[Help] Any Bristol people about?

[DJ NOBO]

My misses has been offered a great job in Bristol which means we (wife , me and 2yo) are relocating to Bristol from reading. My life is basically a tour of mid table championship teams.

I work in oxford at the moment and in the short term I’ll be commuting there with possible overnights. We need to find somewhere with access to the m4 within a 15- minute train ride to Bristol temple meads. Anyone have any thoughts?
Or anyone have any general advice on where to live in Bristol? I hear some parts are really nice and some definitely not good
Cheers all

 

[Gabbiano]

My misses has been offered a great job in Bristol which means we (wife , me and 2yo) are relocating to Bristol from reading. My life is basically a tour of mid table championship teams.

I work in oxford at the moment and in the short term I’ll be commuting there with possible overnights. We need to find somewhere with access to the m4 within a 15- minute train ride to Bristol temple meads. Anyone have any thoughts?
Or anyone have any general advice on where to live in Bristol? I hear some parts are really nice and some definitely not good
Cheers all

The nicest parts of Bristol tend to be in the northwest of the city, but these can be very expensive and don't really serve you well for working in Oxford. Some areas of the south (Brislington, Arno's Vale) are nice enough and close to Temple Meads. Or perhaps Cotham or Montpelier, which are quite central and offer decent amenity, and are on the train line. Also close to Bristol on the train are places like leafy Keynsham, though again its pricey.

I must admit I dont know the eastern suburbs of the city at all, and only the basics of the south, having studied at UWE on the northern side of the city.

I have lived in the Horfield and Filton areas (student central) as well as the centre. Would recommend Horfield, even with the student population, there's a reasonably diverse community, lots of decent pubs and independent shops. The problem is that the traffic on Gloucester Road is awful and you will have to take the bus every day to get to Temple Meads.

Historically the dodgiest parts of the city are St Pauls and Easton, but being centrally located, both are rapidly gentrifying.

 

[DJ NOBO]

The nicest parts of Bristol tend to be in the northwest of the city, but these can be very expensive and don't really serve you well for working in Oxford. Some areas of the south (Brislington, Arno's Vale) are nice enough and close to Temple Meads. Or perhaps Cotham or Montpelier, which are quite central and offer decent amenity, and are on the train line. Also close to Bristol on the train are places like leafy Keynsham, though again its pricey.

I must admit I dont know the eastern suburbs of the city at all, and only the basics of the south, having studied at UWE on the northern side of the city.

I have lived in the Horfield and Filton areas (student central) as well as the centre. Would recommend Horfield, even with the student population, there's a reasonably diverse community, lots of decent pubs and independent shops. The problem is that the traffic on Gloucester Road is awful and you will have to take the bus every day to get to Temple Meads.

Historically the dodgiest parts of the city are St Pauls and Easton, but being centrally located, both are rapidly gentrifying.

Thanks very much for taking the time to write this . DJ

 

[Jim D]

My misses has been offered a great job in Bristol which means we (wife , me and 2yo) are relocating to Bristol from reading. My life is basically a tour of mid table championship teams.

I work in oxford at the moment and in the short term I’ll be commuting there with possible overnights. We need to find somewhere with access to the m4 within a 15- minute train ride to Bristol temple meads. Anyone have any thoughts?
Or anyone have any general advice on where to live in Bristol? I hear some parts are really nice and some definitely not good
Cheers all

What about Bath? Lovely place and about 15 mins from TM.

 

[Bozza]

Moved up to the Bristol area in 2001 before moving back to Sussex in 2014.

I’d say where you look to live may be determined by your places of work as, like any city, rush hour traffic can be significant.

Additional to this, it always felt to me as though the city centre is very much off centre. Bristol seems to sprawl a long way both North and East whilst you soon hit the countryside to both the South and the West.

My office was South of the city centre, pretty much between the airport and town itself so I largely lived South of Bristol myself.

Clevedon is a lovely coastal town and villages like Yatton and Congresbury are nice too, with the former offering a train service into BTM as do Nailsea and Backwell.

Further East the Chew Valley is absolutely gorgeous with a string of great villages, many with great pubs and you’re surrounded by the Mendips.

 

[theboybilly]

2-bed apartment 0.5 miles from Temple Meads with secure parking for £260,000 (Rightmove)

 

[Normal Rob]

My initial thought is that you need to widen your commute to more than 15 minutes into Templemeads unless you want either city central living (actually not bad in Bristol if you get the right area (pricey)), or red brick surburbia.

