Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

I'm a Surrey lad. You may have seen from other postings that I am trying to plan my move back from the USA with my wife and two small kids.

Since I moved to the USA 23 years ago (blimey that's a long time) all my UK family members have pulled up stumps and spread out all over the place. With the main family as follows: Dad in Telford, Shropshire; Grandmother and Aunt in Bognor Regis; Mum and Sister in Falmouth, Cornwall; it looks like the Bristol area might be a good, central location to look at.

Problem is that I haven't been to Bristol in ages, and even then it was just business day trips etc. I know there are some lovely spots around Bristol and also Bath is close too. But I have no clue, really.

Main issues will be jobs, schools, housing... you know, the normal stuff.

Also maybe Exeter is a possibility too albeit a bit further down towards Mum.

Can anyone give suggestions as to whether Bristol or Exeter might be good choices and why? What's the job market like in those two areas? Should I be focusing on one or the other and why?

Thank you so very much! MrM and Family xox

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

I lived in Exeter before I moved to Australia, it’s a nice city. My parents still live there although they are probably looking to move away in retirement, only to be a little closer to my brother who is in Surrey. I have actually just applied for a job back in Exeter although it’s not my first choice – only because I worry about ‘going home’ and it not being how it used to be. A lot of my friends have moved away and it would be weird, I think, for us to go back there. That’s nothing to do with the city itself though.

Let’s see, it’s not a big city particularly but has developed significantly in recent years, with the arrival of The Met Office a fair while ago now, and the redevelopment of one of the main shopping areas. It has relatively good transport links, including trains to London (into Paddington used to be about 2 hours on the quick train or you can go into Waterloo on the slow line) and the M5. It sometimes felt a little ‘end of the line’ (with apologies to Cornwall), but whether or not that bothers you probably depends on how often you’d want to leave the Westcountry. It feels to me a little lacking in decent restaurants but bear in mind that I haven’t lived there for over 5 years. On the other hand, it has some bloody good curry houses and is surrounded by a plethora of villages with gorgeous pubs – some of which have incredibly good food (the Nobody Inn is well known). Plus, for a bit of a day out you could take the trip to River Cottage, in Axminster, where Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall is based. I believe he’s also just opened a café/restaurant in Plymouth. There’s also a lovely (expensive) farm shop at Topsham, just outside Exeter, called Darts Farm. Lovely place for a wander and to buy a bit of a treat.

I can’t give you any exact figures but I remember looking at employment stats and Exeter was significantly lower than the national average. My parents say that there seem to be a decent number of jobs advertised, and certainly my mum was able to find work relatively quickly when she was made redundant a few years ago. It is an expensive city, property wise, or certainly in the desirable areas it is. We lived in St Leonards, which is, I guess ‘posh’ but is also home to some students too. It’s close to the city centre – easy walking distance. I don’t know much about commuting in from outside the city so can’t help on that score. If I ended up getting a job in Exeter I would have to live in walking distance and would be looking at St Leonards first off, certain areas of Heavitree, possibly, parts of Trews Weir. Some of those areas are a little student heavy and there are a couple of areas in Heavitree you would probably avoid, given the choice. I’m happy to elaborate further if you’d like. I have always lived on that side of the river, and would want to stay on that side of the river because it’s what I know and it would be convenient for the job. My partner used to live on the other side of the river, and it’s fine, but I just never warmed to it. What kind of property would you be looking at?

Schools… well, Exeter has a few private schools to choose from (if you’re going down this track I would avoid St Margaret’s as it has just closed its sixth form) and plenty of state schools. I don’t think I could comment with any authority on the schooling really. It also has a sixth form college, Exeter College, which is where I did my A-levels. That’s a fair while ago now so I don’t know that I can be particularly helpful there either.

If you like the countryside, Exeter is great – you’ve got amazing coastline, Dartmoor and even North Devon within easy reach so there is plenty of scope for a day out. Exeter also has both a football and rugby team, if you follow either of those sports (or would like to).

I don’t know if any of that rambling helps, but if you have any questions I’m happy to help.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Fabulous info thank you SO MUCH! I really appreciate you taking the time.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Again thanks for all the great info, Almo!

Is there a particular place to look for job listings online?

I'll check out the areas you mentioned, thanks! To answer your question, we'd be looking for something with three beds min. We are married with two small kids and depending on what we could afford initially, we'd like to have a room for family to stay in for overnights as we'd still be a fair drive from everyone.

