Chippenham - what is it like to live there as a family?

[Leafy2018]

Hi,

We currently live in the South East and are thinking of relocating. We love Bath but due to a number of factors, can't buy there (too expensive, small housing stock of type we would look for, commute to London too far etc). My husband works in London currently but would like to get out of there long term. He works in technology so Chippenham seems like a good option for him location wise - he could work in London until he finds another position in Bristol or Reading which have tech companies. At the moment he spends about 4 hours a day commuting - it's just not tenable long term.

Chippenham is actually a better commute to London for him than it is now, Bath is 11 mins by train, Bristol 25 mins, Reading 45 so lots of options for future employment. We want to optimise towards having more time as a family and him being less worn out by commuting. Chippenham also has beautiful countryside around it - we love walking. Where we are now, a lot of the land is still private and it's hard to find nice circular walks. I know the town itself isn't amazingly pretty but it doesn't look the worst either. More shops than where we are now but just not as quaint. Where we are is fine as far as the town is concerned but the area itself has so little to offer.

If you live in Chippenham or that area, what do you like/dislike about it? We have three children 12,9 and 1 so schools are a factor. Any information there hugely appreciated! Where do you go for little trips out? Are there nice National Trust places, for example, nearby?

Thanks so much!

I used to work in Chippenham. Not much there to be honest. Only good thing is the proximity to the M4. Would not recommend Malmesbury at all.

What about Swindon? Cheaper than Chippenham and closer to London.

Sidge

But if the positive is you can get out of it quickly to get to places you might actually want to be then it doesn’t have anything to recommend it

Golly oliversmumsarmy, you really don't like Chippenham do you

I don’t like anywhere that has a positive of being able to get elsewhere quickly

I use a similar rule of thumb when booking a hotel

It is starts by describing the surrounding area as being outstanding then you know the hotel is shit.

I don't think Chippenham is shit. It has some nice bits and not so nice bits like most places really.

But it is a reasonably priced smallish town in good commuting distance of Bristol/Reading etc.

And the senior schools are very good which counts for a lot.

But OP may want to look at surrounding villages, some of which are really lovely.

What is your problem @Oliversmumsarmy?

The train stock is mainly the new ones, more seats, legroom and good facilities, the only real benefit of first class over standard is the free food & drink and more likely to get a seat.

@misspiggy19 thanks for sharing your experience. Were you living there as a family? I guess we all have different experiences of places depending on what stage of life we are at. I haven't really looked at Swindon to be honest. The thing is we'd like to be somewhere where my husband has a choice of places to work - Chippenham has Bath, Bristol, Swindon, Oxford, Reading and London, I'm not sure what Swindon woulda offer - I'll have to look. Also want to be very close to countryside if possible - and ten minute train to Bath is a big plus.

@mrscampbellblackagain thank you for your thoughts. That's exactly how I imagined it to be honest. Nothing outstanding but a nice town with decent facilities and well placed.

@Oliversmumsarmy I live in a very naice town but honestly what's around it is really boring. Nothing to go out to. People come here to spend time. I'd rather I was near places to get out to!

@mrscampbellblackagain May I ask which bits of Chippenham are considered the most desirable? Any I should avoid at all costs?

Sorry to reinstate a (probably already exhausted) thread but we have booked to come and see the area next weekend. Obviously we will look at Chippenham itself but want to get a feel for the general area too.

I would really appreciate any suggestions there might be for places we could visit - for example, nice villages nearby which might be worth a look, parks outside of Chippenham itself etc We will have our baby with us so probably won't be able to do as much as we want to so want to make the most of the time we have and put a bit of a plan together.

Really appreciate all the previous information - thank you so much.

Also, I can see a traffic free cycle path from Chippenham to Calne (I think?) on my OS map. What is that like?

Calne was a smaller crapper version of Chippenham when I last visited about 6 years ago. Devizes is supposed to be nice but it’s years since I’ve been there.

Thanks @Barabajagal I did look at Calne online. I don't think there would be much there for us to be honest.

I was also going to say Devizes, but like previous op, haven't visited in awhile.
Swindon has many villages close to it, Wanborough , Wroughton , Royal Wotton Bassett.
If I had to choose I'd pick somewhere near there over Chippenham.

Thanks @Namethecat

The thing is I'd really like to be close to Bath and I also like the fact Chippenham is on the edge of the Cotswolds. Also need to be somewhere with good facilities for day to day. Ideally don't want to have to drive miles for supermarket etc

May I ask why you would choose those areas over Swindon? I haven't heard too many positive things about Swindon but maybe I'm wrong. Thanks.

