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Original poster

moving lock stock and barrel to somerset or suffolk? which to choose?

113 replies

overthemill · 03/02/2010 20:03

For various reasons we had to move 2 years ago, changing counties, new house, new schools everything. It was really tough and we have just about got settled. But the truth is that although the place we live in is really nice, we know it isn't our forever place. We'd like to live in big village, very small town with a really community - so preferably gp surgery, shop or 2, pub and schools (though does not have to be a secondary school).

I love somerset and am from the south west and my feelings are to go there. But at the weekend we went for a night away to suffolk and really really loved where we were. we had booked randomly but ended up in a perfect village. it had everything we wanted and it has fired us up again. it completely felt like 'home' and had a great mixture of stuff going on, we felt we'd fit in really well.
there is no right time to move, we have 3 kids and it would be very complcated to move at all but i am keen to get there before our youngest gets to yr 9 (she is in yr 6 now). By then one would be at uni and one just about to start a levels.
so,decision is complex on lots of levels but which is 'best' - i know its entirely subjective but would love the collective MN wisdom to help me think about it.
thanks!

OP posts:
BethNoireNewNameForPeachy · 04/02/2010 13:29

Another vote for the mendips (and against Weston LOL). We still go back there annually camping, Cheddar way.

inmypants · 04/02/2010 13:35

I'm very near where you visited, i'm orginally from oooop north, and have lived pretty much everywhere. I love it here, rural but my dh commute into london, loads of lovely country pursuits, sea very close, we go private wrt to schooling but there is lots of choice both sides of the fence so to spk, Think its really easy to get anywhere.....

Orangesarenottheonlyfruit · 04/02/2010 13:43

Oh yes Orm, I grew up near there and yes all very expensive but lovely around there.
Another no vote for Weston, although Clevedon, nearby has some nice bits.

angelene · 04/02/2010 14:09

I grew up in Suffolk - a sparsely populated but geographically large village called Wickhambrook, 10 miles from Bury, Haverhill and Newmarket.

My mum now lives in Corsham which is near enough to Zummerzet to be considered I guess.

I have to say I did not enjoy Suffolk growing up - we were always SO far away from everywhere - 10 miles to school = 10 miles to friends. The last bus back from town on a Saturday evening was at 6.30pm. My mum ran herself into the ground driving us everywhere; our school buses were not funded so that cost a fortune. I have to say that the people in Suffolk were never friendly or welcoming, we were seen as 'incomers' as we didn't have five generations living in the village. There were no amenities - one shop (astronomically priced), a couple of pubs, a bibrant local wife-swapping circle...

Obviously I have a different perspective on Corsham, but I think it's a beautiful place, lovely little town with a good butcher, lovely baker, greengrocer and so on. Doctor's surgery is very accessible, there are good bus routes and maybe a train station soon. Schools are good. The people are incredibly friendly and the quality of life is good. You have rolling green hills rather than wide open plains. I would go for Somerset

Rollmops · 04/02/2010 14:22

Thank you, BethNoire, very interesting.....
Very much like South Oxon, Reading is not a nice place by any means but surrounded by lovely villages.
What about Bath?

angelene · 04/02/2010 14:36

vibrant rather than bibrant...

BethNoireNewNameForPeachy · 04/02/2010 14:41

Bath is nice but in a city way-and expensive.And it has nightamrish traffic problems.

I'd say comapred to toehr cities a similar size it'svery nicebut I would rpobably again go for one of the villages around about....I have a bit of a thing about Bradord On Avon and castle Combe is nice if you're rich (!), but tehre so amny nice littlebits that if i werelooking there (and we did briefly when I was choosing a Uni) I think i'd just drive about a bit and see where I fell in love with. I'd skip Keynsham as if cadburys does go under htere will be nothing at all there sadly, Dh worked there and doesn't think the place will cope at all.

angelene · 04/02/2010 14:57

My sister lives in Bath

Beautiful city, but like Peachy I'd go for the villages round about. Bradford upon Avon I think is a bit too chocolate box for my liking and you'd constantly be having to accommodate film crews when the BBC film period dramas. I'm hoping to move nearer to Corsham in the long term and other than there you could look at Lacock, Devises, Batheaston etc etc.

