Bradford-on-Avon?

[DungareeClad]

We are thinking about moving to Bradford-on-Avon and wondering what people think of it? We have visited quite a lot but interested in what it’s really like to live in and what the schools are like etc. I’ve seen a few threads on here from a few years ago with people asking similar questions so wondering for those who did make the leap to move there - do you like it?

I got engaged in Bradford on Avon! Sorry; don’t know what it’s like to live there because we’ve just visited a couple of times but I loved it!

Don't live there but my mum lives close by and used to live in Bradford and we often visit. It's lovely! Good restaurants, swimming pool, playgrounds, kids and dogs play in the river in all weathers. Good trainline. Seems like a really nice place to live. No idea about schools. Apparently has loads going on for all ages.

I Iived there for about a year - but it was a while ago now. When I lived there it was a pretty little market town. Friendly and safe. It wasn't as well connected to Bath as we had hoped - with a very limited bus and train service although it's a nice walk in along the canal. Shopping etc was a bit limited and I don't remember there being any major supermarkets there. It was also prone to flooding - our first winter the river burst its banks and flooded the centre of town.
I suspect there has been a lot of development since then though as there were already plans for various new build estates on the outskirts.

Ha! As PP has just proved there's been a lot of developments since I lived there!

Wow thanks all! @Puppylucky there is a Sainsbury’s there I believe but Trowbridge has a lot of supermarkets and M&S etc. We usually get deliveries anyway so not sure it would bother us too much. We would be looking to be walking distance to the train station, the train to Bath is quick and regular I believe - were the issues you had more to do with driving to Bath?

@Cockerwalk lovely place to get engaged!

@Tiggy321 thank you, that’s great to hear. DC love swimming so having a pool there is a big plus for sure.

We've lived in Bradford on Avon for about 15 years and absolutely love it. Lots going on for children and adults and a real community feel. Two good primary schools and excellent links to Bath/Bristol/London. We're selling our house too if you're interested 😉

@Redfizz thank you! Is your house already on the market? Feel free to PM! Any thoughts on the secondary school?

I live near and often visit. The only issue is the traffic through the town is atrocious as it is a through road to bath/trowbridge/Frome so lots of stop start traffic at rush hour. As long as you are living away from the main road that runs through it is a really lovely place

@imaginarybeing thanks, yes I’ve read that about the traffic. We don’t need to commute so hopefully it won’t bother us too much.

I live in the next town and we love BoA! There is a lovely atmosphere, and the people seem friendly. As people have said, the traffic can be chaos, but there are many bonuses to living there, and you’re not far from Bath if you ever want to go there.

We currently live very close to the secondary school. It's one of the popular schools in the area but my boys are in primary at the moment so I don't know huge amounts about it. Will PM you our rightmove link. Property choices can be a bit limited (not many houses in the market) and it's not the cheapest area to buy.

Secondary school has a good rep, don't know about primaries though. It's a lovely town with lots going on, some nice food, amazing walks on the doorstep, on a main train line to Paddington/Bristol, easy to get to Bath. We considered moving there but found something else in our more immediate area in the end.

Bradford on Avon is nice, we often visit. Good choice of restaurants, pubs and chip shop. Has a train station, swimming pool, tyrhe barn and lovely walks along the river Avon or canal.
Traffic can be busy, due to narrow pinch points, but I wouldn't say bad. Close to Barh and M4.
Only downside is it is close to Trowbridge, which is not so nice.

Faintly claustrophobic down in the valley and kind of like the last outpost of the Cotswolds so a bit odd if you ask me, but then I live nearby not in it.

In terms of secondary schools you can also look at the Bath schools, Ralph Allen, Hayesfield (girls) and Beechen Cliff (boys) although I would be wary of the latter personally.

Thanks all! Sounds pretty good to me.

@expandabandband that’s interesting re secondary schools, thanks. I had wondered about schools in Bath but wasn’t sure about catchment. Have heard good things about Ralph Allen in particular. I have girls so not to worry about Beechen Cliff!

Hayesfield has an odd admissions policy which stipulates some percentage from out of catchment so that’s a definite possibility - and until recently everyone who appealed got in.

Ralph Allen is good but has a reputation for not pushing the brightest. But really supportive atmosphere

We used to go quite often when we lived in Bath- it's more like a very large village with good facilities for its size. Love the cafe by the canal with the whacky decor - it does amazing breakfasts and lovely Timbrells yard!! It's a very liveable place in a nice setting

Thanks for the info @expandabandband that’s extremely useful to know.

@Crikeyalmighty many thanks. Seems to be mostly positive feedback so that’s good! Can I ask how you’d compare to Bath? DH is keener on Bath itself but I’d prefer somewhere smaller, hence BOA. Bath is so expensive as well.. we like Combe Down but very little on market and possibly above our budget now too with interest rate rises etc.

Are you or DH working in Bath?

@expandabandband no, both homeworkers.

@DungareeClad I prefer Bath but you can't really compare as it's about 10x the size, is full of both students and tourists and comes with a hefty price tag - even coombe down. Thing is with Bradford it's very easy to get into Bath , train every half hour or so - perfectly possible to get the train in for a night out if you don't want to drive (ie drink) and about 14 mins drive and there is a train back around11.30.

I also think it's probably easier to meet people as smaller and has a lot going on not just aimed at tourists.

I don't know your budget but think in Bath there may be a lot of compromising unless you've got over £600k to spend or looking for a 2 bed flat or looking to rent (and that's not cheap and is hugely in demand) -

For somewhere close in to Bath and with good facilities itself Bradford is hard to beat -- it has good restaurants, a massive sainsburys, nice cafes, lovely Timbrells yard (very London vibe) - great for in the week and pop to Bath for weekend browse and shopping -

@DungareeClad I have no idea about schools though - although if you were seriously interested my friend lives there and has secondary school aged kids

@Crikeyalmighty many thanks for the info! Our budget is £650ish although ideally less now that costs and interest rates going up. Doesn’t go very far in Bath! Other issue is that as we are both homeworkers we need enough space for two offices/ desk spaces and 3 bedrooms. I think BOA suits us better for lots of the reasons you’ve mentioned. Also wonder whether getting into the centre of Bath would actually be easier from BoA than from Combe Down!

The secondary school in BoA is rated good and seems to be doing well on the performance tables, I just don’t know anyone who lives there myself so not sure how reputable it is really.

If this holds up ok on a survey it's well worth the money-very nice bit of Bath , on the flat and cable internet area, wants 'a bit' of work maybe but not loads and is well within budget for you

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/125137607#/?channel=RES_BUY

@Crikeyalmighty thank you, that does actually look really nice! Also very good point about cable, hadn’t really thought about that and just doing a bit of Googling it looks as though it’s a bit patchy in BoA. We obviously need good broadband for wfh.