# Moving to Bristol (Teen and Mum) - where to live?



## Cathedralcat (Jan 27, 2014)

Hi, I'm completely new to Bristol and find myself in the lucky position to need to move there.
My daughter has been accepted into Bristol College (College Green) and I have taken a job in Melksham. By Sept 2014 we need to have moved down to the area. I prefer more of a suburban area to live but can only afford up to £275k for a new place (i.e. I can't afford Clifton!).

Where would be a good place to start looking for houses where my daughter can easily commute into the City using train/bus and I can commute into Melksham without getting too caught up in traffic. I have even considered looking at Chepstow to keep house price low but not sure if its a decent commute for both of us? I'd appreciate any help from people who know the area well.


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## astral (Jan 27, 2014)

Try Brislington or Horfield.


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## stupid dogbot (Jan 27, 2014)

Cathedralcat said:


> commute into Melksham without getting too caught up in traffic



Ummm. Good luck.

Your options there are:

M32 - M4 - A350, which will be ok, depending on where in Bristol you're starting from. Getting to the M32 in the morning can be a stress.
A420 - A350 which is possibly slightly better, although if you're not on the East/North East side of Bristol, getting to the A420 could be similarly stressful.
(Or if you're feeling really brave, you could go through Bath on the A4, but... it'd take a week.)

Both probably about an hour, more with traffic. If you wanted to live in Chepstow, add another half an hour at least. Plus the bridge fee.

Train might be a better option for that journey, honestly.

Getting to College Green will be easy enough pretty much wherever you choose, because it's central and the bus services are pretty good.



astral said:


> Try Brislington or Horfield.



There's a house opposite me for sale. No idea what it's up for though (Brislington).


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## Cathedralcat (Jan 27, 2014)

Thank you Astral and Stupid Dogbot - that's really helpful.
What about the eastern side of Bath and getting daughter to take the train from Frome or Bradford on Avon? Are the train links into Bristol any good? This option will be my last resort as I'd prefer to be closer to Bristol if at all possible. I'm looking into your suggested areas now. Keep them coming in thank you


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## astral (Jan 27, 2014)

stupid dogbot said:


> There's a house opposite me for sale. No idea what it's up for though (Brislington).



I'm out in Brislington too.  Property doesn't seem to be coming up very often and when it does it's shifting really quickly.

As for the commute to Melksham - yes, I would be considering the train too.  Traffic around that way is APPALLING.


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## stupid dogbot (Jan 27, 2014)

Not sure about Frome or Bradford.

Bradford-o-A to Bristol would be A36 through Bath then the A4 to Bristol, so I doubt that'd be a good drive. I do the A4 Bristol to Bath daily on a motorbike, but I wouldn't do it in a car. The other option is the A46 around Bath, then the motorway to Bristol, but again, I expect that to be unpleasant in the mornings, two sets of traffic, to Bath and to the motorway. Train, I expect would be ok, although I'm not sure there's a direct service.

Frome, I know nothing about, except that the A361 from Shepton to there is a very nice bit of road. Sorry.


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jan 27, 2014)

Ah Melksham. 

Do they do trains to Melksham now? When I was a lad there was only one in the morning and one in the evening. I don't even have any idea where the station might be. 
Frome and BoA are nice but fairly boring. I guess a lot of those places are a little boring. At least those two look nice and villagey.


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## Cathedralcat (Jan 27, 2014)

stupid dogbot said:


> Not sure about Frome or Bradford.
> 
> Bradford-o-A to Bristol would be A36 through Bath then the A4 to Bristol, so I doubt that'd be a good drive. I do the A4 Bristol to Bath daily on a motorbike, but I wouldn't do it in a car. The other option is the A46 around Bath, then the motorway to Bristol, but again, I expect that to be unpleasant in the mornings, two sets of traffic, to Bath and to the motorway. Train, I expect would be ok, although I'm not sure there's a direct service.
> 
> Frome, I know nothing about, except that the A361 from Shepton to there is a very nice bit of road. Sorry.


Thanks.
I think the Bradford o-A would be more of an option for my daughter to make use of the train from there to Bristol - I dont think I'd dare do the car drive!


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## stupid dogbot (Jan 27, 2014)

Aaah, I see. That makes more sense now. 

thetrainline.com suggests it's direct, regular and takes about 30-40 minutes from Bradford-o-A to Bristol.


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## JTG (Jan 27, 2014)

tbh I reckon you'll want to be east side of Bath so Bradford or Trowbridge sound decent shots. Trains into Bristol from there are dead easy and College Green is central enough to make the bus from Temple Meads a good option. Getting to Melksham from elsewhere is harder than getting to Bris so more favourable to be nearer there iyswim


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## Crispy (Jan 27, 2014)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> Ah Melksham.
> 
> Do they do trains to Melksham now? When I was a lad there was only one in the morning and one in the evening. I don't even have any idea where the station might be.



Wiki says a train each way every 2 hours, as of December 2013


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jan 27, 2014)

Crispy said:


> Wiki says a train each way every 2 hours, as of December 2013


Wow, they really are rocketing into the future. 
When I was a teen there was one at 8.30am, then another back the other way at about 8.30pm


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