Viewing 39 posts - 1 through 39 (of 39 total)
  • Anyone live in the Mendips or Blackdown hills ?
  • sprootlet
    Free Member

    We aren’t that far from entering the retiree club and we want to move somewhere less busy and with better countryside than we are at the moment (that’s not that hard when you are in Essex and 1 mile outside of the M25!)

    Anyway, we had a week in the Mendips last year and loved it. The walking was great (not Wales or the Lakes but still enjoyable) as was the mountain biking – it ticked a lot of our boxes. We stayed in Winscombe and liked all the villages with the exception of Axbridge.

    We just wondered if anyone on here had first hand experience of these areas from the perspective of people who love the outdoors ?

    We have no ties to any area of the country so feel free to volunteer suggestions for our move ……

    boxwithawindow
    Free Member

    Anywhere near priddy would be an excellent bet, loads of riding, walking, caving and climbing water and ocean nearby, rural but not far from civilisation.

    Good connections to Wales.

    andylc
    Free Member

    I live in the Blackdown Hills. Really love living here, countryside is fab and very rarely busy, there is great walking, great road biking and some decent mountain biking but can be quite wet, in all honesty more often than not I go to the Quantocks for mountain biking as it’s reliable in all conditions and basically awesome. So if mountain biking is high on the list of priorities I’d be thinking Mendips or Quantocks rather than Blackdown Hills, much as I love it.

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    ajantom
    Full Member

    I’m on the the edge of the Blackdowns.
    Very pretty, lovely road riding, and some good walking, but MTBing isn’t great.
    Too wet and not many decent routes.
    As above the Q’s are much, much better.

    It can also be a bit bleak up there in winter…it’s kind of a plateau with some river valleys poking into into it, and not much tree cover on top.
    The wind fair blows across it on a winter’s day.

    andylc
    Free Member

    I live pretty much at the highest point of the Blackdowns and one thing I really love is our little micro-climate, especially when it snows about an inch down the hill and we get snowed in for days. Do live in woodland though so a bit sheltered from the wind! Have twice managed to go kiteskiing from my front door…

    mrwhyte
    Free Member

    I live in Hemyock, middle of blackdowns.as others have said,winters can be a bit bleak up here however summers are great. We seem to miss the main tourist traffic and plenty of places to explore in the height of summer. Close enough to beaches such as Branscombe etc to pop down before crowds arrive or after work once they head back to their campsites. Access to M5 and 303 is good. 1 hour 30 to cwmcarn.
    Exmoor is not far along with Dartmoor. An hour and you are in Cornwall.
    Mtbing is awful in the winter.

    dropoff
    Full Member

    Can’t think of a single reason to live in The Blackdowns and I do.

    andylc
    Free Member

    Nice bit of positivity there…

    thegeneralist
    Free Member

    Can’t think of a single reason to live in The Blackdowns and I do.

    I’d tend to agree with this TBH. Family got s place in Upottery which I’ve been going to occasionally for just under 50 years. Beautiful thatched cottage, stream in the garden, clotted cream teas etc etc. Loads of amazing places exactly 1hr and 45 minutes away…

    River Lynn kayaking Ng

    Croyde surf
    Dartmoor bouldering

    Quanticks MTB
    Portland sport climbinG
    lulworth DWS
    TORBAY DWS
    Cheddar climbing
    Etc etc.

    But the problem is that there’s sod all nearby.

    TBH the Dart is closer than 1:45 awayz but not much.

    welshfarmer
    Full Member

    [strong]boxwithawindow[/strong] wrote:

    rural but not far from civilisation

    I used to cave a lot from Priddy. Must be the most awkward place to reach in the country. Considering how close it is to the motorway system, it might as well be on another planet 🙂 I can drive the 55 miles from my place north of Abergavenny to Bristol quicker than the 20 miles from Bristol to Priddy!

    [strong]dropoff[/strong] wrote:

    Can’t think of a single reason to live in The Blackdowns and I do.

    I don’t know, we always used to enjoy our “pie and a pint” for a fiver in the Holman Clavel, though I understand it is no longer a pub?

    andylc
    Free Member

    Holman Clavel reopened and was doing a roaring trade until a certain pandemic…

    Philby
    Full Member

    North side of Mendips and along the Chew Valley will be quite expensive as prime communter land for Bristol and Bath. I like the Harptree villages, though the downside is you will have Jacob Rees-Mogg as a neighbour. I quite like Wells on the south side – it’s a lovely little town with easy access to the Mendips, Glastonbury and the Somerset Levels.

