Anyone from Cardiff - advice please!

[Amandella]

We are hoping to relocate to Cardiff later this year as dh has a job offer which he is seriously considering. However, we are REALLY stuck about this move for various reasons so please - any advice would be really gratefully received!!

1. dh currently earning a pretty good salary in London and we are finding it impossible to work out how the lower salary he's been offered in Cardiff really equates. We realise the cost of living is cheaper but anyone got a feel for how much a senior financial person might be expected to earn? He's been offered a package plus salary of around £60k.

1. We have two girls and have been offered places at Howell's School in Llandaff. Anyone know what reputation this school has??

1. We are looking at property - but are confused about the best family-type areas. Don't want to be without a garden so someone suggested Llandaff itself - we have a good budget but again, really want an area that is a bit greener than we are used to here!!

Sorry for all the questions but we are really desperate now. Everyone we've spoken to says Cardiff is a great place to live but I'm petrified as we know no-one and my dd (aged 9) is also really scared about leaving London.

Thanks a lot

No longer in Cardiff but can help a bit.

1. It's a GDST and has a good reputation. Wouldn't have been my first choice but not for reasons relating to academic standards or facilities.

1. Have you thought about Lisvane? You won't find very big gardens more centrally. If you can stand the commute Radyr, Cowbridge and St Fagans are all good bets (But tend to be pricey because the state schools are excellent).

Cardiff is amazing, we'd move back in a flash.

I can;t help much either but I went to Uni at Cardiff and now live in London and I'd also move back there like a flash if my family weren't all here now. Easy to get back to London for visits . IN my younger days Howells had a good academic reputation and I would have gone there if my parents had the money.

I'm in finance and depends how senior "senior" is. Surely it would depend mostly on your property costs and travel costs as I can;t think that much else in living costs will be that much cheaper (probably clubbing and eating out but not enough to impact). So work out how much your mortgage costs might reduce by and commute costs might reduce by and thats roughly how much less the salary should be.

I live in Cardiff (Rhiwbina). I think Califrau used to so maybe try her...

I think Howells has a great reputation. It is in Llandaff which is a lovely area to live in, quite green, good for families (home of Cathedral and BBC, lovely row of village shops, nice properties with reasonable size gardens, easy access to M4, good bus and train links into town). Town is about 4 miles away.

I'm a SAHM and my husband works in IT, so can't really help you with world of finance salary - but 60K sounds like a lot of money to me!

North Cardiff generally nice (Rhiwbina, Llanishen, Lisvane), good for families and quite green. And good schools. Radyr and Llandaff nice. Penarth (a little further out but by the sea). St Fagans lovely (home of folk museum but not quite so central. Cowbridge too but much further from the city (12 miles or so?)

Post or email [email protected] if I can be of any further help. Do you want me to suggest estate agents so you could get an idea of property prices?

I've been here fifteen years and have always enjoyed it. It is a growing city which seems to offer something for everyone. Loads of people stay on after university, which I think is always a good sign.

Hope it all works out for here.

I live in North Cardiff so will try and help you....

£60k sounds about right for a senior finance position in Caridff. Mortgage will obv be lot lower....

Howells school has very good reputation, my friends little girl goes there and she is very happy with it... Have you thought about the cathedral school?

Would suggest rhiwbina, Heath, landaff, pontcanna as places to live ... or further out Penarth, Cowbridge or st fagans

Howells has a good reputation. We live near this schol and all the girls we come across on the way to school seem to be well behaved.
Yes LLandaff is a lovely place to live in. There are some nice houses on pencisley road but it is a bit noisy.
We live near victoria park.

Thanks everyone so much for your responses! Certainly given me lots to think about.

Can I also ask - what is Thornhill like? I have looked at some estate agents' websites and there seem to be a fair amount of large-ish houses there. I don't think we have a huge budget (one of the things about making this move is that we want to radically reduce our hideous mortgage payments!!). I guess our budget is around £350k - maybe a little more. I'm wondering whether this is enough to get us a reasonable sized property with a garden in a nice area?! We don't want much eh?!?

Thanks again.....ChocolateGirl - if you can recommend estate agents that would be great -I may well be in touch by email with more questions in due course if that's OK!? Thanks again.

I went to Howells and loved it. Thornhill is a bit far for your girls to travel to school. I'd really recommend Pontcanna - they can walk to school, its near the city and has lovely rambling fields and trails. There are also some lovely bistros nearby. For 350k, you can get a house with garden in Pontcanna, but not a mansion.

Howells is a great school and I am very keen for my girl to go when the time comes. I'm having to sell the 'pinkness' of the uniform presently, as when she realises there are no boys, she's bound to rebel!

