*SOMERSET* - good for family life?

[MrsBates]

We are planning to move from London next spring and think Somerset is the place. A village near to Bath with a good primary school and lovely views. I am a London girl and slightly daunted about leaving the big city, so need to be near cultural life of Bath/Bristol. Decent schools and space for our three outdoorsy children outweigh bars and theatres these days... Any advice about moving to the area, recommended villages, friendly places, good schools etc? Many thanks...

'anywhere near' that should be

Thanks thats very kind
Yes clocked that short cut when we went for the scan on Friday!

Hello. Might be a bit late here but we moved from Manchester to Somerset in 2006. Wanted to be near Bath/Bristol for all the same reasons as you and deliberated over Bath and the Chew Valley. Went for the Chew Valley in the end and it's great. We live in a gorgeous village next to Chew Valley Lake, it's 20 mins to Bath and Bristol and 15 mins to the airport. the schools are brilliant and there are a lot of people who've moved in from elsewhere, including a lot of Londoners. Our village is really friendly with a lot of young families - we live in Bishop Sutton. Some villages are full of retired people with nothign going on, but ours is great.

Not too late - all positive stuff still very welcome despite having to dodge the sociopaths but I guess for some people the grass is always grimmer.

Skyward - having exactly the same deliberation at the moment and think we are also heading for the Chew Valley, especially because of the schools and population of incomers - you know what I mean. Definitely want to be in a young families village. Very good to hear the Chew Valley stuff. Have friend who is a dentist in Chew Magna - how appropriate! Maybe we'll cross paths...

I live in Haringey and we are thinking about Bath although I have all the same reservations about leaving London and my children are mixed race which I think will put them in a minority group in Bath! We know several families who have recently moved to Bath and they seem to love it - no golf and quite a lot of ex urbanites. Larkhall seems to be a very popular area - so have a look a that.

What appeals to me is brilliant childrens' theatre and childrens literature festival, plus the brilliant Limpley Stoke valley cycle riding. And I have two very outdoorsy boys and Team Bath is a big draw.

It sounds as if you have decided against Bath though? If you are like me maybe you should move to another city?

You should maybe read the blog Wife in the North though if you want to get the lowdown on an urbanite leaving London for the countryside.

Kerala, have you moved yet? It sounds like you have moved just round the corner from me!

Have to agree with Enid that the majority of secondary schools in Bristol are shit but there are exceptions (CTC for example).

If you specifically want to live near Bath and Bristol then Keynsham/Saltford is pretty much half way between the two AND has good schools.

If you want a fab location, imo, then you cannot beat Portishead. Close to the M5/M4 interchange, close to Bristol (via Clifton), close to beaches/South Wales, nice town, good shops/cafes and if you want more rural look at Clapton/Easton in Gordano. Again, good schools (primary and secondaray).

Should have said, not near Bath though!

Either is nice and lovely places in between, check rainfall and low level ground. SHA, she's got it spot on. Bristol is not a capital of guncrime, it is a fabulous city. Bath is just lovely too.

Hi everyone, we're living overseas (Singapore) but are hoping to move back to UK next year. We're from London but don't want to move back there, have always loved Bristol/Bath and southwest area for space and countryside and climate, have been reading this thread with great interest as am now looking into schools..... Are there any useful community websites or good sources of info to help me on this rather wide search? We have 4 children (from 2 to 7) and probably couldn't afford private schooling (unless they gave a whacking sibling discount!)........ Any advice gratefully received!!

I am in the same dilema as SonyaSingapore. Good schools / areas of Bath??? I don't think we can afford Lansdown but think we can stretch to Bathwick? Bear Flat? Larkhall?

We have just been given a LATE ADMISSION form for my daughter as she is due to start school in September so I feel we are already at a disadvange with the schools even before we start renting till our house up north sells!!
Claire

gun crime in Bristol is a fraction of same in London! Bristol is extrenely nice around Redland/clifton, also Westbury-on-Trym village is nice. Schools I think there are a few goood ones in redland. Bristol is big, and yes there aer rough areas, but they aer moving from London, and it's easy to avoid bad areas of bristol, if you don't miss the urban edge!
Sorry to say but Bath IS snobby, ther ewas a thread here recently about the ridiculous competiteveness of mums, and about rugby types. But Larkhall is very boho so if you find the right suburb/village you probab;y won't have these problems of central Bath. I really like Bath to visit but I think it's a bit dull in winter when it's empty.
Frome is nice for shops/cafes but a bit far out, Bradford on-Avon is tiny (after london or any city/town) with traffic speeding past the centre.
Posters writing about Newbridge - aer there nice praks there, shops? how far is it to Bristol TM by train?

by they, I mean OP's family (not areas of london ha).

also sorry to ask my owm question, but is Chippenham ok really? lots of bad rervies, but I haven't been there so I don't know why - it's so quick to Bath also, and a good line to London, and so muchcheaper than Bath?