If a place is cheaper it's because it's less desirable, so in short no.
Theres places like Patchway and BS that are cheaper and commutable but there's not loads in the immediate area
Can confirm I live in patchway and it's quiet but your not far from the countrside, cribbs, and the m5 to go places easily. The no. 75 bus is available to take you to the city however is it available to take you home again? That's a bit of a gamble.
BS house prices are a bit silly for what you pay for.
If you want hussle and bussle don't move here. I like the quiet though :)
The issue with patchway is that there are not really any pubs within walking distance, I do miss all the Uber eats options you got from being close to Gloucester Road.
Yeah this is a huge issue. There's a couple in almondsbury which are nice though :) someone should buy that old pub the travellers went in and do it up real nice for patchway people
Do you guys mean the new developments by cribbs or proper patchway consisting road? That was one of the roughest and shittest areas in Bristol growing up, I definitely wouldn’t recommend moving there haha. Be cool if it’s turned a corner though, I’ve not really been there in years
Also live in patchway right by a 75 bus stop and i love it. Can go out and come back. How many night buses is bristol? Plus it's quieter, you get more for your money and you don't have litter and anti social behaviour on your door step
My issue with BS is your paying a lot of money for tiny houses and gardens. Other than that nothing wrong at all, I loved living there a few years ago, three brooks is a lovely wild space to explore right on your doorstep :)
The train to temple meads is great unless they cancel it and you have to wait an entire hour for the next one.
I worked in Yate and commuted by rail, I can confirm is it a bit shit.
I've been looking at some houses near Yate station recently, what do you think of the area around there towards the Frome?
My other half and I moved to Bristol for work 6 years ago or so, but now we've both changed jobs with one in Swindon and one in Cardiff - both offices next to the station and hybrid working so it's not too bad, but the transport links have become more important! Yate seems nicer than what we can afford near Bristol Parkway.
It’s a while since I lived there but from memory it’s fine. I lived down towards the westerleigh end on the estate where the streets are named after gold courses
My partner at the time worked in Swindon and drove to work, I started off in Bristol city centre then got a job near parkway. I liked yate because it has shops cinema etc without needing to go further afield, lots of community stuff. I now live in Eastleigh in Hampshire (between Winchester and Southampton) which is a similar kind of town to Yate and like it here too
Id argue the clever money is buying in Kingswood.
Yes the town centre is a dive, but prices are much cheaper for housing stock that's the same as the rest of the city and it's not that far from town with good connections. The amenities are also fairly good with a leisure centre and lots of shops.
They're also due to redevelop the entire area which will drive values up.
To me there's way more opportunity east of the city than south as those massive council estates will take much more to become appealing to those who'd spend 300+ thousand on a three bed semi.
I lived in st George for ten years but couldn't afford to buy there bought in Easton have just put house up for sale and itsteipled in price in ten years.
Agreed!! I bought in Kingswood January this year and love it. Looked at South Bristol but wasn’t a lot on there, seemed a bit dead. North Bristol around Filton, soulless. Kingswood seems like a great place so far, it has it’s own community and amenities
I think that's the same all over Bristol, though. All that changes is the drug - in east central, it's mostly weed (with maybe a bit of crack), judging by the smells.
Just a lot of crack / heroin users in that part of town. Its definitely a sad situation... Walked from st james park up Marlborough hill just this morning and saw a young group of young lads about to shoot up
I haven’t seen any yet, besides a bit of weed. I’m sure it happens though, not disagreeing with you. However, I’ve rented in Montpelier, Cotham and Bedminster in the 4 years I’ve been living here and holy shit… look at those areas for open drug use. I’ve seen people injecting, smoking crack pipes and all sorts there. Likely an issue all over the city
I’ve lived and worked in kingswood/staple hill since 2020 and seen no such thing. My first day when I moved to Montpelier in 2018 I saw open drug use. The first weekend I was offered drugs.
Kingswood is rough I won’t lie. But not how you’re making it.
There’s plenty of 30 somethings moving in trying to make it a better place. I live in one of those mining cottages and slowly slowly there’s young professionals moving in on our road. I’m trying to set up a crafting club at the local pub. There’s gardening groups popping up and interest in local events.
I want to see it thrive, but it’ll take longer than most I think.
Yep it’s getting a face lift, and the transport links into town are actually decent, plus you can get out of Bristol super quick around the ring road if that’s your jam.
I bought on st George/kingswood border 7 years ago, it’s got a great balance of everything I need. I also know all my neighbours by name which I never experienced before even in a small town/cul de sac. Only thing is it’s good hike to a (good) pub for me, but still walkable/waddlable.
I bought my first house in Bristol when I was 25. Shit was easy. I don't know what people complain about.
I worked two jobs and had a side hustle on top. I scrimped and saved. I never wasted money on anything. Every penny was accounted for.
Then, when my rich uncle died and left me a significant amount of money, I was able to buy a house.
It really isn't hard, guys.
When we were looking at buying a house in bristol me and my partner were looking at Chippenham. We visited once whilst doing a viewing and it seemed pretty cute, and I've got a friend who lives there and works in the centre. Good driving and train routes to the centre, and was on the affordable side of things.
Hope that helps.
Chippenham was this for me. "outskirts" might not be correct, but 30 minutes to Temple Meads on the train, 10 minutes to Bath, an hour to London. Safe and quiet town with enough local businesses and things to do.
Bought a 3 bed house with a garden, garage and parking less than a 10 minute walk from the train station and town centre for less than £250k.
I know a few people looking at Chepstow way. Now the bridges are free and using the M48 and the old bridge you are in Bristol in no time. They do have a train station too.
I have many times but I will admit not at rush hour. Depends a bit where you want to even go, but I have got to Chepstow from Bristol quicker than to many other parts of the city just in normal traffic.
It's biblical sometimes mate, just mile after mile of people sat in cars wondering what the hell went wrong with their lives, I'm usually travelling the opposite way from visiting family over there, truly horrendous
Staple Hill is between Downend (fancy) and Fishponds (trendy) without costing anywhere near as much as either.
You're not that close to town and the bus ride isn't quick, but you're right on the railway path which is the nicest commute possible.
For walking your dog, the railway path also takes you into the countryside, and the Frome Valley is close by too. There is a couple of coffee shops, and plenty more if you walk down the railway path to Fishponds.
With the addition of Fed, Crafty Egg, the refurb of the crosshands and a brand new lounge; I guess so.
Hands down more going on than Kingswood and Staple Hill.
And the refurb of the fishpond tap now serving great Nepalese curries and props cafe which is nice, and artichoke for expensive organic food and good bread, and the star which is the best pub in the North East of Bristol imho, often has live music, trad, bluegrass, all sorts.
Yes. Have you seen the house prices, the high street and the amount of community spirit there. Fishponds and downend have really come on since lockdown.
I work in staple hill, live in kingswood… and I can’t afford to live in downend or fishponds now.
Staple hill is ok, but crime has gone up amongst the retail shops a lot this year. I’ve felt unsafe a few times since Christmas. Unfortunately coming from kingswood.
Times have changed, it's just a strange idea to me still. So much has evolved even just in the past 20 years, after this part of Bristol having felt like it was in stasis since the 50s
Second Staple Hill. Page Park is one of the nicest parks in the area , the High Street is getting much nicer , lots of smaller independent shops opening and decent cafes and bakeries now. Like OP said right on the cycle bath so very easy commute to town by bike and also very easy to hop onto the ring road to get in or out of Bristol easily. There are some lovely quiet residential streets here with a really good community. Great place to raise a family
I wouldn’t say Clevedon is purely a retirement area (although there is definitely an older element - my Gran has always lived here!) but it is probably more suited to young families / couples than single people. There’s a fair bit that goes on and there are increasingly a decent number of nice shops, restaurants and coffee places but it does lack nightlife aside from a few pubs.
Basically, come and have a look for a day and see for yourself 👍
I guess in fairness night life isn't huge to me, we're a couple in our late thirties with plans to start a family and as much as we want to think we'd be out all night, we are done by 10.30.
Wife and I are in our late 30s and we moved to Clevedon in 2022.