On a more serious note, we live in Rhiwbina and love it. There are some larger houses but you don't tend to get much for your money. I would say the same of Llandaff, which alongside Rhiwbina has a really villagy feel. A bigger selection of larger properties in Whitchurch, Lisvane and Cyncoed.

Thornhill is a sprawling mid 80's to present day estate. You will get more for your money there but at the expense of a community feeling.

I came back from Paris to live in Cardiff and would recommend it without hesitation.

Cant help with how much your dh should be earning sorry.

Howells has a fairly good reputation (but Charlotte Church went there ) is it specifically private you wanted to go. Cardiff High School has an excellent reputation but would not be in catchment for Llandaff or Lisvane.

Lisvane is lovely, very nice area (close to me actually) lots of green areas, nice country pubs, a lovely church and an excellent primary school.
Llandaff/Pontcanna very nice area, but very cosmopolitan more suited to affluent couples than families I think with cafes/bistros/boutiques etc.
Cyncoed is probably one the best areas and is catchment for Cardiff High too, great primary too Rhydypennau Primary.

HTH

I live in Thornhill and would definately say we have a community feel (think it depends what part of thornhill you live in). Lots of nice detached houses for £300k, sorry you wont get much in Cyncoed for that they are around the £500-600k mark.
On the downside the primary school is not great and the high school same (dd is in catholic education so no matter) you would have to go private if you chose Thornhill/Lisvane

My links have never worked (!) but let's have a go:

www.mansells.net

www.morganlloydwilliams.co.uk

These are the two main estate agents in Rhiwbina.

Thornhill is nice if you want a more modern property. But there is no village, it is really just a massive housing estate and a Sainsbury's and a primary school.

If you see anything you like on these websites, let me know and I'll tell you what sort of road it's in, whether I'd live there, etc... if that's any help. £350k should buy you a nice house in Rhiwbina, if 3-bed semi (maybe with loft conversion to make it 4-bed/or conservatory/extension) with reasonable size garden, within walking distance of school/shops/train etc. is what you're after.

Sorry, just re-read last post and want to revise: "massive housing estate" is not the best description of Thornhill. It implies it's not nice whereas Thornhill is actually very nice. It's more lots of little cul-de-sacs of modern houses, nice houses with nice gardens, and mainly cul-de-sacs off a main(ish) road - so not rabbit-warren-ish at all.

Hope that paints a clearer picture.

I'm just back from a visit to Cardiff this weekend. We loved Llandaff (well, the bit up by the Cathedral was gorgeous but out of our range!). We didn't get to all the areas but we really liked Rhiwbana and Cyncoed. Also Pontcanna very nice but didn't strike us as a families place. We looked at a house in Pontprennau which was lovely but I feel that it would be too far a journey to get to school in Llandaff? Anyone think that's right??
Thornhill also very nice but again too far too commute to the school?

Does anyone know Waungron Road in Llandaff area off Pwllmelin Road? It seems to be in between Llandaff and Fairwater - just wondering what that area is like. Lots of big houses from recollection but I'm not sure it is a family area? Would love to be surrounded by other families with kids!

Also, what is Radyr like?
Thanks a lot

If you liked Llandaff, you'll love Radyr! The main street is quite similar... a little bit further to get to school but should be ok. Not sure about prices, the houses on the long main street are big and would be pricey but there are other options. Lots of families. Small village centre with a church, Spar-type shop, maybe a dry cleaners and a greengrocer (will drive thru and have a check, also to remind myself of estate agent's name). Nice Garden centre in Morganstown (which is tacked on to the far end of Radyr). Tennis for kids. High school has good reputation.

Not so sure about Waungron Rd - will have a drive down there too.

Get back to you in a few days.

Thanks so much!! I really appreciate your help. Radyr sounds great - wish I'd made it up there now - however, will be planning another trip back shortly so it will definitely be on my list!!

i grew up in Penarth which is by the sea and not far from Cardiff, i knew lots of girls that went to Howells and there was (probably still is) a scholl bus which goes from Penarth to the school.

If you didn't want private then Stanwell School in Penarth is very good, but check catchment areas.

Penarth has a nice family feel to it with some very nice Big Victorian houses.

Its also not far from the bay

penarth house

bit more modern

Thank you Katz. We did visit Penarth and thought it was lovely but a bit worried about the commute to school for our youngest - she is only 3 and would join a year in September and she would be too young for the bus so I was thinking that somewhere a little closer would be a good idea in the first instance. Having said this, my dh was particularly taken with Penarth and it would be wonderful to be so close to the beach so I guess we have some thinking to do!!
Thanks again.