Moving to North Devon Suggestions

[LilyRo1]

Hello 😊

We're really interested in moving to North Devon - it's me and my husband (late twenties) and two dogs. We're looking to start a family, so we need to be near good schools/would like to be in an area with like-minded people/young families.

We will be moving from Bristol - away from the busy life etc. However, we still enjoy a pub drink/cocktail/dinner out - as well as time on the beach.

Any of you based in North Devon of similar age and have any suggestions?

Thanks!

What type of property and price are you looking at? This will dictate your potential areas.

Also, add the Area360 add-in/extension for your RM searches as it includes details of local school ratings for each property. Obviously, these are likely to change between now and when your potential children start school!

@XVGN thanks for your reply! The budget is around the £325,000 - and we would like three bedrooms.

Your budget will go furthest around Bideford and Ilfracombe which are respectively near and on the coast.

A "nicer" area near the coast is Appledore but you won't find lots of choice.

If you are happier looking further inland then check out South Molton and Torrington. There will be lots of homes available for your budget. I like them both as small towns and they have lovely walks for your dogs.

I can't comment on schools. Everyone will tell you that it takes ages to get anywhere from North Devon - especially in the summer. So if you are not used to that and would find it irritating then that may affect your feelings.

Come and take a look around, and good luck!

We once did a gig in great Torrington and I thought it was really nice - I thought Biddeford was awful if I’m honest - just a dump - person at the hotel totally agreed but said Barnstable was not too bad - that might be worth a look

I don’t live in North Devon, but am very familiar with it as lived there as a child and live in Mid Devon now. I am a bit older, with kids, dogs etc but if you give a little detail of what exactly you are looking for I will try to help. Do you want to be able to walk to the beach for example or are you happy with a drive. Do you need to work or perhaps you work remotely? Will you be travelling back to visit family etc on a regular basis or even travelling for work.

Thanks for all the responses! My mum is now based in North Devon. She lives in Instow, so Bideford was an option - but interesting to read thoughts on this. We're happy to drive to beach, and both work remotely. Ultimately, we're looking for somewhere that has stuff going on (nice pub, good community, cool shops). Any thoughts on Braunton???

ooh Instow is lovely…
North Devon is predominantly farming or tourism, so anywhere with cool shops and more than one pub is going to be a tourist hotspot and will be a nightmare in holiday season.
Braunton seems nice but on the downside the high street gets very clogged up with through traffic driving to Croyde, Woolacoombe and Ilfracombe.
Great Torrington has a bit of a bad rep (the usual teen aggro etc) the Main Street isn’t that atttractive but I know some people are happy there.
Would you be happy with a small village with maybe one nice pub but have to drive a bit to get shops etc?

@TheFinePrintess Yes, we would! I think I just want to be near an area with people of similar ages.

Maybe check out Bradworthy, Woolsery, Merton, Winkleigh, Dolton.
I quite like the look of Yelland which is not far from Instow and there’s lots of new houses being built round there. It’s handy for Barnstaple whilst still feeling rural.
If you go for Bideford I was told to avoid East The Water, it looks perfectly ok to me but friends have told me it’s like the Wild West🤷🏻‍♀️😂

Hi, just jumping on here as it seems active & helpful - I keep seeing threads that turn into endless debates about Devon vs Cornwall. Have you looked around any places yet?

We’ve sort of settled on Braunton or Woolacombe - the schools seem nice and work based in Barnstaple. And would like to be near the sea.

Our kids are 2&4 - but wondering what the community is like there for a young family? Are there others about or are these places just retirees and holiday homes (I appreciate there is a lot of that but hoping for some sort of community in there of similar ages / stages).

thanks!

I live in Appledore (as you can tell from username) 😂 I've probably seen your mum walking on Instow beach ⛱️

Love living here, lots going on and great community. It is more expensive than some of the local areas mentioned but would definitely recommend it for the all year round vibe.

Braunton seems to be a bit dead out of season and a traffic nightmare in the summer when all the tourists are here.

In terms of schooling you'll need to think very carefully about secondary school as there are some here with bullying problems.

Good state ones are Great Torrington and Braunton. So if you're planning on kids get into the right catchment area from the start or look at independent schools (there are some good ones nearby).

PM me if you want any more info.

