Relocating to the Cotswolds

[marriedyounglawyermum]

Hi Mumsnet - really hoping for some guidance and tips on relocating to the Cotswolds (or nearby...) from London.

Me (29 f) and my husband (32 m) are looking to move with our toddler (currently 18mo) from London to the Cotswolds to be closer to family. We are really struggling to narrow it down and identify a place that would suit us.

My in laws live in a village between Stroud and Cheltenham so we would ideally like to be 30-45 mins away from them (up to an hour for the right place).

We are both lawyers and need access to London still - at the moment we have mostly remote roles which will allow us to commute just one day a week but we don't want to cut ourselves off from needing to commute more frequently down the line if necessary.

We would love to move somewhere with a real sense of community - lots of families, amenities, coffee shops, mum/baby groups etc within walking distance, so ideally a small market town.

Schools are very important (primary and secondary) - no preference of grammar vs state but would be nice to have options.

We have a budget of c. £750k for a property.

We have so far dismissed Cheltenham (too cut off from London / too big / not able to get much for your money) and Cirencester (doesn't seem to have the same pull for families and not a fan of all the housing stock being on estates on the outskirts of the town) - although if our impressions here are wrong please correct me!

So far we have visited Fairford and really like the vibe, sense of community, good schools, but I worry it is a little bit small for us (also worry that your main "big" town is Swindon and we don't really want that to be somewhere we end up spending a lot of time...). So perhaps somewhere more Oxford or Bath way would be better? (Appreciate Bath isn't the Cotswolds but if the location fits our brief we are fine with that).

Any and all suggestions and insight very welcome!

Thank you so much in advance.

Malmesbury? Trains to Paddington are just over an hour. Also not too far from Bristol or Bath. Don't know about schools though.

How about Faringdon? Good schools and community feel. Unsure about commute to London.

We live just off the top edge of the Cotswolds, and I think that if you both need to be in London a day a week each and want the flexibility for it to be more, you have to start by looking at the train lines, parking at the stations, and what your alternative would be in case of a line closure/ works. We live in a small market town, Pershore, which we chose for the amenities, ability to walk everywhere - but the deciding factor was a direct line to Paddington with alternatives of driving over to Warwick Parkway to the Chiltern line, or Birmingham International for Euston. Our station only has 20 spaces in the car park (ok for the 5am train) as do a couple of other stations on that line, but Worcestershire Parkway which also goes to Birmingham has plenty and is only a couple of minutes more driving.
As dh is in London a couple of days a week and has things like mediations booked, its important to us to have alternatives that doesn't mean him driving to Reading at oh god o'clock.
I agree Cheltenham is pricey, but theres a lot of school choice there inc state grammar and private so it does push the price up, but Cirencester is lovely and lawyer friends of ours who have a toddler live there and really like it. Bishops Cleeve is just outside Cheltenham and cheaper. Its growing/ has grown fast, but is getting more amenities like the David Lloyd thats just been approved.

Thanks - it's on our list to visit but, without having been, our concerns are 1) the primary school doesn't have a great reputation and 2) its proximity to Swindon and whether that may end up becoming our main town...

How do you commute to London from there, is it Kemble? It looks like that's only 15 minutes or so which would be doable. We've not been to Malmesbury so will add it to our list to visit - I've heard the secondary school there in particular is excellent which definitely appeals. It does look a little more isolated in terms of being connected to any larger towns/cities, where would you go if you need those amenities, would it be Swindon?

This is good advice re looking at train stations and connections to London as a starting point, thank you. Pershore/Evesham way is lovely but a bit far North West for us. I'm reassured to hear you have friends with a toddler living in Cirencester who are enjoying it, maybe we shouldn't rule it out / bodes well for the surrounding villages too...

Chippenham and surrounding villages? Trains to Paddington, close to the M4 and A429, very good schools, lots going on and close to Bath and striking distance of Bristol.

Dursley is nice and has a train station.

@marriedyounglawyermum Malmesbury is just over half an hour to Swindon, trains an hour from Swindon to Paddington, or slightly less drive to Chippenham and an hour and a quarter to Paddington. Malmesbury is a nice market town, lots of independent shops and good schools, lot of things going on in the community, had a friend lived there till recently. I'd shop in Bristol or Bath, similar distance 30-40 mins from Malmesbury. Or Swindon Outlet.