@Namethecat Looking at those places you mentioned, they look quite small. No swimming pool etc I think we'd be looking for somewhere with a leisure centre, supermarket etc We lived in a village before and found it a bit isolating. Also have children who will soon want to have station, shops, cinema etc to go to I think.

OP Corsham has a good leisure centre and library with a park, called Springfield, we go there for one thing or another several times a week so worth a look next weekend if you can PS they have been talking about reopening the station here for years, do not rely on this happening soon.

Nearest cinema is Chippenham then you are looking at Bath, Trowbridge, Longwell Green for one of the bigger chain ones. I imagine for teens getting the train to Bath will work best but maybe someone else can offer insight here, I think there will be a certain amount of running around no matter where you live.

Monkton Park is a stroll from Chippenham town centre, just follow the river upstream from the bridge by Wilkos. It is not as nice as John Coles but good for a short walk, has a tea hut and mini golf.

The Calne cycle route is good a few sections a bit bumpy but it is used regularly. We also like to cycle from Bradford on Avon towards Bath, usually stopping at Avoncliff for a cup of tea/ice cream.

I like Devizes, busy market, independent shops and cafes in amongst the usual. The museum there is very good and is near Hilworth park which is nice. It is too far from motorway and station for a long commute though.

Plenty of M4 commuters live in Kington Langley but it has no facilities, not even a village pub. Yatton keynell has a shop and a pub and is Ok for commute to M4 or the station or Bath down the A420 but not much else going on.

I am biased and think Lacock is perfect but then we do not commute!

Hope you have a good trip

Wroughton is not small . It used to be separate from Swindon but as with a lot of town/villages they merge. Wanborogh is on the outskirts of Swindon also.
Lechlade is about 10 miles approx from Swindon and very close to the Cotwolds , it is also on the Thames river but you would have to get to Swindon for the train.

Malmesbury is a nicer place to live than Chippenham and 15/20 mins commute

Plus Kemble station ten mins from Malmesbury for trains to London

www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/south-west/dickens-gate
A friend lives near this development near Corsham and I looked around one with her. The ones towards the back of the estate open onto open countryside

I have found this thread interesting. OP wants somewhere that is an easy commute to Bath, Bristol, Swindon, Oxford, Reading or London - so is thinking about living somewhere that is none of these places!
Why not plump for one of the locations and get both job and home there? Why plan to commute? Think of all the money you could spend on a lovely house instead of train fares!

(I have nothing against Chippenham btw. I gather it is an OK place to live.)

Hi Leafy,

I have lived near Chippenham all my life and would say that previous posters have summed the place up pretty well.

For me Chippenham's strengths are in its transport links, schooling and beautiful surrounding countryside. I live in a village about 4 miles out with a shop and pub and my husband commutes to London by train and we find it works really well.

Chippenham is fine for everyday shopping and has loads of supermarkets and a couple of out of town places - Next TK Maxx M&S food, B&M that sort of thing.

Chippenham is overrun with cafes, mobile phone shops and charity shops and has a small weekly market but isn't a pretty town like some other Wiltshire towns like Devizes, Corsham and Marlborough but these are all nearby if you want to visit them!

The surrounding countryside is beautiful and I wouldn't live anywhere else. With small children Bowood is ideal with its adventure playground and Chippenham's John coles park is fab. There are also lots of local swimming pools.

If you like walking you will love it here - loads of options whether you want a short meander or a hike!

For a night out there are lots of nice country pubs or the train to bath and Bristol. Chippenham has some decent Indian restaurants and a few other options but can be limited.

Hope this helps!

Just to say thank you very much for all the additional replies - so helpful! Sorry for not responding properly but having a hectic few days! Will do soon though. It's given me so much food for thought and will be really useful for next weekend - thank you so much.

Hi @Leafy2018, did you end up making the move down that way? We are thinking about doing the same, currently live in Bedfordshire which isn't bad but we want to be closer to family and have relatives in Corsham. The current pandemic has just confirmed how important it is for us to be able to pop down the road and see family, rather than it taking a couple of hours drive.
Would love to know if you made the move and if so, what you think of it. I feel very mixed at the moment, but we're going to spend a week down there next month so hoping that will help our decision!

Hello, I'm so sorry! I didn't see your post! We didn't move there. I really don't mean any offence to people who live there but when we visited I did understand why people weren't raving about it. It felt quite run down. Lovely countryside nearby though so if you could live in a village it might be ok. I'm so sorry for the late reply. I totally understand the desire to be beater family. We are now looking at the Cotswolds with a view to my husband only commuting twice a week. Fingers crossed. Hope you have managed to make some decisions - really hard to do when you can't just go and visit places! X