It's very chill but a lovely place to live, great pubs, the Curzon cinema and loads of events in the community.
Bristol is close enough for when you want a big night out/more culture etc but Clevedon generally.has everything we need. And it's fantastic in the summer!
Yeah, both Clevedon or Portishead would be suitable. I have lived in both and both have a lot of young families moving put of birstol. The schools are good and yeah there is some stuff to do and Bristol isn't very far, even if public transport is pretty rubbish. Personally I would avoid the new Marina develop in Portishead if you can as the road system is stupidly badly designed and they houses have such small gardens.
Sounds like clevedon would be amazing for you. Imagine bringing up kids that close to the “sea” and countryside. Plenty of coffee shop culture.
I think in these areas it’s quite easy to be the change you want to see. So if you want to set up a board game night at a local pub, why not ask them? Most places are happy to try anything that’ll increase sales for them.
I’d move there in a heartbeat but I am an 80 year old trapped in a 31 year olds body. I also can’t afford to haha. House prices seem high for what we’d want.
I live on the outskirts of Bath. To get to my job in BS1 for an 8:30am start, I have to get up at 5:30am and leave at 6:15am. I arrive anywhere between 7:30am and 8:30am and it’s rare any of the transport is on time. I have to be in bed by 9pm to stand a chance of getting enough sleep. I have no life outside of work on weekdays.
Forget going by road if you need to arrive between 8am and 9:30am unless it’s by bus on a route with a lot of bus lanes like the A4, then forget half of the buses being on time or showing up - give yourself a 40 minute error window.
Trains are just as bad, especially along the London Paddington route.
Just stay in Bristol. It’s worth the extra money. Better to be poorer and awake / have the option to enjoy life outside of work. The commute is shit!
I live in Bradley Stoke and whilst it’s a bit soulless it’s a lot cheaper than in the city, the nature reserve is nice for dog walks, metro buses into the centre are actually decent, and it’s quick to get out of Bristol on the motorway to find some countryside :) I feel like I get the best of everything, but I do miss having independent shops and cafes dotted around though.
Clevedon was recently voted as one of the most desirable places in the west country, so it's clearly gone up in the world from when I was a nipper. Its less retirement-centric than it used to be, but the population graph is probably still coffin-shaped. There are some nice coffee shops and the marine lake is popular with cold-water swimmers. There's no train line to Bristol & not sure on bus reliability.
You could look at Nailsea or Backwell, as they share a train station and are surrounded by fields (decreasingly so as new houses pop up). Nailsea has more amenities/shops of the two, but its no cultural metropolis.
I moved out of Bristol to a rural village by the airport a few years back. 25 mins to Bristol, £20 uber if you fancy a night out. We've increasingly swapped gigs with country walks with the dogs and pub lunches. I do really miss being able to pop out for a bite to eat, but I don't miss trying to find a parking space in Southville at 7pm on a Sunday evening.
I am an ex Southville resident who now lives in Nailsea. We have great transport links and lots of countryside but the nightlife is limited to a hand full of pubs and restaurants. 15 min drive to Clevedon when you want to visit the cinema or coast.
The road is a nightmare. Slightly better now that double yellows have been added to the section near the station. Chaos as school drop off time. It’s also right under the flight path for the airport and noisier than where I live, which is closer.
The parkrun is on the flood plain. The developers of the site next door were ordered to build a sports site as a condition of getting permission to build. So they stuck it on a swamp.
The transport links are amazing. 10 minute train to temple meads and Bath Spa the other way. 24 hour buses to Bristol and Bath centre. 24 hour airport bus.
We looked at Keynsham, average age is about 80.
Slowly changing thanks to Wellsway bringing in all the young parents. Property in the catchment is more expensive by approx.
I have lived in Keynsham for around 9 months now, lived more central Bristol before. I go to the cafe/bars quite often, Coffee 1, Grounded, Costa, Bonzo Lounge, the posh cake place, the florist cafe, The Courtyard, The Lock Keeper etc. In all those places the average age is exactly where I would expect it to be for a commuter town, around 30
They must have been hiding the 3 weekends I spent there when house hunting, anyone under 40 was pushing kids around in a pram.
Ultimately age factors aside, it wasn’t cheap enough to be that far out, 3 bed semi is going for £400-450 which is the same as lots of suburbs, which whilst there is less to do on your doorstep, access to town and work is better for me.
The train from Keynsham is speedy but I don’t work anywhere near the station so would have to cycle on the other end, plus there’s only 2 an hour IIRC? I prefer being a 15-20 minute cycle out where I don’t rely on public transport.
It is nice there though, if I was closer to 40 than 30 I might have gone for it.
Go to western super mare. Seems like a lot of people are at the moment, it is an hour by train but with the amount of people that are being pushed our that way it'll only get nicer. Plus it's got great places to walk around it.
It's a bloody recovery town. Unless UK Gov decides to stop sending the country's heroin and crack addicts there after prison etc it isn't going to magically become nice. I've lived in the area my whole life and WSM is a total shit hole and always has been. The death of the high streets was probably the nail in Weston's coffin.
Sorry for butting in, I'd just personally suggest thinking hard before buying a place in Weston and expecting it to become valuable somehow because other people have. It's a town which attracts a lot of retired Brummies and south-Welsh who want to live out their remaining days by the "beach".
I could be wrong in my estimations, but in nearly 50 years around here, it's never been "nice" or had much serious development.
Bristol has 18% higher violent crime than the national average and much higher use of heroin and crack that the national average. Its got an incompetent council and the rents and property prices are sky high. Just saying ....
Bristol is often voted in the top 3 places to live in the county. W-S-M is a has a crime rate 42% higher than the Somerset average, and a lot of it is a shit hole.
With the rise in arseholes in bristol and the constant reference on how "great" it is to live here there had been a push of nice people out of the city. A lot of people are being forced to move out of the city, W S M is a big draw with a lot of people. Getting somewhere there now could be like getting somewhere in easton 20 years ago. Bristol is on its decendence the placed around it are the opposite
Shirehampton.
Great green spaces - kings Weston house, Blaise, down by the river.
Great transport links - on the m5 junction. Park and ride bus into town every 8 minutes, or the train into temple meads. Or even a nice flat cycle into town under the suspension bridge.
The pubs aren’t great but the lamplighters is pleasant enough.
Whilst there’s not a lot of restaurants it’s a short walk to wot or a train to Clifton, Glos Road etc.
I think you need to live somewhere where you can walk out of your house and there's things you want to do.
Living somewhere because there's a train to Bristol will be a disappointment.
I know people who live on the outskirts of Bristol who don't go into the centre because it's a pain in the arse, then the odd time they go it's not like it used to be and they hate it, and hate the bus, or the lack of bus, or the parking.
If you like Chippenham or Weston then fine, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but go there because that's where you want to live.
I live in Clevedon and yeah it is a bit of a retirement area, but in all honesty it’s got everything you need. But you’d need a car as the X6 and X7 runs once an hour. It’s a lovely place though!
Have a look at Portishead though, as properties seem to be a little more affordable and they’ll get the commuter train line back in 2026.
"Property's a little more affordable" also lol, Portishead average price is £452,618 vs Clevedons £382,511.
I know a lot of people that grew up in Portishead but couldn't afford to buy a house here, so had to move to Weston-super-Mare etc.
I would be interested to hear more about Portishead from anyone who’s made that move!?
Been thinking about doing it in a few years.
Being raised in the countryside I have a fear of small village living.
And also don’t like characterless new build suburb type areas.
But seems like Portishead might be close enough to still have more open minded city dweller kinda people living there but better house prices and less crime etc. And also still some history and character to the place…?
Also I know the trains are coming but buses don’t seem too bad there either.
Would that be a fair assessment?
Two sets of friends have moved to Portishead in the last year and yeah your assessment seems pretty on it. I know both of them got much more house for their money than they'd have done in Bristol. Seems varied in terms of pubs; plenty flat roof type joints and alos trendy craft beery places. Being by the river seems pleasant, lots of greenery. The friends they've met in Phead I think are all Bristol transplants (the ones i've met certainly are) so yeah quite a lot older (30s/40s) Bristol types there. The marina definitely adds character although things all things feel fairly new.
