Are the Welsh Valleys REALLY that bad???

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

Do consider the Cowbridge/Llantwit Major area of the Vale, excellent schools and still within 30 mins of Cardiff by road/rail. Not exactly in the Valleys (the rolling countryside is quite unusual for Wales), but still lovely. Cracking beaches and Merthyr Mawr dunes are good if you get bored of the beaches.

Gigervamp

As others have said, the valleys are fine. Obviously, as with any area, there are good bits and bad bits.

Another area you could consider is the Vale (of Glamorgan). It's between Bridgend and Cardiff and only takes about 15-20 mins on the M4 to get into Cardiff. There are some lovely places in the Vale.

I'm an ex-Londoner and have never had any problems mixing with the natives! (I did marry one.) There are a lot of people from England living in South Wales, so you won't be alone.

I love it here. I hope you will too.

Loonytunes

I'm English, living in Wales (Swansea way) and absolutely love it here. Yes, you get the occasional bit of ribbing but have made some brilliant friends here I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Plus, as you say, you get so much more for your money = no brainer!

Epona

Thanks for the advice everyone, I've seen some lovely houses for sale in the Valleys so I'm glad to hear your responses are so positive. Just waiting to hear if I have got the job!

Nikki

trollopscarletwoman

Epona wrote: »

So are the Valleys the scumholes I've been told?? Any advice from anyone who actually lives in the area is much appreciated.

many thanks!!!!

Nikki

Don't know who is filling you up with this kind of stuff but they need to be educated.

Bad areas/good areas.

Most of the bad areas appeared when the tories shut down the pits and slimmed down the steelworks.

Valleys people primarily have a hard working ethic and community spirit.

Anti-english-load of rubbish.

looking at East of Cardiff and coming from Essex you might have a few quid in your pocket so could look at properties in Wentlooge/ St Mellons and Newport where I'm originally from.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

trollopscarletwoman wrote: »

Don't know who is filling you up with this kind of stuff but they need to be educated.

Bad areas/good areas.

Most of the bad areas appeared when the tories shut down the pits and slimmed down the steelworks.

Valleys people primarily have a hard working ethic and community spirit.

Anti-english-load of rubbish.

looking at East of Cardiff and coming from Essex you might have a few quid in your pocket so could look at properties in Wentlooge/ St Mellons and Newport where I'm originally from.

What a load of anti Tory rubbish. 1980's places like Bridgend, Cardiff Central were still electing those with the blue rosette. The !!!! only really hit the fan when Labour got elected.

Think about it. It's in the best interests of the Labour party to keep Wales down. The more affluent and upwardly mobile people get the less likely they are to vote Labour. They've had a universal mandate in Wales since 1999, and very little has improved.

Labour didn't even think about opening up the vast seams of coal that still exist, and technology dictates you need a tenth of the workforce to run a steelworks than you did 30 years ago. Wales is dying, yes, but don't try and score party political capital out of it.

makeitstop

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays wrote: »

What a load of anti Tory rubbish. 1980's places like Bridgend, Cardiff Central were still electing those with the blue rosette. The !!!! only really hit the fan when Labour got elected.

Think about it. It's in the best interests of the Labour party to keep Wales down. The more affluent and upwardly mobile people get the less likely they are to vote Labour. They've had a universal mandate in Wales since 1999, and very little has improved.

Labour didn't even think about opening up the vast seams of coal that still exist, and technology dictates you need a tenth of the workforce to run a steelworks than you did 30 years ago. Wales is dying, yes, but don't try and score party political capital out of it.

While I'd agree with your views that trollopscarletwoman is wrong to assume many areas 'became' problem areas AFTER the Tories were elected, I don't really see her post as particularly anti-Tory. There is most definitely some truth in the thinking that communities in South Wales changed dramatically (began to disintegrate) during the time of the Thatcher government. In fact, South Wales is not alone in that respect. I live in a valley area, have family that worked in the coal industry (it killed my father) remember all too vividly the strikes and the aggro that came with it, and, can most certainly say that it changed the course of many communities here. Having said that, there were plenty of 'problem' folks living in South Wales valleys well before Thatcher's time.

I would agree totally that the Labour party has done sod all for South Wales though. They have been woeful when one considers the time they've had to bring about changes for the better. Politics - Shmolitics, !!!!!! the lots of em. (well most)

Anyhow, back on topic.....

All the advice the OP has had about areas east and west of Cardiff are great, and I'd fully agree with the areas suggested, apart from one. @ Lleucu...Brecon is hardly a short trip away from Cardiff is it, and would be a minor nightmare to get to via the 470. What you say about Penarth is crap too, and is the same sort of blanket garbage that some spout about the valleys, only in reverse. Penarth is a lovely area near the Capital with many amenities, and property prices reflect that. Anyone wanting to know whether that's accurate or not can research it for themselves.

Cowbridge / Llantwit and other parts of the Vale of Glamorgan are very nice yes if chosen well, but they come at a price and are anything but 'great value for money' You wil get what you pay for there and will get few 'bargains', but again, it is a lovely area to live and extremely convenient for Cardiff.

The Welsh people are like any other people within the British Isles. There are the pleasant and not so pleasant, but in the main, the good average could be considered great friendly people, who will welcome you no matter where you are from.

Good luck with the Job and your future.

essjae

Hi Epona,

You mention you're looking for "glorious isolation" - with this in mind, I would suggest one of the small hamlets to the north-east of Cardiff, such as Rudry or Machen, though these won't be as cheap as further up the valleys.
Slightly further away, look at villages off to the sides of the A470 between Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil, such as Nelson or Porth.

A point to note - the traffic on the M4 (particularly between Cardiff and Newport) and to a lesser extent the A470 is a nightmare during rush hour if you're commuting into Cardiff.

Fingers crossed you get the job!

ethank

I lived in Cardiff Bay for 3 years. I loved Cardiff!

LittleMissGiggles123

Another Cardiff born & bred here.

There are plenty of places in the Valleys that are nice to live, but I don't really know anywhere apart from places where friends of mine live, Rogerstone, Newbridge to name a few. However, have you tried either Rhondda Cynon Taf or Vale of Glamorgan? You will probably find some similarly priced houses in Rhondda & some parts of the Vale, plus commute to Cardiff will be similar.

I now live in the Vale of Glamorgan and it's a half hour drive into Cardiff for work. Train takes about the same time but I drive because where I work isn't in the city centre & I have school runs etc to do so can't rely on public transport in case of any delays.

Good luck & welcome to Cardiff. You will love it!