Are people from Cheltenham really unfriendly??

[ProjectGainsborough]

No, am not aiming for a flaming from locals, honest!

To explain, we are relocating back to the UK from abroad and trying to work out where to live. My ideal city is Bath, but it's a bit far away from family in Oxfordshire/Midlands.

On paper, Cheltenham looks like a great compromise - lovely architecture, great schools, cosmopolitan etc., but I don't know it at all. And I've come across a few sites online which suggest the local character is a bit unfriendly. Obviously we'll need to do some exploring of our own and rent for a bit when we do get back to England, but in the meantime, what are people's experiences of Cheltenham? Good? Bad?

I think it's a bit 'prim and proper' from what I've seen on visits, and what i read about it. But this might be changing as it's becoming more multicultural slowly, and some traditional types are actuaally complaining about nightlife getting unpleasant, and moving out. I also considered it for moving out of London, but decided that it's just too small/not much character, as in not much entertainment, everything very high street as well as far as shopping and cafes go - and not a huge choice. It's probably good with for families small children though. But I wouldn't mind to be proved wrong, as property is reasonably good value. Oh, one thing i do dislike is the SLOWEST train from london (halfway).

I go to Cheltenham every six months or so for shopping purposes. Shop assistants (and other shoppers!) can be snooty and rather full of themselves but couldn't comment on what it's like to live there.
But lovely bars and shops and close to gorgeous countryside so plenty of positives too!

I live in Cheltenham. I'm friendly.

We've lived here for 8 years and I really like it. I've never found it snooty or unfriendly. But then, I was in London before then, where looking at someone on the tube makes you a lunatic.

I moved here 5 years ago and I don't like it. It is just a normal town really (albeit pretty) but it is very parochial, lots of small minded and petty racist attitudes.

The Cheltenham locals think it is wonderful (my DP is a Cheltenham person and he thinks it is the bee's knees).

To me it is the worst of both worlds - not small enough to have a community feel, but not large enough to have a real city vibe. It is quite near to everywhere - is easy to get to Birmingmam, Oxford, London, Bristol etc, but it is miles away from the nearest coastline. The Cotswolds are dull.

As soon as dd finishes school I am off.

That said, I lived in Cheltenham for 3 years, in Gloucester for 2.

Gloucester is a real shithole, but at least it knows it

I've just moved away from Cheltenham having lived there for 5 years, and was sorry to leave. I made good friends there, never met anyone who wasn't friendly, and it is a very nice place to have children in, lots of lovely parks and plenty to do, always some festival or other on. Never met anyone snooty (obviously not hanging out in the right places!). I think almost everyone I met didn't originally cone from Cheltenham, so there was always openness to meeting new people.

Thanks all for the responses. Was a bit scared only angry locals would reply, waving pitchforks.

So a mixed bag, then. EvilTwins - yy to London Tube. When I first lived in London, I made the mistake of attempting conversation with the person next to me on the tube platform. Didn't do that again in a hurry.

And Get0rf - another yy to the dullness of the Cotswolds. DH family all live rurally and as far as I can see there's nothing at all to do apart from eat Sunday lunch and visit fucking Daylesford.

Oi GetOrf, I was born and raised in that shithole...but you're not wrong! (tries to think of good things...oh yeah, rugby and...no, that's it)

I've never liked Cheltenham. Some of it is local rivalry, people from Glos tend not to get on with people from Chelt. But a lot is how GetOrf says, I too found it very racist and small-minded. It is a good place to get away from IYSWIM, major motorway to the mids, and A40 to Oxford but I wouldn't want to live there.

Saying that though I live in Bicester at the mo and seriously hate it (3 more years and I'm outta here).

I have a sibling that lives just outside Cirencester and loves it there. Good transport links etc (although she hates the Secondary school so if you have kids I'd be wary).

Umm Worcestershire? Good links to both areas again and some nice villages.

My brother's family moved to Cheltenham from London. His partner and her older children were mixed race and I've never heard them complain about racism although their eldest did stand out a bit - I remember seeing her very large school photo and being amazed that she really was the only blank child there. I think it's a nice town, and was on our list of potential places to live before we moved overseas instead. I also think the Cotswolds are lovely.

I'm a Cheltonian but have lived elsewhere but always come back...it's fab. We were walking round the German Market on Sunday marvelling how lucky we are to live here. It's a great town (depending on where you live) with lovely bohemian areas.