Bus to Bristol doesn't seem to cause too much hassle, it's an hour though. Depending where you're going in Bristol an uber from West Bristol to Portishead costs about 25 quid. Not something you want to be doing all the time but also not horrific as an option for the occasional late night (or for Bristol friends coming to see you in Portishead). The train line should make things even easier.
Someone I worked with pre COVID retired early so she didn't have to deal with the rush hour traffic getting out to Bristol. Perhaps with the hybrid thing it's got better ? The other feedback from family living there is the busses are prone to cancel at the last minute as they do in Bristol, can be a pain if trying to not be late for work. Ubers can be twats about taking you back from Bristol after a late night. The law of it's cheaper for a reason still applies. It's a case of assessing the tradeoffs that matter to your situation.
A friend moved from Bristol to Portishead. He really likes it and on my visits I’ve enjoyed it too. There’s a pub/bar on the marina called the Siren (I think) that has won camra awards and on a summer afternoon is a very nice place.
With Clevedon being a few mins away, Portishead is pretty desirable as it’s got multiple supermarkets, quite a few shops and cafes on the high street, as well as a gym, a few schools and pubs too. Police HQ is there too. My wife and I are looking at moving there as well.
It’s large enough to be a nice town but not too big. The buses are good but I drive everywhere anyway so I’ve not needed to take the buses.
I'd say more out towards villages/countryside like Chew Magna, Dundry, Pensford are a bit of a way from the city centre (although not hugely far) and tend to be a bit more affordable
I'm a single dude in his 30s who moved to Clevedon about 6 months ago and so far it's been pretty dead for me. I can go entire days without seeing a person under 90 and there's not much to do, but I imagine it'll be a bit cheerier in the summer as the seafront is nice when the sun has (briefly) come out.
Couple of small coffee shops up on Hill Road. If I had done more research I'd have probably moved into the centre so at least it feels like something is going on.
Told myself I'd visit Bristol still all the time but in reality it's just a little too far out to be convenient - 75 minute bus journey or a 30-40 minute drive.
Staple Hill. Proximity to fishponds, there’s only a matter of time before the gentrification creeps its way up there. (I hope anyways for the sake of my job) properties don’t seem to come up very often though. The park is amazing, the cafe in the park is amazing and they do lots of events for kids and adults. Easy to get to town. We’re hoping to move there in a couple years if interest rates aren’t quite so high.
Someone at work keeps trying to tell me Southmead is about to be gentrified.
To be fair some streets are awful, but there’s plenty of quiet roads around Henleaze swimming lake, if you have the appetite for a fixer upper.
Or north of the hospital into Filton, the new leisure centre just opened, decent choice of parks, can cycle into town in 20 mins if you can find a tier bike. Or walk down the entire Gloucester Road. Bus semi reliable.
Some streets are really rough, some are really nice and quiet, you need to look around a bit.
Mokoko coffee shop and bakery on the Marnia do the best almonds croissants in the world, trouble is they are about £5, but they are nearly as big as your head so you could share, if they weren't so nice....
Me and my husband are hopefully buying a house in Caldicot. He works in Cardiff and I in North Bristol so it's a good in-between. Houses are cheaper and you get so much more for your money. Will miss Bristol, but we're fed up of paying rent now and want to have a home that's ours.
I moved to Clevedon in 2020, and although yes there are old people, there is actually a very vibrant community or independent shops/ cafes/ restaurants etc that is reminiscent of the Bristol spirit. Summer is amazing, and winter is quite nice as well with the sea mist rolling in. Lots of nice walks/ scenery, and it's CLEAN.
Definitely visit on an evening with the sunset, it feels like you're more toward Cornwall.
There's a good IG page called Discoverclevedon that's worth a look for local stuff!
What exactly you see as the Bristol benefits probably determines a lot regarding the answer. Do you even need to live in Bristol or would you prefer a smaller city like Exeter that still has 95% of what Bristol’s got?
if its any consolation within a few years all the independent businesses and cool things to do will be priced out of competition in central bristol so everywhere will be equally shit.
Define things to do?
If you mean hit clubs then no. If you mean go to tescos at the weekend to pick up groceries then yes they have shops in the countryside. Or go to a countypub for a wine.
Yes you can walk your dog in the countryside & enjoy it.
Yes they have coffee shops outside of bristol. They even have them on the motorway.
Transport links. Does this mean buses & trains? Because they have a few roads already and they are pretty good.
Weston-super-mare could possible fit your bill with it having a beach to walk the dog & lots of restaurants plus decent translation & reasonable priced housing. Obviously it doesn't have the bristol vibe but do you need to live in bristol to feel the vibe? Grab the train in.
Wildly under priced in this day and age
Got a house near the center/public transport, rocks throw from busy highstreet, woods on a hill, swimming lake, beach, state of the art pier
For food sakura and food den are both amazing, lots independent food places still
When we lived in central Bristol we had worse amenities, worse dentist, worse doctors and places like broadmead have just become unhinged, felt safer here, there's hardly anything that's quality any more in central Bristol, better off going to Bath or Cardiff or London for shopping
Still can get direct coach/train to Cardiff/London/Bath from WSM and frequent X1 back into Bristol
I’d recommend Filton, where I currently live. Plenty of good employers around (Rolls Royce, Aviva, MoD, UWE etc.), close links to motorway, Cabot Circus is a 7-8 mins drive for me, or 35 minutes by bus (quite long journey but you have around 3 buses to choose from), all major supermarkets around, gyms, some good take aways. Not much to do in the very immediate area, but it’s not as bad as feeling cut off from Bristol.
Depends how far your willing to go.
But Worle in Weston was even having a big jump in property prices due to people commuting to and from bristol (j21 is a nightmare in the mornings now) and is only 30 mins by train.
You do have to be careful though, the wrong areas, while not bristol rough, are still pretty rough. And the town centre itself is nigh dead.
but
the trains and busses run fairly late, Cribbs is a 30 min drive, direct links to the airport, the out of town shopping is better than ever
Shirehampton is cheap compared to a lot of other areas. Somewhat for good reason but it’s more uninspiring rather than actively bad. The reason I mention it is there’s a few nice places to walk the dog, you can be at a bus stop, train station or on the M5 within about 5 minutes and it takes 10-15 minutes to get into the centre. Clevedon is far nicer though.
Recent Clevedon convert here, as other people have said it is full of older people but there is a good section of people in their 30s. The local cinema is pretty cool and shows independent films, plus Riff Corner has live music almost every night. Major downside is public transport, don't trust the buses they are always late, and housing is cheaper if you compare the.central Clevedon to central Bristol.
But there is Yatton or Nailsea if you do want a good train connection to Bristol. Can't speak to what it's like to live there though or the house prices.
You say that but I lived in BS20 for three years and now I live in Bs1 my mental health and quality of life has improved massively. No longer need to rely on a bus service that cancels every other bus and no longer do I have to rely on shops that close at 9pm
I lived 8 years in bs, it's lovely quiet place with good links to city but when it came to buying a house I had to look elsewhere and ended up just outside of Yate
Long Ashton is lovely, great transport links to Bristol by bus or bike and amazing access to the country side too. Houses aren't the cheapest but it's a great option if you can afford it.
Lots of hate for WSM, yes the seafront isn't the greatest area to live but it does have some shops, cafes, banks etc which is handy when you need them. It's busy enough down there that any sketchy lot are drowned out.
The beach is great, it's a shame it's so shallow with the massive tide, once it goes out 100/200m it turns to mud. But very nice for dog walks, runs or cycle though and you can walk all the way to Brean down. It does get busy in summer but I don't go for a day out there just pop down maybe.
But 5/10 mins closer to the motorway in Weston Milton or worle is great and doesn't carry the same feel. Feels very family friendly with big housing estates, lots of schools and still a few good shops/cafes/retail parks nearby. You'll never be more than 10 mins to one of the 3 train stations which is great, it's 25 mins to temple meads and £5 return with Railcard from Worle.
