Looking to move to Dorset from London...

[Southlondonmum76]

With my 2 young children, looking for suggestions for area that are multicultural.

I used to travel to Dorset a lot years ago, fell in love with the place. Now really fed up with London, it’s not for us anymore. I was born & raised here, I really want the kids to grow up away from London.
Once we can move about a bit more, I’ll be booking weekends & holidays to Dorset, but would really welcome some suggestions.

Thank you very much.

Poole? In Dorset? Yes- I’d highly recommend it.

The only places in Dorset that are even vaguely multicultural are Poole and Bournemouth. They are both nice, but you will still have issues with traffic etc.

If you want to live somewhere with the rural, slow Dorset feel, it will not be diverse.

My personal recommendation would be Dorchester. Reasonable range of shops, some nice new facilities in the Brewery area, good play-park (although not what you will be used to!), close to Weymouth for a sandy beach and tonnes of water sports. Dorchester has the 3 tier school system and Thomas Hardye has a very good reputation.

I think I will book a few weekends away in coming months and if all goes well, we’ll spend longer in school holidays and get a feel for the places.
Funnily enough a friend is now actually moving to either Weymouth or surrounding. She’s actually house hunting next week down there as her place has sold quickly here. So when she does move she’s said we should pop down regularly and look around. So it helps that we have a friend who will be living there.
I loved Bournemouth many years ago so hopefully will still. Ideally I’d like to be near the sea for the kids, think it would be great after school and nursery to head to beach to play and run around.

Hopefully I can start making plans soon.
My eldest starting Reception in September and I don’t want to disrupt things to much with a big move. So want to get moved next year.

@KibeththeWalker I will look into Dorchester, sounds lovely!

www.princeofwales.dorset.sch.uk/web This is the cutest little first school. Every time I drive past it I fancy working there.

The politics and racism you will encounter will be shocking. It's beautiful but backward, extremely conservative. That's the price.

I live in the area and like it. However, it’s not without it’s issues and sadly, I would never describe it as multi cultural. But that doesn’t mean you and your family won’t fit in and settle here. Like you say, get plenty of visits in and you’ll get to know the areas better. Schools on the whole are pretty good with some outstanding. Public transport is not great.

How about Bridport? Although it’s not exactly multicultural , it is a bit alternative and liberal. Lots of hippy types.

Dorset and multicultural? Is that your criteria? What about work, access to transport, your interests? Housing budget etc.

@Rollercoaster1920 Well I’m asking because it’s been many years since I was last there, and I feel the Dorset area is a lovely place to bring up children. I am selling my house in London, so I am fortunate to be able to purchase a small property down there and make into a family home for us and I work from home which I will continue to do and in time bring to the local community.
As a family we enjoy lots of outdoor activities so I’m not too worried about that.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and info, it’s all been very helpful. I’ve already been looking at various schools etc...

@IsThePopeCatholic, I did think about Bridport and I think that’s definitely on our list for weekend visits.

I think it will be a huge cultural shock after London. The public transport I've encountered is very poor and unreliable and you often seem to have to travel miles to get to things. I can imagine it being very frustrating for older kids who want to do things and be a bit more independent. It's also very expensive (but probably not compared to London) and appears very white. But it is great for beaches, countryside, farm shops, outdoor pursuits etc. So I suppose it depends what you're looking for really. Bridport is nice but there's not much there in terms of big shops etc. Weymouth has more but lacks the quaintness of Bridport, though it is very historic. There are loads of chocolate box style villages too if you would like that.

Ah - work form home so no real ties. You could live in the middle of nowhere (but do check available broadband because it can still be an issue!).

Again - you don't really give a lot to go on with preferences though... The beach being one thing. On that: Chesil beach is not great for swimming off due to currents so stay away from there if that matters.

I like Lyme Regis (grew up nearby) but it gets really busy in summer. Charmouth is quieter and I like it too. I'm not a fan of West Bay personally (seems over-hyped to me since that TV series) and large caravan parks. Bridport seems to be a thing for Londoners escaping these days so is a good suggestion from a previous poster. You'd drive (or cycle?) to the beach.
Countryside from there to Weymouth is nice, Chesil beach has its charms and challenges.

Weymouth centre is a bit shabby, but the town beach is amazing for family friendliness. Plus the bay is good for water sports (kayak, sea swim, sail), has Parkrun, a cinema, pubs by the harbour. I have family in the Preston area. That is retirement-ville but nice, probably not what you want though.....

Dorchester is the county town but is still quite small. Good sports centre, a hospital, shopping streets. Not multi-cultural, but does have culture. Need to drive to the beach.

Swanage area (and the Isle of Purbeck) I really like, but not a multicultural area.

Poole and Bournemouth might suit you - but they are city beaches rather than proper countryside. East of Bournemouth gets smaller again with the New Forest.

Bournemouth would be most fun for teenagers (it's a university city with quite a few clubs).

Lots of good walking, cycling and horseriding about in the green bits of Dorset. Even a dry ski slope!

Think about what is most important to you to have on your doorstep, traffic in peak tourist season is a PITA.

I don't really get Bridport, there's very little there. If I was going to move down there I'd live in West Bay itself where at least there is a cool playground and the beach after school. I wouldn't swim at West Bay, although I know many do. The traffic is so bad at the West Bay roundabout ALL summer.

I'd move to Weymouth like a shot, but I like places a bit rough and ready. I've got a house picked out in Wyke Regis that overlooks Portland Harbour. Personally though, for the practicalities of living, I do think Dorch is a better bet.

I think only Bournemouth would get close to ticking your multi-cultural box, with some of its suburbs very diverse (Charminster in particular). The presence of a fast growing university is seeing a change in its formerly fusty retirement reputation and I think it may have a Labour MP for one of its seats within a few years. Poole is nice but very conservative, as is Christchurch.