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.

@PloddingAlong21 I agree Cheltenham is a great place to live, but totally agree with you about the train service to London - arrrgh!!

I do think it ticks your bougee box and is not too far to Kemble for trains to london (1hr 15)

Tetbury is VERY twee.

If you were considering Charlbury then have you looked at villages on the outskirts of Banbury? Bloxham and Adderbury are lovely and around a 10 minute drive to Banbury station which is just over an hour on the train to London

We moved to a small village half way between Newbury and Wantage. Best decision. 15 min drive to either small market town but other small towns like Hungerford or Marlborough are close by too. I can drive to Westfield (often do so as do easy with little ones) as we are just off the m4 in under an hour, we both regularly get the train into London from either Didcot straight into Paddington in 40 min, or Newbury where I can change for the Elizabeth line at Reading and again takes under an hour. Didcot is £5 a day to park and v easy, Newbury is a little trickier for parking but not impossible once you get the hang of it.

Regularly visit the Cotswolds, takes about 30/40 mins, Oxford is 30 mins away, Bath is under an hour, Stroud around an hour away but nice easy route. Local schools are fantastic, many of which are

i wouldn’t worry about the reputation of secondary schools at this point, that will likely have changed within the 10 years before you need a secondary school. Also other people’s opinions of primary schools as with most things in life there’ll be some that are happy and some that aren’t. I say take a look around a primary school/pre school yourself and you’ll get your own feel.

if you are thinking of coming to the Cotswolds look in the winter. In the nicer villages and smaller towns there are very large numbers of second homes and it can feel like a wasteland in winter. Both Cotswold School and Chipping Camden School are very well regarded in the North. Moreton in the Marsh and Bourton on the Water are small towns with a lot of incomers so it is relatively easy to move in and be part of the community. Both have an medium sized supermarket and post office. Moreton has a bank. They might be on the small side for everything you want. Cirencester and Cheltenham have a lot going for them but commuting may be harder. Good luck, it’s a beautiful part of the world but think practically, supermarkets, surgeries, hospitals, schools as well as vibe. The vibe is seasonal unless you are really touristy and then it is overwhelming and you can’t get anywhere on Friday changeover day with the traffic.

It is a bit "alternative" and always has been even when I grew up there in the 70s.. However, not everything/everyone fits into that vibe. There's a lot going on that isn't necessarily "rainbow Welly brigade" as we used to call it and I think you will find some of the surrounding villages pretty boujee. If you haven't explored it for at least a few days you really should.
Look at Randwick ( bonus - it has a good village school and has definitely boujee vibes) - Painswick, Nailsworth and Woodchester. Maybe Whiteshill and Selsley. Even the smarter parts of Cashes Green - definitely quite basic in places but has an excellent primary school on the Foxmoor estate.

Good afternoon - I live in Northleach which is about 25 mins up the hill from Cheltenham, 40 mins from both Oxford and Stroud and 10-15 mins to Cirencester. We have a thriving community, wonderful and caring primary school and Church, the amazing Cotswold School is our catchment senior school. We've been super happy here for over 17 years and love the convenience for bigger centres like Cheltenham and Oxford within easy striking distance whilst still living in an amazing community in the countryside. Our son is at Uni of Bath and it only takes us just over an hour to drive there so that is easy too. Lots of folk commute into London once a week and normally will go from Kingham, Charlbury or even Oxford Parkway....all good options into London. Good luck with your search

I was going to suggest Nailsworth as well.

OP did you make the move and if so where did you opt for? It would be rather amusing if you had a complete change of mind and now live in Swindon.