Commuting Cardiff-Bristol Mon-Fri

Teterow

Hi there,

I am new to Cardiff (relocation due to partner studying at Uni) and I maybe close to getting a job offer in Bristol.
I live in Grangetown and the job would be in the Redland area of Bristol. Does anyone have an idea what this commute is like? Is it doable? Are there any car-sharing schemes between the two towns? I noticed my new job would not be too far away from the BBC in Bristol.

Any hints and help would be fantastic!

Thanks
Susann

lindens

I used to live the other side of Caerphilly(valleys) and commuted daily to Bradley stoke (M5 /M4junction). The commute cost me £250 a month in deisel and the bridge tolls (this was 5 years ago). It took an hour each way (1 1/2hrs on the way home on FRidays :mad: ) I did it for 3 years and could do it no more, it just got to me then. It all depends too what kind of driver you are as to how you cope.
I cant recall where Redland is, so it may take you even longer not sure.

I luckily found a lift share with a colleague for 1 1/2 of those 3 years which made it more bearable and cheaper.But that has its own problems if one of you has kids as things happen, illness etc.

cowbutt

I wouldn't fancy it, but I'm allergic to long commutes.

You don't necessarily need to commute by car, as there's an urban train line (the "Severn Beach line") which stops at Redland and Clifton Down stations. It can be a bit unreliable, though, so probably best if you have an understanding employer.

If you're looking at working for Bristol Uni, there's a careshare scheme in place - https://www.carshare.bris.ac.uk/

Teterow

Thank you already.
I am from the continent, so happy to drive there, but very inexperienced driving over here.

Trains would be ideal. Will look into the Severn beach Line, but please keep the suggestions coming.
:-)

lindens

mmmm...... it will be all motorway driving and in the rush hour (I presume?) so it might be quite traumatic for you!
The train fare cardiff -bristol is about £13 return per day but maybe cheaper with a season ticket. but it means you have to get from Grangetown to Cardiff, then Cardiff-Bristol then Bristol-redlands. maybe 3 trains???

Teterow

That does sound quite difficult actually - I doubt I could negociate 2 days working from home :-(

Looks like shouldnot be taking this job...sounds just too stressful, which is why I have moved away from London.

annie-c

I live outside Cardiff and commute 1 hour each way to work. I would seriously consider the extra 1/2 hour for a job in Bristol, but only if the salary/job prospects were good enough. THe M4 can be vile some mornings but I have become used to my 1 hour commute after previously ahving a 15 min journey to work. the first couple of months are the hardest.;)

Bristol is a fab city, IMHO so is just manageable for me if an opportunity should come up. I'd drive, not take the train though.

PasturesNew

It seems there is an accident on the M4 every day holding up traffic.
I think if it were me I'd be looking at a train option, possibly finding a job that was directly on the train route, or within half a mile of the station in Bristol.

The bridge toll is £5.10 each day - and, apart from the traffic itself, there are the queues to get through the toll booth.

Petrol is expensive now. What if it goes up another 10% in the next year?
What if the car breaks down en-route?

I'd say look at Bristol, but take the easy route and pick jobs within walking distance of the station there. If you are finding that doable, you could always look further afield, but it'd be hard to take a job then realise you'd made a mistake with the location and have to suffer the journey daily.

Or, if the job is THAT good, take on a house-share for 4 nights a week and stay in Bristol. As a student I'm sure your partner would be pleased of the quiet study time and being able to participate in student activities with other students without having the 'ask' you or justify it for each occasion.

TJ27

I used to work in Redland about once a fortnight. That was OK but I wouldn't even consider commuting to Bristol every day. There is almost always a bloody great queue where the M4 goes down to two lanes. And as somebody else said, there are frequent accidents which bring it to a virtual standstill. Then there's bridge tolls, petrol and the like.

At present I have a fifteen minute bike ride into work, so I just couldn't go back to an hour plus commute.

cowbutt

Teterow wrote: »

I am from the continent, so happy to drive there, but very inexperienced driving over here.

Hah! My German friends gently tease me for using the term 'continent' to describe the European mainland, saying it makes me sound like a stereotypical "little englander". Now I find nationals from other European states using the same term! :-)

mountainofdebt

I used to travel from Cardiff to Bristol, city centre for about 2 years and that was enough for me - and I was travelling by train!

I found autumn/winter the worst - I was leaving home in the dark and coming home in the dark and to be honest I used to spend most of the weekend sleeping......not fun at all.