I have been to Exeter a few times in years back and always liked it. From the two (Bristol and Exeter) I assume the job market would be better in Bristol?

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Outside tourism and running B&B what is the main industry/vocations in Exeter and Bristol?

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

I have also lived in Exeter before coming to Canada..the thing with Exeter if you look on a website they are building a huge science park just off the M5 and new town just outside the city. Bristol has more job opportunities simply because its bigger and a lot of national companies have their regional offices in Bristol..but Exeter is second to Bristol in the south west region as a commercial centre..i think it is or was one of the fastest growing cities in the UK.

Still having said that im looking to return to the UK in the near future and for job prospects my choice would be London...Bristol...Exeter. In terms of living i would choose Exeter over Bristol.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

I think there may be an earlier thread making a comparison of these two places.:)

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

OK thanks I'll do a search. Sorry to repeat if that's the case! Cheers, M

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

To be honest I have found online job sites less than easy to use. The big ones, Monster etc, just seem to be too hard to navigate. I am fortunate that there is a specific job site for the industry in which I work.

I think I need to qualify my answers by saying that I left Exeter when I was 23 and before that had been back and forth to uni in another city so I probably can't give much insight into the job market compared to someone who had 'proper' jobs there. I had one 'proper' job in Exeter, which was at the RD&E Hospital. Family and friends do the usual sort of work - the uni is a big employer, the Met Office, the County Council, various law firms have offices in Exeter, recruitment agents, the police, that kind of thing.

I agree with Cheeky Monkey that I would live in Exeter over Bristol but Bristol would have the better job market. For me personally, I can't command enough of a premium in London to make London particularly attractive (having worked in London before and spent vast amounts on rent and commuting), so I am trying as hard as I can to rule London out, but it does seem to have a huge number of job vacancies.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

What a great post Almo,also helped me as I am visiting Cornwall and Exeter in Sept.Certainly has given us some lovely places to visit while we are there.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Nothing automatically wrong with a repeat, despite what some say, there are new members all the time after all. It's just that there might be a lot of good comparison information in the other thread.

If I'm right in there being one.;)

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

I found a Bristol vs Gloucester so far, but no worries at all. Thanks!

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

I know I wrote on another thread about having lived in Devon, Exeter is great but it is remote - think of the end of the Motorway mentality. I almost like to think of it as the "last bastion of civilisation" as once you have left the M5, everything else are market towns (asides from Plymouth). So if you want convenience as well as a nice country life then it isn't too bad. Personally I have been there done that and would prefer to be closer to a bigger city.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

We have said that if we were to stay in UK we would move somewhere like Bristol/Bath (London just does not float my boat anymore).
It is a beautiful spot and great for access to Wales, Cornwall, M4, BUT I guess everyone else thinks the same as it is amazingly expensive to find property.

The 'M4 corridor' seems to double housing costs!

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

I dont see how Exeter is remote..it is closer to London than say Liverpool Manchester or Leeds and is as close to Birmingham if not closer than some of those Cities too.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Correct. Geographically not as remote, clearly you haven't driven the route! You have to dog leg on the M5 and M4...or take the A303 and M3 - which is easier but hassle because not all dual carriageway etc. They need to extend the M3 and take it all the way along the path of the A303. But the [stunning] Black Down Hills are in the way!

Maybe being someone who was born within the M25 I have the southener mentality (what's north of Watford?) :D:rofl::p

NB: I have been north of Watford...Birmingham, Manchester, Wales etc. ;)

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Oh apologies. I just read earlier posts, I see you lived in Exeter before moving to Canada. :-) Then I am sure you have driven the route to London... :o sorry!

I have nothing against Exeter, it is a great small City I think and if you have a job offer it would be great. But in this stinking economy the job market makes a difference and Bristol, Cardiff, London, Swindon etc all of these places have better job markets.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

I guess there is more to remoteness than proximity to London. Exeter would be a long way from other cities - the ones you mention plus Newcastle and the north east. A long way from east anglia or the south east etc... lake district, peak district, scotland would all be a long way away. All of which might be a consideration if you have family/friends in those areas.

I'm not sure you are correct about distance to Birmingham, I always thought the northern cities were all relatively close together.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

The big question is this... live in Cornwall and change our lives to a slower lifestyle and probably better quality of life overall, but with much smaller income and opportunities for growth OR work in London living on the outskirts and commuting in. More job opportunities, bigger paychecks etc. but family a good 5 hours drive away. Urgh.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Correct. It all goes back to what you want out of life.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

It doesn't sound like much of a contest to me.

