Moving to Exmouth area

[TheWholeWorld]

My dad and his partner live in Exmouth and myself and DH are pondering a move somewhere more scenic than the big city we currently live.

What are some nice places/towns within an easy drive of Exmouth? Say max 30 min drive. I know a couple of people down that way who refer to Budleigh Salterton as Dead-leigh Salterton due to the number of retired people and Exmouth isn't exactly hopping either from what I can tell but maybe I'm wrong! Perhaps it's a nice quiet town? But maybe somewhere inland a bit? Is Honiton nice? My husband wants coast, I want hills, but maybe there is a compromise.

Topsham is half way between Exmouth and Exeter. It's pretty and rather nice, possibly a bit elderly; expensive though.

Not sure on your budget but anywhere in the exeter to Exmouth region is expensive. Avoid Budleigh and Sidmouth if you want somewhere lively. Exmouth used to have a good night life when I lived there, not sure how it is these days. Teignmouth is further west but lovely beach and closer to the moors. Then there's Torbay, about 45 mins to an hours drive to Exmouth to see your dad. Tonnes of beautiful beaches, not far from Dartmoor, houses a bit cheaper than the exeter area, though not as big a difference as there used to be unfortunately. The busiest place near Exmouth would be Exeter, but no beach and expensive. Lovely though.

I live about 40mins away from Exmouth in Wellington .
I guess it depends on what you want, what does lively mean to you?
If you mean night life then Exeter would be your best bet. Most local towns will have a bit - pubs mostly, some bars or clubs - but not on level with the choice etc of a city.
However most of the local towns have a good sense of community; lots of activities available & you can get to cultural venues relatively easily (Exeter, Bristol, Plymouth & Cardiff) not to mention more regional smaller ones.
Honiton seems perfectly nice - I've been there quite a bit to shop/visits specific places but never lived there. It has quite a nice bustling town centre.

You can see where I live by my username. Exmouth is 40 minutes away from me and we go there regularly. Its a lovely place with easy train links into Exeter which is 15 minutes away. And also only 15 minutes to the M5. A great cycle path by the estuary into Exeter too.

Topsham is a brilliant with lovely shops and restaurants.

Hills or beaches are both in easy access.

It really is a lovely part of the country.

I live within 30 mins of Exmouth. I’d say exmouth is quite lively day and night. In terms of nightlife it’s probably the second liveliest after exeter.

Could you tell us a bit more about yourselves? For example do you work, are you retired, do you have any children and how old are they?

I’m terms of cost, budleigh salterton is most expensive. Followed by sidmouth. And topsham. Then exmouth. Then honiton, ottery st mary.

Thanks all. We're 36/40 no children. We like hiking, nice restaurants and a good pub or two. I run and climb. Our days of clubbing are long behind us! We both work in education so not worried on that front.

Budget I'd say up to 750k is comfortable but obviously if we can spend less that is better.

I've seen a few places that could be adapted/annexed to rent out as holiday accommodation. I don't know how viable that is but it's a thought that has occurred to me.

For your budget you should be able to get somewhere decent pretty much anywhere in East Devon.

Sidmouth has a lovely running club (welcoming and inclusive more than competitive) but isn’t great for decent restaurants. Lots of pubs. Lots going on generally and good for walking directly from the town.

Exmouth has the Tri Hards (hard to describe but look them up). I’ve heard great things about them and they always look like they’re having fun when you see them at parkrun. Exmouth has lots of decent restaurants and pubs.

Topsham is quite tightly packed (buildings and people) and there are lots of new houses going up along the road to Exeter but it’s got great links to Exeter and is a nice place itself. Again some good restaurants.

Personally I’d prefer to live somewhere like the above where you don’t have to jump in your car every time you want to go out. Live close enough to town and you can access everything on foot. (That becomes more important in the summer when parking and traffic generally becomes v crowded and heavy).

Pretty much everywhere in east Devon has good access to excellent walking spots. There’s the coast path and loads of nice inland areas like Woodbury common, Harpford woods, core hill. If it’s green on Google maps it’s probably hilly and good for walking!

One thing I would watch out for is if you are both commuting to a job during busy times of day, have a look at the traffic during the times you’ll be travelling. There are some pinch points on main routes which can add a long time to a journey during rush hour.