Relocating to Wiltshire - advice please

sakinge

Hi

We are loooking to relocate to Wiltshire/South Gloucs from Hampshire. I am really after advice on areas to look at. We have a 6 month old son so I don't want to be too isolated (I do have a car). We would have to be in easy communting distance to places like Bristol, Swindon, Newbury for my husband to get a job.
We are looking for a 4 bed house around £250K, somewhere with local ammenities, good schools for when our son is old enough to go.

We were loooking at Calne but I've been reading some negative reviews on the place - so not to sure anymore.

Can anyone suggest some places that might be suitable for us to have a look at. We are planning to visit the area at the weekend also.

Thanks

AAS

Calne's ok but not that nice. Corsham and Bradford on Avon are more expensive but near Bath and nice. Marlborough is near Swindon and nice but expensive. There are some pretty villages around Marlborough/Hungerford but again a bit pricey. Trowbridge is crap (sorry but it is). We're looking in Devizes (it's about 20-25 miles from Swindon, Bath & Salisbury) it's a small market town but we like it. Are you looking for a town, do you need a train station or good school?

zappahey

We lived in Calne for 3 years and it was fine. There are really 2 Calnes, the old area and the new build estates. I think the reputation came from the 80's following the closure of the Harris meat factory, which employed 2000 people, and hit the town hard. Over the last decade the demographic has changed dramatically.

I would happily go back.

ohcomeonpeople

AAS wrote: »

Calne's ok dump of a centre, very poor and drab but not that nice. Corsham and Bradford on Avon are more expensive lovely though but near Bath and nice. agree Marlborough is near Swindon dump and the planners need a good slap and nice but expensive. There are some pretty villages around Marlborough/Hungerford but again a bit pricey. Trowbridge is crap (sorry but it is indeed but you find Calne ok....which part...the Somerfield area......the main shopping drag...tasty ). We're looking in Devizes its ok but always so much traffic, and property market is very badly hit at the moment (it's about 20-25 miles from Swindon, Bath & Salisbury) it's a small market town but we like it. Are you looking for a town, do you need a train station westbury or pewsey are the closest or good school?

Avoid Chippenham, Warminster, Westbury, Frome, Trowbridge, oh god the list goes on....oh and for sure avoid Swindon

gratefulforhelp_2

Calne is fine, as is Chippenham. Corsham and Bradford on Avon and Marlborough all nice but pricey. Devizes is lovely, and Pewsey is worth a look. Trowbridge really is a dump. Avoid Swindon.

Lots of lovely villages, but the prices are higher. Have you considered Salisbury?

Callie22

ohcomeonpeople wrote: »

Avoid Chippenham, Warminster, Westbury, Frome, Trowbridge, oh god the list goes on....oh and for sure avoid Swindon

Swindon's not that bad - the town centre's ugly as hell and likely to be hit hard in the next few years in terms of employment, but there are some nice places that haven't yet been ruined and it's fairly convenient in terms of getting to other places on the M4 corridor. It's not somewhere I'd want to spend the rest of my life but I could quite happily settle in one of the outlying villages, or somewhere a bit further north like the Cirencester area. It's really not a bad place to be if you want to be near Reading and Bristol but you don't want to pay Reading and Bristol prices for housing.

However, there are things to watch for if you're likely to be commuting to and/or from Swindon. The trains are ruinously expensive, and a London season ticket is going to go up again soon. Also, if you're thinking of working in Swindon and commuting from other places, it's worth doing the drive a few times to see how you feel about it. I know lots of people who commute in from places like Marlborough, Devizes and Calne, and they absolutely hate the drive.

murphydog999

ohcomeonpeople wrote: »

Avoid Chippenham, Warminster, Westbury, Frome, Trowbridge, oh god the list goes on....oh and for sure avoid Swindon

That's pretty much a big chunk of Wiltshire then! I can't see how you can tar everywhere with the same brush.

Doesn't this depend on what/where you are used to? I lived in Southampton for 20+ years and there are areas that are dumps and areas that aren't, it's the same for most towns/cities - good sides and bad.

I would advise you to get the job first and get an area within striking distance, the price of petrol and a horrendous commute may bring regrets otherwise. If you are coming up this weekend, have a good drive round the city centres in areas you think you might like, they will give a good indication of it's residents, you could also look into whether there are any regeneration/investment projects planned, that will be good for the future.

But £250,000 unfortunately won't get you very far in Marlborough or Bradford on Avon, or the villages around them - unless you want a project.

Meatballs

Wroughton town south/connected to Swindon, but is nicer imo. 10 mins or so to m4 so Bristol/Reading not too bad to commute to infact its pretty much slap bang in the middle. That or chiseldon down the road, then Marlborough. There are also a couple of smaller villages just outside Swindon but they are quite pricey.

Glouscester/Cheltenham is not too far although I haven't seen what the traffic is like.

£250 should get quite a nice 4 bed in Wroughton (our 3 bed is £180).