Where to move in the UK?

[deathofastrawberry]

DH, baby and I currently live in Bristol where we grew up. We bought our house in august 2021 and it's a lovely 4 bed house in a nice family area good for schools, transport etc but it's just so boring, no real buzz or anything going on. We used to rent a flat in Clifton near the city centre and would absolutely love to live there again, it's just so ridiculously expensive for what you get. We also have a Labrador that needs a decent sized garden which is impossible to find in Clifton or nearby areas.

Anyway we can move anywhere in the UK as we run our own business from home so we thought why limit our options to just one place.. preferably we'd like to live no more than 2.5-3 hours away from our families. So really what we're looking for is that urban buzz but in a relatively low crime family area with good schools, doesn't have to be too close to a major city, could be a small town with charm with independent shops, cafes, restaurants, markets, parks.. bonus points if there's a beach nearby. Nothing too out the way or rural, we are city people and don't want to feel cut off from the rest of the world

We've looked at Cornwall, Falmouth looks really nice but there aren't many houses on the market at the moment.. we'd live near London but prices are crazy in the sort of area we'd move to.. we also like Liverpool but it's maybe a bit too far.. Surrey could be another option but don't know much about the different areas. Just as an example of areas we've looked at so far.

Our absolute maximum budget is 950k and looking to move in next 2-3 years before our son starts school.

Any recommendations? TIA

@deathofastrawberry West London is great, I lived in Richmond and St Margarets/Teddington/Isleworth are all good for what you're after. But so expensive even with your healthy budget!

Chester is a great option and on the doorstep of North Wales which is also gorgeous. If distance didn't matter Edinburgh would be a place I'd love to try but I suspect also v pricey!

I find Bath a bit something and nothing compared to Bristol and the vibe isn't the same at all. Nice for a days shopping but something a bit depressing about it (I read a thread about that once on here and it really struck a chord with me about the 'feeling' of Bath!)

Good luck with your search, sounds like a lovely position to be in and I hope you find the place you call home!

@thingymaboob thanks for your reply, I have heard good things about Southville.. I know Bristol relatively well but I'm not overly familiar with much of south Bristol as I grew up and have only ever lived in north, east and west Bristol! What's put me off Southville in the past is that it's next to Bedminster and other rougher areas but to be honest I'm basing that on what I've heard as I haven't really ventured down that way much.. do you feel quite safe living in Southville? I will have to check it out sometime

Frome has a nice vibe with lots of independent shops & community events etc but not sure about an urban vibe & very landlocked.

Exeter - as OPs have suggested - might be good? Small city with lots going on, close to countryside & beaches plus good transport links?

I adore Mumbles. OH and I visited last summer with our dogs and OH had a surfing lesson. Lovely little shops, cafes, indie bars. I imagine that it would be an amazing place to grow up. Your labrador would love it there too!

I moved from Shepton mallet near you to Brighton 8 years ago and absolutely love it!!!

So I'm going to say Brighton or Hove

Brighton. Within budget and great transport links 👍🏼
You can't have it all love 😊

@Lobster2018

I moved from Shepton mallet near you to Brighton 8 years ago and absolutely love it!!!

So I'm going to say Brighton or Hove

Oops I really hadn't even seen your post. But yes. Definitely ♥️ I am South East London and oh yes Brighton definitely. 😃

You sound like you should look at Bath. Great transport links, easy to get back to Bristol by car, bus, train or cycletrack. Definitely buzzy, everywhere is central as it's relatively tiny, lots of central green spaces and affordable on your budget.
I'm trying hard to 'get' where you're coming from with your take on Bristol. I get the feeling that you are quite motivated by what you don't want to live close to, e.g. 'rough' areas. The areas you mention as being dubious on the grounds of proximity to roughness are generally places people who, like you, profess to enjoy a buzz, throng to live. If you are urbanites, 'city people', I think the little bit of 'rough', which one might stumble upon in Bishopston, St Andrews or Southville is definitely just going to be part of the 'smooth'.
With your budget you could get a nice place in Henleaze, Westbury Park, Sneyd Park or Stoke Bishop, all of which are just a stone's throw from Clifton and the Downs and couldn't be rough if they tried.

Can I ask where in Bristol it is you live? We used to live in Redland and now live in Coombe Dingle and it is so boring. We're looking to move in a few years but to somewhere else in Bristol but are unsure where. Possibly Chepstow for you as it's not far and you get a lot more for your money?

I’’m looking to move back from the Bournemouth/Poole/Christchurch area. I’m out in the sticks and will move to our in the sticks but DD who loves all things city hates it here, finds it really boring (she is really enjoying Exeter and Cardiff).. I’m happy enough but need to be closer to my Stepmother and the trains there only work well if you want to go to London. I have an hour’s drive to get DS to the station for his train.

I am spending half my week in Bedminster at the moment. I grew up close to the Downs and have also lived in Redland, Cotham and Horfield. My Grandparents used to live in Bedminster and I used to hate going there. I’d heard North Street has changed loads and hadn’t quite believed it until a couple of weeks ago, it really is so different and everyone has been so incredibly kind . I have been wandering around at night and felt fine.

