Relocation - help please - Need to find the right place to live, never been to Dorset!

[Changeofhorizon]

Hi,
Im moving home with my husband and son (7 years old). We're being evicted by a greedy landlord who wants to bump up the price of our home in London. My little boy is autistic and has been out of school for nearly 2 years (no schools could meet his needs in the area). So weve been looking far and wide and after consulting with loads of schools we have just a small handful of possibilities, one of which is in Chard (strong option), medium option in Dibden in Southampton, and other option is opposite side in Reading. We are seriously considering taking the jump and moving to the coast, Chard is the stronger school option - so towns/villages that are commutable that have come up in rent searches are: Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Beaminster and Bridport.

Ive never been to Dorset.. however I grew up in Wales near the coast and know what its like to live in quieter places. Im a nature lover (as are the other 2) so I will love being near the sea again and nature walks etc, but also community is important to us, having friends with similar outlooks (we are creative, have done alot of travelling, my husband is south American, Id love to still think we;d be connected to music, (be that sitting on the beach playing music with friends or being able to still see occasional live music - (one of my passions is also salsa which when I researched the area I only got a tomato salsa hahaha).. I can live without salsa for a few months at a time lol but just would like to know there are nice friendly people to connect with etc - a community that would be accepting of my autistic child (who is very obviously autistic in his stimming etc), I guess Im wondering will there be anything to do other than accessing nature? Are there towns that offer a bit of both worlds (ie.. some social aspects, creative/music, but still safe and welcoming? If so which towns are best (we're open to others not on the list)...

Also wondering how isolating does it really get in winter (Im the kind of person who is quite happy with a warm drink in a cafe watching the waves even if the weathers awful ) but I like to see people around etc...Are floods a serious problem? If so which areas?

For children - are the community accepting of children with special needs? Are there plenty of parks? things to do? My son is really active so loves long walks.. and I think he would love the beach deufinitely, the school in question is quite an adventurous curriculum so it will be quite exciting compared to what hes been used to here. But he also likes to do new things (mix it up) see new places etc.. he loves water splash parks, climbing, enjoys public transport (haha) I note trains/buses are defintiely not going to be as frequent though I do think he could handle that aspect in trade off for access to a beach.

Hoping to hear your thoughts and apologies for huge message. Also interested to hear thoughts on other areas around Dorset (even up to New forest ) if any ideas.. Thank you so much. xxxx (and we are planning a visit in next couple weeks)

@Sunblocker - don't forget the Hat Festival!

West Dorset is lovely, but commuting to Chard won't be - busy in summer, difficult in winter. If you're on back lanes, you've got high-sided banks either side, difficult to reverse back from a tractor. If you're on main roads, you can just be queuing.

East Dorset is more reasonable, though obviously there are still routes which get chokka.

Dibden is by the Forest, though probably not the bit most likely to get jammed up. I have a couple of friends who are very keen on Lepe and Calshot for the beach, though Southampton Water doesn't really do it for me. I liked living in Romsey when i worked in Southampton, but then you'd have to cross the M27.

There are some lovely villages round Reading, but it depends where you want to live. The routes from Caversham across the river - they feature frequently on the traffic news. I worked on the edge of Reading and I'd have added at least another 30 minutes if I'd needed to get to the centre.

Trains are definitely worth looking at. Reading is fast to London (plus you have the Elizabeth line now.) Well, Reading is fast to Paddington and very slow to Waterloo. New Forest and Southampton go up to Waterloo. Places like Yeovil go into Paddington, though it's many years since I've used that line. West Dorset itself is mostly a rail desert since the 1960s.

I live near Dibden. It is on the edge of the New Forest which is lovely plus you have towns and cities nearby and the sea so best of all worlds. I know the school you mention. My friend’s son has autism and the family is currently looking into this school.
Feel free to message me if you would like any info on this area.

Sorry, yes it's 3D I'm thinking about. If you're wanting to live somewhere friendly and welcoming then Somerset/Devon would get my vote over Lyme any day.

thank you so much everyone who wrote. Weve been rejected from the Lyme Regis school but still might be possible to get in to the dibden one.. x
Thank you for taking the time to write and help me learn about the pros and cons of the areas.