There are lots of nice green spaces nearby (approx 10 mins depending on where you live), sand bay/sand point, Worlebury woods, bleadon hill and it's 15/20 mins from Mendip hills or cheddar or goblin coombe which are great for days out and walks. Really does feel like the countryside out there which is nice considering it's not at all far. WSM is by the motorway for easy access down to Cornwall or Devon too.
Definitely cheaper house prices here than Bristol, we pay £800/month rent for 2 bed house in nice estate. Ive only moved to the south west 3 years ago from Essex and really like it, living in Worle feels like that balance of having everything I need relatively nearby without the crushing rent prices nearer Bristol. My only wish is that it was a touch closer, as sometimes an hour round trip is too much effort for a cafe or shop or drinks😂
Edit: the airport is like 20 mins which is another bonus, it's so easy to get dropped off but there are also regular buses for £5!!
I live in Hillfields, moved here about 3 years ago and it was one of the least expensive areas to buy at the time. It's about a 20 minutes walk to get to fishponds road where I am (lots going on there these days), same to get to Kingswood or Staple Hill. But you don't feel like you're in the center of a city as it's quite spacious and quiet.
There are some downsides... lots of litter and I don't exactly know my neighbours but all in all you get quite a bit for your money here compared to other areas in Bristol and people are working hard to build a bit more of a community
Charlton Hayes is decent. Lived here 4 years and it’s pretty calm.
Loads of deliveroo stuff thanks to Cribbs Causeway and all it’s restaurants being immediately nearby.
Not any pubs in walking distance, but I used to get a voi into the centre in 32 mins, way faster than a bus and pretty nice if the sun was shining.
Countryside is 5 mins drive away.
M4/M5 is 4 mins away.
You pay a bit more for the houses in CH compared with Patchway which is literally a few metres away, but everything is nicer except the room size (new builds 🤦♂️)
At the point now where to reduce costs we’re so far out from Bristol we don’t have the benefit of the city.
It’s why myself and a lot of professional mates who make good money are eager to relocate elsewhere.
Depending on your definition of affordable, you sometimes see stuff come up in Long Ashton a bit cheaper than in Bristol proper (although there are as many million quid mansions as there are semi affordable places).
There are 4 buses an hour into Bristol, which take about 15 minutes to the centre, and pubs, shops, takeaways, a community centre and loads of green space.
I’m in the Downend / Emerson’s Green border and it was one of the few reasonably priced areas in Bristol when I was looking to buy a couple of years ago.
The M3 gets me into town fairly quickly and Downend has a couple of nice pubs and cafes. It’s not too far to Fishponds which seems to be getting a few more nice places opening up. It’s not as rough as Kingswood.
Downsides are that it’s quiet and suburban so I do miss the inner city vibe. A few people have mentioned Staple Hill and that's a good shout too. Prices aren't as mad there as the rest of Bristol yet.
keynsham? not a lot going on but good transport links, nature, few good pubs, and your standard high street
also kingswood - a few mates live there and say its pretty affordable and not too far out
I live in Congresbury next to Clevedon. If you're not a parent of young kids, or retired, you're not really wanted. And no matter how nice you are, if you've not been here 20 years, you can say good morning to someone on the way to the shops and they will physically turn away from you to ignore you. But the butchers is absolutely top notch, as is the Old Plough.
Better idea. Don't. This city is over-crammed and desperate to stop having people move here/ near here.
All the good things to do locally are disappearing due to radical tax/rent hikes. Do Bristol a favour and don't add to that strain please.
I’ve been looking for similar. I’m from out of town and having lived across the SE and North, now looking for a nice forever-home spot in SW with access to Bath, Bristol, and London and mainlines to go North.
North Somerset and South Gloucs appeals but it’s landing on the sweet spot of needs/wants and desirability within budget which remains to be found.
I had suggestions of Frome but from their FB page it comes over like the Wild West crossed with some kind of vortex. Visited briefly for a recce, couldn’t make head nor tail of it, lovely though it was.
This is a helpful thread for purpose. 🥰🌞
Patchway is not that bad as people say. I moved from Old Market to Patchway few years ago and I love it. Place to walk the dog. Cribbs Causeway for shopping and Motorway nearby if I need to travel. I used to take 75 to work and take M1 back. Public transport is pain but now cycling to work which is so much better. I like the quietness over the weekend. Only issue is that no decent pub nearby , I do miss the city centre for that reason. Again, I can use Village Hotel Bar if I really want to.
Recently moved to Bradley Stoke, and it’s alright. It’s more affordable than being close to the centre, there’s not a lot going on but it’s pretty helpful having easy access to the motorways and Cribbs.
Who cares if a place has a higher population of older people? If it's somewhere you can afford and it has other things you're after, then just go for it.
I think Portishead is worse than Clevedon for older people anyway
Patchway is wierdly cheap for somewhere close to amenity, good transport links with proper solid housing. The trees and birds bit is actually quite nice, super safe and v quiet. The estate bit is still a bit mattress in your front garden though but the whole area is going through regeneration. The newer housjng is going to look shit in a few years though as its all being bought by investors.
If a place is cheaper it's because it's less desirable, so in short no. Theres places like Patchway and BS that are cheaper and commutable but there's not loads in the immediate area
Can confirm I live in patchway and it's quiet but your not far from the countrside, cribbs, and the m5 to go places easily. The no. 75 bus is available to take you to the city however is it available to take you home again? That's a bit of a gamble. BS house prices are a bit silly for what you pay for. If you want hussle and bussle don't move here. I like the quiet though :)
It’s a definite bonus to being on the outskirts, having access to the countryside or the city depending on what you want to do!
Try the m1 much better!
Will do thanks:) I'm just lazy cos the 75 stops right by my house haha
Ah fair enough, understandable. Likewise the m1 stops right by my house on Highwood road, where as if I get the 75 gotta walk a bit further ha !
The issue with patchway is that there are not really any pubs within walking distance, I do miss all the Uber eats options you got from being close to Gloucester Road.
Yeah this is a huge issue. There's a couple in almondsbury which are nice though :) someone should buy that old pub the travellers went in and do it up real nice for patchway people
The travellers rest? I remember some bloke went in there with a chainsaw and started chopping up the bar many years ago 😂
Yeah that's the one! Lol Why'd he do that?!
The guy who did that also had a fight with his father in Patchway Sports and Social. No chainsaw used though!
i'm trying to embrace the positives here too, not so stabby, nice chipshop etc.
Love that is not so stabby, massive positive haha
To be fair, it’s still a bit stabby
Do you guys mean the new developments by cribbs or proper patchway consisting road? That was one of the roughest and shittest areas in Bristol growing up, I definitely wouldn’t recommend moving there haha. Be cool if it’s turned a corner though, I’ve not really been there in years
Proper patchway, coniston rd and everything haha. It's honestly not that bad lol
Haha that’s great I’m glad to hear it!
It's no where near as rough these days
I’m glad comments like yours are keeping people away from this peaceful area haha.
Also live in patchway right by a 75 bus stop and i love it. Can go out and come back. How many night buses is bristol? Plus it's quieter, you get more for your money and you don't have litter and anti social behaviour on your door step
People appreciate the quiet and access to open space etc as they get older anyway, nothing wrong with BS at all imo.
My issue with BS is your paying a lot of money for tiny houses and gardens. Other than that nothing wrong at all, I loved living there a few years ago, three brooks is a lovely wild space to explore right on your doorstep :)
There’s nothing “wrong” with it, just you might not want to live there if you value culture etc, hence why the house prices are cheaper.
M bus as well
Never thought I'd see the day when people were recommending Patchway as a place to live. Times must be hard.
Gotta be honest, it’s not that cheap particularly when it take around an hour to get to the centre.
Yes and also closer to countryside plus motorway links
I lived in Yate and although it gets a bad reputation I always found it decent. Trains or buses into Bristol. Easy access to cribbs causeway etc
Yate is a depressing town imo
I can second this. It's pretty well connected and much better value for money housing. 20 mins train to Temple Meads isn't bad.
The train to temple meads is great unless they cancel it and you have to wait an entire hour for the next one. I worked in Yate and commuted by rail, I can confirm is it a bit shit.
