Which would you choose - Winchester or Cheltenham

[mama2girls0]

If you had the option of living in Winchester or Cheltenham with a young family which would you choose please and why? Thanks

Winchester
Lovely place which is close to New Forest, the sea, London... perfect IMO

I don't know Winchester at all - full disclosure.

I'd choose Cheltenham because:

• it's quite a compact town, so there's a lot to see in a small area;
• there are a LOT of very good schools in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud (state grammars, if you're interested, plus all the famous independents);
• it has amazing cultural opportunities - lots of history and all the Cheltenham festivals (lit; jazz; science; music);
• it has easy access to the beautiful Cotswolds and to the Forest of Dean;
• it's commutable to London;
• it's a generally beautiful area;
• it has good public transport, as far as anywhere outside a major city does;
• it's easy to get to Birmingham and Bristol on the train;
• if you're willing to travel a little bit, you can buy in Gloucester or along the Golden Valley and get more house for your money.

I loved here from a major city over ten years ago and I'm still loving it.

Moved here... Oh, for an edit function!

Thanks both!

Difficult one....Cheltenham has beautiful architecture, is bigger and has more going on...the festival. But if you're thinking of commuting to London, Winchester every time. Journey to Cheltenham takes ages because it's at the end of the line going round in a loop, Win one hour to Waterloo.
Cheltenham slightly cheaper for housing.

I used to live in Winchester and it's absolutely lovely. If you've got a large budget then you'll have a great quality of life. You have the New Forest and the Solent near you - perfect for outdoor sports, walking and sailing. However Cheltenham is also great - a beautiful city too - I was there last week shopping and it's got a lovely vibe with a great John Lewis. It's twenty minutes from Gloucester which has a beautiful cathedral and a great outlet shopping centre in the Quays. Gloucester is having a lot of investment, including a new university and library and you can see the whole area improving. There are buses every ten minutes between Cheltenham and Gloucester. You also of course have the Cotswolds and the slightly under-recognised Forest of Dean, which for my money is actually far nicer and friendlier than the Cotswolds and perfect for childrens outdoor activities at Beechenhurst and Puzzlewood. It's also stunningly beautiful. f you do your homework there are good schools in both areas. I think there a grammar school system in the Chelteham/Gloucester area, not sure about Winchester.

For commuting to London, it's absoutely do-able from both, but quicker from Winchester. I would suggest that you'll get more for your money around Cheltenham compared with Winchester, which is very expensive.

I live near Cheltenham and while all the positives mentioned are true I would add two things -
Busses between Gloucester and Cheltenham are terrible and certainly not every ten minutes anymore
Schools - yes great state grammars but do your homework regarding comprehensives in case your child doesn't get a place

Winchester is comprehensive and they are very good.

They’re both lovely.

I’d pick Cheltenham if I wanted a job (lots of jammy ones there) but otherwise Winchester for the arts schene and proximity to New Forest , France etc

Does anyone know if the Brooklyn Gardens area in Cheltenham is an ok area?

It's an ok area not the worst but close to one of the rougher areas