Thoughts on moving to Cirencester

[Afreem]

We currently live in Scotland but hoping to make a move in 2024. Our kids are 10 and 11 years old so I would love to hear what the schools are like and what extra curricular activities are like.
Also considering Cheltenham.

Really looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

deer park v popular! Kingshill was brilliant but recently got RI at last ofsted. Hopefully it’s a blip as I know it used to be fab.

lovely lovely town!

Cheltenham brilliant though too!

Cheltenham is a fantastic town - if you live in the right parts! Some very well known private schools, a popular grammar school and as a state comprehensive school Balcarras is excellent (you have to live on the door step to get in).

Can help with Cheltenham. Not a great range of secondary schools, lots of decent private options. It's a diverse town in that it has really beautiful and affluent areas, flanked by terribly poor and deprived areas. Lot of student accomodations/rentals, and a LOT of Air BnB's springing up everywhere. Great choice of restaurants, cafes, bars, and cinema. Shopping centre OK for most things. Great theatre, and very good events like literary festival, horse racing etc.

Nicest areas are Leckhampton, Charlton Kings, Prestbury Village, parts of Pittville; avoid St Pauls, Whaddon, Hesters Way, Springbank, some parts of Rowanfield and Arle.

Cirencester is great, good London links, beautiful Cotswold countryside, good secondary schools, excellent Malmesbury school and grammar schools in towns close by, safe environment for kids, attractive town, nice leisure centre and outdoor pool.

wouldn’t consider Cheltenham as it’s too sprawling.

Cheltenham and Cirencester are very different- do you prefer small town or big town living? Would you live in town, or the countryside? Cirencester has some wonderful villages surrounding (expensive) which I'd argue are nicer than town itself. Cheltenham has good and bad suburbs, and some wonderful villages (also expensive).
We live near Cirencester and would go for Cheltenham for shopping etc but for coffee and a wander we go to Cirencester. Parking can be a pita for both. Public transport much more extensive in Cheltenham.
Cirencester is near to the waterparks for kids activities etc - kayaking, swimming, jet skis, paddleboarding etc, has a nice lido for the summer, plus the Museum, but it is small and has limited options in other regards, though ifmyoumdrive it's easy to get to most things within 30mins-1hr. Cheltenham probably has more options on hand but is busier and more spread out.

Yes, Cheltenham has some great festivals- music, science, jazz, literacy.

Hello, have you already found a house in Cirencester? We will be putting our 4-bed detached for sale soon. It is 3 mins walk to Kingshill school and 18 mins walk to the town centre. We moved to Cirencester from Aberdeen 3 years ago and are absolute in love with this town and people. Very reluctant move because of the job, unfortunately. Veronica

i have PMd you.

Don't choose Cheltenham! Whatever character and soul it had, it has lost... for decades I used to live there in a 'nice' part (Prestbury) and have moved a few miles north near Winchcombe, and now I choose to shop locally or in Tewkesbury, anything rather than return to Cheltenham... the whole high street, even the Promenade, just depresses me now.

I only know Cirencester through occasional visits, but from what I see it does still have character.

Cheltenham does have some great schools though - Pates, if you're lucky enough, and some good indies if you have deep pockets (Ladies' Coll, Dean Close.)

Did you move OP?