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Property/DIY

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Original poster

Anyone live in/been to Yeovil? Would you reccomend it to family with toddlers...?

75 replies

sushistar · 09/03/2010 16:04

We are thinking of moving from London to Somerset to be near my family. Yeovil seems like an option - affordable housing, and big enough that it has good facilities (couldn't face a village - too much of a culture shock after the big smoke!). But I'm suddenly getting cold feet - will there be good toddler groups to go to? Parks? Libraries and cafes that DS would enjoy? I have a 2 yr old and 2 month old ds at home full time and we really rely on toddler groups during the week. And I keep wondering if we'll make friends - we're lefty eco guardian reader types and i wonder if we will be the only ones like that as i keep reading how conservative (small c) and military-linked yeovil is...
do you live there? can you reassure me?
sorry typing 1 handed while bfeeding

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snig · 09/03/2010 16:13

i live near yeovil its okay, its got a really nice park called nine springs and is surrounded by countryside. Good library and i know of one good toddler group (there might be more) called gateway, its actually run by christian group, i'm not religous but took my son because the women that ran it were really kind and did really good craft stuff.
i wouldn't want to live in yeovil myself, i live in a smaller town (big village really) about 12 miles away but i don't like living in big towns.

Original poster

sushistar · 09/03/2010 16:16

Thanks snig, that's reassuring - I actually found the group you mention online and it looks nice. I know Yeovil town centre is not picturesque like sherbourne or dorchester but I worry about being isolated and not being able to access stuff in a smaller town - I don't drive at the moment, and although I'll learn when we move I need to be able to walk to everything I need with the boys. In Yeovil I think I could do that, but I'm not sure about elsewhere...

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Original poster

sushistar · 09/03/2010 16:25

No other yeoviltons on mumsnet...?

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snig · 09/03/2010 16:36

well yeovil has good public transport and if you don't live to far out of town you should be able to get about by walking, there is nice countryside wyndam hill, ninesprings, summerhouse hill all nice walks for families. there is also a swimming pool, bowling etc all in town centre so you don't need a car to get to them. you can also get to weymouth by train for a seaside trip its not too expensive. anyway hope some of this helps, good luck with our decision, also there are quite a few allotments if you're into that (don't know about waiting lists though).

Original poster

sushistar · 09/03/2010 16:46

Ohh, all sounds lovely - esp the allotments. I keep reading bad reviews of Yeovil - that the town centre is ugly, that there are some rough areas - but then I think maybe these reviewers are comparing it with Sherbourne not the scruffy side of London where we live! I've been shoppping there a couple of times when we visited family and it was fine. It's just such a big move I can't help getting anxious!

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Original poster

sushistar · 09/03/2010 17:06

Come on Yeovil people, help me out here! Now I'm worrying if there are no other mumsnetters in yeovil, maybe it's not such a great place to go...

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HerHonesty · 09/03/2010 18:49

my husband's family are from Yeovil. I wouldnt recommend it personally. Its fairly rough, very car orientated, lots of new builds which means the place feels pretty sprawling without and soul. Most people we know who live there are trying to leave. There are lots of larger towns, villages near by which have quite active communities, like film clubs etc. wouldnt say it was particularly army

orienteerer · 09/03/2010 18:51

Crewkerne?

Original poster

sushistar · 09/03/2010 19:03

Looked at Crewkerne, lovely town but... secondary school is in special measures isn't it?

Taunton seems nice but would stretch our budget a bit... getting our house valued in a couple of days so that will give us more of an idea what we can afford.
Any other suggestions in that neck of the woods?

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wastwinsetandpearls · 09/03/2010 19:12

We are in Dorset but have been to Yeovil a few times, I find it a little odd and a bit rough and coming from someone who lived in Blackpool that is quite a statement.

Original poster

sushistar · 09/03/2010 19:18

oh no! can noone find anything good to say about yeovil? It's a town of 45000 surely someone there must like it...?

Back to the drawing board...

Where in the west country would you guys reccomend? Medium or big town, 4 bed period houses below 300k...?

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wastwinsetandpearls · 09/03/2010 19:21

I am sure there must be nicer bits on the outskirts. Until recently I lived in Blandford which gets a pasting on here as well.

Original poster

sushistar · 09/03/2010 19:22

i thought blandford looked ok as well!

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wastwinsetandpearls · 09/03/2010 19:37

I quite liked Blandford, it is quite odd because there are very clearly haves and have nots. There is a nice sense of community and as outsiders we found it quite easy to make friends. As a garrison town it can quite rough in the evening. I also had a huge sulk over the arrival of Iceland.

When we lived in Blandford we were lucky that we were not overlooked and overlooked farmland and woods. We wanted to be somewhere more rural so moved out into the sticks a bit.

wastwinsetandpearls · 09/03/2010 19:37

Property is very reasonable around here.

wastwinsetandpearls · 09/03/2010 19:38

We are eco lefty guardian readers and felt at home in Blandford.

poshtottie · 09/03/2010 20:26

I've also not heared many positive things about Yeovil though there is a prep school in town I was interested in and property is reasonable.

We are in Dorchester and property is reasonably priced. There is a nice park and schools are good here. They are developing the old brewery where there will be more shops and a new cinema. Trains run regularly to London and the beach is 10 mins away.

I found it a bit rural at first but am getting used to it.

JoeyBettany · 09/03/2010 20:35

We're in Sturminster Newton, a verylittle ex market town in North Dorset.We moved here last summer and I was very worried about the lack of facilities etc. But it's brilliant!

JoeyBettany · 09/03/2010 20:38

I used to live in Dorchester ,Posh tottie

It was the heaving metropolis compared to where we are now!

do miss the library and the river, and the hospital up the road though, and the waitrose

BooRadders · 09/03/2010 20:45

I grew up in a village near Yeovil,it was the nearest big town to us and many of my friends moved there as adults. I'm sure it's like most places,with good and bad bits. However it has most of the facilities you'd probably need and great access to the coast/countryside for days out.

morningpaper · 09/03/2010 20:47

no no no no no

morningpaper · 09/03/2010 20:48

It's a rough as feck and unless you want a career in yoghurt then your children will be pregnant by the time they are 15

Try somewhere else

wastwinsetandpearls · 09/03/2010 20:48

Joey you are up the road from me, about 10 mins up the road. We are always at the fabric shop in Stur Newton.

wastwinsetandpearls · 09/03/2010 20:49

lol morningpaper.

poshtottie · 09/03/2010 20:49

Joeybettany, I quite liked the look of Sturminster Newton and there is a good salsa club there.

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