Moving to Bristol - need opinions on areas please

[Showboat140]

Hello, We are moving to Bristol with two girls one starting year 8 and one starting year 12. We have school places sorted. My husband will be working in the harbourside area. We are relocating from Scotland so our budget is relatively limited which is pricing us out of our preferred location of Westbury-on-Trym. The surrounding areas are where we are now looking so want recommendations on where to consider/where to avoid please. Eg is Cheswick Village a nice place to live? Stoke Bishop looks achievable but is it well connected into Bristol Centre? TIA.

What's your budget and what do you need property wise?
Where will dc be going to school?

It will take a long time to get to work in the harbourside on the bus from Stoke Bishop. If he's cycling and you mean well connected for weekend trips into town then I suppose it's ok.

What schools do you need to live close to?

Without additional context on housing needs and school location, I suggest looking at Stoke Gifford, it’s full of families and has good transport links, close to m32, right near Parkway train station and is on Metrobus route too, so you can get to the centre more quickly in a variety of ways. You also have local shops, pub etc… and Sainsbury’s close by inc petrol station.

Stoke Bishop and Henleaze are also worth a look, but pricey! I’m assuming Clifton and Redland are no go since you rule out Westbury on price.

Cheswick Village is nice but it's right next to UWE so there are loads of students. So houses further east of the development have more student lets. Just check when you view houses who your neighbours are - especially if you're attached.
Stoke Gifford is ok. Fairly unremarkable with no real centre. Just a couple of average pubs. But it really is well connected both by train and metro buses. That area to the east of stoke Gifford, between the motorways will no doubt get developed in no time so it will become quite busy.
Stoke Park is full of students. I'd avoid that.
Frenchay is a bit more expensive - but probably quite a nice area to live.
Downend and Fishponds have a more more going on and I've heard quite good for family / community. Same for St George.
Bishopston, Montpellier, St Andrews and Cotham are great but very expensive. Horfield is similar but it's cheaper, scruffier cousin.
Filton is incredibly ugly (sorry to anyone who lives there).
Some friends moved to Winterborne and love it. They can easily access Bristol but escaped the traffic and bad graffiti.
There are loads of different areas and I could go on for ages!

Personally I find Chiswick Village a bit soulless and like a ghost town. I would much prefer Horfield which is more lively and has good transport links to town.

Its 20 mins on the metro bus (straight down the m32) and a 30 min cycle.

Fair enough, I forgot the Metro route although I think 20 mins is generous in rush hour but might be ok if there's a bus lane (we only go the other direction from south Bristol so no experience) I was thinking about the buses crawling down Gloucester Rd

BS6-9. Expensive, but as they say, "Location, location, location."

Worth knowing that there is a passenger ferry that goes around the harbour and another that crosses it near the SS Great Britain. Car parking in central Bristol can be expensive and there's also Residents Parking Zones and a Congestion charge. As for cycling....hills! Did I mention hills?
There's a lot of housebuilding going on in North Bristol on the site of the former Filton airfield and the old hangar is going to be a major concert arena. There's plans to re-open some of the railway stations that were closed in the 60s to alleviate the dreadful traffic in that area but I believe that it's some time in the future.

Chiswick village is super nice. I accidentally cycled through there once when I got lost. I was very impressed! Good transport links there too, unlike some parts of Bristol.

It is right next to UWE but UWE is a very leafy campus - although there are a lot of students around, there isn’t a students atmosphere (partying, HMO’s etc - that’s more of a horrible thing 😬).

I don’t know stoke bishop at all.

St Andrews is nice. It has a similar vibe to westbury in trim but is more central and less expensive.

You can get to the Harbourside from pretty much anywhere. What’s the budget? I’m a big fan of BS3.

Thanks All, DD1 is going to BGS and DD2 is going to redmaids, we are looking for 4 bed house with garden as we have a dog, and off road parking and budget is to be confirmed (depends on what we sell for here in Scotland) but in region of £850k ish.

I'm in N Somerset and money goes a bit further , you will get a large 4 bed detached for that but until the railway is finished (circa 2026 but it's been delayed twice) it means bus or drive in (drives about 30 mins) but kids do go to BGS from here. The advantage of a safe town by the sea where kids can have freedom is the draw

Are villages South and North well connected to centre of Bristol/harbourside? eg Long Ashton and Almondsbury as examples.

Have you looked at Henleaze? Your budget would get you something like this.
I would keep an eye on Westbury as your budget would get you a house with your requirements on in some bits of Westbury.

Stoke Bishop would be easy to get to the harbour side, you have options of a train, park and ride bus which goes along the port way and cycling.

I found this property on the Rightmove Android app and wanted you to see it: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143943113

Stoke Bishop is nowhere near the M32 @Dinoland.

I'd have thought you could get a very decent house in Westbury on Trym for that budget. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143216759#/?channel=RES_BUY
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143889713#/?channel=RES_BUY

I've lived in Westbury on Trym twice (for a total of 10 years) and it's lovely there. Both of the above properties are in lovely roads, family friendly and near parks for you and your dog.

Or this one. Not sure if it has parking but there is plenty of on street safe parking around that road. Reedley Road is lovely - a short walk to cafes, shops, supermarket, pubs, parks, community garden and Redmaids. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136194770#/?channel=RES_BUY

If that's your budget, I'd live in Bishopston, Cotham or Henleaze. Cheswick village isn't as good as those places.

I used to live in Ashley down and loved it. I would live in the house that @GFB posted in a heartbeat.

Sorry I was thinking of stoke gifford.

Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions.

I should have said my husband wants a detached house which is why it's not so straightforward.

Clevedon/Portishead definitely worth a look.

It might be worth looking at where the school buses to and from Red Maids' pick up/drop off and factoring that into your search. (When I was there many moons ago I had classmates travelling in from as far afield as Weston-super-Mare, but it does make for a long day and you don't tend to socialise out of school). Redland or Westbury Park would put you midway between the two schools.