools. Wick is nice too, a really nice little village. If you’d prefer more of a town, there’s keynesham or thornbury. In bristol itself, hanham, downend or staple hill are all nice and family friendly. Fishponds is also nice.

I just had a feeling that Thornbury is dying on its feet. I went to an event in the main hall at the leisure centre and it looked like it needed refurbishment. I also visited the shops on a Saturday before Christmas and the place was dead. I've eaten out in Thornbury at a weekend and been the only booking in the restaurant.
Yate seems more vibrant, has a variety of housing, a range of shops and a railway station.
Personally I wouldn't live anywhere along the A38 to the north of Bristol. If the motorways close then everything diverts onto it. I have relatives who live between Almondsbury and Thornbury. They have lorries thundering past all the time (m&s have a warehouse in Thornbury).
Keynsham is also good. It's close toboth Bristol and Bath with good transport links. Two good secondary schools and several primary schools (2 are newly opened). I made my home here 20 years ago and I have no plans to leave.

Fair point about the quietness of Thornbury. That is what we liked about it though! Also, with a lot of new housing, one can only dream that maybe one day the town centre and amenities will pick up accordingly. It is already much better than It was when we moved here in terms of cafes and restaurants.

FWIW, Thornbury shops are always quiet on a Saturday afternoon. Everyone is out and about in the morning, and then I imagine they de-camp to Cribbs or Bristol city centre in the afternoon. 4 times a year there is a fabulous farmers market on a Saturday morning too which is very popular. Not trying to put Yate down (but everyone local does!) but I would say Thornbury has a more established community feel to it, especially when it comes to its annual traditions, carnival, Christmas, etc. Yate seems more of a satellite town. Very new, busy, yes, but the shopping centre is a bit grim. You would have to go to Chipping Sodbury to get the deep rooted community feel you get in Thornbury.

I also wouldn't live on the A38. Thornbury is, thankfully, bypassed by it.

I've just watched a horrific video about institutional racism in the police force in North Somerset. With a black husband and mixed race kids who have never experienced any overt racism where we currently live, this scares me. So where would be most diverse? Still needs to be no more than an hour or so from cardiff.

We have just bought in Nailsea. Train to Bristol are easy, easy to get to wales (where my family is from). My partner wont move to wales either no idea why as its lovely! Nailsea is near to Bristol and Clevedon too.

OP, how did you get on with the move? I was about to start a thread but realised my criteria is pretty much the same as yours! I've been looking at a lot of the places mentioned here - apologies for hijacking but does anyone know about secondary schools in Thornbury/Severn Beach/Nailsea?