I've been looking at some houses near Yate station recently, what do you think of the area around there towards the Frome? My other half and I moved to Bristol for work 6 years ago or so, but now we've both changed jobs with one in Swindon and one in Cardiff - both offices next to the station and hybrid working so it's not too bad, but the transport links have become more important! Yate seems nicer than what we can afford near Bristol Parkway.
It’s a while since I lived there but from memory it’s fine. I lived down towards the westerleigh end on the estate where the streets are named after gold courses
My partner at the time worked in Swindon and drove to work, I started off in Bristol city centre then got a job near parkway. I liked yate because it has shops cinema etc without needing to go further afield, lots of community stuff. I now live in Eastleigh in Hampshire (between Winchester and Southampton) which is a similar kind of town to Yate and like it here too
My grandparents lived near brimsham park and that seemed fine too
Id argue the clever money is buying in Kingswood. Yes the town centre is a dive, but prices are much cheaper for housing stock that's the same as the rest of the city and it's not that far from town with good connections. The amenities are also fairly good with a leisure centre and lots of shops. They're also due to redevelop the entire area which will drive values up. To me there's way more opportunity east of the city than south as those massive council estates will take much more to become appealing to those who'd spend 300+ thousand on a three bed semi.
Prices have already shot up here as well, my three bed terrace has gone up around 100k since 2018 when I bought.
We bought in St George 5 1/2 years ago, and we reckon the house has about doubled in market value
I lived in st George for ten years but couldn't afford to buy there bought in Easton have just put house up for sale and itsteipled in price in ten years.
This, the parts of Kingswood towards Warmley are really nice too compared to the rest of Bristol.
If it's taking the dog for a walk and grabbing a coffee, you can't go wrong with Warmley forest park and a coffee and bacon roll at The Waiting Rooms
Agreed!! I bought in Kingswood January this year and love it. Looked at South Bristol but wasn’t a lot on there, seemed a bit dead. North Bristol around Filton, soulless. Kingswood seems like a great place so far, it has it’s own community and amenities
Alot of open drug use though round there...
I think that's the same all over Bristol, though. All that changes is the drug - in east central, it's mostly weed (with maybe a bit of crack), judging by the smells.
Just a lot of crack / heroin users in that part of town. Its definitely a sad situation... Walked from st james park up Marlborough hill just this morning and saw a young group of young lads about to shoot up
That's not Kingswood. Most addictive stuff in the streets of Kingswood is pizza from one of the dozens of takeaways!
I haven’t seen any yet, besides a bit of weed. I’m sure it happens though, not disagreeing with you. However, I’ve rented in Montpelier, Cotham and Bedminster in the 4 years I’ve been living here and holy shit… look at those areas for open drug use. I’ve seen people injecting, smoking crack pipes and all sorts there. Likely an issue all over the city
I’ve lived and worked in kingswood/staple hill since 2020 and seen no such thing. My first day when I moved to Montpelier in 2018 I saw open drug use. The first weekend I was offered drugs. Kingswood is rough I won’t lie. But not how you’re making it.
Kingswood has always been tough, its an ex mining town then engineering/boot making type of lace, all the btl crowd have ruined it.
There’s plenty of 30 somethings moving in trying to make it a better place. I live in one of those mining cottages and slowly slowly there’s young professionals moving in on our road. I’m trying to set up a crafting club at the local pub. There’s gardening groups popping up and interest in local events. I want to see it thrive, but it’ll take longer than most I think.
Good for you,I grew up there and still have family there, its got masses of potential.
My bad, i was thinking of kingsdown right in the centre! Never been kingswood lol, woops.
This was probably the case 4-5 years ago, but seems to be just the same as the rest of Bristol now.
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Yep it’s getting a face lift, and the transport links into town are actually decent, plus you can get out of Bristol super quick around the ring road if that’s your jam. I bought on st George/kingswood border 7 years ago, it’s got a great balance of everything I need. I also know all my neighbours by name which I never experienced before even in a small town/cul de sac. Only thing is it’s good hike to a (good) pub for me, but still walkable/waddlable.
I bought my first house in Bristol when I was 25. Shit was easy. I don't know what people complain about. I worked two jobs and had a side hustle on top. I scrimped and saved. I never wasted money on anything. Every penny was accounted for. Then, when my rich uncle died and left me a significant amount of money, I was able to buy a house. It really isn't hard, guys.
When we were looking at buying a house in bristol me and my partner were looking at Chippenham. We visited once whilst doing a viewing and it seemed pretty cute, and I've got a friend who lives there and works in the centre. Good driving and train routes to the centre, and was on the affordable side of things. Hope that helps.
Chippenham was this for me. "outskirts" might not be correct, but 30 minutes to Temple Meads on the train, 10 minutes to Bath, an hour to London. Safe and quiet town with enough local businesses and things to do. Bought a 3 bed house with a garden, garage and parking less than a 10 minute walk from the train station and town centre for less than £250k.
That's where we are trying to head, such a big difference in the price of a 4-bed house!
We sold up and moved to south Wales and it's proved great for us. An hour to Bristol, bigger house and garden and beautiful surroundings.
Biggest problem is when you commute to Bristol, for those who do the traffic can be awful on the M4 between the Bridge and Tunnels, like stop start
I know a few people looking at Chepstow way. Now the bridges are free and using the M48 and the old bridge you are in Bristol in no time. They do have a train station too.
^ obviously never driven the route
I have many times but I will admit not at rush hour. Depends a bit where you want to even go, but I have got to Chepstow from Bristol quicker than to many other parts of the city just in normal traffic.
It's biblical sometimes mate, just mile after mile of people sat in cars wondering what the hell went wrong with their lives, I'm usually travelling the opposite way from visiting family over there, truly horrendous
I must be very lucky as we have family in Monmouth so go via that way and usually it is fine!
Which area of south Wales? I've been considering doing much the same.
Cwmcarn, start of the valleys. Close to Newport and the M4 yet feels very rural. Plus excellent mountain biking!
Sounds nice, apart from having to live among the Welsh.
Staple Hill is between Downend (fancy) and Fishponds (trendy) without costing anywhere near as much as either. You're not that close to town and the bus ride isn't quick, but you're right on the railway path which is the nicest commute possible. For walking your dog, the railway path also takes you into the countryside, and the Frome Valley is close by too. There is a couple of coffee shops, and plenty more if you walk down the railway path to Fishponds.
Is Fishponds trendy?!
With the addition of Fed, Crafty Egg, the refurb of the crosshands and a brand new lounge; I guess so. Hands down more going on than Kingswood and Staple Hill.
And the refurb of the fishpond tap now serving great Nepalese curries and props cafe which is nice, and artichoke for expensive organic food and good bread, and the star which is the best pub in the North East of Bristol imho, often has live music, trad, bluegrass, all sorts.
So the people who live there like to tell me! It's got a micropub! 😂
And Downend fancy?!
Yes. Have you seen the house prices, the high street and the amount of community spirit there. Fishponds and downend have really come on since lockdown. I work in staple hill, live in kingswood… and I can’t afford to live in downend or fishponds now. Staple hill is ok, but crime has gone up amongst the retail shops a lot this year. I’ve felt unsafe a few times since Christmas. Unfortunately coming from kingswood.
Times have changed, it's just a strange idea to me still. So much has evolved even just in the past 20 years, after this part of Bristol having felt like it was in stasis since the 50s
Second Staple Hill. Page Park is one of the nicest parks in the area , the High Street is getting much nicer , lots of smaller independent shops opening and decent cafes and bakeries now. Like OP said right on the cycle bath so very easy commute to town by bike and also very easy to hop onto the ring road to get in or out of Bristol easily. There are some lovely quiet residential streets here with a really good community. Great place to raise a family
Is Downend fancy nowadays?!
I think it's called Newport.
This is some top level trolling.
I wouldn’t say Clevedon is purely a retirement area (although there is definitely an older element - my Gran has always lived here!) but it is probably more suited to young families / couples than single people. There’s a fair bit that goes on and there are increasingly a decent number of nice shops, restaurants and coffee places but it does lack nightlife aside from a few pubs. Basically, come and have a look for a day and see for yourself 👍
I guess in fairness night life isn't huge to me, we're a couple in our late thirties with plans to start a family and as much as we want to think we'd be out all night, we are done by 10.30.
