Bristol and Somerset Regional Information

Bristol is a thriving university city offering a cosmopolitan and diverse lifestyle choice. The Georgian village of Clifton with it’s smart shopping, cafes and bars will always be a sought after place to live. Alternatively for those looking for inner city living the Bristol waterside has been hugely developed over the last few years. The areas popularity has further increased due to the regeneration of the city centre and opening of Cabots Circus with it’s array of restaurants,cinema and shops including the long awaited Harvey Nichols.

The area in North Somerset known as the Chew Valley is to the South of Bristol and the many pretty villages surrounding Chew and Blagdon Lakes are the perfect relocation choice for those working in Bristol or Bath or wanting easy access to Bristol airport. The village of Chew Magna is central to this area with it’s busy high street and a thriving commmunity. Other popular villages include Ubley, Compton Martin, West and East Harptree ,Litton and Bishop Sutton to name a few. All have a strong sense of community and all having easy access to great schools, village shops ,churches and pubs.

Further south into Somerset are the historic and bustling market towns of Wells, Shepton Mallet and Frome . It is often said that living close to these thriving towns helps make the transition of relocating from city living to a rural life much easier and gives people the best of both worlds. One national newspaper recently suggested that more and more people are aspiring to live near places such as Wells and Frome with all their amenities as they can enjoy an easier and more relaxed lifestyle than living in a busy city can offer.

Commuting is made easy with mainline stations at Bristol Temple Meads , Bath Spa, Castle Cary, Nailsea, Backwell and Yatton. All have rail links to London Paddington, Bath and Bristol. Bristol International Airport is located 4 miles west of Chew Magna. The M5 and M4 motorways run through the North and West of the region providing quick an easy access to the rest of the UK.

The choice is yours depending on budget and area. In Bristol Clifton offers large tall Georgian town houses and many many flats within these type of buildings. The houses in Redland and Cotham are of a more Victorian style . The Sneyd Park area is essentially 1930’s houses with many houses in this area enjoying views over the Clifton Downs. The city centre offers flats,houses and penthouse apartments in new build waterside developments.

The North Somerset countryside is home to large and small country properties some rendered and some built with the traditional Somerset stone. If you search hard enough one will come across the perfect large Georgian property with acres of garden at a price, but much of Somerset is known for it’s traditional longhouses and cottage style properties. There seem to be far less houses that need renovation coming to the market, but occasionally the odd farmhouse will come available with acres of land and lots of potential!

Bristol is a thriving city attracting people working in the financial and service industries. It has a renowned university and a constantly developing city centre. Further afield into Somerset there is lots of farming Many farmers farm with a huge level of diversity. Many develop their property through holiday lets or attractions on their land to subsidise their income. In the more rural areas of Somerset there has been considerable growth in home working with entrepreneurs able to use the road,rail and air services when needed.

Thereare a large amount of smart hotels and National Trust properties such as Babington House, Ston Easton Park Hotel, Charlton House, Stourhead and Dyrham Park to name a few within the South West that bring people to the area.
The Mendips has always been a thriving area for tourism. There are Outdoor Pursuit Centres , Equestrian Centres and lots of employment centred around the quarries.

The area includes a wide range of excellent state and private schools.
A few excellent private schools in the area include Wells Cathedral, Millfield School, Downside School, Prior Park College, Clifton College, QEH Boys School, Clifton High, The Downs School, Bristol Grammar, Badminton Girls , Redland High, Red Maids. Many of these are well served by feeder prep schools such as The Downs School, All Hallows and The Paragon.

There are also excellent state schools including The Blue School Wells and the Chew Valley School that have strong reputation for both science and the arts respectively. (Most of the schools , both private and state, offer an excellent bus service to pupils living out of the city centre)

For more information contact see www.iscis-sw.co.uk

Bristol as would be expected has a diverse range of things to do. ‘At Bristol’ and it’s science centre has been a huge success with children of all ages. Bristol Zoo,Bristol Museum, Ashton Court, Leigh Woods and all the activities on offer at Bristol Harbourside make Bristol a fun and enjoyable place to live.

In North Somerset the Chew Valley is dominated by its reservoirs; Chew Valley Lake, Blagdon Lake and Litton reservoir. These provide ample opportunity to sail, fish, birdwatch and walk in thousands of acres of protected countryside.
Local tourist attractions in the area include Cheddar Gorge, Glastonbury Tor and Abbey, Wookey Hole Caves, Longleat Safari Park, Clarks Shopping Village and Stourhead and Bowood as National Trust properties. For those interested in golf, hunting and horse racing there is plenty to choose from.

• Bristol Property finders
• Sneyd Park and Stoke Bishop Property finders
• Clifton Property finders
• Chew valley Property finders