Where would you choose - Cambridge, Bath, Bristol or Tun Wells?

[solomonrulesok]

Looking at different options to maybe move from where we currently are. I'm miserable here. Not quite sure why but combination of factors including provincial, conservative, dull, dull, dull. It's all very naice and safe for kids but I'm so bored I want to chop my arm off. I haven't really met any like mindedeople either but that could be down to the fact I'm a miserable fucker at the moment.
Anyway, looking at larger towns and cities that might work (also looking at moving back to London but that's another thread)
Cambridge - nearer to my parents. Commute to London just about doable part time for me and four days for DH. Possibility of me changing jobs as lots of jobs in my sector up there. Visited for a weekend and enjoyed it. Don't know anyone there at all. Expensive.
Bath - nearer to in laws. Enjoyed it on a visit. V pretty. Seems great for kids. But possibly a bit poncey? V expensive. Not sure I could commute to London but DH may be able to but stay up for three nights. Know one friend here plus sil close by.
Bristol- more my scene and in laws here. Could possibly get work in my sector. DH would have to live away a bit though. Bit grotty for kids? Schools bad? Could possibly afford private at secondary but resent paying at primary.
Tun Wells - have friends near but no family. Smaller (too small? Provincial?) bit poncey? Commutable. Primaries don't seem that good. Great grammars. More familiar to me as grew up in rural East Kent though West Kent feels quite different and my parents are not there anymore anyway.
What do you folk reckon?
Basically we have kids, will go to state primary but possibly private secondary if state options not brilliant. love cities but also love wilderness and getting muddy! Adore London but think may not be best option at this point in life. I'm a bit green, like cafe culture, culture, art, parks and stuff going on. Architecture. A vibe. But also love big open spaces, the seaside, the hills etc.

Why not east Kent again? Canterbury is 55 mins from st Pancras nowadays.

Or Brighton if you want something a bit more exciting in terms of bars and restaurants?

So I'm not familiar with the others but I'd go with T. Wells. I went to school there. I'm a country girl and T. Wells is the only town I'd love to live in. Depends what you're after I suppose....

Personally (and no offence to anyone here!), Tunbridge Wells and Bath are provincial. If you're looking for a vibe then Bristol would tick all the boxes (like London though, can be rough in parts). We like Canterbury - student city so good cafe culture/good arts vibe, great schools and close to the sea and lovely countryside. Commutable to London. Or London, if you have the budget for a great area - maybe Dulwich/Blackheath/Greenwich? Good choice of independents from those areas.

I live in Cambridge - so that's my vote.

Also if you are considering private secondary The Perse is frequently top of the Indie Co-Ed charts for results and Hills Road Sixth From (state sixth form) is frequently in the top rated state 6th Forms for results too.

Its 50 minutes into King's Cross with the option of going in to Liverpool Street.

Lots of things to do for adults and kids.

PM if you have specific questions.

London first

Cambridge and Bristol second

London.
Bristol.
Cambridge.

Move to a village between Bath & Bristol. Best of both towns. Village primaries are good and train from Chippenham to Paddington coming down to 1 hour.

Bristol is properly urban but you'd be more likely to want to pay for secondary school. Access to the good schools is fought over.

Bath is not generally poncey but it is very definitely a small town, albeit with more culture and a more international population etc than your average small town. Schools are mainly very good so no need to pay for secondary education virtually where ever you live.

Lots of people commute to London and stay over a few days. Commuting every day is hard work and expensive - it's 115/90 mins to Paddington. But you do get a seat.

Move to London, I would if I could afford it

I know Bristol, Bath & Cambridge but not Tunbridge Wells.

From your description - "bit green, like cafe culture, culture, art, parks and stuff going on. Architecture. A vibe. But also love big open spaces, the seaside, the hills etc"- you sound like you would fit right in in Bristol. Big city feel, plenty of cafes and culture etc, a strong green tinge, but still a short distance to great countryside. Bath is a short hop away so you also have access to all the cultural stuff going on there.

Bath is much more sedate, and Cambridge to my mind is too dominated by the university, and now the science parks, to be a really good place to live if you are not connected to either (though of course you may be). Also Cambridge house prices are crazy at the moment, and all the new building work is really changing the feel of the city and making everything seem much more congested.

There are lots of good state primaries in Bristol (just make sure you pick the right bit to move to), a few decent state secondaries and lots of good independent secondaries (with lower fees than Cambridge, from what I have heard). The biggest downside for you would be that Bristol is not great for commuting to London (the trains will get slightly faster in the next few years, but it will still be at least 50% longer than the Cambridge-London route).

