Bristol areas - Stoke Gifford, Nailsea and Bedminster

wxy

Hi everyone,

I'm currently planning on moving down to Bristol and buying a property (for the first time) there. The areas that I've been looking at are Stoke Gifford, Nailsea and Bedminster. I have read the previous threat on mse re Downend, Yate and Bradley Stoke -- does anyone know if Stoke Gifford/Little Stoke is similar to Bradley Stoke in terms of local amenities? are the houses older than the ones in B Stoke?

Nailsea seems very nice but my major concern is whether the motorway up to Almondsbury gets too busy at peak times (as that's the route that my bf would have to travel on to work). does anyone have experience on this please?

Bedminster is close to Bristol city centre but I worry about the area slightly. is it as nice as the other two? what about Bedminster Down? are they too close to the 'rough' areas in Bristol?

Any comments and recommendations of other areas would be greatly appreciated! :T Many thanks!

Pitlanepiglet

I don't have much time to post right now....

They big big problem with Bristol is transport, it can take a huge amount of time to get in to the Centre from places like Bradley Stoke and Downend etc. Where will you bf be working? Are you likely to be job hunting?

Stoke Gifford/Little Stoke are IMO nicer than Bradley stoke and nearer to Abbey Woods station so if your BF was going into Bristol itself that would be a better option.

Bedminster is OK, but it is much more a City area than Stoke G/Little S so it has mor of the City problems. It's also Bristol City Council so the Council Tax is higher than the SG/LS which I imagine are South Glos.

It really depends where your BF needs to be, if it's town, I'd look at somewhere around Warmley/Kingswood and use the park and ride at Brislington.

I think you're right to be wary of the commute from Nailsea but I think there is a station but again that depends where he is going.

Pitlanepiglet

2nd post, FWIW, I wouldn't buy initially, I'd rent until you get a feel for the area. Much too much chance of getting it wrong IMV when you don't know the area.

LydiaJ

The M5 is not bad for commuting and lots of people who live in Nailsea use it. If there's an accident at the bridge over the Avon, it has the capacity to cause a total nightmare, though. From the M4/M5 interchange southwards, it's not a major commuting motorway so much as a holiday motorway. Expect huge delays on it every weekend all through the school summer holidays.

Commuting into Bristol from Nailsea is perfectly possible by car or train, depending on which bit of town you need to get in to. I would say that Nailsea thinks of itself as a small town that just happens to be near Bristol, whereas Bedminster and Stoke Gifford are part of Bristol. It has a mix of nice and not so nice housing, and quite a lot of amenities - many people who live there only go into Bristol occasionally. Stoke Gifford used to be the poshest of the areas you've mentioned, but I'm remembering it years and years ago, and things may have changed.

ETA: You don't say what stage of life you are at. Nailsea is a "settle down and bring up a family" kind of place. There are hardly any "young adults with no kids (yet)" type people, so if that's you, then Nailsea might not be the best place.

tiff

If you want a location that is close to central Bristol then Knowle and Brislington are ok. Personally I wouldnt want to live in Bedminster, Nailsea is too far out of town and I dont know anything about Stoke Gifford.

wxy

Many thanks for all the replies! the situation is that I will be working in the Bristol City Centre and my bf will be driving to Wales to work everyday. I'm planning on getting the train to Temple Meads which is convenient for my work. so guess an area with good train links to the city centre would be ideal. any more comments and tips would be greatly appreciated

vicstick86

Hiya.

Ive lived in Bristol for a little while now. I just generally have a dislike for most of North bristol, most of it is fairly new and souless, and if its not is housing estates.
Although it is close access to the major roads it does get really clogged up. But the whole of bristol is really bad for traffic.

Bedminster can be really nice, and is closeish to the city centre. Round Victoria Park the houses are really nice, but you need to see a house and an area, and judge for yourself because some areas are housing estates.

Brislington is quite close to the centre, I live there its about a mile from templemeads and its only a few miles to the M32 which goes up to meet the M4. Its even walkable distance to town. Just about! Its well serviced by buses to the centre they come on the main road (A4) about every 10mins and there is one that is £1. BARGAIN! Only downside is the A4 can get very busy for drivers!
Also housing round here is fairly cheapish.
St george or Kingswood are both nice areas with shops/cafes/parks etc and are fairly cheap and not a massive distance from the centre.
But it all really depends on how much you want to spend, what you want from the area, and the kind of house/flat you want??

marcg

Vicstick - I can probably see your house from here! (Kensington Park Rd)

OP - agree with Vicstick - Bristol is the most diverse place I have ever lived; good areas and bad areas exist within such short distances from each other you really need to see it for yourself. I have friends in Nailsea (and Backwell) and they love it but it wouldn't suit me - too rural. However, if you're family-orientated the schools are brilliant etc etc.

For some reason I'm thinking you are a young childless couple, in which case I would choose closer to town every time - the M32 runs straight into it and the A4 Portway runs straight over to the M5 for him, you could walk into work. Bedminster/Totterdown/Brislington are all cheap (£150+k for 2 bed Victorian terrace) or you could look at a (very small) flat around Cliftonwood. Really, we need to know more about who you are and what you want.

tiff

Lol, this is weird, I am in Runswick Road!

Pitlanepiglet

Something off the Portway would suit your travelling. Clear access to the M/W for BF, good park & ride bus into town for you. Some of it is nasty, some is OK. Other than Hotwells most of it is quiet as in few bars etc.

Radiantsoul

I think Bedminister is great if you want to live a short walk from the centre of town.

I would echo that you might want to rent first. In which case you might like to go with Clifton, Redland or Cotham.

In terms of transport you might want to consider Portishead or Clevedon which are close to Bristol.

There are really lots of very different areas in Bristol, and it is a great city.