Relocation to Bristol

[Ontheflipside_]

Hello, looking for some advice on areas in and around Bristol for a young family.

We currently live in West Sussex but are looking to relocate to Bristol. We have a 3yo and 2nd baby due in January. DH's brother and his gf live in Bristol, I have friends in Bristol/Bath and Calne. It will also put us closer to my husbands parents who are in Cornwall.

We are outdoorsy and have a dog so not too bothered about being in city centre although we would like to be easily commutable by train or bus. Good schools are also vital.

Budget £500-£600k. Any area suggestions please? So far we've been recommended Keynesham.

Ok I know Bristol well having lived there before - we live in Bath and I hugely prefer it but if you want Bristol I would think of it like London

Are you a Hackney/walthamstow/ gritty but arty area kind of girl- you may well like Bedminster/southville/ Totterdown/kingswood/Montpellier

Are you a Chiswick/ Kew/Ealing kind of girl- you may well like Redland/Henleaze ( we lived there) westbury park/westbury on Trym

Are you a Notting Hill kind of girl- you will probably only like Clifton and Clifton Wood.

I'm very very fussy in Bristol but that's because I'm 62 and no longer keen on 'edgy' - I'm not vegan, don't cycle , like using the car and like 'cleanish places' and I don't like students bins littered everywhere or constant smell of weed

It's not a criticism, I can see it would really suit some people- but it does mean I think it's a place you really need to find the right area 'for you' and look at your lifestyle and transport options as public transport is an awful lot of buses or indeed cycling .

You can get a train from keynsham to London, change at Bath. Usually about a 10 minute wait for the connection. I think the early one is via Bristol through which can be a pain.

Yes, we've already looked into renting. It just pains me it's so much more expensive 😂 but probably worthwhile for a brand new area

Ooh we are definitely open to Bath too. What areas there would you recommend? What would you say are the main pros of Bath?

Hanham/St George is a lovely area.

I agree but the transport can be tricky, the roads are really busy for bus and car into Bristol if you want to get a train. But if you only need to commute once month it wouldn't be a big deal.

Also have a look at Clevedon which is about 20 minutes outside of Bristol. It has a lovely pier, cinema, sea front and marine lake. There are also lots of lovely walks and excellent schools. :)

Bristolian here... I feel like every time people ask where they should relocate to in Bristol so many people say Keynsham! Why?! It's not technically in Bristol... It's got a pretty old (retired) population. Not much culture of nightlife at all. Jacob Rees-Mogg was the MP there for a long time until the general election if that gives you any insight. It's Labour now but the boundary changes also influenced that.
500k to 600k will buy you a big house in a nice bit of east Bristol (Fishponds, Easton, Eastville, St.Werburghs etc) or South Bristol (Totterdown, Southville, Windmill Hill). Those neighbourhoods have some rougher edges but some lovely parts too. You can also probably find something for that budget in Ashley Down or the top end of Gloucester Rd if you want to be that side of town.
From those places you can be at Temple Meads for London trains within 20 or 30 mins on a bike.
I think trains don't stop at Keynsham after about 10:30ish?
I think visiting the places will give you an immediate feel of if that place is 'you' or not. One persons 'grotty and dangerous' is another person's 'cool and lively'.

@Ontheflipside_ what kind of thing do you need / are looking for house wise - ? Prices similar in Bath to better bits of Bristol - let me know and I will find you some good suggestions in decent areas-

Pros of Bath? Well I'm biased as I love it but I would say it is reasonably compact, I can be in beautiful proper countryside in 3 minutes from my house- with sheep, cows, hills - and 12 minutes to M4 - it has good schools both state and private , on main line to London 1hr 20 - great shopping both chains and indies and good bars/ venues/restaurants and events all year round, a brand new cancer centre at the hospital, has an A&E - and lots of 'meet ups' - I would say it feels safer -

Downsides
Touristy - so very very manic at certain times of year- traffic not great- but neither is Bristol, it's not really 'edgy' if you want that kind of vibe- nor mega diverse , although lots of foreign students- and it rains a lot ( but no different to Bristol) - it's not cheap - but neither is Bristol if you want what I think is a slightly posher area.

@Ladybugger I do partly agree- if you can afford keynsham you can afford lots of other areas - it's an ok place , we actually use Waitrose there as it has better offers than the one in Bath and it has the tip and an excellent farm shop!!! but it's not amazing and has a pretty dull high st - it's big advantage I guess is that it's equal between Bath and Bristol and on the train and it's kind of dull but pretty safe- I think the OP can get better for her budget depending what she's after property wise.

@KimFan again really depends what OPs definition of lovely is ( and we don't know that) as I personally think St George is a bit grim - and Hanham or kingswood only slightly better -- but we are all different I know. If for instance OP is coming from say Chichester ( and I have no idea in West Sussex where they are moving from) she may well be after more of that vibe

All the following areas are nice:

Frenchay
Downend
Winterbourne
Frampton Cotterell
Coalpit Heath
Chipping Sodbury
Pucklechurch

You would use Bristol Parkway to get to London.

Pricier but nearer the city:

Clifton
Redland
Cotham
Westbury on Trym
Bishopston

I’ve lived in Bristol all my life. It’s a great place to live.

I wouldn't look at clevedon because, like where I am in Portishead, there's no station. (Portishead is meant to have a railway imminently but funding got put on ice in august). Backwell is a large village and lovely, quite different to Bristol but easy to access the city. Where I am it's great, but to get to London you have to drive 20 mins to the station (we do have a lovely marina which may be worth the drive).

