House by the sea in Devon........ but where - please help!!

[aandme]

Am finally in a position that should mean I can move to sunny(?) Devon. ~Want somewhere as close as possible to beach (price permitting) and good schools. Any ideas please?

Oooh sounds lovely but sorry no idea really. Mmmm.... Salcombe/Kingsbridge/Dartmouth? Budget?

Bumping for you.

im from devon, so many nice places....budget depending though! ps devon isnt always so sunny, its bloody freezing today!

North Devon (Where I'm from!) is very nice but a bit boring and far away from stuff

Prob up to £250k - just me and DS so 2 or 3 bed fine. Want somewhere lovely not full of holiday homes!! what about villages near Exeter

Try Woodbury, Woodbury Salterton, Budleigh Salterton, or Ottery St Mary. Also Exmouth if you prefer a larger, slightly cheaper place. Avoid West Hill unless you relish living in a Surrey suburb. Good schools are dotted around, and can be a bit hit and miss. You can email me at treehouse dot translations at gmail dot com if you would like to know good places to live re schools. I might be able to suggest places based on the age of your child(ren).

Thanks duchesse - just seen two lovely properties in that area. DS is 6 (in year 2). I can't afford private schools so need somewhere with decent state. What are beaches like round there - my dog wants a good beach!!!

The beaches are mostly lovely to walk on but you can't take dogs on them in the summer months (usually between May 31th and September 30th). There are ones dotted around that are open all year round but you may have to drive to one in the summer months. There is a naturist beach in Budleigh Salterton that is open to dogs year round and is walkable distance from the town beach.

Regarding schools; most people rate the Dragon School in East Budleigh (birthplace of Walter Raleigh) at primary level, and Kings in Ottery at secondary level. You may struggle to be in the catchment area for both though! And they are very sought after, so the catchment area is crucial. I know you say you can't afford independent, but there are also some fairly affordable little schools dotted around- my own children's former school, Bendarroch School in Aylesbeare, is £1600 per term for the over 8s (less at 6)- ie a lot cheaper than in the SE.

The school sounds lovely - seen some other posts on it but not its def not in my budget.

Am going to try and get down that way for a weekend shortly for exploring. Only downer is got to sell up this way first. Here's hoping property market picks up

Thanks for your help Duchesse