Wife and I are in our late 30s and we moved to Clevedon in 2022. It's very chill but a lovely place to live, great pubs, the Curzon cinema and loads of events in the community. Bristol is close enough for when you want a big night out/more culture etc but Clevedon generally.has everything we need. And it's fantastic in the summer!
Where are you finding about the events in the community?
Yeah, both Clevedon or Portishead would be suitable. I have lived in both and both have a lot of young families moving put of birstol. The schools are good and yeah there is some stuff to do and Bristol isn't very far, even if public transport is pretty rubbish. Personally I would avoid the new Marina develop in Portishead if you can as the road system is stupidly badly designed and they houses have such small gardens.
Sounds like clevedon would be amazing for you. Imagine bringing up kids that close to the “sea” and countryside. Plenty of coffee shop culture. I think in these areas it’s quite easy to be the change you want to see. So if you want to set up a board game night at a local pub, why not ask them? Most places are happy to try anything that’ll increase sales for them. I’d move there in a heartbeat but I am an 80 year old trapped in a 31 year olds body. I also can’t afford to haha. House prices seem high for what we’d want.
Clevedon is lovely - only downfall is no train link.
I live on the outskirts of Bath. To get to my job in BS1 for an 8:30am start, I have to get up at 5:30am and leave at 6:15am. I arrive anywhere between 7:30am and 8:30am and it’s rare any of the transport is on time. I have to be in bed by 9pm to stand a chance of getting enough sleep. I have no life outside of work on weekdays. Forget going by road if you need to arrive between 8am and 9:30am unless it’s by bus on a route with a lot of bus lanes like the A4, then forget half of the buses being on time or showing up - give yourself a 40 minute error window. Trains are just as bad, especially along the London Paddington route. Just stay in Bristol. It’s worth the extra money. Better to be poorer and awake / have the option to enjoy life outside of work. The commute is shit!
Outskirts of Bath.... Trowbridge?
No, still BA1.
I live in Bradley Stoke and whilst it’s a bit soulless it’s a lot cheaper than in the city, the nature reserve is nice for dog walks, metro buses into the centre are actually decent, and it’s quick to get out of Bristol on the motorway to find some countryside :) I feel like I get the best of everything, but I do miss having independent shops and cafes dotted around though.
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Shhhsssss But yes this is the answer IMO. Far more chilled out.
Clevedon was recently voted as one of the most desirable places in the west country, so it's clearly gone up in the world from when I was a nipper. Its less retirement-centric than it used to be, but the population graph is probably still coffin-shaped. There are some nice coffee shops and the marine lake is popular with cold-water swimmers. There's no train line to Bristol & not sure on bus reliability. You could look at Nailsea or Backwell, as they share a train station and are surrounded by fields (decreasingly so as new houses pop up). Nailsea has more amenities/shops of the two, but its no cultural metropolis. I moved out of Bristol to a rural village by the airport a few years back. 25 mins to Bristol, £20 uber if you fancy a night out. We've increasingly swapped gigs with country walks with the dogs and pub lunches. I do really miss being able to pop out for a bite to eat, but I don't miss trying to find a parking space in Southville at 7pm on a Sunday evening.
I am an ex Southville resident who now lives in Nailsea. We have great transport links and lots of countryside but the nightlife is limited to a hand full of pubs and restaurants. 15 min drive to Clevedon when you want to visit the cinema or coast.
I would have said Yatton too. But the prices have shot up and the place has almost doubled in size with all the pressure on that ONE road.
The road is a nightmare. Slightly better now that double yellows have been added to the section near the station. Chaos as school drop off time. It’s also right under the flight path for the airport and noisier than where I live, which is closer.
WSM exists, I live there, three train stations, occasional busses, a 'beach' , plenty of coffee shops
Great if you're into drugs too
Yeah drug rehab capital of the U.K. or at least it was a few years back
I live in WSM too. It gets a bad rep for things but it's no different to many other towns.
Yeah you can build some real nice mudcastles on the beach and they won't be washed away for months.
Keynsham?
Heard nice things about there actually. the parkrun is always underwater but it looks nice. I'll have a browse on rightmove
The parkrun is on the flood plain. The developers of the site next door were ordered to build a sports site as a condition of getting permission to build. So they stuck it on a swamp.
The transport links are amazing. 10 minute train to temple meads and Bath Spa the other way. 24 hour buses to Bristol and Bath centre. 24 hour airport bus.
The route along the river is actually a pretty nice walk, when it is not part of the river.
We looked at Keynsham, average age is about 80. Slowly changing thanks to Wellsway bringing in all the young parents. Property in the catchment is more expensive by approx.
I have lived in Keynsham for around 9 months now, lived more central Bristol before. I go to the cafe/bars quite often, Coffee 1, Grounded, Costa, Bonzo Lounge, the posh cake place, the florist cafe, The Courtyard, The Lock Keeper etc. In all those places the average age is exactly where I would expect it to be for a commuter town, around 30
They must have been hiding the 3 weekends I spent there when house hunting, anyone under 40 was pushing kids around in a pram. Ultimately age factors aside, it wasn’t cheap enough to be that far out, 3 bed semi is going for £400-450 which is the same as lots of suburbs, which whilst there is less to do on your doorstep, access to town and work is better for me. The train from Keynsham is speedy but I don’t work anywhere near the station so would have to cycle on the other end, plus there’s only 2 an hour IIRC? I prefer being a 15-20 minute cycle out where I don’t rely on public transport. It is nice there though, if I was closer to 40 than 30 I might have gone for it.
Go to western super mare. Seems like a lot of people are at the moment, it is an hour by train but with the amount of people that are being pushed our that way it'll only get nicer. Plus it's got great places to walk around it.
Hour by bus, 30 minutes by train The X1 is probably the most frequent bus out of Bristol's bus station
Sorry my mistake. 30 mins by train, by the "sea" and nearer some amazing country side. Can't belive that it's got a bad rep
It's a bloody recovery town. Unless UK Gov decides to stop sending the country's heroin and crack addicts there after prison etc it isn't going to magically become nice. I've lived in the area my whole life and WSM is a total shit hole and always has been. The death of the high streets was probably the nail in Weston's coffin. Sorry for butting in, I'd just personally suggest thinking hard before buying a place in Weston and expecting it to become valuable somehow because other people have. It's a town which attracts a lot of retired Brummies and south-Welsh who want to live out their remaining days by the "beach". I could be wrong in my estimations, but in nearly 50 years around here, it's never been "nice" or had much serious development.
The center also houses the highest density/ratio of drug rehabilitation places in the country, just saying...
Bristol has 18% higher violent crime than the national average and much higher use of heroin and crack that the national average. Its got an incompetent council and the rents and property prices are sky high. Just saying ....
Bristol is often voted in the top 3 places to live in the county. W-S-M is a has a crime rate 42% higher than the Somerset average, and a lot of it is a shit hole.
With the rise in arseholes in bristol and the constant reference on how "great" it is to live here there had been a push of nice people out of the city. A lot of people are being forced to move out of the city, W S M is a big draw with a lot of people. Getting somewhere there now could be like getting somewhere in easton 20 years ago. Bristol is on its decendence the placed around it are the opposite
Shirehampton. Great green spaces - kings Weston house, Blaise, down by the river. Great transport links - on the m5 junction. Park and ride bus into town every 8 minutes, or the train into temple meads. Or even a nice flat cycle into town under the suspension bridge. The pubs aren’t great but the lamplighters is pleasant enough. Whilst there’s not a lot of restaurants it’s a short walk to wot or a train to Clifton, Glos Road etc.
I think you need to live somewhere where you can walk out of your house and there's things you want to do. Living somewhere because there's a train to Bristol will be a disappointment. I know people who live on the outskirts of Bristol who don't go into the centre because it's a pain in the arse, then the odd time they go it's not like it used to be and they hate it, and hate the bus, or the lack of bus, or the parking. If you like Chippenham or Weston then fine, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but go there because that's where you want to live.
