Talk to me about Bristol…

Let’s pretend that I’ve got an interview for a job in Bristol…

Of course I’d have to move to Bristol, my wife says she’s up for it.

What do I need to know about the city of my mother’s birth…?

(If nothing else, which postcodes do we put in rightmove to look at houses)

Live close enough to cycle or walk to work!

^^^^^^^ great advice there.
Traffic is terrible in rush hour and not much better at quieter times

traffic is a nightmare.

If you are not used to the SW it rains, a lot. But at least it’s warmer than the grim north ( 😉 )

Property is expensive.

Lots of threads about nights out in Bristol and where to live in and around Bristol. Clifton is the posh bit. Lots of bits to avoid.

Properly best to learn the lingo if you gonna do it proper like

http://www.hijackbristol.co.uk/board/the-forum/how-to-speak-proper-brizzle/?wap2

revs1972 – have you ever been a regular hijack user?

No, but i is from Bristol
Have I done a bad thing ?

It really depends what you want. Central? Suburbs? A bit greener?
Houses aren’t cheap, and the traffic is terrible.

No, not at all! I used to go on there a lot – just wondered if I might know you 😆

No , first time for me. Came across it the other day when I was trying to explain something to my wife. She’s originally from Weston, so I thought she would understand

It’s gert lush, me babber.

Great place very buzzy, some right shit bits and some really nice bits. Lots going on. Traffic can be a mare, bikes get robbed a lot.

All you need to know about Brizzle, like.

Terry The Odd Job Man

😆

Thank you for bringing Terry to my attention!

Edit – nsfw

Trafic is shite,houses are expensive and all the best riding is a stones throw away with a £13.80 charge if you have a van.

I’ve lived in a few different countries, worked in 17, visited more, and Bristol was the very best place I’ve lived. Where you might live will depend on where you’ll work.

I moved to Bristol in 1999, intending to stick around for a couple of years. I’m still here, now with a wife and two kids. I think it’s the perfect size for a city: big enough to have all the amenities and cultural attractions, but small enough to be riding in the countryside in less than 30 minutes. Traffic doesn’t bother me as I cycle-commute like every other sensible person.

My sister lived in Brissle for a few years in Clifton/Redlands. Traffic was bad and it was very hilly! Great pubs though! HTH!

Everywhere is close enough to commute to by bike and you’d be mad not to as driving is a fool’s errand in the city. There’s loads going on culture wise, trails in your doorstep in Leigh Woods and Ashton Court though it’s best to ride with a local to find the good stuff (plenty of locals here). The Mendips are a 30min drive for mtb or a decent road ride away. Quantocks and south Wales a bit further. House prices and rent are stupid and getting worse. There are good and bad bits to most postcodes, including the swanky BS8 (the bad being you’ll be surrounded by rich students with a complete lack of self and spatial awareness). I’d avoid Hatcliffe, Knowle West, Southmead, Henbury, Withywood, Brentry. If money were no object I’d live in Long Ashton or Leigh Woods.

Since I stopped driving at rush hour I’ve forgotten about the traffic. At other times it’s fine. Much easier to walk and cycle at busy times especially since the new speed limit came in. In terms of location I’d by me looking at north rd or Gloucester rd areas but both are pricey (bs3 and bs6). Bristol doesn’t really have a true centre just lots of local pockets and TBH most near the centre are nice enough. Even the previously rough bits have up and come. Great city. Takes a bit of getting used to but worth it.

I came to Bristol Uni in 1999 and met my wife shortly afterwards – we settled here since, apart from 2 years back in Cardiff from 2004-6.

Of course, it depends on your priorities: but if you value life on two wheels, a bit of culture, greenery and friendliness…then I’ve found it to be a great place. I’ll give a shout for the south-western corner of Bristol’s centre, which has been my stomping ground since ’99.

As I type this, I’m literally just about to escape for an early morning ride over at Ashton Court and Leigh Woods. We live in Southville (above poster means North St, rather than North Rd), which along with Clifton and Hotwells is within 5-10 minutes from some decent man-made trails – but equally close to the town centre. Long Ashton area offers a similar package, but with the upsides and downsides of a large village.

All the above are now very expensive, with all – and I mean all – of our new neighbours on our street since 2012 being downshifters from London, or having sold a London property as part of their move.