I live in Fishponds and agree it is a lovely area full of nice people and with a lot going on. But if you are looking for a good secondary school in the way that term is understood in London and the South East then it is not the place to move. I have just had a child go through Bristol Met and while it has a lot of lovely features it is in no way academic. Fairfield similar (and both are currently difficult to get into unless you live close by). If you want a decent academic secondary on your budget then Backwell or Bath is the way to go.

Wow thanks so much everyone for the detail and replies. It's really helpful and definitely given some good thinking. I grew up in Brighton, and I've also lived in Ealing and Coventry before living in West Sussex now (think between Brighton and Gatwick) and I do miss the city feel of bigger places. I also love the countryside and nature. We have a cocker spaniel and are outdoorsy so being near greenery and nature is a must. I think Bristol and surrounding is generally a really good opportunity to get into those places within 2ish hours, especially with a bit more of a diverse landscape than we are used to now- we can go 2 hours in any direction and it all feels the same 🙄

I'll reply to some of the more specific questions individually

Ooh this is really interesting. Moving is SO expensive so we are definitely thinking of a long term area to take us into secondary years (which feels absolutely terrifying seeing as she's only 3!) 😂

Thank you!! 3 bedrooms minimum, a 4th would be a nice bonus, garden medium size to large. Not bothered about too big but definitely not small. Parking is important, don't need a garage but a drive or designated parking space would be nice. Even street parking is fine if it's a permit. Preferably not a new build estate but wouldn't rule this out if the area is nice. Walking distance to good primary school is a must, preferable walking distance to good secondary but not essential. Can easily get into the shops whether walking or public transport (I live in a town now so I do walk to the shops but for example the 'nice' houses/areas in Brighton wouldn't be walkable it would be a bus and that's fine). Near parks and green space is also a must. We don't mind driving for a dog walk but ideally would be able to have a daily route straight from foot and then go further afield at weekends etc.

I don't actually know much about Bath outside of the City Centre, I assume like most cities there are smaller parts with shops/coffee/gym/restaurants and bars? I think we would prefer to be closer to these parts than the actual city. And I'm sure our budget will mandate that anyways 😂

@Ontheflipside_

Do think about Stroud. Some of my DCs friends in their 30s have moved there from London and they absolutely love love love it. Great for families.

Close to fabulous countryside, brill farmers market, vintage market, and was voted one of the best places to live outside of London. It's train station is right in the centre of the town and only 1hr30 to Paddington

Not Chichester 😅

There are lots of small businesses where I live who all support each other, share via social media etc. I like this, it feels very community driven. We're getting more town events too (maybe I've only noticed that since having children actually!!) but I love the stuff like 'town day' the Christmas festival, Christmas tree festivals at the churches, fire engine day, tractor drive where they're all decorated through the town etc 😂 but day to day we would like more culture and diversity for our children. It feels very one dimensional where we live at times.

Here are my picks in Bath

From what you've said if you want a villagey vibe but with facilities then the best areas are Oldfield park ( very studenty and quite diverse) lots of indie shops and cafes - I like it - my friend has a 3 storey terrace there ! larkhall, Weston , Bear flat and newbridge area and Combe down - all are on good bus routes, all are good for schools - a lot if not most of Bath in residential areas is residents parking . One bonus here is schools- really good state schools all the way through. We had a nightmare with this in Bristol at secondary level - which is one reason I'm suggesting Bath . Also it's just much quicker to get around if you want to use your car - we like going out to the farm shops etc and have lots within a few miles. Also extremely good for dog walking as we have a lot of great parks in all the areas I've suggested. Lots of these areas are very as you say 'neighbourly' and have their own communities, it is less diverse than some of Bristol but in all honesty I didn't find what I think were the nicer bits of Bristol particularly diverse either. And in all fairness what is diverse? My friend on her street has old people, students of all nationalities , some Polish families, a couple of families from Hong Kong, quite a few middle class down from Londoners and plenty of old school locals - hope you like some of these and I'm in the right ball park - I've picked a couple slightly above budget too and some under

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152024363#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153846179#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/151993628#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146887484#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146943890#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145801139#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153340523#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145938947#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153198839#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146454038#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/151010084#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149806181#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153685883#/?channel=RES_BUY

Schools in the Bristol area are an issue, particular senior schools. I would look into that first (ratings, catchment area etc). Personally I prefer Bath as a city and obv it has the direct train to London.

I was surprised to see a widcombe property on the above list, thats a great area. You couldnt get a family house any closer to the train station and there is an amazing indian (Bikanos), coffee shops, pubs at the bottom of the hill while up the hill youve got plenty of dog walking. Fab infant school, dont know where they go after that.

Yatton is an option, which is small former village, now classed as a town due to the addition of new builds. It has a train station with direct trains to London Paddington. You could get a lot for your money and it is in the country side. It's about 25 mins drive to Bristol and 8 mins drive to Clevedon, which is really lovely. Coastal, pier, marine lake with cafes, bars, big supermarkets etc. Yatton has good primary schools, one newly built. Good luck with your search.

So sorry for not replying sooner. Thank you so much for this!! I really appreciate your help ☺️

The Widcombe house is perfectly situated. Walking distance to train station. Widcombe infants and junior good. Secondary have Hayesfield, Beechen and Ralph Allen as options.