Where to live between Sherborne and London?

[CatherineCawoodsbestie]

This is a decision we will need to make in about 4 years time and it is not an area we know well.

My parents are getting older and I am currently several hours away from them. We live in a nice town, but without many opportunities, and both of our teenagers are keen on having easier access to London. They will both probably be at uni when we aim to move but no doubt will be home after that so easy London access is important but does not need to be commutable. We both WFH and schools will not be an issue.

Budget would be around 700,000 now, maybe a bit more by then. We would need at 4 bedrooms, a garden and parking. Preference is for period - but this could be anything from Georgian to mid century. Looking for recommendations for pretty market towns with some life/ buzz and a railway station. We both really like smallish cities but can only think of Salisbury .i don’t know it at all.

We will be starting to explore options more but would love views of locals / people with knowledge - gillingham in Dorset, Wimborne, Poole, Dorchester? Westbury, Frome and around there? Or Castle Cary, Taunton etc? Salisbury?

TIA. 😁

If you want a grittier feel, there's always Yeovil! You'd get a lot of period house for your money. Brace yourself though, the town center is something of a shambles at the moment.

I definitely don’t want Yeovil, no offence intended. Not for me.

The train journey to Reading is long so I am ruling that out.

I am going to explore Castle Cary - we have close friends in the process of moving from rural Somerset to wellington so there are links there, and the train to Paddington is pretty fast.

I am definitely ruling out Frome and surrounds, I was very doubtful about those areas anyway.

I lived in Bristol for many years and have friends there - I love it. But my partner does not - she considers it too try hard leftie…… 😂😂 .

My instinct is - if the (young adult by then) kids are settled or relaxed about where we are then probably somewhere like Dorchester, Salisbury Blandford, CC etc. If the kids need us to be nearer London, I am going to look at Woking more and Basingstoke. I lived near them as a child and Woking was not held in high regard, but I can see that there are nice areas - Horsell eg - more research needed, and good travel links.

so I have definitely whittled it down - thank you!

Currently in SW Wales which has a lot of positives - but distance is an issue, under investment, crap shopping and so on. Plus my partner’s last family member has died all of mine are in the SE.

Thank you again!

I’m loving the description of “grittier”. Quite poetic 😂

Another vote for Dorchester or Wareham. Both would fit what you are looking for. A possible option could be Hungerford.

If you’re looking at Woking and Basingstoke perhaps consider Fleet, its smaller but a decent place to raise kids, great schools and countryside and very easy for the M3; train into London isn’t too bad too. But I’m biased because I live there..

I really don't rate Castle Carey. We only ever went there for the Bailey Hill bookshop, and even that has taken a turn for the worse. There is really nothing there.

TBH, if you are going to live that close, you might as well go for Sherborne itself. There is loads going on, a good range of shops and supermarkets and a mainline station. You'll get a decent 4 bed walkable to Cheap Street for 700k. I don't think it's unfriendly either.

Poor Yeovil. Nobody loves it! 😂

It's not my intention to be offensive especially if anyone on this thread lives there but Yeovil has gone downhill recently and it wasn't starting from a particularly high base. When I was growing up, it wasn't considered "naice"-nice, but was quite a serviceable market town with a good range of shops and very friendly residents. Having spent a fair amount of time there in the past, I visited recently and am in no hurry to go back. It really does feel a bit forsaken presently, I hope things improve.

Also both train stations are annoyingly far from the town centre and, in the case of Yeovil Junction, not walkable in the least.

When we were looking at boarding school options in Somerset and Dorset I told DS that if attending matches meant I had to drive through Gillingham twice we’d have to agree to just seeing each other in the holidays. 🤣