Conversely to the above, it’s not a great place if you value life on four wheels. Bristol sprawls a lot more to the north and east of the city and that’s where I work – it’s literally a waste of time for me to drive 7 miles to Stoke Gifford / Filton where I work and I’ve driven to work 3 times since 2013. We have a resident’s parking scheme (as do most other central wards) and it’s made a big difference to daytime parking and a small difference to evening parking – it’s just needed at weekends now, IMO, but it’s very unpopular with the wider population and could cost Mayor Ferguson his job at the elections this year.

Think of it as a quirky mini London and you’ll not go far wrong.

Portishead is pronounced Bort zed.

Is the Bear Pit still as ‘interesting’ as I remember from a previous visit? Is legend true that muggers don’t clear you out completely so that you have something left for when you get mugged a second time in the subway on the other side?

(not me, told to me by the bloke I was visiting as he advised me to avoid it walking back to my hotel)

This is all good stuff, Thankyou.

But yes, the house prices. Eye-watering, I’m not sure it all adds up (job-wise)…

As you can see, many STW forum members live in or around Bristol. If this doesn’t put you off the place nothing will.

God only knows why they named the place after Sarah Palin’s daughter.

Does Roni Size still live in St Andrews and is Cosies still going that’s what I want to know

If you’ve got kids, or are planning to have them in the house you move to, don’t underestimate the added cost of being in a good school catchment. Being in a good secondary catchment adds 100k to a house. And nurseries are surprisingly rare, so expect a trek to drop the kids off.

Ive lived in bristol for near 10 year. Traffic can be bad and cycling through city is quite easy, plenty of hills and easy to get into the countryside. I live in henbury and its not that bad, there are worse areas. I have easy access to parks and blaise castle and 30 mins away from ashton court or a bit further for longer rides. Plenty to see and do

It’s the best! Go the Southville massive!

Traffics very bad but your close to MTB nirvana in south Wales, Afan, Cmw Carn, Quantocks, FoD, BPW etc etc

House prices are high but consider looking in the surrounding areas, train connections to FoD etc very good and cheap

I commuted 80km a day there and back most days when it was dry.

LOL everyone who lives in bedminster says they live in southville.
https://www2.bristol.gov.uk/WardFinder/pdfs/southvillemap-high.pdf
A friend of mine doesn’t even live within the boundary and still puts southville on his address!

is Cosies still going

Yep, it was rammed when I was there a few weeks back.

Reading this with interest as I’m getting ready to head down the for work at the start of March.

From the city centre how far is the riding? I’ll need to find a place down there to stay in the week (back home to Staffordshire on the weekends) and am hoping to not rely on a car at all.

Does Roni Size still live in St Andrews

This. I lived in St Andrews when I was at uni there from 98-01 and used to see him pottering about on his BMX.

No current info but I loved riding in Ashton Court and Leigh Woods.

Is Lakota still going?

^ Lakota is still going, it hasn’t changed a bit thanksfully.

Trafic is shite,houses are expensive and all the best riding is a stones throw away with a £13.80 charge if you have a van.

Blimey it was around a tenner last time I took a van over the bridge 😯

As you can see, many STW forum members live in or around Bristol. If this doesn’t put you off the place nothing will.

😀

when I was working the priority was making the commute to work as easy or short as possible. That’s what I have to do every day of the week.

I lived there for 3 years from 2005-2008 (at uni), it was nice enough, I was ready to leave. Much preferred rural Surrey/Sussex where I grew up. I suspect most of that was about cities generally rather than Brizzle specifically.

I lived right in the centre for a year (shit) and then just off Gloucester Rd in St Andrews (oddly on North Road) for 2 years, which was much nicer. Riding was ok, from the door MTBing not bad, good road riding once you’re out of the city.

Traffic was awful. Cannot describe how awful. Worse than London I’d say.

If you want to live easily cycleable to the centre, and aren’t coming from London or the southeast, be prepared to be shocked by the prices in many of the areas mentioned above. St. Andrews, bishopston, Redland, southville, totterdown, your talking 450-500k for a 3 bed Victorian terrace. But as also noted the boundaries of these areas flex according to estate agent aspirations… Tell us your budget, tenure, work location and needs and well be able to advise better.

didnt need saying twice

Tell us your budget, tenure, work location and needs and we´ll be able to advise better. shatter your illusions

fixed 😆