These days time is the most precious commodity for most people, so more income which costs time (commuting) is of no benefit. The time is important for rest and for enjoying out of work activities, including family, so if desirable activities and family are a long way away -- costing time -- that's a loss, too.

I'm not sure about the opportunities for growth. If by growth you mean more income, see above. If it's more fulfilling work and/or more job security then they have value only you can assess.

Bev

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Why are these the only 2 options? no in between options with perhaps more of a larger city with increased job opportunities, but not London?

We live on the South Coast which is not as slow paced as Cornwall nor as expensive and frenetic as London, but does have job opportunities - Bournemouth, Southampton, Winchester are all commutable from here.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Having changed from over 20 years with short commuting (mainly walking distance for most of those years), I now find losing 90 minutes a day driving to and from work an utter waste of my life - I can't comprehend what it must be like to be one of these folks spending hours every day getting to and from work.

I've tried the books on tape thing to at least make good use of my commute time, but the traffic round here means I REALLY have to concentrate on my driving. :(

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Yes i lived in Exeter at the weekends but lived and worked in London during the week..i used to drive home every weekend..i could do Exeter to west London in 2hrs 15 mins on a good day...M5/M4..avoid the A303 except during the winter months due to holiday traffic...I also had a site in Birmingham and could do the trip fairly easily.

Once you get past Exeter it does become remote..and for me Cornwall has nothing to offer..in fact if you take away the coast line its a bit of a dump.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

In my original posting I outlined why I was focusing on Bristol or possibly Exeter, but nothing is set in stone. The problem is that my Mum and sister are in Falmouth, Cornwall, my Nan is in Bognor and my Dad is in Telford, Shropshire. So originally we were looking at Bristol or Exeter being somewhat central to all three sets of family.

BUT, and it's a big BUT... ONE of the main reasons for the move is benefit from some family support here and there. Bit of babysitting... watch the kids here and there... pop around for a cuppa. None of that is really possible from Bristol or Exeter as it's still at least a couple of hours from my Mum.

So we either have to sloooooow down everything, in terms of lifestyle and earnings and move closer to Mum... say to Truro, Cornwall. Or we go for a faster lifestyle and higher earning potential and move back closer to London (I'm originally from Epsom, Surrey and used to commute into town via Tube, Train or Motorcycle).

I am in my 40s and my wife is 35 so do slow things down and virtually go into retirement by living in Truro, with an average yearly salary of just 15K and jobs focused on the travel and tourism industry is starting to make less sense... other than the fact that our family lives would be much more enriched... which is very important too.

So perhaps now you see our quandry?

Bristol is a city that would give us far more options than Truro... but London gives us 10 times the options over Bristol. BUT we will then be virtually on our own again in terms of family apart from trips to them on weekends.

Hrumph. Maybe we have to suck it up and do the 'closer to the big city' thing for 10 years or so and then make the move down to Cornwall.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

So would you have the family support nearby if you go for the London option?

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Nope. The closest would be down on the South Coast. It would mean that we'd have to see family weekends and holidays.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Oh MrMuffin you seem to have quite a quandry!

My opinion (just mine) is that Bristol would work better...easy access to Shropshire, Devon and Cornwall while not too far from London. Plus the airport at Bristol has some good charter flights I believe. :-)

Cheeky - Yup 2 hrs 15 mins on a good day. :-) A303/M3 is fantastic as you said only in the winter. Exeter is a nice place, but yes after it is remote.

Cornwall is pretty - in the coast - but otherwise it is very, very poor.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

For what it's worth, I would look at Bristol too.

If it were me, the other thing I think I would do, is look at jobs in all the places - and see if any offers come in and then judge once you have something concrete on the table to consider.

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

Thanks yes Bristol is on the short list for sure. With the size of the city and the geographical location, it's definitely a strong front runner. Especially as my wife has just found out that she *might* be able to bring her job with her. If that happened she be going all over the country to visit clients so Bristol again would be a great place to base ourselves.

For my work, London is where it's at. I can make two or three times what I can elsewhere. But if my wife's job situation comes through then I'll probably scale back a bit and settle for less. We shall see!

Re: Bristol or Exeter Areas?
 

It is the problem that everyone faces, I love London and the income potential is great. But the cost of living is high and most people enjoy a mixture of city and rural life. Bristol is a nice city and might serve your purposes well. Easy access north and south thanks to the M5, east west thanks to the M4.

The city also has a decent "cultured" scene with arts, museums etc.