    Like others I would suggest looking at the Quantocks as they are much more useable on a year round basis and IMO the villages are much prettier than those in the Mendips.

    daviek
    Full Member

    Weve been to visit the brother in law who stays just outside Winscombe a few times and love it down there but this is ofcourse just visiting. Bike park Wales is a easy 90 minutes away and the Thatchers brewery isnt far away either which is a nice plus, 5 litre containers of cider for about £10

    gingerbllr
    Free Member

    I took a job in the Exeter in the new year – have ended up staying in an air BnB in the blackdown hills for the last 3 months due to covid – hopefully moving out this month. I can’t be far from andylc!

    Roads are crap for road riding, ok on the gravel bike some nice loops, not much mtb and the walking is meh, unless you like endless fields.

    Everything good is just a bit far to be driving for a quick blast. Winter has been grim – wind, fog and freezing cold with snow up by us but ok in the valleys. It’s ok, plenty worse, but wouldn’t choose to live there unless I had good reason.

    konagirl
    Free Member

    Moved to Bristol a few years ago and during covid Mendips has been a go-to walking place. Busier this last year than before. In winter gets horrid claggy mud like any limestone so walks difficult, Rowberrow mtb ok. Also good wildlife, badgers, we have seen stoats, there is a shooting fraternity. We were in a lovely pub after going looking for badgers, overheard at bar talk of poaching deer in woods.

    More generally I expect any rural area these days will have some crime, focused on burglary from outhouses. Different area but my Mum lives rural but 6 miles from a town and there are often organised thefts (been watched for weeks before).

    Also snow, do be prepared to be cut off for a short while, more importantly use winter tyres etc as you cannot expect gritters unless on a main road.

    As others have said, it’s costly. I personally would be looking somewhere north or west (i.e. Wales) so money goes further and you can afford to actually do more. How happy you would be can really depend on the sense of community and your direct neighbours. So time invested staying in a village, visiting pub etc is key.

    andylc
    Free Member

    Within the area you’ve mentioned, personally I’d be looking at an area that would have me close to N Devon for beaches, Exmoor and Quantocks for mtb. If I didn’t have a specific area in mind I think I’d end up in Scotland (Dumfries / Galloway) for the same mix of surf and mtb but the added bonus of dirt cheap houses.
    By the way crime definitely not an issue in Blackdowns that I’m aware of.

    jezzep
    Full Member

    Hiya,

    Live in Portishead, moved here two years ago, I guess you could say we are on the edge of Mendips.
    The weather is horrendous in the winter and amazing in the summer. I would agree to another response; the mendips is really unrideable in the winter and will make light work of your gears and running gear. Quantocks is more year round, but can be a nightmare if you get stuck there in a blizzard 😉 Portishead has trails rideable in winter but some of the locals a bit aggressive about cyclists, just ignore them and their comments, and all is good.

    JeZ

    gobuchul
    Free Member

    What’s wrong with Axbridge? It’s a really pretty little village with a good butchers and pub!

    I lived in Winscombe for a couple of years and loved it. Didn’t realise how good it was until I had to move to Kent for work.

    Don’t understand the negative comments about the road cycling either? I used to ride the lanes up on the Mendips then you could descend down through Cheddar Gorge and spin for miles on the levels. Best road biking I have had access to.

    andylc
    Free Member

    I assume negative comments about road riding are due to some bumpy lanes but personally great scenery big long descents and very few cars tick all the boxes for me on the road and I’m happy to have a few bumpy bits in return. I can sometimes be out for an hour or more and not see a single car if I choose the out of the way roads.

    thegeneralist
    Free Member

    have ended up staying in an air BnB in the blackdown hills for the last 3 months due to covid

    got a place in Upottery ….. Beautiful thatched cottage, stream in the garden

    Surely not the same place is it?

    ajantom
    Full Member

    comments about road riding are due to some bumpy lanes but personally great scenery big long descents and very few cars tick all the boxes for me on the road and I’m happy to have a few bumpy bits in return

    Yup, road cycling round East Devon, Blackdowns, etc. I run 38c tyres all year round.
    Lumpy, bumpy, and fun 😉

    Was out in a road ride last week with a mate, and he commented that in other countries they’d call it gravel riding.

    andylc
    Free Member

    I must admit I was thinking about getting bigger tyres recently!