I live around 25 miles away and commute in 4 days a week, and have done for 13 years. Love working in central Bristol, way better than Bath where i used to work which is just tourist central and ego-maniac filled wine bars. Bristol is surrounded by amazing, beautiful places if you widen your net a bit further. I'm not going to suggest anywhere in particular as i'm south west of the city, so the places i know don't meet your M4 need. That said the m4 around Bristol/Bath is a nightmare anyhow so it's a good job that you (i assume) will be leaving early.

 

[DJ NOBO]

Moved up to the Bristol area in 2001 before moving back to Sussex in 2014.

I’d say where you look to live may be determined by your places of work as, like any city, rush hour traffic can be significant.

Additional to this, it always felt to me as though the city centre is very much off centre. Bristol seems to sprawl a long way both North and East whilst you soon hit the countryside to both the South and the West.

My office was South of the city centre, pretty much between the airport and town itself so I largely lived South of Bristol myself.

Clevedon is a lovely coastal town and villages like Yatton and Congresbury are nice too, with the former offering a train service into BTM as do Nailsea and Backwell.

Further East the Chew Valley is absolutely gorgeous with a string of great villages, many with great pubs and you’re surrounded by the Mendips.

Thanks . Do you know anything about stoke Gifford ? It’s well placed

 

[Gabbiano]

Thanks . Do you know anything about stoke Gifford ? It’s well placed

Stoke Gifford and Bradley Stoke (Sadly Broke), are sprawling characterless rabbit warren housing estates built in the 80s/90s. Not particularly inspiring places, but Parkway station is as you say very convenient, and you can get over to the M32 and straight down into Bristol centre quite easily. Also good if your wife is going to be working in Aztec West/Filton, and Cribbs Causeway is nearby for shopping.

 

[the right footed denilson]

Thanks . Do you know anything about stoke Gifford ? It’s well placed

The areas around there are basically commuter belt small towns- utterly soulless and grim.

 

[super-seagulls]

My misses has been offered a great job in Bristol which means we (wife , me and 2yo) are relocating to Bristol from reading. My life is basically a tour of mid table championship teams.

I work in oxford at the moment and in the short term I’ll be commuting there with possible overnights. We need to find somewhere with access to the m4 within a 15- minute train ride to Bristol temple meads. Anyone have any thoughts?
Or anyone have any general advice on where to live in Bristol? I hear some parts are really nice and some definitely not good
Cheers all

I have just been relocated to Reading, doesn’t help you though!

 

[the right footed denilson]

My two pennies...
If you want to live in Bristol then I'd move to a house that overlooks St Georges Park. Bit specific but it's a beauty- some of the best schools in the city would be in its catchment area, there's decent shops, cafes, a good pub etc. It's also on the Bath/Bristol cycle path so it's 10 minutes cycle to Temple Meads, also served by Lawrence Hill station about 10 minutes walk away. And it's 'easy' to get on the M4.

I'd avoid anything too central with lil'uns- it's a rough old diamond this place and most of the inner city can be pretty edgy at times, but most of the suburbs are much calmer...almost all have decent parks. In fact, anywhere near any of the main parks is lovely.

Further afield I love Clevedon but it's very old fashioned and a bit cut off. Portishead is okay too- by the sea and has a great art deco lido. Both the wrong side for Oxford really.

Bath is 10 minutes from Bristol by train and another world. Posh but undeniably beautiful.

I don't know much about the extremities of the city but if you are thinking of moving fairly centrally feel free to give me a shout- i know it VERY well.

 

[Bozza]

Thanks . Do you know anything about stoke Gifford ? It’s well placed

In my view horrible. A never-ending sprawl of characterless new-build estates that just merge into one.

On the few occasions I'd need to venture over there, I'd get lost - it all looks the same.

They serve a purpose, I'm sure, but not for me.

Living South / South-West of Bristol does give you access to the M4 via the M5. The M4/M5 junction can be troublesome, but I'd say in hundreds and hundreds of commutes back to Sussex from Backwell, Yatton and Clevedon over the years, I rarely got snarled up there. The train from Yatton and Nailsea/Backwell into BTM would be about 15 minutes too.

 

[Wellesley]

I'm more of a leg man. (actually I'm not, but you get the pun.)

 

[DJ NOBO]

I have just been relocated to Reading, doesn’t help you though!

If you need any reading info , happy to help

 

[Franks Wild Years]

Thanks . Do you know anything about stoke Gifford ? It’s well placed

Horrible, don't do it.
If you want to be close to Temple Meads try Totterdown or Southville(think Hanover in Brighton) I moved from Southville recently, and would totally recommend it especially if you're new to Bristol as its a proper community unlike Bradly Stoke, Stoke Gifford etc.
Good luck and I hope the move goes well/

 

[the right footed denilson]

Totterdown/Windmill Hill is a good shout