Local knowledge help: Where to start looking in Warwickshire?

Rach3l

robatwork said:

No expert but I was expecting Rugby to be a lot more upmarket than it is.

I thought the same too! I always thought of it as being very posh and there's some really nice bits by the looks of it, but some parts were a surprise when I did a bit of Street View.

Angela_D_3

I wont be buying in Rugby having rented here for 2 months.  Its been eye opening 

Rach3l

Angela_D_3 said:

I wont be buying in Rugby having rented here for 2 months.  Its been eye opening 

That's really interesting, thanks for sharing! Is that because of any particular reason or just overall not what you expected?

elsien

I don't know Rugby l but had to have a drive through to get to the hospital there, and did have a bit of an "is this it?" moment.

milla

I have just moved back to Stratford upon Avon . It is a lovely town .
I would say if you are wanting to commute  to Leamington it would be worth considering north of the river as getting over  the bridge / river is the cause of a lot of frustration !
There are some lovely houses on the Squirrel Street estate and also new homes being built on Bishopton Lane which are both very near the Park and Ride and easy access to A46.
Good luck in your hunt!

Ag2021

I’m local, and my question would be around schools. Do you have kids? If so, what are their ages? There are lovely villages around and you should easily find something in your budget around Leamington. 

stig

Kenilworth is lovely, loads of great dog walking around the castle and other open area, ten minutes to Leamington by car or train, just enough in the town for day to day living inc. Waitrose but not so much that it draws in the crowds 😀 except for the castle but that’s well out of the town centre and doesn’t cause problems with traffic.  Your budget would give you lots of choice. 

I agree, Rugby is a bit more downmarket in general, don’t be fooled by the eponymous public school right in the town centre!  

If you want even quieter, try Stoneleigh, very quaint and pretty, Alcester as said above is nice. For commuting don’t pick anything that would involve a drive through Warwick, traffic can be a nightmare as is Stratford.  

With that budget, no need to compromise too much on location, you should be able to find just what you want within 15-20m drive. Personally I’d look at Kenilworth. 

Doozergirl

I think Alcester/Bidford would be a good call.  You're close to the Cotswolds that side.  

There isn't all that much in the greater area around the North side of the M42. 

I'm in Bromsgrove, which is still only about 30 mins and allows me to be close to Birmingham for work and the motorway, but we lived on the Worcs/Warks border around Feckenham
and Astwood Bank for a while and I liked to drive south from there for days out when the kids were little.   So many lovely places to visit.  

Rach3l

Ag2021 said:

I’m local, and my question would be around schools. Do you have kids? If so, what are their ages? There are lovely villages around and you should easily find something in your budget around Leamington. 

No kids yet unfortunately and looking more unlikely with each year that passes, but it's given us the silver lining of being able to save for the plan B of dog walks in the countryside instead. ☺️

Rach3l

stig said:

Kenilworth is lovely, loads of great dog walking around the castle and other open area, ten minutes to Leamington by car or train, just enough in the town for day to day living inc. Waitrose but not so much that it draws in the crowds 😀 except for the castle but that’s well out of the town centre and doesn’t cause problems with traffic.  Your budget would give you lots of choice. 

I agree, Rugby is a bit more downmarket in general, don’t be fooled by the eponymous public school right in the town centre!  

If you want even quieter, try Stoneleigh, very quaint and pretty, Alcester as said above is nice. For commuting don’t pick anything that would involve a drive through Warwick, traffic can be a nightmare as is Stratford.  

With that budget, no need to compromise too much on location, you should be able to find just what you want within 15-20m drive. Personally I’d look at Kenilworth. 

Thanks so much, that's super useful! I naively hadn't realised that Warwick and Stratford were such a nightmare for traffic, but that's given me a lot to consider.

I guess Kenilworth is expensive for a reason, haha! It does look lovely though. I hadn't seen Stoneleigh yet, will get on Rightmove right away. 🤓