My nieces are mixed race and have never come across any racism though there are pockets of twats everywhere you go

Ooh, mrslb where would you say was bohemian, then, please?

Wotton under Edge is a nice compromise - smaller place but I would say 'up and coming!' It is very pretty and excellent schools. It is close enough to Bristol and Cheltenham to go shopping easily but far enough away to feel you are in the country.

I have friends in Cheltenham who do like it but it is v v expensive and you don't get a lot for your money housing wise.

Car boot at race course is the only thing the place as got going for it!! Cheltenham is a bit "up it's self" IMO

Mrslady, yes, where ARE the bohemian areas? It's exactly lack of those that put me off on visits, but I don't know the place.

I can't think of any bohemian areas, tbh. There are really nice shops in Montpellier - but I wouldn't call them boho, rather they are just high end nice shops.

Lots of very nice restaurants and gastropub type places, that is one good thing.

I did laugh at fucking Daylesford! I started a rant thread in the summer after spending an afternoon at bastarding Painswick.

Cheltenham also very expensive housing. Schools a bit hit and miss and hideously strict catchments - there is a brilliant grammar, 2 very good comps, another good selective school in a suburb, and 2 schools which you wouldn't send your cat to. Gloucester is a lot, lot cheaper but it is a bit grim, and has the 11+, which is great if you have a bright child, but crap if you don't.

Trying to think of somewhere with easy access to Birmingham. Depends what you want - Worcester is quite nice, as are Malvern and Pershore, but tbh I would just prefer to live in Birmingham (much prefer to live in a city than a town).

Wotton under edge looks lovely. Not sure if is a bit far, though. If nothing else, is nice to look at lovely leafy England via rightmove.

One of the things that attracted me to Cheltenham is the schools, which are so much better than the (state) schools in Oxfordshire - DH's preferred location. But yes, am learning that catchments are tiny and by the time my DS gets there will no doubt be even tinier. Still, he is only 2, so I have plenty of time to cling to the belief that the person sitting next to me watching Dumbo with his mouth open will pass the 11+.

Can't live in B'ham. Too close to family IYSWIM.

Still ... gastropubs...

Have a look around Ciren. Farmors School in Fairford is outstanding. Good links to M4 and M5, and to the Midlands via the Fosse Way.

We almost moved to Chelts and stopped ourselves at the last minute. Even trying to buy a house made us think it was uber snooty - one estate agent was so rude to me that we didn't up out offer - daft mistake for them as we were prepared to pay more than the property went for.

Have you considered Warwickshire? Is close (but not too close) to Brum. Has lovely countryside (but nice towns to shop in). Nice and close to motorway network, 1 1/2 hours to London on the train.

Has grammar schools and wide range of types of primary from tiny village to large town.

I may be slightly biased...

Interesting you suggest Cirencester. Found an old thread on here with people raving about how lovely it is. I shall investigate.

Going to have to show DH this thread, I think, because there is a bit of a majority view.

Objectively, I do love Warwickshire and some very close friends of ours are thinking of moving there too. What puts me off is the proximity to B'ham in a kind of I won't go back there, you can't make meeee sort of way. Which is ridiculous, because as you say, MrsDM, it isn't that close.

Easy to get to Oxford from Ciren - straight up the Fosse Way and then join the A40.

I think Ciren benefits from serving a large rural population i.e. small markets town but with new leisure centre, 2 secondary schools, 3 supermarkets (fab waitrose ;-)), multiple primary schools etc.

I was raised in Gloucestershire a few miles from the city and got out as soon as I could. Yes the only good thing is the rugby!

Cheltenham is ok for a visit but for the price of the houses I would go for Cirencester, Worcester, Evesham or Chepstow over it.

I don't know if you want city / rural but we live in Ross on wye and it's lovely! 1hr to Birmingham (we have family there too!) and just over an hour to Oxfordshire.
30 mins to Glos / Chelt / Hereford for decent shops and great school here (there's only one and it's fab so no faffing about with applications or catchment areas).
It's a little like the land that time forgot, but in a good way, quiet, friendly and very safe.

We used to have family near Hay on wye, if that's similar (forgive me if I am being a geographical ignoramous) which was lovely to visit but maybe a bit rural for me.

Fond memories of Hereford though. Got my engagement ring made there.

Cheltenham is all fur coat and no knickers. Agree about Gloucester and I might add Bristol to that too.