Places to live in Gloustershire / monmouth

[LBCarpentry]

Soon to be moving to the (large) area and looking for advice / heads up from people who live there about where are the nice areas? Is it all nice? Where to avoid like the plague.

We are moving here as it is a central location for us socially and family wise now. I also probably have a better chance of having a workshop “on the land”. We are very much looking for some countryside living and will be purchasing a detached house with (hopefully) 3+ acres of land. (More the merrier I say)

Views and scenic living are at the top of our list. Either in a forrest or with forrests very near by, and country walks / cycling from the door. We do not want to be flooded if the rivers burst of course!

Perhaps there Are too many areas to mention. Forest of Dean is an initial draw. But anything other than that and it’s close your eyes and put your finger on a map.

I should also say that we are a young family. We like a buzz near by. Solitary country walks followed by beer festival and live music, finishing off in the local tavern!

Can anyone help me filter an entire county!

 

[CHJ]

Depends a lot on how often you envision wanting to return to the east midlands or anywhere in between.
Forest of Dean and all points west of the river Severn has a major restriction of only two major crossing routes, M4 for south and south east and Gloucester-M5 for midlands.

We live on the east side of the Severn opposite the bulk of the Forest of Dean, for us trips to Wales and the west involves either of those two crossings which are equal distant time wise for 90% of the trips.

Not unusual for us to do round trips using both crossings rather than backtracking when visiting anything mid and south Wales.

Should be no problem avoiding flood plains and still be close to a river valley scenery either side of the Severn.

Think you will find property east of the river in Gloucestershire considerably more expensive than the west.

purchasing a detached house with (hopefully) 3+ acres of land. (More the merrier I say)

£850,000- £1000,000) is the norm near me.

 

[Tris]

Unless the forest of Dean has changed a lot your grandchildren will still be known as the newcomers.

 

[treeturner123]

Look a little further north to Herefordshire, around Ross, easy travel back to civilisation up the M50 or around Dymock and Ledbury. Lovely countryside.

 

[akirk]

I have spent a lot of time in Monmouth - it is a lovely town - quite English for Wales, but it has been in England in the past as well... I used to cross through the forest of dean or via Ross on Wye
lots of fab areas right across Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire

 

[gog64]

I live on a small farm just outside Ross-on-Wye, my daughter lives in Cinderford and until recently my parents lived near Soudley, so I know the area pretty well. If I can help, just shout.

 

[CHJ]

LBCarpentry, You don't say whether the move is job related with commute implications or primarily family lifestyle driven, could make a big difference regarding advice.

The easy M50 access and its Midlands/South Wales route mentioned by TT is very valid.

Don't know if the following are still valid points, but have cropped up in the past with friends:-

Sounds like you still have family of school age, check schooling if very close to Welsh border older children might find Welsh language lessons a surprise.

Elderly English county members of the Bus Pass generation may not be able to take advantage of the perk close to border if local bus service is operated by Welsh company.

 

[Dr Al]

We live in Dursley, which is a bit more of a town than what you describe (and what we want for that matter - also thinking of moving into a similar type of place to you in the near future with a bit more space). There are lots of very nice places in this area that seem to fit the bill for you.

Dursley is a small town with some very good pubs in the area (in particular the Old Spot in Dursley and the Salutation in Ham are both very close and both have won the National CAMRA Pub of the Year award in the past). The Cotswold Way goes through the town and if, like us, you live on the edge of the town, it's a short walk from the front door up onto the hills with some stunning views. It's also relatively cheap compared to a lot of places closer to Bristol. Plenty of beer festivals in the area too, including a very big one in Frocester on the August bank holiday weekend.

Within the area there are lots of villages and other small towns that are quiet enough and the views are hard to match anywhere else in the area in my opinion. If you stay to the east of the M5 then there aren't really any areas susceptible to flooding and if you want scenic living with beautiful views and lovely walks, then basically anywhere along the edge of the Cotswold Escarpment (Wotton-Under-Edge, Dursley, Uley, Stroud) or in one of the five valleys that make up Stroud will suit.

If you're going to be spending a lot of time west of the Severn in the Forest of Dean or similar, then the disadvantage is that you've got to either fight through Gloucester or go down to the motorway bridges. However, if you're going to be east of the Severn a lot, then this part of the Cotswolds has much better views and lower house prices (hence more for your money) than the postcard villages of the north Cotswolds or the commuter villages nearer Bath & Bristol.

There aren't a lot of what you would call "forests". Plenty of wooded areas, but nothing of the size of the Forest of Dean (although that's only 45 minutes away). Behind our house are the beautiful woods of Stinchcombe Hill, which (like most of the woods in this area) get covered in bluebells and wild garlic in the spring. Cycling isn't something I can comment much on to be honest, but you'll definitely need to be fit as there aren't many level roads / paths around here.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[John Brown]

We live in Stinchcombe, just up the road from Dursley, and I csn echo much of what Dr Al says, although I haven't visited The Salutation yet, and since we only moved here in August 2019, haven't seen a lot of beer festivals either.

 

[LBCarpentry]

Well in pretty rapid time we have Gina and purchased a house in lower Soudley just outside Cinderford!
Very excited will have to extend an existing workshop. Right in the heart of the forest!

thanks for the help gents!

 

[LBCarpentry]

Just to

 

[Spectric]

Hi

Did you think about decent sources of timber as part of your moving plan, it is ok living near a big forest but having a good timber yard must be important for your business.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

A general observation depending on the age of the kids. Be prepared to play taxi service if you are living outside urban limits.

School bus or bus services may be OK for during the day if they exist. As they get older they will want cinema, shopping, bowling alley, parties, friends, school clubs etc.

When we moved to Somerset our choice of Taunton (outskirts) was based on no more than a 30 minute walk for school, town centre, shops, entertainment, etc. Taxi service shared with other parents if they were out late (eg cinema) when you would not want them walking through town.

It is of course down to personal expectations - but do it with your eyes open.