Swindon/cricklade - advice appreciated!

[Mum2G]

Moving again!

dh accepting a new job in swindon, has anyone any reccomendations for nice villages near swindon, that have good mother and baby facilities, and good primary schools?

Cricklade has been reccommended - any good or bad areas around there that people know of?

Any other nice locations with good schools in or around Swindon?

TIA!

I live quite near Swindon. It's a monstrous town and I would definitely live in a village outside if I were you. Depends how rural you want to be and how far away from Swindon you are prepared to live. Are you buying or renting? South of the M4 tends to be cheaper than North.

Give me some more info and I'll make a few more suggestions.

Agree with sophy, Swindon as a town is largely hideous, although the Old Town area is generally thought to be much better.

Wootton Bassett is supposed to be a good place to live, as is Purton. Don't know about schools though. Do you definitely want village rather than town? If you're not stuck on the Swindon area alone, you could try Cirencester or Chippenham or the villages around them, loads to do in those areas, very good for families & schools etc.

I live in swindon adn I would prefer to live in one of the outer villages (having come from an old house in Lambourn and Hungerford the new 'box' we find ourselves in just isn't really us)

The traffic is a nightmare where I live as it is in the new part of Priory Vale. They have built the houses and got our money and have only just decided to really start building the roads.

If I were to choose an area I did like, Old Town is lovely with it's lovely large period houses, Wotton Basset is also great, brinkworth (great pub there) faringdon's not bad. Hungerford is only 20 mins away...

My ds goes to a private school as where he was allocated (not our 1st or 2nd choice, a random allocation) was not a great school. The secondary schools are shocking in terms of behaviour and achievment so we will move when ds needs to go to secondary school.

Loving the community though, have made some great new friends. At the moment it suits us well.

To the other ladies -fancy a Swindon meet up?

Would definately live in Cirencester...

Stay away from anything with a 'p' as we were told when we first came here. Penhill, Pinehurst and Park South and Park North (I think)

Thanks for your comments ladies! I have to say not many seem to have good things to say about swindon, but is dh's dream job.

Spoke to agents yesterday and they said north swindon is best value for money house wise (priory vale), abbeymeads, the said that there are no bad schools in north swindon (well they would say that i suppose)so i will have to look into this further. Useful to know about the traffic problems, thanks. Apparently the best primary school is in cricklade so we will check that out.

We are spending a weekend there shortly to have a look round swindon itself and some of the nearby villages. We will be looking to buy. I know we will probably get less for our money in the villages, but it is starting to sound like it may be worth it,

As for living in a box, we moved from a box to a period property and i miss being warm, after having huge heating bills and maintenance of current period property, we are opting for a box, but hopefully a decent size box!

thanks again ladies!

Sophy -Forgot to say would like no more than 30 min drive into swindon (near 'the park', just to the south of it)

Abbeymeads not a great school (ds's allocated school)

Catherine waite (sp?) is fab but oversibscribed.

Redoaks - not ofsteded yet as only opened 06 again, oversubscribed (we live 0.4 of a mile and are 18th on the waiting list)

Bridlewood 0.46 away but didn not get in -seems okay

St Francis - seems good

If you buy a box you get great VFM as the are still building here and will be for the forceeable future you can negotiate a really good bargin especially this time of year when they are slow.

If you're visiting you have to go and experience the joys of the 'magic roundabout'

Uffington is a lovely village (actually in Oxfordshire but about 25 mins. from Swindon).

The primary school is good, too.

Hi Mum2G, I lived in Cricklade for 15 years, it is a lovely village and a lot of my family are still there, but would have to say very quiet and not a huge choice of things for children to do. The school however is fab, live in Abbey Meads now about 4 miles away, loads of childrens clubs, playgroups, nurseries, young families, library and shops. Have found it so much easier to make friends here than moving to a small village from London. Swindon town centre itself is not nice really, but we have Oxford, Cheltenham, Cotswolds etc on the doorstep so is very well located.

Don't tell me that i am a learner driver!

Thanks for the school info, is there a resource that you know of where i get look up info re schools? ds only nine moths, he is my first so this is all new to me, but would like to buy somewhere where we wouldn't have to move again if at all possible - but it seems that just being in an area doesn't mean you will get your child a place - i think i have a lot to learn!

a list of schools

Our son went to Meadowpark (private) in Cricklade, okay but we moved him to Pinewood (Private school in Bourton) and he loves it.

Marlborough and Hungerford are both very nice market towns within 30 mins drive of Swindon (as is Cirencester). All quite pricey for property.

Lots of nice villages around Marlborough. Don't know anything about schools, although Hilmarton has a very good small village primary school.

Fantastic secondary school in Chippenham but I think that would be too far away for you.

There is an RAF base at Lyneham so you need to watch out for noisy aeroplanes round there.

Lots of places for you to check out.

Hungerford is fab as is the headteacher of the school.

The croft nursery in Hungerford also does extremly well in ofsted inspections.

Check out useful website:

www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/

Thanks everyone!

Broad Hinton is a nice village with a shop, post office (how long for I wonder), a couple of pubs and a good primary school. 10 mins to Marlborough (and waitrose) with v good swimming pool and mother and baby sorts of stuff, and 20mins into the centre of Swindon.

Wootton Bassett is a market town with Tumble Tots, Music Bugs, several playgroups, 2 primary schools which are fine I understand, and a not bad secondary school. 15 mins into the middle of swindon, 10mins to the M4.

Hilmarton has a good primary school, again about 20 mins into swindon, v small village but 10 mins from Wootton Bassett with the kids stuff going on.

Wroughton is a big village/small town 10 mins from Swindon. Not sure about primary schools but the secondary school there (Ridgeway) is meant to be OK. Chisledon is popular but I don't know much about it.

The Lydiards (Lydiard Millicent etc) have the best secondary school in the area, are nicely bucolicaly rural but lots going on there in terms of groups and things, and 10 mins into swindon.

All thos are to the West/South of Swindon

I wouldn't personally live up in the Priory Vale area - have to drive everywhere, rows and rows and millions of identical boxes off the Swindon ringroad and only a gigantic Asda for excitement. If they aren't slashing prices up there in this market then they should be.

More to the east is Wanborough and Bishopstone and Ashbury - all great vibrant villages, pretty country, easy to get to the M4 (J15), 10 - 15 mins to Swindon, near the hospital, 10 - 15 mins to Marlborough. The primary school in Bishopstone is fabulous, also a v good nursery (either there or ashbury, can't remember, they are a couple of miles apart if that), good pubs, good community.

Oh also look at Purton.

PPH - Agree with living in boxes in Priory Vale. Asda we shop in waitrose in Marlborough or get them to deliver.

You drive all the way from Priory Vale to Waitrose in Marlborough?? What does that take - 35 minutes?

What is wrong with the Sainsbury's next to Pinewood

Nothing really, for veg, but husband likes Waitrose meat. Generally get food delivered though much easier all round.

Apparently M & S want to take a little of Homebase on the Orbital retail park for food so we'd be happy with that.

I'm only kidding. Shop where you like

EXCELLENT butcher in Wootton Bassett and another in Marlborough btw M2G

orbital...asda and borders?
Really?
God they are taking over the world, you can't stop for petrol without being flogged M&S Simply Food these days.

Well in return can I share my exciting news that ZARA is coming to the extension to the brunel centre in sunny swindon

I'm so excited

Dare i ask about the night life?