My parents live in Devon and I’ve been to the north coast many times in and out of season. Traffic in season is a nightmare, fine from October til March. I remarked to my parents how “grey” it was in winter and she was having none of it, there’s lots of young families she reckoned but not my observation but never been to Bideford. It’s a tight budget so you need to be realists. I live nearer to where you are now but coastal and you wouldn’t get a flat here

I spent time growing up near Torrington, I didn't go to school there but there was always a good community feel. Fond memories of May Fair and dancing round the Christmas tree at midnight. I suspect that being that bit more inland your budget will stretch further.

@Appledore25 if we could up the budget a bit would you recommend Appledore? Are there plenty of young people?

I live in North Devon and moved here from a city.

One thing I’ll say - in the summer it is bustling but in the winter it is quiet, desolate (good for dogs on the beach) but most seasonal businesses are closed.

I love it though!

Ilfracombe - seaside town - a load of pubs/restaurants and you have LIDL and Tesco, high street isn’t great…. You will need to visit Barnstaple or Exeter if you want to go ‘shopping’ as such.

Good schools. You can get a lot for your money here.

Barnstaple (Roundswell/ Pilton/ Sticklepath) all good areas in Barnstaple - good schools and there is so much more nightlife in the town centre. Main town in North Devon, plenty to do.

Bideford is popular - close to the beach, Bideford Quay. A load of new builds here too. Affinity Devon outlet shopping. There are schools but not sure what they are like. Close to the seaside town of Westward Ho!

@MN2025 thank you! Lots of people saying no to Bideford, also lots saying it's changing a fair bit and is good for young families. I've walked around the high street and it seems lovely (certainly in comparison to some rougher areas of Bristol)

@LilyRo1 You’ve hit the nail on the head there, if your moving here from a quaint little market town in Surrey then Bideford is going to feel rough but if you come from a poverty stricken town up North then it’ll feel luxurious!
Some parts are better than others and I know the high school hasn’t got a good rep - my daughter went to Great Torrington School and there were quite a few kids there who bussed it from Bideford.
But it sounds like you haven’t got children yet so you’ve plenty of time to move again if you aren’t happy with where you choose.
Could you maybe rent a holiday let over winter - there’s usually lots in Westward Ho! Then you can start walking round places day/night etc to get a feel of the vibe?

@LilyRo1 that’s a very pertinent point too - we live in Bath and moved from Bristol and yep I get your point! Hence why we moved

I know North Devon very well (parents live in Appledore).

did you post on Westward Ho! Facebook page the other day?! If not then someone in very similar circumstances did!

Would it be a viable option to rent somewhere more short term for a few weeks before making a decision about specific town/area? Then you can get a feel for everywhere.

@LilyRo1 We spent the weekend looking around. Braunton was definitely our pick - lovely community feel, lots of little kids, liked the schools, beach nearby. Traffic was pretty ridiculous but also was a few times that there was none so have to hope out of season it’ll be more like that. We cycle so less of an issue for us. I imagine if you work remotely you’ll have less of a worry too. We want to be able to cycle to Barnstaple for work.
I think you might struggle in Braunton though for a 3 bedroom on your budget as was pretty pricey!

@Onthemoveee yes! Love Braunton. Traffic doesn't bother me as nothing can be as bad as central Bristol in rush hour. I think we're going to stay put, up the budget and look there.

I live in Bideford. Easy walk to Westward Ho! plenty of live music going on here which is important to me.

we moved here with 4 small children. It was important to me that they could walk to school and clubs and so start to gain independence. I didn’t want to be a taxi for them as they got older. I found the schools in Bideford good tbh.

the town is pretty good always see someone to chat to when I go up there. We have 2 running clubs and 2 rowing club a football club and rugby club as well as cricket. parkrun and junior parkrun. There’s a town band.

appledore is lovely but less for the kids to do independently and if they are reliant on buses there aren’t many. Parking can be a challenge in summer too.

we chose Bideford because it is easy distance to the coast but it’s a busy friendly town. Often things are going on by the river and in the park 😊

we’ve been here 15 years and absolutely love it

@WorthySloth Thanks! Would you say it's friendly for young families? Lots of people in their 30s?

I’m quite a bit older than you but all I can say is that as a youngish family we were made to feel very welcome. Might be worth coming down for a visit out of season. Plenty of caravans in WWH and you can check out the area a bit.

@Onthemoveee we also saw that sad house from grand designs on the coast - looks like someone is finally finishing it. Wish it was me 🫠

Braunton there were some houses totally overpriced too, one real estate outright told us it was completely unrealistic because the market is so slow. Lots of places not shifting. So you could def consider a lower offer atm!