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Original poster

Where to live! Between Bristol and London :)

44 replies

WerewolfNumber1 · 09/09/2018 02:33

Another “where should we live” thread!

We need easy access to Bristol and London (London more often, travelling into the city, near St. Paul’s).

Needs good state schools, looking for a small town or a village with some amenities, want lots of greenery. Easy access to the coast would be a plus.

We have a decent budget - prob £1 or £2m (depends if we sell the London house or not). We’re looking for a 4 bed, preferably detached, with a biggish garden.

Suggestions pretty please?

OP posts:
grumpy4squash · 09/09/2018 02:45

Bristol and London are far apart!
Do you mean daily commute?

grumpy4squash · 09/09/2018 02:47

Also, I hope you already realize that anywhere between Bristol and London won't be easy access to the coast.

PremierNaps · 09/09/2018 02:51

No where between London and Bristol will have easy access to the coast. Milton Keynes isn't so bad. I do like Coventry and Nuneaton too though.

PutYourBackIntoit · 09/09/2018 03:01

Kemble? Train to London. Easy enough to Bristol. Gorgeous part of the world, right by Cotswold water park.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-73621769.html

BikeRunSki · 09/09/2018 03:43

I was also going to say Kemble.
Anywhere that’s halfway-ish between Bristol and London is not actually that handy for either, or the coast.

sofato5miles · 09/09/2018 03:59

Chievely/ Wantage?

Original poster
WerewolfNumber1 · 09/09/2018 06:52

Thanks all!

Not a daily commute, no, London would be twice a week and Bristol once a week. Rest of the time is working from home.

Doesn’t need to be exactly in between - happy to look at stuff further south if it’s nicer. Would really like to be near water as well, rivers and lakes ok too!

OP posts:
Ohhgreat · 09/09/2018 06:55

What about the villages south of Reading? Assuming you would take the train into Bristol and London they could be a good bet
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-52732155.html

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 09/09/2018 06:56

Windsor ?

sofato5miles · 09/09/2018 06:57

Two friends have recently moved near Downs school between newbury and oxford for similar reasons and we have been toying with it too. There are some beautiful views.

Original poster
WerewolfNumber1 · 09/09/2018 07:06

@PutYourBackIntoit that house is lovely!

OP posts:
Original poster
WerewolfNumber1 · 09/09/2018 07:10

@Ohhgreat - that’s a lovely house too, it’s so odd when you’re used to London prices to remember what we could get somewhere else - that costs about the same as our small 3 bed here! Do you know any of the schools round there in particular?

Not sure about Windsor - we live in a touristy part of London and honestly think we’d prefer somewhere quieter.

@sofato5miles - I love oxford so near there could be good, will have a look, thank you.

OP posts:
blinkineckmum · 09/09/2018 07:18

Oxford
Stroud
Tetbury
Cirencester

blinkineckmum · 09/09/2018 07:21

Wotton-under-edge

Ohhgreat · 09/09/2018 07:22

Depends if you're looking for primary or secondary. Primary the schools in Mortimer are well regarded, to be honest most of the ones in the villages south of the m4 are good.
Secondaries Willink is ok, avoid Theale and John Madejski. There are both boys and girls grammars in Reading if that's something you want, and some good indies too

blinkineckmum · 09/09/2018 07:24

None of the above are village except Wotton. Tetbury is small. None near the coast. But Cirencester has lakes. Stroud is arty and interesting. The others very beautiful and an easy commute to Bristol/ London, though all except Oxford are much closer to Bristol.

Original poster
WerewolfNumber1 · 09/09/2018 07:33

Thank you , should have said - we only have boys are they are still preschool age, so primary is most important right now.

OP posts:
brizzledrizzle · 09/09/2018 07:41

Pangbourne is lovely.

RumCustard · 09/09/2018 07:45

Reading / Wokingham areas. Plenty of villages. Easy commute. Good road / rail links. West Berkshire has more greenery.

Jenijena · 09/09/2018 07:48

There’s a train line which goes Bristol-Portsmouth, it’s not the best in the world but somewhere like Salisbury would be on both lines, slightly closer to the sea and give you rivers and water...

BikeRunSki · 09/09/2018 07:52

Cirencester has Cotswold Water Park.
DH comes from a village nearby and went to The Cotswold School (secondary) in Bourton on the Water, which was extremely good then, and Outstanding now. I believe it has been for some years.

No train station though - you need to go to Kemble or Swindon.

BikeRunSki · 09/09/2018 08:47

If you lived in Bristol itself, walking distance to Temple Meads station, travel time to London could well be quicker than travelling to a lbs outlying station in the middle.

Lucisky · 09/09/2018 08:52

In a straight line from London to Bristol, the coast is fairly inaccessible, and, to be honest, driving south of the M4 to get to the coast can be a bit tortuous.
You would have better coastal access if you were nearer to the M5, for places in Devon and Somerset, but still nothing would be on your doorstep.
As the place visited more frequently will be London, would it not be better to be closer to London (coastal south east or south) and then suffer the longer weekly trip to Bristol?
The Cotswold water park may fullfill your watery needs, but personally I don't think the surroundings are particularly attractive within the water park, but there are some lovely places nearby. Also you would have good connection to both London and Bristol from Swindon.

borntobequiet · 09/09/2018 08:59

Villages round Gloucester.
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-56501511.html
Direct train to London from Glos, 30 min to Bristol M5, 60 min to Glamorgan Heritage Coast.