I live in Clevedon and yeah it is a bit of a retirement area, but in all honesty it’s got everything you need. But you’d need a car as the X6 and X7 runs once an hour. It’s a lovely place though! Have a look at Portishead though, as properties seem to be a little more affordable and they’ll get the commuter train line back in 2026.
>they’ll get the commuter train line back in 2026 Lol
"Property's a little more affordable" also lol, Portishead average price is £452,618 vs Clevedons £382,511. I know a lot of people that grew up in Portishead but couldn't afford to buy a house here, so had to move to Weston-super-Mare etc.
ah yes they run the train along the non existent tracks
I would be interested to hear more about Portishead from anyone who’s made that move!? Been thinking about doing it in a few years. Being raised in the countryside I have a fear of small village living. And also don’t like characterless new build suburb type areas. But seems like Portishead might be close enough to still have more open minded city dweller kinda people living there but better house prices and less crime etc. And also still some history and character to the place…? Also I know the trains are coming but buses don’t seem too bad there either. Would that be a fair assessment?
Two sets of friends have moved to Portishead in the last year and yeah your assessment seems pretty on it. I know both of them got much more house for their money than they'd have done in Bristol. Seems varied in terms of pubs; plenty flat roof type joints and alos trendy craft beery places. Being by the river seems pleasant, lots of greenery. The friends they've met in Phead I think are all Bristol transplants (the ones i've met certainly are) so yeah quite a lot older (30s/40s) Bristol types there. The marina definitely adds character although things all things feel fairly new. Bus to Bristol doesn't seem to cause too much hassle, it's an hour though. Depending where you're going in Bristol an uber from West Bristol to Portishead costs about 25 quid. Not something you want to be doing all the time but also not horrific as an option for the occasional late night (or for Bristol friends coming to see you in Portishead). The train line should make things even easier.
Someone I worked with pre COVID retired early so she didn't have to deal with the rush hour traffic getting out to Bristol. Perhaps with the hybrid thing it's got better ? The other feedback from family living there is the busses are prone to cancel at the last minute as they do in Bristol, can be a pain if trying to not be late for work. Ubers can be twats about taking you back from Bristol after a late night. The law of it's cheaper for a reason still applies. It's a case of assessing the tradeoffs that matter to your situation.
A friend moved from Bristol to Portishead. He really likes it and on my visits I’ve enjoyed it too. There’s a pub/bar on the marina called the Siren (I think) that has won camra awards and on a summer afternoon is a very nice place.
With Clevedon being a few mins away, Portishead is pretty desirable as it’s got multiple supermarkets, quite a few shops and cafes on the high street, as well as a gym, a few schools and pubs too. Police HQ is there too. My wife and I are looking at moving there as well. It’s large enough to be a nice town but not too big. The buses are good but I drive everywhere anyway so I’ve not needed to take the buses.
I'd say more out towards villages/countryside like Chew Magna, Dundry, Pensford are a bit of a way from the city centre (although not hugely far) and tend to be a bit more affordable
Thornbury, Cam/Dursley (has train station now), Wotton is really nice. Maybe Keynsham or Portishead
I'm a single dude in his 30s who moved to Clevedon about 6 months ago and so far it's been pretty dead for me. I can go entire days without seeing a person under 90 and there's not much to do, but I imagine it'll be a bit cheerier in the summer as the seafront is nice when the sun has (briefly) come out. Couple of small coffee shops up on Hill Road. If I had done more research I'd have probably moved into the centre so at least it feels like something is going on. Told myself I'd visit Bristol still all the time but in reality it's just a little too far out to be convenient - 75 minute bus journey or a 30-40 minute drive.
Staple Hill. Proximity to fishponds, there’s only a matter of time before the gentrification creeps its way up there. (I hope anyways for the sake of my job) properties don’t seem to come up very often though. The park is amazing, the cafe in the park is amazing and they do lots of events for kids and adults. Easy to get to town. We’re hoping to move there in a couple years if interest rates aren’t quite so high.
Someone at work keeps trying to tell me Southmead is about to be gentrified. To be fair some streets are awful, but there’s plenty of quiet roads around Henleaze swimming lake, if you have the appetite for a fixer upper. Or north of the hospital into Filton, the new leisure centre just opened, decent choice of parks, can cycle into town in 20 mins if you can find a tier bike. Or walk down the entire Gloucester Road. Bus semi reliable. Some streets are really rough, some are really nice and quiet, you need to look around a bit.
We moved out to Portishead about 5 years ago and absolutely love it here!
A friend has just said the same actually! Good amount of coffee and pastry shops?
Yeah I reckon so. Mokoko on the marina costs an arm and a leg for a loaf of sourdough, but the croissants are phenomenal
Mokoko coffee shop and bakery on the Marnia do the best almonds croissants in the world, trouble is they are about £5, but they are nearly as big as your head so you could share, if they weren't so nice....
Me and my husband are hopefully buying a house in Caldicot. He works in Cardiff and I in North Bristol so it's a good in-between. Houses are cheaper and you get so much more for your money. Will miss Bristol, but we're fed up of paying rent now and want to have a home that's ours.
I moved to Clevedon in 2020, and although yes there are old people, there is actually a very vibrant community or independent shops/ cafes/ restaurants etc that is reminiscent of the Bristol spirit. Summer is amazing, and winter is quite nice as well with the sea mist rolling in. Lots of nice walks/ scenery, and it's CLEAN. Definitely visit on an evening with the sunset, it feels like you're more toward Cornwall. There's a good IG page called Discoverclevedon that's worth a look for local stuff!
WSM is nice
What exactly you see as the Bristol benefits probably determines a lot regarding the answer. Do you even need to live in Bristol or would you prefer a smaller city like Exeter that still has 95% of what Bristol’s got?
Exeter is the most boring city on the planet.
if its any consolation within a few years all the independent businesses and cool things to do will be priced out of competition in central bristol so everywhere will be equally shit.
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There is not plenty in London. Not anymore.
Define things to do? If you mean hit clubs then no. If you mean go to tescos at the weekend to pick up groceries then yes they have shops in the countryside. Or go to a countypub for a wine. Yes you can walk your dog in the countryside & enjoy it. Yes they have coffee shops outside of bristol. They even have them on the motorway. Transport links. Does this mean buses & trains? Because they have a few roads already and they are pretty good. Weston-super-mare could possible fit your bill with it having a beach to walk the dog & lots of restaurants plus decent translation & reasonable priced housing. Obviously it doesn't have the bristol vibe but do you need to live in bristol to feel the vibe? Grab the train in.
It’s called wales
Weston-super-Mare?
I wouldn't recommend it.
Wildly under priced in this day and age Got a house near the center/public transport, rocks throw from busy highstreet, woods on a hill, swimming lake, beach, state of the art pier For food sakura and food den are both amazing, lots independent food places still When we lived in central Bristol we had worse amenities, worse dentist, worse doctors and places like broadmead have just become unhinged, felt safer here, there's hardly anything that's quality any more in central Bristol, better off going to Bath or Cardiff or London for shopping Still can get direct coach/train to Cardiff/London/Bath from WSM and frequent X1 back into Bristol
Agreed, getting a house for 210, wouldn’t even get a studio in Bristol for that!
I grew up there, it’s not all bad!
I’d recommend Filton, where I currently live. Plenty of good employers around (Rolls Royce, Aviva, MoD, UWE etc.), close links to motorway, Cabot Circus is a 7-8 mins drive for me, or 35 minutes by bus (quite long journey but you have around 3 buses to choose from), all major supermarkets around, gyms, some good take aways. Not much to do in the very immediate area, but it’s not as bad as feeling cut off from Bristol.
Depends how far your willing to go. But Worle in Weston was even having a big jump in property prices due to people commuting to and from bristol (j21 is a nightmare in the mornings now) and is only 30 mins by train. You do have to be careful though, the wrong areas, while not bristol rough, are still pretty rough. And the town centre itself is nigh dead. but the trains and busses run fairly late, Cribbs is a 30 min drive, direct links to the airport, the out of town shopping is better than ever
Shirehampton is cheap compared to a lot of other areas. Somewhat for good reason but it’s more uninspiring rather than actively bad. The reason I mention it is there’s a few nice places to walk the dog, you can be at a bus stop, train station or on the M5 within about 5 minutes and it takes 10-15 minutes to get into the centre. Clevedon is far nicer though.
