Bristol or Brighton?

[HurryUpHarriet]

We're currently in South London but keen to move before DCs (hopefully) come along. DH might have a v.good job opportunity coming up in Bristol. We're also considering a move to Brighton (DH would have to commute to London if he stays in the same job).

Can anyone shed any light on the relative merits and drawbacks of both places, preferably in comparison to each other? I've got a bit of a list of Pros and Cons gleaned mainly from the internet, and it would be great to get some first-hand perspectives.

It's better to live closer to your dp's work- more family time.

Brighton much more touristy and crowded most of the year? Bristol more residential and better for shopping imo. Further from London than Brighton (twice as, if by train) if that's an important point. Personally, prefer residential architecture in Bristol to (samey) Brighton. Looking forward to see what other posters say too.

I have lived in Brighton and worked in Bristol. For me, Brighton would win hands down every time.

I live in Brighton and love it but I will say that most of the people I know who commute have grown to hate the travelling even though they got a cheaper house here than London.

Crisp - please explain why, as I'm also interested in first-hand knowledge.

Thanks for the speedy responses! DH wouldn't be attempting to commute from Bristol to London so we'd only be moving there if this job opp materialises.

I've heard bad things about the Brighton to London commute though, which is on the 'Cons' list for moving there.

Ooh yes please explain Crisp

noddyholder - yep, I've heard the commute gets pretty soul-destroying after a while...

welll, as for travel time - I meant if you will be going to London to see relatives/friends a lot, I understood about H working in Bristol not commuting daily.

I know a few people who have said they wouldn't do it again but as they are settled in schools etc they are staying. They love living here though. Dp and I decided early on to just make our whole life here but I understand that is not always possible. Would there be any chance of him working here eventually?

Oh crikey - many reasons, although overall it would be the 'vibe' of the town. Brighton has an amazing vibe to it and i found very friendly and has countryside (and the sea) all close to hand. I worked in Bristol for a number of years and it never 'got me' (or maybe i didn't get it?) and never ever desired to live there at all.

I agree with Noddy though that the commute to London is a drag, unless you are working very close to somewhere like London Bridge.

With DC, there are probably more things to do in/around Bristol, but i still wouldn't live actually in the city - we live about 30 miles away and i had a 45 minute (door to door) commute in.

I do know lots of people who love Bristol though and there are a fair few threads on here with people extolling its virtues - i guess I like a smaller place and find Bristol rather sprawling. Brighton is quite compact as sandwiched between the downs and the sea.

My family is in South London area and it takes about 1.75-2hrs to visit, so it is pretty do-able from the West

I do like Bristol vibe - though not the actual centre which is full of offices - though useful for shops too! I like the nice areas (clifton, redland, westrbury park) - I think it's chilled out and mildly bohemian, whereas Brighton to me is too full on touristy and too much emphasis on the sea/very loud seagulls! The country around Bristol is great too, I think they are both good for that.

agree though that Brighton seaside itself is nicer.

also agree that Brighton has a jolly atmosphere of a holiday place, but to me personally I wouldn't wantthat on everyday basis. The streets are narrow which is charming when visiting, but crowds would get on my nerves if I lived there - you can't stick to a suburb as nothing there. In bristol you can avoid the centre pretty much and have all you need off-centre (it's full of charming small shops/restaurants), and nice green spaces/station nearby.

I think it depends on areas in Brighton. There are 'suburbs' of sorts like 7 dials and fiveways etc that are villagey and bohemian with little emphasis on the typical tourist element.

LOL Noddy - I lived near fiveways and then seven dials . Also out towards Hove Park has a feeling a million miles away from central brighton. Most tourists don't go outside of about a mile from the centre. Hove beach was generally very quiet.

Wow - loads of great responses here!

passionsrunhigh - re train to London, my mistake, apologies - I read your reply too quickly and misunderstood. We've no relatives in London and a lot of our friends are also joining the out-of-town exodus, so proximity is less important that it would have been a few years back, but one of the attractions of Brighton is that it's easy to do a day-trip to London for cultural pursuits etc.

noddyholder - DH works in a very niche bit of the insurance industry, so unfortunately it's very unlikely something suitable would crop up for him in Brighton. One of the things that puts me off Brighton is the shortage of "big" employers and decent jobs (looks like American Express and Legal & General are pretty much the only games in town?). I on the other hand am not so high-powered and wouldn't try to "do" the commute.

Crisp - that's really interesting, thank you for the contrast. Brighton's compactness counts as another 'Con' to me as I like a proper city (grew up in Manchester) and once you've got past the Lanes and the seafront, there doesn't seem to be much more 'substance' to it, IYKWIM? Although this view is only based on spending weekends there and not really exploring the 'outer reaches'.

Seven Dials and Fiveways sound promising as I like "villagey", but one of the attractions of Bristol is that it does "villagey" and also "urban" in a way that Brighton just seems too small to carry off.

I worked near Gatwick where there are a fair few large employers (although not much Finance stuff IIRC) and that commute was fine c.30 mins.

If you don't like compactness, then yes, you may get a little 'suffocated' in Brighton. I loved the fact that from Hove I could walk into the centre of town and to the beach etc and 5 mins to countryside.

Where i am now the train into Paddington is 1 1/2hrs so cultural stuff is 'doable', although not if you want a late train

I have lived all over Brighton and Hove and love it. I was bought up in London but found the size and ease of Brighton great and really manageable, the sea a wonderful thing to have on your doorstep, as are the South Downs - and as someone said, there's so many great pockets which have their own community

The traffic in Bristol is dreadful. You always need to add about 30 minutes to the time you'd expect a journey to take.

Schools are also a problem. There weren't enough places for all the Reception children this year, so I can forsee problems in years to come at secondary too. In order to get into a highly regarded school you need to be living next door.

You can do a daytrip to London easily from Bristol (1.45 train plus if you connect to suburbs can be 2h10min, or quicker if you aer near Parkway. Not good for theatre but there is good theatre in Bath, but for daytime stuff fine as trains are comfortable and go into Paddington which connects well.
It's exactly what I like - Bristol has edgy urban areas (great graffitti!) AND villagey.

nothing has as many layers as London though! I still think you'd feel some limitations in Bristol even. But it dependss what your priorities are.

I lived in Brighton for years and I am sorry Brightonians but was glad to leave. I love the city but prefer to visit only. It has a great party vibe, character and fabulous shops but the best way to describe it is like having a party on your doorstep continuously. Fab on your 20's but would not want to bring up a family there. The one and only time I have witnessed drug dealing and heroin use on the street and that was on many occasions.

Having said that I don't know Bristol that well but do live within an hours drive. It's a great part of the country but be warned if you are used to living in London that life is slower and not so 'on hand'. There are some great places around Bristol (like bath) that would be lovely as a base. Can't comment on the commute though. Bristol has a good vibe and there is a lot of money coming in, so I think it has a bright future.

Both though are places I would happily live, you've got a hard choice there!

Blimey that is not the Brighton I recognise at all. Very family orientated and the party side is tourists and students it impacts nothing on my life at all!

I lived in the centre, Russell and Regency square. It's probably less visible if you live further out... I know that it happens everywhere but I did get tired of it and it's one of the reasons why I left.