Rollmops · 04/02/2010 15:01

I iz in the 'planning stage' of Rollmops' clan big move to 'forever home' (DH is saying - yes Dear, of course we'll move to Cumbria/Norfolk/Suffolk/Cambs/etc)
However, as the OP, we also know that although we live in a great area, this is not the forever place for us. Moi, being raised in mahoosive farms, needs space and countryside near by. Would not move to city-town but to surrounding village or do rural altogether. However, a bit of insider info is priceless so thanks again!
Was looking at the villages around Bath, Yeovil and Wellington but wondering, which of these would be the nicest and most convenient to commute to Londonium, once or twice a week?
Oh, so many questions....

TheElephant · 04/02/2010 15:01

you are going for the inbred vibe then?

BethNoireNewNameForPeachy · 04/02/2010 15:42

Oi Elephant. I am not (very) inbred OK?
I am almost certain the majority of my direct descendants were not closely related.
No more than you can help being a huge family that didnt shift from one town in 500 years anyhoo LOL.

This palce is chocolate box so that vibe must appeal to me-no film crews yet but plenty of Japanese tourists instead. Can'tpark in the village on a bank hol but other than that no massive probs tbh

Oh except the preponderance of pointless little shops selling twee dragons and ceramic cherubims. That I could live without LOL.

BethNoireNewNameForPeachy · 04/02/2010 15:47

I used to commute from Taunton once a week and it was doable but did mean an early start to be in the office at 8.30 am!. Do-able though.

South Petherton is somewhere we know well and have considerd, that'sworth alook and has plenty of small hamlets close by. West Buckland and Milverton are nice as well.

Bath ahs loads of smart little villages and peoplemaking the commute, but Taunton - London line is easy and convenient.

Rollmops · 04/02/2010 15:48

Elephant, I have done cosmopolitan to death and 20 years of jet-setting has left me with a longing of peeeace and quiet. I'd take 'inbred' over chock-a-block multiculturalism any day. been there done that have all the bloody t-shirts.
Hmm, dragons, well, It'll give DH something to slay.

TheElephant · 04/02/2010 15:50

but SOMERSET and SUFFOLK

jeez! ;0

BethNoireNewNameForPeachy · 04/02/2010 15:51

You will get multi cultural in bath you know,and most aplces really. Not as much as london or even here (sorta between cardiff and newport) but you will. And thats a good thing.

BelleDameSansMerci · 04/02/2010 15:54

TheElephant - cheeky pachyderm!

OrmRenewed · 04/02/2010 15:54

Eh?

Don't you think that comment is extremely rude? Dismissing whole swathes of the population because of your own ignorant prejudices?

BethNoireNewNameForPeachy · 04/02/2010 15:56
Rollmops · 04/02/2010 15:57

Of course it is, gosh, my comment was really t in c. However, I do want slower pace of life and love the beautiful countryside. In Somerset. And in Suffolk.
Thankyouverymuch.

Rollmops · 04/02/2010 15:59

Argh, of course some multiculturalism is a good thing and all that. Just to clarify to make sense of my previous post.

BethNoireNewNameForPeachy · 04/02/2010 16:00

Is OK,have ben daftpunked today LOL so picking up on these things......

Deffo think about south petherton way, really lovely. Schools have a fair rep too, know quite a few kids who attend them.

Original poster
overthemill · 04/02/2010 16:55

well, elephant how do you choose a place to live? as you can see i've lived all over the place inc big cities and enjoyed them at the time. But i know that i want to end up somewhere i will enjoy and where i will make firends and put down roots. what's wrong with my choice of county - is it a less feminist choice than say, northumbria and cumbria? Or should I be suggesting Leeds and Lancaster is where I want to end my days? Everyone has to live somewhere, i promise not to ttp out of where ever you live

OP posts:
frogetyfrog · 04/02/2010 17:02

Definately Somerset - more rural. Suffolk is like one big commuter town. Clare and Long Melford get really really busy in summer.

Original poster
overthemill · 04/02/2010 18:02

interestingly that was why somerset has alway sbeen my first choice but now seeing Clare it really felt more 'home'. i dont want remote rural - really fed up of being a taxi service for everyone and hope big village/small town would be better than the very small village we are in (basically 2 streets). Looked lovely but not many people and no facilities at all. our last home was in a small village and i wish we'd had the time to find a village here with at least a shop in it, but we had to move fast!!

OP posts:
PanicMode · 04/02/2010 19:20

Another vote for Somerset - my parents are in a hamlet near South Petherton and will move into the village when they retire. It's close to the A303/M5, good trains from Taunton etc

We didn't go to the local schools so can't comment, but I would avoid Yeovil (or YeoVile as it's known)....Sherborne and the surrounding villages are nice if you wanted to sneak into Dorset.