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Original poster

Calling anyone who knows BRISTOL

141 replies

Lonelymum · 26/01/2005 18:44

Fill me in on the place. Dh has just been offered a job and we are moving to Bristol, but we have to decide some things very quickly. Dh has to start job in a fortnight and I would like to just pick up the kids and go with him. Work will rent us a house for 6 months so we have time to buy later but still need to know which areas to look at.

A lot of our decision is based on schools. From what we can tell on the internet, good schools are The Castle Thornbury, Marlwood, Cotham and The Ridings. We also don't really want to live in the centre of Bristol but in a smaller community to the north or west. Can anyone advise please? Nice areas? Not nice areas? We are going to look at the weekend. Where would you suggest we looked?

OP posts:
tamum · 30/01/2005 17:54

I have no idea what it would be like to live in but is it worth considering Clevedon? Clost to the bridge and quite nice views over the estuary. Gordano used to be a reasonable school, no idea what it's like now though.

Original poster
Lonelymum · 30/01/2005 19:07

littlerach, I know that area quite well as I was a student in Bath and went on lots of school visits in that area. It is nice, but a bit too far from South Wales for us.
Tamum, we are considering Clevedon.

OP posts:
Yurtgirl · 30/01/2005 19:24

Message withdrawn

Original poster
Lonelymum · 30/01/2005 19:33

Thanks Yurtgirl, been doing that all afternoon and it has yielded a few houses but nothing to really raise the pulse. Still, I suppose these things take time and, as you want a house with more bedrooms, it must get harder as there are fewer of them.

Yes our village is really quite special. God why didn't I realsie that until it was time to go?

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princesspeahead · 30/01/2005 19:59

www.primelocation.com/uk-property-for-sale/details/id/SACL90423/

nice house in long ashton

princesspeahead · 30/01/2005 20:08

And if you look for it on the savills website, and go to "more details", there are 6 internal photos.
very big rooms, big windows, lots of light.

don't know your budget, but seems like a bit of a bargain to me (for what you get).

Original poster
Lonelymum · 30/01/2005 20:41

Yes it looks lovely, but we would need them to drop the price by about £250,000!!!!!

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Original poster
Lonelymum · 30/01/2005 20:50

Budget is about £400,000 but will probably rise when we can't find anything we like. I shall check out your links but dh and I have been on rightmove all pm so we may have seen them all already.
Chipping Sodbury was one place that didn't inspire. The shopping street looks right but dh and I just couldn't find housing that wasn't a 3 bed semi. Also, Yate is a bit encroaching. We didn't really look properly though. Eg we checked estate agents windows , but didn't see anything and didn't go in because it was early in the day and we wanted to see other places. Later, we went into some estate agents in other areas and found that they simply don't show their bigger properties in the windows, I suppose because there aren't many people who want them.

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WestCountryLass · 30/01/2005 20:52

Ah, thats fair enough, you get a feel for a place and what feels right. If it makes you feel any better, we have sold our house and cannot find one we like enough to buy so are going to rent and we live in Bristol

Original poster
Lonelymum · 30/01/2005 20:56

Where did you want to move to?

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WestCountryLass · 30/01/2005 20:59

Bristol somewhere. Probably fairly near to where we are now so either St George, Hanham or Kingswood. If we had your budget we would be laughing!!!!

princesspeahead · 30/01/2005 21:24

ah.
sorry!

Original poster
Lonelymum · 31/01/2005 09:55

And if we had the budget princesspeahead thought we had, we would be laughing too. Isn't that just the way it is? Good luck Westcountrylass with the search. Perhaps we will meet up at a Mumsnet do one day?

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WestCountryLass · 31/01/2005 20:30

There is that and, mind, I am only looking for a 3 bed, not a 5 bed, so its all relative. We are going to rent as we canot find a house we like enough to buy and we hope when we are in FTBs position we will have more bargaining power. Thats the plan anyway!

Original poster
Lonelymum · 01/02/2005 12:16

We are renting too, or at least, dh's company are renting for us for six months. Might even meet you in an estate agents! I will be the hassled mother with four unruly children!

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WestCountryLass · 01/02/2005 21:42

Top tip, if you don't know the area, then there is a book called Titch Hikers To Bristol with all the different groups, activities and such like for kids in the area as well as places to eat that are child friendly etc. HTH

Original poster
Lonelymum · 02/02/2005 10:07

Thanks. Someone provided a link to it earlier I think. We thought we had found an area yesterday (Clevedon) but apparently the sec school there is failing so that is no good! Whata nightmare this is.

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tatt · 02/02/2005 13:29

don't know Bristol that well but I do know a bit about that area. Don't forget if you live near Bristol your husband is likely to have to pay to cross the bridge whenever he goes to work. That's expensive. Cardiff is further away but thriving and has cheap housing or you could look in the Chepstow/ Caerleon areas. They are quieter and might suit you. If you do venture into Wales your children might now have to study Welsh at school.

WestCountryLass · 02/02/2005 14:29

Bugger, just when you thought you had it sussed! What about Portishead then? It is really ncie there and I hear good reports there about the schools, two of my friends have moved there for the schools infact!

WestCountryLass · 02/02/2005 14:34

HTH

www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/131/131374.pdf

Original poster
Lonelymum · 02/02/2005 14:38

Yes WCL, we were reading the Ofsted reports only this morning. The Gordano school looks fantastic from the report. But then we checked the Portishead area for houses and hey, what a surprise, there was nothing in our price range! Dh and I are getting so worked up by this.

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WestCountryLass · 02/02/2005 14:46

Oh bugger! Well good luck, I have jsut seena hsoue I quite like in Portishead actually but it is too small for you

Original poster
Lonelymum · 02/02/2005 14:47

But OK for you?

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WestCountryLass · 02/02/2005 14:51

We will see what DH thinks...

Could you make do with a 4 bed to rent? If you click on the Barrington and Co link they ahve some 4-beds but no 5-beds:

www.ukpropertyshop.co.uk/s/Somerset/letting_agents_Portishead.shtml

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