Bristol or Bath with kids

[lostlondoner]

Hello
Considering a big move from the SE to the SW to be closer to PILS.
PILS are in Bristol so we are considering Clifton, Stoke Bishop, Henleaze, Westbury on Trym to be near them, easy access to Downs and out to countryside.
Any views on best areas? Finding Clifton lovely but pricey and unsure about the tiny gardens. I love the village vibe and being near cafe culture and the period houses but would also like to not feel overlooked and have a decent size garden and parking.
But a bit of googling seems that many rate Bath way better to raise kids in?
DH will have to commute to London 1x weekly to begin with but then will be sporadically. Otherwise may have an office in Bristol - we are unsure as yet. He may end up being self employed and able to work from anywhere. We are lucky in that we have around 1.3m and can look to private school at secondary - though open to state (Redland Green? Any others?)
Currently know nothing about Bath!
Thanks for any wise input.

The only thing I would say about Bath is, apart from the horrendously expensive properties, is that it is one of the most polluted places I have ever been. The air quality is terrible because of all the traffic. There is no by-pass, and there are terrific concerns about pollution along the London Road and Lower Bristol Road. Of couse, it goes without saying that it is constantly snarled up and parking is terrible. I wouldn't consider living anywhere near the centre because of this. Personally, I can never see the attraction.(My view is jaundiced by years of visiting family there and spending hours in stationary, stinking traffic).

I’ve lived in Bath since starting university here in 2003 (met husband, got jobs, now have two children 1 & 3). We couldn’t imagine living in Bristol although don’t know the areas you’ve mentioned very well. Bath is a city but like a big town really with little village communities around the edge. Bristol is much more city-like throughout. There’s a new clean air zone (congestion charge) being introduced soon for the city centre. We’ve lived in the centre for years but are finally moving to a bigger place in Lansdown soon - high up and good air quality, surrounded by green spaces, easy access to M4, great state & public schools on the doorstep,10 mins drive/bus into the city centre and train station. For your budget and what you’re looking for look at Lansdown, Bathwick, Widcombe and Combe Down. Middle two are closer to city centre so gardens likely to be smaller.

All the areas that you mentioned are the nicest areas in Bristol (and hence the price tags). Traffic,as with any city, can be a nightmare especially around rush hour. Watch out for resident only parking zones and there's plans to change the traffic systems around Henbury, Brentry and Westbury on Trym.
I've not lived in Bath but I have worked in the city. The vibe is definitely different.
However these days I live midway between the two in a town called Keynsham.

I live in Bristol and have brought my dcs up here (now teens). I'm on the outskirts of Bristol though in the South, bordering N Somerset. I send my dcs to state school.

I love Bristol. The nearest 'cafe culture' to me is Southville only a few minutes drive away. We have cafes, delis, restaurants, bars, independent shops, markets, arts centres and a Theatre. Plus there's a vast open green space of Ashton Court nearby that's larger than the Downs. It's a great place to bring up children.

Clifton is great as is Westbury on Trim. I think with your budget you'll get a lovely place.

Redland Green is very slight after so you'd have to live very close in order to be sure of a place there. You could take your chance with Cathedral School or Colston Girls which is a lottery allocation (I know children at both schools).

I go the Bath fir dats out frequently. I like it, however having teens now I think they much prefer Bristol as there's so much going on. Bristol has a more hip/media vibe sometimes whereas Bath can be more academic and literary (it has a very well known Literature Festival every year - a dedicated Children's one too that attracts well known people).

If you want a big garden, parking and not to be overlooked, with that budget you could find something good in Sneyd Park - bordering the Downs, great views, but no schools (most people round there go private), and no cafe culture - you are fairly car-dependent in that area. For example, www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-65607570.html

If you want to be somewhere closer to schools, shops, cafes and so on, then Redland is worth a look - similar houses to Clifton but a bit cheaper and often with bigger gardens and parking. Eg www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-84098108.html You could be in the Redland Green catchment, but also in easy reach of most of the private schools, including DCs being able to walk or bus there on their own rather than always being chauffeured. There is also the train line down to Temple Meads from Clifton Down or Redland, which could be handy for the regular trips to London.

Or for that budget you could probably get something amazing in St Andrews, which is a very family-friendly area, though you might have to wait a while to get one of the rarer houses with big gardens and off street parking.

Have you looked at North Somerset? Portishead and Clevedon both have excellent state schools, lovely cafes, bars, small towns and only 20 mins drive from centre of Bristol, Cribbs Causeway, Weston etc.

You will get a lot more house and garden for your money, lovely walks and loads to do.