    ajantom
    Full Member

    It’s a lot comfier, and isn’t much slower. Probably faster on some of the road surfaces round here!
    I still managed to clock 91kmph on a downhill near Honiton the other day.

    dickyhepburn
    Free Member

    Grew up on North side of Mendip (never the Mendips 😂) and it is monumentally bleak in the winter, with mud galore. Complete commuter belt to Bris/Bath now, which is no bad thing as both are nice places to visit, but house prices are high. Quantock (again not the Quantocks 😂) more rural, Taunton is a strange place, Bridgwater improving, easy to get to Bris/Bath too. If I wanted to walk/mtb and be able to access coast and other National parks (Exmoor/Dartmoor) rather than towns I’d go Quantock. But it is more backward (and I’m saying that as a Somerset native 😂)

    gingerbllr
    Free Member

    have ended up staying in an air BnB in the blackdown hills for the last 3 months due to covid

    got a place in Upottery ….. Beautiful thatched cottage, stream in the garden

    Surely not the same place is it?

    I doubt it! Its a nice thatched barn conversion with a stream in the garden, but about 5km from Upottery along the roman road! Hopefully moving out soon, somewhere a bit further west…

    bliking
    Free Member

    We’re not quite in the Mendips but it’s my local riding area having moved west about 7 years ago, we’re pretty happy with the decision to move compared to living in various places around Slough/Reading. The slower pace of life and general lack of traffic is really noticeable now when we go back to visit friends or family. If you’re retiring and don’t have to commute regularly into Bristol or Bath then somewhere like Wells or the villages around there on the south side of the Mendips might be worth considering (probably avoid the levels with the flood risk though)

    The easy access to the countryside is great and if you need your urban fix for shopping or entertainment it’s close enough to both Bristol and Bath for occasional days/nights out. Glastonbury town can be quite interesting for a stroll around people watching or if you need to pick up any magical healing crystals or a new book of witch spells 🙂

    Road cycling is good, the first year I couldn’t get enough of riding up Cheddar Gorge especially mid week out of the tourist season as you can feel like you almost have the place to yourself. If you’re based on the Wells side it’s a nice contrast for road rides between the Mendip Hills in one direction and the Somerset Levels in the other direction. For longer rides there’s plenty outside of the Mendips too.

    MTB is a bit more mixed, when the conditions are good it’s good but winter on the Mendips can be a bit of a mud fest and I usually avoid most of the Mendips once it gets proper muddy. In the winter I tend to do more on my gravel bike riding things like bits of the Strawberry Line or the droves on the levels and avoiding the top of the Mendips.

    Walking is good, following the Mendip ridge to Crook Peak is a favourite for a day out but we do quite a few family walks around places like Stockhill Woods, Shapwick Heath, Brean Down, etc.

    For day trips you’re also pretty well placed for places you can get to in around an hour, either heading south to somewhere like Lyme Regis or further west to Exmoor. It feels like South Wales should be closer but from south of the Mendips it seems to take forever to get past Bristol.

    It’s not perfect, we’re not retired and have school age kids so worry a bit about lack of opportunity for them as they get older and work opportunities are more limited but on balance can’t see us moving back to the south east.

    4130s0ul
    Free Member

    Jez, whereabouts are the Portishead trails you mention? I can’t think of anything other than the coastal path, would be great to find out new options (apologies for the slight hijack)

    sprootlet
    Free Member

    We’re not bothered about the MTB in the winter, we’ll be doing more walking at that time and we’re planning on Jan and March being in the French Alps skiing 🙂

    Thanks a lot bliking, that’s a really helpful response

    jezzep
    Full Member

    4130s0ul

    Jez, whereabouts are the Portishead trails you mention? I can’t think of anything other than the coastal path, would be great to find out new options (apologies for the slight hijack)

    You need to climb naish hill ;-( then head towards Cadbury camp, quite a few trails there also Norton wood but note a few Nimby’s there so for god sake don’t go on a Sunday afternoon, which is when I avoid. There are other trails all around but non legal and actually don’t because these are council restrictions and local bylaw ones, which is obviously a no. Failing that Leigh woods through cycle path 26. Failing that absolutely loads further towards Flax Bourton. I’ve only been here 2 years, so still exploring.

    Oh yes BTW avoid the coast path to Clevedon, not a good idea that is restricted by bylaw so I wouldn’t cycle it because it isn’t like a normal footpath.