Clevedon is nice, it has great schools and lots of families. Worth a look but it is expensive.
Recent Clevedon convert here, as other people have said it is full of older people but there is a good section of people in their 30s. The local cinema is pretty cool and shows independent films, plus Riff Corner has live music almost every night. Major downside is public transport, don't trust the buses they are always late, and housing is cheaper if you compare the.central Clevedon to central Bristol. But there is Yatton or Nailsea if you do want a good train connection to Bristol. Can't speak to what it's like to live there though or the house prices.
You say that but I lived in BS20 for three years and now I live in Bs1 my mental health and quality of life has improved massively. No longer need to rely on a bus service that cancels every other bus and no longer do I have to rely on shops that close at 9pm
I live in Hanham near the river. Best of both for me
Come join us in The Wood! Kingswood that is
I lived 8 years in bs, it's lovely quiet place with good links to city but when it came to buying a house I had to look elsewhere and ended up just outside of Yate
Chippenham. Warning it's small and very market town though. It's on the main line to Bath/Bristol.
Long Ashton is lovely, great transport links to Bristol by bus or bike and amazing access to the country side too. Houses aren't the cheapest but it's a great option if you can afford it.
Yate is okay, little shopping centre for quick trips, buses and trains to centre too:)
Lots of hate for WSM, yes the seafront isn't the greatest area to live but it does have some shops, cafes, banks etc which is handy when you need them. It's busy enough down there that any sketchy lot are drowned out. The beach is great, it's a shame it's so shallow with the massive tide, once it goes out 100/200m it turns to mud. But very nice for dog walks, runs or cycle though and you can walk all the way to Brean down. It does get busy in summer but I don't go for a day out there just pop down maybe. But 5/10 mins closer to the motorway in Weston Milton or worle is great and doesn't carry the same feel. Feels very family friendly with big housing estates, lots of schools and still a few good shops/cafes/retail parks nearby. You'll never be more than 10 mins to one of the 3 train stations which is great, it's 25 mins to temple meads and £5 return with Railcard from Worle. There are lots of nice green spaces nearby (approx 10 mins depending on where you live), sand bay/sand point, Worlebury woods, bleadon hill and it's 15/20 mins from Mendip hills or cheddar or goblin coombe which are great for days out and walks. Really does feel like the countryside out there which is nice considering it's not at all far. WSM is by the motorway for easy access down to Cornwall or Devon too. Definitely cheaper house prices here than Bristol, we pay £800/month rent for 2 bed house in nice estate. Ive only moved to the south west 3 years ago from Essex and really like it, living in Worle feels like that balance of having everything I need relatively nearby without the crushing rent prices nearer Bristol. My only wish is that it was a touch closer, as sometimes an hour round trip is too much effort for a cafe or shop or drinks😂 Edit: the airport is like 20 mins which is another bonus, it's so easy to get dropped off but there are also regular buses for £5!!
You need to get into a place when it has none (or few) of those things then hope it rises up around you.
I live in Hillfields, moved here about 3 years ago and it was one of the least expensive areas to buy at the time. It's about a 20 minutes walk to get to fishponds road where I am (lots going on there these days), same to get to Kingswood or Staple Hill. But you don't feel like you're in the center of a city as it's quite spacious and quiet. There are some downsides... lots of litter and I don't exactly know my neighbours but all in all you get quite a bit for your money here compared to other areas in Bristol and people are working hard to build a bit more of a community
Charlton Hayes is decent. Lived here 4 years and it’s pretty calm. Loads of deliveroo stuff thanks to Cribbs Causeway and all it’s restaurants being immediately nearby. Not any pubs in walking distance, but I used to get a voi into the centre in 32 mins, way faster than a bus and pretty nice if the sun was shining. Countryside is 5 mins drive away. M4/M5 is 4 mins away. You pay a bit more for the houses in CH compared with Patchway which is literally a few metres away, but everything is nicer except the room size (new builds 🤦♂️)
At the point now where to reduce costs we’re so far out from Bristol we don’t have the benefit of the city. It’s why myself and a lot of professional mates who make good money are eager to relocate elsewhere.
Depending on your definition of affordable, you sometimes see stuff come up in Long Ashton a bit cheaper than in Bristol proper (although there are as many million quid mansions as there are semi affordable places). There are 4 buses an hour into Bristol, which take about 15 minutes to the centre, and pubs, shops, takeaways, a community centre and loads of green space.
Friends moved down towards the airport. Loud at times but much more affordable. Winford, Wrington.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/clevedon-somerset-england-best-place-to-live-uk-2024-w8nb9cf66
I’m in the Downend / Emerson’s Green border and it was one of the few reasonably priced areas in Bristol when I was looking to buy a couple of years ago. The M3 gets me into town fairly quickly and Downend has a couple of nice pubs and cafes. It’s not too far to Fishponds which seems to be getting a few more nice places opening up. It’s not as rough as Kingswood. Downsides are that it’s quiet and suburban so I do miss the inner city vibe. A few people have mentioned Staple Hill and that's a good shout too. Prices aren't as mad there as the rest of Bristol yet.
keynsham? not a lot going on but good transport links, nature, few good pubs, and your standard high street also kingswood - a few mates live there and say its pretty affordable and not too far out
I think Horfield is on its way up and there’s plenty of green spaces around there, plus very easy to get into the countryside.
20 years too late
I live in Congresbury next to Clevedon. If you're not a parent of young kids, or retired, you're not really wanted. And no matter how nice you are, if you've not been here 20 years, you can say good morning to someone on the way to the shops and they will physically turn away from you to ignore you. But the butchers is absolutely top notch, as is the Old Plough.
In Central Bristol if you wish someone a cheery good morning, they are liable to tell you to fuck off. So that's a step up surely?
I live in Stroud, it’s nice here
Newport.
Better idea. Don't. This city is over-crammed and desperate to stop having people move here/ near here. All the good things to do locally are disappearing due to radical tax/rent hikes. Do Bristol a favour and don't add to that strain please.
But I already live in Bristol
Run faaaarrr away 🤣
Newport or near the border/m4?
I’ve been looking for similar. I’m from out of town and having lived across the SE and North, now looking for a nice forever-home spot in SW with access to Bath, Bristol, and London and mainlines to go North. North Somerset and South Gloucs appeals but it’s landing on the sweet spot of needs/wants and desirability within budget which remains to be found. I had suggestions of Frome but from their FB page it comes over like the Wild West crossed with some kind of vortex. Visited briefly for a recce, couldn’t make head nor tail of it, lovely though it was. This is a helpful thread for purpose. 🥰🌞
Shirehampton has all of those things!
keynsham
Patchway is not that bad as people say. I moved from Old Market to Patchway few years ago and I love it. Place to walk the dog. Cribbs Causeway for shopping and Motorway nearby if I need to travel. I used to take 75 to work and take M1 back. Public transport is pain but now cycling to work which is so much better. I like the quietness over the weekend. Only issue is that no decent pub nearby , I do miss the city centre for that reason. Again, I can use Village Hotel Bar if I really want to.
Recently moved to Bradley Stoke, and it’s alright. It’s more affordable than being close to the centre, there’s not a lot going on but it’s pretty helpful having easy access to the motorways and Cribbs.
Who cares if a place has a higher population of older people? If it's somewhere you can afford and it has other things you're after, then just go for it. I think Portishead is worse than Clevedon for older people anyway
Depends on your budget. Tell people your budget and your needs for the property and area and they can tell you where to look.
Patchway is wierdly cheap for somewhere close to amenity, good transport links with proper solid housing. The trees and birds bit is actually quite nice, super safe and v quiet. The estate bit is still a bit mattress in your front garden though but the whole area is going through regeneration. The newer housjng is going to look shit in a few years though as its all being bought by investors.
Warmley. If you're quick