Why not Stroud? It has good rail links and a great farmers market and my DCs three friends (all couples with babies) have moved there and they absolutely love it!

Or Nailsworth for the same reasons above.

Swindon won’t become your main town because there’s really not much to draw you there.
Have you looked south of the M4? Marlborough, Royal Wootton Bassett, Devizes, Malmesbury, Brinkworth, Minety, Cricklade…. All nice.

The trains don't go to London though.

We made the move several years ago.

Start with the train stations. Beyond Kemble the line is very slow so I wouldn’t look at Stroud. Kemble is good but post Covid is only one train per hour which is quite doable for once per week but you can end up hanging around Paddington waiting for the train. Swindon and Chippenham have regular fast trains but then you are further away from family and potentially have a longer drive through town at rush hour. I mix it up between Kemble and Swindon.

None of the market towns are ever going to have as much going by on within walking distance as say Clapham, Richmond etc. so you have to be a little realistic. That said, Cirencester, Tetbury and Malmsebury all have plenty of things going on for young families. As do many of the villages which have good primary schools. Look which villages have well regarded schools (Ashton Keynes, Kemble, Oaksey, Sapperton all good). Also you will have to get used to driving more but driving is so much easier than London and parking is rarely a problem so not stressful. Personally if you are looking to move out of London I would choose a village over a town as it’s more rural.

Swindon is horrible but does have some decent shops. Also Cheltenham, Bath and Bristol are all around an hour away if you need larger shops.

Feel free to DM me if you have questions. Good luck.

You need to be in Bath, 100%. It ticks all your boxes.

It’s a bit further from Stroud and Cheltenham (more like an hour), but Charlbury near Oxford might be worth a look? It’s a really pretty, small market town with train links to London, strong community, good school options in the town/nearby for secondary, lovely places to eat etc. We almost moved there recently but ended up the other side of Oxford for various reasons around work and family, but I would’ve happily chosen there otherwise!

Stroud is only 90 mins into Paddington and has some really good schools with the option of grammars if you want. Some of the surrounding villages are really beautiful and amazing views from the commons. If you've never been there you should definitely go and look before ruling it out.
I'd suggest Randwick for lovely village vibes and a good primary school but there are many other pretty villages too near to Stroud.

Bath- or if you want a large village outside Bath try Marshfield. But many lovely smaller villages between Bath and Chippenham. Chippenham station to Paddington now an hour on the electrified line and always lots and lots of parking. (Chippenham itself is very mixed).

Swindon won't become your main town if you don't want it to.... We live in the area and go to Witney and Cirencester or Oxford for a bigger day trip, very rarely go to Swindon. The train from Swindon to Paddington is fine though, and there is another line that goes through moreton in marsh so round there may be an option too?

I know someone who is a search agent and her speciality is the Cotswolds. I could put you in touch with her if you'd like? She is amazing!

We did this move around 9 years ago
and actually live in Fairford, which we absolutely love. Our main “big town” is Cirencester and sometimes Cheltenham. Swindon has really good train links (hubby works part time in London).
Happy to answer any questions about the area - feel free to free to DM.

I suggest looking in the towns and villages along the main road north of Cirencester up to Moreton-in-Marsh too, as they are in catchment for the Cotswold School in Bourton-on-the-Water. For trains to London, depending on how far north you are there's Kemble, Moreton or Kingham.

Nailsworth! Lovely, vibrant town and not far from Stroud or Kemble for trains to London and 45mins from Bristol/Bath. Cycle path to walk/cycle into Stroud, down the valley from the Common where the cows roam free. Lots of bakeries, coffee shops and restaurants

Have you considered Ledbury? Probably just within your desired distance, train station with trains that run straight to London (and some with a change) big community feel, great schools, Malvern, Worcester, Hereford, Gloucester all no more than 30 mins away. Mix of period and newer houses and lots being built too.

You are mad to discount Stroud, Cheltenham and Cirencester. The schools here are top notch, lots of choice. It's all very well moving to a village but the train service is branch line and you will always be in the car. Children grow up very quickly ( trust me!) and they will hate being remote during teenage years.

I love Nailsworth but wonder if there would be enough to do. We are retired be looking for an active community with cultural things going on.