Anyone move from london to Bristol?

[Yellowdoor123]

I asked a question earlier about a new london neighbourhood. But DH mentioned today that we should consider Bristol. I haven’t been before.

Did anyone make that move? If so, did you miss London? Is the quality of life in Bristol better? (Impossibly subjective questions maybe?!)

I have heard Clifton is lovely, what’s it like to live there? Other areas that are great for families?

Love Bristol, I've always said it's the one English city I'd willingly live in apart from London!

I can't speak from experience in terms of making the move, but saying you like the sound of Clifton is a bit like saying you've heard Chelsea is nice

Do you need to consider schools? Commute to London? Budget?

It’s a great city, alternative, vibrant, with boat rides,

saying you like the sound of Clifton is a bit like saying you've heard Chelsea is nice Ha! Yes I think this is how naive my knowledge is!

So good to hear these things about Bristol. Any recommendations of what area to see?

Budget is quite healthy at the top end - £1.2m. But I’d rather spend less! And we’d rent first.

Bristol is more rain than london. I must admit this puts me off living there. I can’t stand cold and rain, london is relatively warm (!) and dry compared to most of the UK.

A quick look at Rightmove suggests for that budget you'd get something very nice indeed in a good area like Cotham or Redland.

I did this 3 years ago! Absolutely love Bristol. Best decision we made!

Clifton is very lovely. We lived in Redland first but then we're going to move to Clifton buy decided on westbury on trym instead. Both great areas but Clifton has a lot more going on. Some areas of Clifton have alot of students tho so just watch out for that

Have a look at Stoke bishop too

At that price look at Stoke Bishop Sneyd Park
Just at the back of the Downs and loads of green open space
Feels like the countryside but you are 5 mins from Clifton - Whiteladies Rd
My grandparents still live on Stoke Hill and have done for many many years they have a beautiful house and area always being asked by estate agents if they want to sell 😂
Many of the houses are individuals in there own big plots
Most expensive rd is the Avenue and then probably Stoke Hill
For bigger space house wise go over the suspension bridge and look at long Ashton

Literally every man and his dog at the moment. House prices here have rocketed because of it.

I initially came to Bristol to complete my postgraduate course but knew when I went back to London i wouldn't be staying for long. 9 months later I was back in Bristol and that was 17 years ago!

Absolutely love Bristol and don't miss London at all!

OP - With your budget I would consider looking at Bishopston/Redland/Henleaze areas. Clifton is lovely but I think Bishopston/Redland/Henleaze are better value for money areas.

Do you have kids? You might want to consider admission distances for local schools unless you're considering private schools.

Clifton is the priciest part of Bristol. In some streets that figure would only get you an apartment but some of the other areas mentioned upthread you would get a house for the same money. Clifton also has very limited parking.

Another thing to consider is that Bristol has areas that have residents parking zones (RPZ) and the council is planning on creating a clear air zone to large swathes of the inner city.

For your budget OP, and for family friendly areas I would look at Stoke Bishop, Sneyd Park, Henleaze, Westbury on Trym, Bishopston, Redland, and St Andrews.
Clifton is nice, but has lots of student accommodation. Parking is dire, and you would be better living near enough to visit, rather than living in Clifton itself.
Bristol is a really good place to live. It’s close to the coast and access to motorways to everywhere. Easy to get to London. Lots happening, good harbourside area, restaurants, music... I could go on.

The way our new neighbours from London describe "making the move" it sounds like a rite of passage for Londoners.

I’m making lists of areas! Thank you for these!

Is Clifton so nice that living in a flat is worth it to be there? We live in a flat now in a nice part of london and it’s a great flat (I don’t mind living in a flat). I think DH wants to leave london to get more space, but I have always been more about location.

The student accommodation thing is interesting. I love that it’s a university city, but don’t necessarily want to live right where the students are because of the temporary-ness of the people who’ll live there, if that makes sense? As I would like to maybe have long-term neighbours who I’d become friends with.

Tricky!

I need to plan a visit this week!

@Binnaggy

I lived in Bristol for a long time. My one piece of advice is to never leave the house without an umbrella.

Do you have school age kids? The schools are very hit and miss unless you’re paying for private.

We do have to consider schools and would rather not go for private.

Is it secondary that’s hit and miss? Or both primary and secondary?

Check out Henleaze

Hotwells is nice too but it's a bit hilly

Literally everyone is making this move. Really feel for the locals who are struggling to buy there.

You’ll fit well into the areas above, a lot of them are just little London with people who have made the exact same move.

State secondaries are very hit and miss. Even if you move into the middle of a good catchment, eg for Redland Green, you may end up being allocated to somewhere else.

Dh and I moved OUT of Bristol fifteen years ago for that very reason. If we'd stayed we would have probably gone private.

@MaverickDanger

Literally everyone is making this move. Really feel for the locals who are struggling to buy there.

You’ll fit well into the areas above, a lot of them are just little London with people who have made the exact same move.

Agreed, there's definitely little London areas and then the local population have to fight over what's actually affordable

Primary is better, it's secondary schools that you will likely struggle with.

Ones to try and be close to are Redland Green, Fairfield and possibly Cotham if you want to be close to the centre. However the catchments for these schools are tiny and houses in the area priced accordingly!

If you are religious (and can prove it!), St Mary Redcliffe would be an option too

I live slap bang in the middle of the areas being recommended to you - all are lovely yet have pros & cons dependant on what’s important to you.

Happy to answer any questions you might have if I can.

Meanwhile, check out Richard Harding estate agent site for whats for sale & under offer to get an idea. They are a good local firm and seem to get the best properties.

Oh, and personally, for the most parts, I love the student population. They bring so much diversity, colour and fun to the area. Please don’t worry bout them being transient, for every student house, there are next door households who’ve lived in the area for years and years … it’s a real mix.