Personally I'd love Bath, but your description says Bristol.

I live in Bristol and commute to London. Electrification is coming to the rail lines at some point (I thought it was 2017 but it seems to have slipped) which will speed up the journey.

I couldn't do it every day, it's 2.5 hours each way door to door on a good day - and I live 10 mins drive from either rail station and work in central London, 15 min tube (no changes) from Paddington. However, 3 days a week is doable with the other 2 days wfh which means you catch up on a bit of sleep.

Bristol is a fab city, lots going on, great cafe culture, lots of greenery and close to the coast. It does sound like it would really tick your boxes. Houses are less expensive than London although still not cheap, especially in the 'better' areas. But if you were both commuting to London 3, 4, 5 days a week, would you have any energy left to enjoy it?

Difficult call.

My DM plus Sister and her family are still in Bath.
House prices are expensive (though where aren't they?), lots of working from home and the students don't seem as integrated into the cultural life of the city in the way they are as in, say,Canterbury.
My sister ended up using fee-paying schools so interesting to see comments upthread that the state schools there are good.
I am pleased not to live there as beautiful as it is. The rugby ground is amazing though.
Another vote for Bristol from me.

Quickest to commute from Tunny Wells, but personally I love Bristol. Tunbridge Wells and Bath are lovely but have always struck me as a bit twee (my parents live close to Tunbridge Wells and I grew up nearby so know it best of all of them).

Commute from Bath and Bristol is too far to do it regularly. We are here and everyone who does it regularly is desperate to find something more local and if one of you is away a few nights a week it does effect family life. Commuting is fine if you work right next to station but once you factor in tube and travel to and from
Station and cost of parking it gets costly money and time wise. Yes journey times are being reduced from Bristol and Bath but not by a lot. Like someone's idea above about Greenwich/ Blackheath etc.

Tunbridge wells is a bit up its own arse. But if you are considering the area, then why not Tonbridge, Sevenoaks etc?

I live in T Wells. It's becoming a commuter/dormitory town because the Council insist on building more and more houses without improving the infrastructure. We do have two theatres, lots of concerts/open air events on the Pantiles, and the Mela in the park every year, which is a celebration of the many musical traditions from the many different nationalities living here - but yes, Bristol is going to be more cosmopolitan because it's much larger. My secondary aged children are at outstanding grammars (but we have two outstanding comps they would have gone to if they hadn't passed) and most of the primary schools are well regarded and all are oversubscribed - a couple insanely so. We moved here 10 yrs ago from SW London, and love it....but it's not for everyone. (And the traffic is DIABOLICAL!)

I've lived in nearly all of those and think Bristol is your best bet. You won't get bored there, which you might in Tun Wells or Bath or Cambridge.
Loads of amazing countryside on your doorstop, decent trains to London, in laws local for babysitting - I'm jealous of you!

I grew up in T wells and hated it. Very MC Conservative (my parents believe every word the Telegraph print). Also really overcrowded and although very dull and 'naice' quite dirty and run down in places.
Cambridge, I preferred. More going on The Uni students can be quite annoying (once sat in a pub next to one who loudly wondered how many 'locals' might actually have a degree) but the real town has quite a lot going for it.
Bath - only know by reputation, but a bit dull and poncey. Expensive and full of tourists.
Bristol is a proper city (DH grew up there). Very varied. Almost as much to do there as in London.

If you're prepared to live as far away from London as Bristol, have you thought about York? Loads to do, cheaper, incredibly beautiful. Just about my favorite place in the world to live, if I could end up anywhere. Good rail links to London (about as good as Bristol).

Peterborough also an option. Great train links. Reasonable size city with things going on, but without the history of some other places.

Bristol has a great feel - lively but chilled, city but right next to the country. It's a really friendly city. Yes there are rough areas but that is the same in any city. I disagree about the schools being bad - they were historically but nothing like it now.

Have you thought about Brighton or Lewes?

Where are you now?

Bath is poncy and stuck up with a huge hidden drugs problem.

Bristol is much more interesting but lots of dodgy schools

Where does DH and yourself work

York is a nightmare to get around. Tourists and traffic. Lots of foodie places though

I live just outside Cambridge and love living here.
I'm in a village with teenage kids.
I've lived in loads of places and have felt the happiest here.
The state schools are very good locally.
I'm spoilt by having Cambridge as my nearest town/city.
But. It's expensive to buy here.
The necklace villages are a bit cheaper depending on which side you look at.
What's your budget?