Worcs/Gloucs village recommendations please

[Prophetorwell]

We’re looking to move within about 20 miles of Tewkesbury for DH’s job but aren’t familiar with the area. We’re heading over for a drive around, but would love some nice village/small town recommendations to narrow it down, please. DH liked Upton on Severn as an example. Budget is about £650k. Many thanks!

I live in Gretton, it’s beautiful. Lovely pub too. Also not far from Winchcombe which is a nice small town and Bishops Cleeve which has a supermarket. Nice small villages around here include Gotherington, Alderton, Alstone and Toddington. Not all have a pub though - that was important to my husband when we moved.
I commute to Tewkesbury and the commute isn’t a bad one at all, the A46 can be a bit busy but not horrendous.

Agree with pp that Winchcombe is a nice town. Has a nice selection of shops/pubs & a friendly community.

Upton is lovely but right on the river Severn - which can flood

I'd avoid Upton, the flooding can be a huge pain in terms of getting around.

Malvern is fabulous, you can get a lovely place for your budget.

If you head out in the Herefordshire direction from Tewkesbury you’ll get more house for your £. Ledbury is the full 20miles but commuting from this direction is not so bad! Hanley Castle if you need a great secondary school….

We live in Pershore, and it's a great small town to live in as there is a poll, gym, shops etc but small enough to walk every where and for kids to have a good amount of freedom.
Which side of Tewkesbury will your dh be working? The Ashchurch side and maybe Bishops Cleeve would be Ok too

We live in Gloucester and we're just about to move to Tewkesbury. There's loads of lovely places in this area - I'm originally a Londoner but I moved out here with work 20 years ago. All my family moved out here too because it's such a lovely corner of the country.

Like a PP I would be very careful with Upton because although it looks really picturesque, the area is an absolute bastard with flooding. Even if you pick a house that doesn't flood, you could have real trouble getting in and out of the area.

I have learnt - from bitter experience! - that around here you have to be very diligent in considering the impact of flooding. We have lots of rivers!

Bishop's Cleeve is a lovely village, and there are other villages surrounding it too, like Gotherington. I would also look at Bredon - it's only a few miles outside Tewkesbury and an easy journey. It's beautiful, has plenty of amenities and has a really good pub with nice food!

Can I just check, when you say "village" - do you mean a small and quiet village with very few amenities? Because we have lots of those around which are tranquil and beautiful.

Or do you mean a busier village, with a healthy sprinkling of pubs, restaurants, shops etc? I know you said village/small town but I couldn't work out if you were looking for both types, or you only meant a village that's more like a small town 😅

Omg, I'm so sorry for not coming back to this - I kept checking and had no replies so just thought it was a zombie thread!!

These replies are so helpful - I have been checking flood maps for particular properties, but didn't actually consider whether the area we live in might get cut off!

@Justanother123 I've looked at a couple of houses in Winchcombe online - haven't visited it yet, but it does look nice. We'd definitely like a nice pub which is walkable to, so I'll check out the villages you mentioned.

@Mywayward I'd had Malvern recommended by friends and wanted to love it, but was put off by the fact it all seems to be on a hill. A large, flat garden is very high on our list and I haven't found that yet with the Malvern properties I've found. We do need to travel south to visit DD, so close as possible to the M5 is best.

@SpidersAreShitheads We're open to a small village with few amenities as long as it has a pub or at least a pub in the next village which is walkable. We'd be open to a small town if it was particularly nice and we were on the outskirts.

@CMOTDibbler We do like Pershore, particularly as it has the train station, and actually viewed something near Defford the other day.

Ashleworth

I'd also be interested to know of places to avoid; I've been warned a couple of times to be very careful around Gloucester. Not that we've any plans to live in the city, but it has made me wary of villages anywhere nearby.

Malvern is hilly, especially Malvern itself, but lots of villages are on the flat - Leigh Sinton, Alfrick, Cradley, Colwall, you'll find lots of lovely properties with large, usable gardens. 35/40 min commute to Tewks.

Yes be careful with Gloucester; I know it well, post here any areas or houses you're looking at and MN will give you advice!

Cheltenham is very convenient for Tewkesbury, but it's a large town. I'd consider West Cheltenham (Uckington) but your budget won't get you as much.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139643018#/?channel=RES_BUY

can anyone advise on Bishop’s Norton please? 🙏

No info on bishops Norton sorry. But I live near winchcombe and I can confirm anywhere around here is lovely!