Petersfield?

[StarWarsGeek]

Hi everyone!

We are thinking about relocating from Reading. Petersfield has popped up as ticking a lot of boxes for us - distance from families in Dorset/Reading, distance from London (husband commutes 2 days per week), as well as a more country life (we both grew up in Dorset and miss the countryside).

My main concern is making sure I am not lonely. I am a stay at home mum currently, to two children (3yrs old, and 3 months old). If you live there/moved there, what kinds of things are there going on nearby which would allow me to meet people, and hopefully make some new friends?

If you have older children, do you find it difficult to keep them entertained?

Overall, what are the worst parts about living there?

Any advice/comments welcome!
Thanks!

Hi OP.
I know this area very well. There are plenty of toddler/music/activity groups going on, both in the town and villages. services.actionforchildren.org.uk/media/953275/parenttoddlergroupseasthants2.pdf

There is a lovely park in the centre of town, with a boating lake. There is also the vast Queen Elisabeth Country park on the outskirts, which has biking, assault course and tree houses. It's also brill for kite-flying! A pre-school group meets there too in Term-time. This is a great area for outdoor things.

There is Staunton Country park, with animals, just down the road, soft play in Horndean, again just down the road. Petersfield has an outdoor swimming pool, and a sport centre with a leisure pool. There are other sport's centres close by, (Alton & Havant) which have climbing walls and huge soft play areas. It's easy to get to the cinema and shopping in Portsmouth, Chichester, Winchester etc.

We live in a rural village on the fringes, - it's a very outdoorsy existence, and we love it. The only down side is the poor bus services - I am a permanent taxi. Plus it's too far from a decent, secluded beach. I grew up near the coast in Wales - I don't do crowds! Also, the A3 can get very busy, so you really have to consider where you are going to live and work. Some junctions can get very hairy at peak times.

State schools are generally good to outstanding. The village schools are very small, with mixed age classes. Our village one has around 100 children. Some are less. Town infant and primary schools, on the other hand, are around 4 class entries per year, so very different. There are also several Independents within easy reach.

The area as a whole is getting increasingly popular. We have noticed a BIG increase in traffic over the last few years, and a lot of building is going on. This is having a knock -on effect on journey times in the area around Petersfield. Going South down the A3 in the evening can be slow. It's not a huge problem, but one to be aware of if work is very time dependant