Decisions, decision - Dorchester, Weymouth or Poole??

[monstermayhem]

We are moving to Dorset later this year. We originally wanted to move to Dorchester - good schools, lovely small town - and then we saw a gorgeous house in Radipole, Weymouth. Not sure about traffic, proposed bypass near to house and schools though. Where would do go and why? What do you think of Poole and Bournemouth??

PMSL @ honenid.......wags galore in sandbanks, but you need millions to move there so you are safe

Poole is a dive ( apart from sandbanks of course)

I lived in the Old town for a while- right by the Quay in a grade 2 listed building- it was lovely there. But the rest of poole is a hovel.

lol the shopping centre is SHITE

why on earth would you move to Dorset to live in a big town [puzzled]

sounds like you could live anywhere- why not Bridport? Funky, by the sea, the best state primary in Dorset

Blimey, I wouldn't describe Poole as a dive, nor the Town Centre. I've been to worse places.

I'm in Broadstone, just outside Poole towards Wimborne and it's lovely. Really good schools, lovely local shops which are called "the village", library, sports centre, restaurants. I wouldn't move from here unless I relocated somewhere completely different.

There is a lovely house for sale on Hankinson Road (just off Charminster Road) - found that last night and was drooling over that one too....

But then I come back to Dorch and Weymouth. I think (thank you ladies) that Weymouth realistically has been ruled out (describing the town as a dump, bit rough and a hole have kind of put me off ).

Will have to come down again for another weekend . sigh, it's a hard life!

we lived in markham road, which is the next rd along, and if any, hankinson raod is slightly wider than most so parking not sooooo much of an issue.

the houses are nice tho. early 1900's again, so high ceilings which I miss, and many, if not most of the houses around that way, have such huge attic spaces you can extend to easily into them!

and also, most have nice long gardens too.

one things against, which may not be an issues in the house you are looking at but needs considering......
the plaster is also early 1900's and so, when you try to re-tile the bathroom (for eg), you may find the entire wall falls down!!!!

DH did this in our home, when I was in hospital while pregnant with DD1 (she is almost 14 now) as a 'nice' surprise for when I came home..........he instead had to admit that the bathroom now looked into the lounge and bedroom (we were in a first floor flat)........it took all out baby money to fix.

What sorts of things do you like doing MM? IMO - and I have to say I don't know it that well - Dorchester is a little isolated and quite small. Whereas in Poole or Bournemouth there's tons to do and it's easy access to get to places, eg New Forest, motorway up to London, beaches, Purbecks.

Oh and can I say we have the Poole/Bournemouth crew have the BEST meet-ups.

surfer!!!

are you coming on the 20th????

Of course!!

hey thehonenid..... im only 29.
gods waiting room indeed.

I've heard really good things about Dorchester schools but it's more out of the way of things.

The good thing about Poole/Bournemouth (and Poole town centre is not one of them !) is as others have said, there's loads of stuff around. And you've got a choice of being right in the middle of things or a little way out in more village setting (though you don't sound as if you want that) and still be able to get to things pretty quickly.

Be prepared for the fact there are several different types of school systems going on down here. Some places have the lower, middle & upper system, some have primary and secondary and then the Grammars run along side both.

Surfer - I like the fact here in London that I can walk to everywhere I need to (within reason) - so school, playgroup, coffee shop all within 25 mins walking distance. Just looking forward to more of an outdoor life - beaches, water sports when dcs are older etc etc. Don't do shopping much as younger two have habit of playing hide and seek in every shop I go into , but I do want them near for when they get older! I lived in a village (hamlet really) with nothing around until I was 18, and though I loved it when I was younger, wasn't so keen as a teenager...

Psychomum - love love high ceilings. Have a 1930's house here and love the feeling of space in each room. Plaster falling doesn't worry me too much as dh is carpenter and is willing to take on project...

I'd move to Whitchurch Canonicorum fab name!

I would love to live one of the Piddles, just so that I could say I do... Always makes me think of my Dad, who will never say it is raining, but piddling...

not much there in the piddles, except pubs.
Cerne abbas isn't too bad, but then again not much there, but has more shops than the piddles do.
New ish development charlton down, between charminster and godmanstone on the A352, or off the old sherborne road (cant see road number on map) But it's before the turn off's to go to the piddles, is an ok place. A mix of magna housing and private housing.
Was all part of forston clinic.
Redwood house was the old hospital there. Freaky, wouldn't want an apartment in there. (shiver emoticon)
How are you ever going to decide where to live??
How about go on a day visit to a few places and see what they're like?
you can come to my house for a coffee.

We drove to see Charlton Down last year, and drove straight back out again... just didn't like it. What was the Forston Clinic / Redwood House?

Slowly but slowly we are narrowing it down ! A few months ago, it was all of Dorset .

Forston clinic is HQ for dorset primary care trust and also has a few mental health wards,one being forensic.

That made up town is surreal,went on a course there the other week,it's like a disney town.

Agree completely surreal - thought it was quite spooky actually.

I grew up in a village just outside of Dorchester so went to dorcester schools and they were and are excellent. I now live near Poole but would move back to a village in the Dorchester schools catchment tomorrow. I would look at villages like Broadmayne, Tolpuddle, Puddletown, the Piddle Valley, West Stafford, Briantspuddle to name but a few - all lovely and beautiful villages. I love Lulworth but you would be in the Wareham schools cathement I think (?) Wherever you live in the Dorchester catchment you get into a good school. Middle schools are St Osmunds C/E and Dorchester MIddle - both excellent and the Dorchester Thomas Hardy School (common misconceprion - not named after the writer Thomas Hardye but a local merchant and part time pirate who set up a school to educate children so as he could employ them in his businesses)anyway, it's a fantstic school and has excellent Ofsteds. (It's an emalgamation of Hardys School and Castlefield Girls school, the latter of which I attended many years ago)

If you choose to live in town rather than a village, the Manor Park area is very nice and Queens Avenue. Of course there is the Duchy of Cornwalls Poundbury development, although I am not very familiar with it as it was built after I left.

As for beaches, although Poole does have fantastic beaches, imo it's too overcorwded in the summer. If you moved to the Dorchester area you are just a short drive from Ringstead, Lulworth etc (although once again crowded at peak times but less touristy than the Poole/B'mouth beaches)

THat's just my tuppence worth, anyway

I do envy you lucky people living so close to Lulworth - my favourite place on earth...

I live in Lulworth and we do fall in Wareham cathement area but they are very good

IMO, Man 'O' War Bay and Durdle Door are amongst the best beaches as the hike down the cliffs and back up again puts many people off so it manages to stay a bit more exclusive (although get there early on weekends and school hols as carpark now fills up early). You can snorkel around the rocks and Durdle Door which is good for novice snorklers just getting used to it. It's totally beautiful. In fact from the age of 16 my friends and I spent every summer weekend and college/uni holidays at Man O War Bay and when we moved back to Dorset from overses a few years ago, I used to take my ds's there - who although just aged from 2 and 4, would have little backpacks on and thought nothing off the hike back up the cliffs after a day on the beach (the ice cream van half way up the track was alwaysa good resting point .

Geek - we stay in Puddletown when we come down for the weekend, and absolutely love the Puddletown ducks - now those are ducks with hair attitude!

We just can't wait to move.... so exciting.

Aahhh, The Piddle Valley, otherwise known as Crumpet Canyon