Definitely worth a bit of an explore , it’s so very different to the place I remember of the 70’s. I’ve met up with a couple of school friends , we always used to go out in Clifton but went to North Street and they said the same that they can absolutely see the appeal now.

Norfolk? You would get an amazing property for that budget or for a lot less than that budget. Norwich, lovely city. The beaches are awesome, sandy, seals 🦭 what’s not to like. We relocated from the south coast, did a lot of desk research, crime rates, weather etc. Really happy we made the move, with our adult DS’ we also all WFH so we can live anywhere, as long as we have a great internet connection, gives you so many more options. Good luck with your move OP.

@YouWereGr8InLittleMenstruators We have started looking into the different areas of Bath, we definitely like the look of some areas but don't know it overly well but I could see us living there, especially as like you said it has lots of green spaces and also good schools. I like the city centre as well it's so pretty.

To be honest with Bristol we are probably a bit biased towards areas we know and like, I suppose places change and we need to be a bit more open-minded about it. I'm not worried about a little bit of 'roughness', I grew up in St George! I know that usually comes with the urban buzz.. I guess we just don't want to settle for the wrong place especially as it's where our little boy will be growing up. We just want somewhere less boring and a bit more lively on our doorstep, in a family area with relatively low crime. The house we live in now is lovely and spacious so we wouldn't want to necessarily downsize unless it's to an area that's worth downsizing for. Those areas near Clifton that you mentioned are on our list but again very very expensive for what you get, which is why we're considering moving out of Bristol to get better value for money. But we would 100% move to one of those areas if we found the right house, it just doesn't seem to be possible!

That sounds great @Volterra we'll definitely have to visit there soon though I did put Southville into Rightmove with £1M budget min 3 beds and only 3 results came up!

@Monty27 I know we can't, we are just trying to find the right area for us and to make the most of the fact we have a lot of options.. we just want to live somewhere less boring tbh that's the main thing.. I've always liked the look of Brighton, will have to look more into it

@Roselilly36 Norfolk and Norwich look perfect but unfortunately just a bit too far for us

I don’t think generally there is a lot on anywhere. People can’t find so reluctant to put theirs on and it creates a vicious cycle. Spring is traditionally the time people go on the market which is what we are planning to do. I’ve got a couple of people in the places I want who are kindly keeping ears open which might be paying off as have heard of one coming up after probate.

Places do change over time, i’m guilty of thinking no way too if I am honest but have decided to be more open minded -probably easier with no young DC to think of.

In the South West: Exeter, Wellington, Plymouth is in a stunning location but also has some of the most impoverished wards in country, good grammar iirc. Truro is really nice. Tavistock is worth a look as well.

Oldfield Park in Bath. Lots of young families, busy high street, incredible schools and 5 minutes walk from the city centre.

Widcombe has become quite ‘buzzy’ over the past few years with pubs and cafes. It’s a stones throw from tree city centre in one direct and countryside in the other. Fairly expensive though.

I'm amazed you say you get more for your money in Bath than nice areas of Bristol. The Bath market is insane at the moment. Know a few families sitting in rented accommodation waiting for family homes to come onto the market. It's all sealed bids and offers way over asking price - mostly driven by people moving from london. Bear Flat would be worth looking at but be prepared to fight tooth and nail! Earlier posters mentioned Stroud - you'd get much more for your money there or nailsworth

Apart from Brighton, I find it hard to imagine anywhere else mentioned on here would have an urban buzz over and above Bristol. Bedminster was considered up and coming when I lived in Bristol 15 years ago. Southville has a good vibe. Or around Gloucester Road area (nearer to the centre).

Frome seems to be very popular with young families. Lots of Londoners moved there in the last 5 years or so.

Mumbles does not have an urban buzz, it has nice cafes, not the same thing. Lovely but full of retired wealthy people outside of holiday times...

[quote deathofastrawberry]@thingymaboob thanks for your reply, I have heard good things about Southville.. I know Bristol relatively well but I'm not overly familiar with much of south Bristol as I grew up and have only ever lived in north, east and west Bristol! What's put me off Southville in the past is that it's next to Bedminster and other rougher areas but to be honest I'm basing that on what I've heard as I haven't really ventured down that way much.. do you feel quite safe living in Southville? I will have to check it out sometime [/quote]
Southville is super safe. There are a handful of rough streets but bedminster is massively gentrified now. East street is a bit rough but it's significantly changing all the time. I have never felt unsafe here. I have young children. It's really lovely community and I love living here. My husband grew up in Redland and is dead against living north of the river now.

Sounds like you love Bristol, so stick with it, find the next up and coming area and make a good go of it.

YY to Frome. I also always thought Bristol had much more of an urban buzz than Bath, Bath is a quite a different vibe, buzzy but in a much more ‘middle class’ way…