Relocating. Suggestions on areas? Gloucester/Oxford/Berkshire/Wiltshire

[Issylo]

Hiya we currently live in Torquay Devon. There’s me a stay at home Mum, my husband a gas engineer and our 2 daughters aged 2.5 & 3.5. We hate where we live and are looking to relocate. We want to be within a 2-3 hours drive of Torquay so have decided on Gloucester/oxford/Berkshire/Wiltshire. We would like to be in a large village not a town but it must have a school, Doctors, shops etc. There also needs to be work for my husband and within an hour to a uni would be a bonus but not a necessity. Ideally rent prices would be around £800-£900 for a 3 bed house. Can any body help with some suggestions of areas to start looking at!? Thank you

Hungerford, Berkshire ticks your boxes except that rent seems a bit higher. It's a lovely village. Schools, library, doctor's surgery, shops. Trainline to London and South West. Less than an hour to Reading and Southampton universities.

Come and be a Stroudie with us! easy access to M5 south, Stroud is a lovely area, nice independent shops, good schools (including grammar) friendly residents. I think you would find a nice house to rent at those prices.

Berkshire is generally expensive and a 3 bed house would be at least £1200 in a town more in more rural areas.. I think Wiltshire is probably best value out of all of those counties.

stubbington hampshire is a good bet, its 3 hours and 14 minutes to Torquay by car, regular buses to fareham station and commutable to many universitys by train. School is reported as great as are the GP's. Its also by the sea.

Best value for money will be west Wilts, perhaps places 20 mins or so west of Bath might offer what you are looking for.

East of Bath not west.

I'd also say Stroud, or places nearby.

I was coming on to say Stroud as well, though it is. Town so maybe Chalford just outside it?

Not much available in Oxfordshire for that, op, with the criteria you mention - unless you go north, which would put you further from Torquay. How about Hants - somewhere towards Andover way?

Another vote for the Stroud area!

Just to add, also places like Wooton under Edge, Dursley etc, as you are not attracting the large premium you would pay for being close to the heart of the Cotswolds. Also good access for the M5. Junction 13 of the M5 to North Cornwall takes me under 3 hours, so Torquay would be much the same.