Sally Redux

The pluses just keep piling up

robin1234

We were in Exeter for a couple of weeks last July.. the new John Lewis was under construction. If we moved to Exeter we could get our son to visit us, since John Lewis is the ONLY place he'll shop!

And yes, that is a very nice Waitrose in Exeter.

aries

I was in Exeter this afternoon shopping in Princesshay. The stores are modern and smart, but I wouldn't say the precinct oozes warmth, it is too sharp-edged and lacks character. A closed-in environment would be better, especially during cold, wet and windy weather.

I didn't go to John Lewis to-day, but on previous visits have been underwhelmed. However shopping in Exeter is a huge step up from Torquay which could do with a lot of demolition and rebuilding.

robin1234

We stayed in Torquay a couple of years ago for a fortnight, we were quite seriously thinking of buying a place there. Shopping there is phenomenally bad for a town of that size! The out-of-town M&S and Sainsburys is OK. But the actual shopping centre in the town is very poor. Full marks to the Specsavers though, I lost a rivet out of my glasses and they fixed them for me for free!

Lots of nice very reasonably priced houses and flats in Torquay and Paignton, I could definitely live there but the town is seriously tatty (I quite like quirky tatty places though..) problem is my wife is a lot more choosy than me..

aries

Agreed that a lot of Torquay (and worse in Paignton) looks tatty, but there are some nice areas to live. The scenery is beautiful, but Torquay's title "Queen of the English Riviera" has become tarnished by the run-down town centre. Hence Exeter or Plymouth are preferred for shopping.

Elvira

I've only just seen this! I hope you can make this work. Even if the job is not perfect, could it be made to work?

I don't know Exeter - only went there once on business, but it seemed to be a very civilized typical English town/small city. And the surrounding countryside is absolutely gorgeous - enough to tempt even a died-in-the-wool citygirl like me

Now do your magic on 'hubs' - hope it all works out

Bevm

Just chiming in to say that Exeter is a pleasant city. It's the nearest one to us. I find Princesshay cold and angular, as someone said, but there are all kinds of shops in and around the centre, plus the Cathedral right in the middle along with some remnants of medival and later buildings.

If you want coast, it's a fairly easy commute in by road or train from Exmouth, Dawlish, Teignmouth and such.
Bev

cheeky_monkey

Actually the John Lewis store although huge (one of the biggest i have seen anywhere) is pretty much a jack of all trades and master of none..bit of a let down..the big Next store across the road is better for clothes and Debenhams in Princesshay is just better for all round shopping.

If nobody in Exeter is fashion conscious why do they have all the fashion named shops you only see in the big cities??..and im not talking about your bog standard Next, River Island or Top shop

Perth

Sally, did your DH take the job? Curious as Exeter has moved up to #1 on our list.

Sally Redux

No, despite all the great info on here he decided the job itself was not right for his specialism. He is looking at a couple of options in other places so I may trouble you lot again

Good luck with your own plans.

Perth

Thanks! Sorry it didn't workout. Keep us up to date!

Bud the Wiser

Had a day out in Exeter last week. City center was busy, most of the shops in the center itelf were occupied with a good mix of chain and individual stores. Shops on roads leading to the center were the usual charity, bookmakers, empty mix that I saw in every town. Some nice old buildings along beside the concrete. Quay was interesting. Car park we choose was a little bit intimidating with inadequate lighting. Quite a vibrant atmosphere with a mix of students, tourists and locals. Had a meal in a restaurant overlooking the cathederal, were we witnessed about eight police ( some with blue gloves on ) running around trying to locate someone who, I can only assume, had done a runner.

All in all, worth looking into as a place to return.

shirl

Exeter girl born and bred - lived there 1952 to 1985, moved to Exmouth then, moved to Cornwall in 2002, then to NZ (Christchurch) 2006 back now to the UK just outside Exeter in a village on the Estuary. Exeter.... I love it for all sorts of reasons. They are fashionable, worked there many years and always saw the girls in the office wearing the latest fashions.

Easy access to all the Westcountry has to offer, good rail, road and airport links, not sure about the new village being built called Cranbrook but will wait and see what happens there. Anyone interested in Exeter and some lovely old photo's visit the I LOVE EXETER facebook page, lots of lovely pics old and new on that site. Oh and I have not been into John Lewis yet! Off to Exeter now to visit my old mum who lives at the bottom of Paris Street!

robin1234

Talking about villages, we've looked seriously at Exminster. I know it is a bit bloated & overgrown with development these last several decades, but still a nice location in relation to Exeter, with the cycle path and walking trails up and down the estuary. And several nice pubs, such as the Turf and the Double Locks. The Stowey Arms seems like a very nice local, had a pint in there a couple of times.

We've looked at several places in Devington Park, the converted Mental Hospital there.

shirl

We are on the opposite side of the Estuary, never fancied Exminster much and I always bypass it when going to Dawlish. Not sure about Devington Park either, gives me the creeps as I used to know a nurse that worked there. I tend to stay away from places like that with all those tortured souls that might have died on that land, but that's just me and my beliefs and I am sure others won,t think the same and it may well be a lovely place to live!