    JeZ

    pete68
    Free Member

    We moved west a couple of years ago, although we both still work part-time. We’re in Porlock so have great trails from the door plus the Quantocks just up the road. There’s a very active cycle club,both road and mtb, if that’s your thing.There’s also loads of good walking from open moorland to wooded River valleys. Right on the coast too, so can go paddleboarding or kayaking down at the harbour. . Considering its a national park its relatively quiet as well.

    Scienceofficer
    Free Member

    Portishead is not the ‘end of the Mendips’ (sic).

    The limestone that forms the end drops into the Severn Estuary at Uphill and then Brean down, south of Weston-super-Mare.

    Cadbury camp, quite a few trails there also Norton wood

    These aren’t Portishead either, they’re Clevedon.

    Not much to add that hasn’t been said really. Especially if you’re looking for somewhere pretty to potter about in your dotage.

    jezzep
    Full Member

    Science officer:

    Portishead is not the ‘end of the Mendips’ (sic).

    The limestone that forms the end drops into the Severn Estuary at Uphill and then Brean down, south of Weston-super-Mare.

    Cheers for stating the obvious. Oh well nevermind.

    JeZ

    Scienceofficer
    Free Member

    Not obvious to those asking. There’s 20 miles difference.

    4130s0ul
    Free Member

    Cheers Jez, appreciate the reply. was aware all of the options you mentioned, i was hoping you’d found a hidden gem within Portishead. To save the road slog up Naish hill try going up the bridleway from opposite the Black Horse in Clapton-in-Gordano, it’s quieter and a better ride.

    The coastal path while cheeky is a good ride and makes a good loop with the places you’d mentioned, i’ve never had any grief from other users but always try and set off early to minimise contact.

    Thanks

    dropoff
    Full Member

    Ok in hindsight maybe I was a little harsh. The good bits. Hemyock 30 years ago was a typical English village, nice pub. Fish and chip van on a Thursday and also its own castle. Some nice woodland with footpaths towards Dunkeswell. Much busier now with small housing developments. Culmstock, has one of the best pubs around. Proper ales and great food (also featured on Salvage Hunters) Also The Blue Ball can make for an interesting evening especially when the stable hands and jockeys are in.Wellington. Has everything you need including A Waitrose if that’s your basket. Unfortunately it’s like one big building site at the moment having doubled in size in the last 20 years its now expanding again. Also very good private school.
    Mtbing. Ok Culm Davy that’s where Culmstock beacon is has some Pedally stuff with views towards Dartmoor also a few small dh bits in the woodland Hemyock side. Buckland wood has some short dh sections and the young lads have started building more this year, also interestingly there’s a dog walking brigade who have bench cut some nice trails to avoid the worst of the wet bits of which there are many. Head further north along the Blackdowns past the Holman Claval towards Staple woods and you can discover some half decent circuits there. I would think that you could put together some good road or excellent gravel routes. It does get very wet from September to now. So yes there’s enough to keep you from going potty. But I still wouldn’t move here.

    t3ap0t
    Free Member

    Road ride from Bristol to the Mendips a lot, always liked the idea of living in Blagdon – small village but has 3 pubs and a cafe so not like there’s nothing there. Can be in Bristol in about 25 mins. Imagine you’re talking half a million plus though.

    jezzep
    Full Member

    Hiya,

    4130s0ul

    Cheers Jez, appreciate the reply. was aware all of the options you mentioned, i was hoping you’d found a hidden gem within Portishead. To save the road slog up Naish hill try going up the bridleway from opposite the Black Horse in Clapton-in-Gordano, it’s quieter and a better ride.

    The coastal path while cheeky is a good ride and makes a good loop with the places you’d mentioned, i’ve never had any grief from other users but always try and set off early to minimise contact.

    Yep know the Blackhorse Bridleway, I used to sneak into Priors wood, out the otherside into the back of the Zoo then carry on to Cadbury wood, but Nimby watches the gate like a hawk. Pretty mad to be honest considering Horses destroy the woodland far better than us.

    So no hidden Gems in this area that the Nimby’s and grumpies don’t guard.

    Oh well their problem, not mine.

    JeZ

    AdamT
    Full Member

    My mum is retired and lives in winscombe and imho it’s a nice spot for hiking and I quite enjoy the road riding there as others have said. Much of my family are that way too (e.g. Sandford) which helps I guess. It’s somewhere I would consider retiring to for sure.

    dropoff
    Full Member

    Just to add. Bishops Lydeard is a nice village. Close enough to Taunton. Right at the foot of the Quantocks. Less than an hour to Exmoor. Probably where I would move to.

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