Viewing 40 posts - 41 through 80 (of 187 total)
  • Talk to me about life in and around Bristol.
  • wrecker
    Free Member

    If you move to Yate, it’ll take ~45 minutes to get to Swindon and be over the Severn bridge in ~15 minutes. Central Bristol would be a different matter though, traffic is awful. Even if clear it’ll take you ~40 minutes to drive to Ashton court.
    I would advise you visit Yate to make sure you’re happy with it. It’s not bad, just a new conurbation so has no character. There’s plenty of nicer areas around it (Chipping Sodbury, Coalpit Heath, Winterbourne etc).
    The centre is busy and drunk on weekend evenings but they tend to stick to the normal venues and there is plenty of choice so you can escape the “sidewards” crowds without too much effort.
    Bike theft is bad, you must be security aware and there are some pretty bad areas. I wouldn’t say it’s particularly friendly, it is a big city after all.

    Jolsa
    Full Member

    Love it in Bristol, I live in Ashton and having a ten minute cycle commute into the Harbourside along traffic free routes is ace, as is jogging in the other direction and being in Ashton Court within 5 minutes.

    Having superb places like Ashton Court and Leigh Woods so nearby is fantastic for those of us who love the outdoors.

    Traffic can be bad, but doesn’t bother me given that I don’t have/need a car, and the only time I’m out on the roads is for a blast on the motorbike.

    Just wish the city could get it together for a decent arena for big events, and have someone get the IMAX cinema up and running again showing blockbuster films…

    scruff
    Free Member

    I lived in Yate for a few years, it has a great skatepark and good access to the M5/4. Decent trains into Brizzle, but it was a shite place. Chipping Sodbury full of drunks Fri/Sat nights. For a city Brizzle is great, pretty safe (apart from bike theft), lots to do and great riding.

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    Milkie
    Free Member

    Another suggestion for Yate, great location, near the city and even closer to the Countryside. Great riding from the doorstep, we’re just below the Cotswolds.

    Ride for 5 minutes from the door and you’re in the Countryside, 15 minutes you’ve got hills, 20 minutes you’ve got hills and great bridleway/singletrack.

    I wouldn’t call Yate a shit place, wherever you go there are always cocks there. I would rate it higher than Fishponds, Staple Hill, Kingswood. The amenities are a lot better than those.

    Chipping Sodbury full of drunks Fri/Sat nights.

    What did you expect when the street has over 5 pubs that are 20 metres from each other. Also, much has changed, still drunks, like any place that sells alcohol, but most of the pubs are quiet now.

    wrecker
    Free Member

    Chipping Sodbury full of drunks Fri/Sat nights.

    As will any area of Bristol with pubs including Yate. Not really comparable with the centre though.

    I wouldn’t call Yate a shit place, wherever you go there are always cocks there. I would rate it higher than Fishponds, Staple Hill, Kingswood.

    Me too, but Downend and Mangotsfield are a bit nicer and places like Winterbourne, Coalpit heath etc a good bit nicer.
    Milkie, which hills/singletrack do you mean? (within 20 minutes)

    phil.w
    Free Member

    Depending where you live[b] If you live in Bath[/b] its relatively easy to commute to Swindon and Bristol – I know lots of people who do (which has the additional benefit of not having to live in Swindon or Bristol).

    😉

    wrecker
    Free Member

    If you live in Bath

    And you thought Bristol was full of cocks……
    Lovely place but I couldn’t live there due to the wannabe toffs.

    SprocketJockey
    Free Member

    Lived there for about 7 years and still visit friends there fairly regularly. I always lived pretty central (Southville, Totterdown, Cotham, Montpelier) so could pretty much bike or walk everywhere which was fantastic. Like others have said, great nighlife, good music scene and some fab bars and restaurants. Loads going on in the summer particularly.

    If you don’t have kids I’d try to be as close in to the centre as possible – some pleasant spots in South Bristol with good access to harbourside and Ashton Court etc. A lot of the outlying suburbs are “generic” to say the least and if you’re too far out you probably won’t get so much benefit from being there, getting into town can be a pain on public transport. Generally, traffic as other people have mentioned is a pain still, but weirdly you’ve probably got better car-free access to trails living in the centre than you have if you live out in some of the ‘burbs (Yate excepted of course 🙂 )

    I’m puzzled as to why anyone would drive from Central Bristol to Ashton Court given you can ride it in less time.

    One thing to bear in mind is that Bristol can sometimes seem like a big village – I personally like that aspect of it, but some folk find it a bit too much!

    ransos
    Free Member

    Central Bristol would be a different matter though, traffic is awful. Even if clear it’ll take you ~40 minutes to drive to Ashton court.

    City centre to AC is 20 minutes at most on the bike…best to live in town I reckon.

    Milkie
    Free Member

    Milkie, which hills/singletrack do you mean? (within 20 minutes)

    Once you’re over Horton Hill there are quite a few bridleways to choose from. The good stuff starts from Hillsley. The Evan’s Ride it even takes in a few of the good singletracks.

    STW also have a route map for you to check out.

    There is also a wood between Wickwar and Yate, that is quite nice to ride. 😉

    richc
    Free Member

    Yate, isn’t really Bristol though is it.

    I lived in Clifton for around 12 years before moving to Cleeve, upsides, everything on your doorstep and you really don’t need to use your car on the weekend. Good pubs, food, walking, etc

    Downsides the parking is awful, and house prices are mental.

    IA
    Full Member

    This is a timely thread, considering a move back to brizzle (lived there for a year or so about ’03). Don’t really know the south of the city at all though, and would be working on the SE side…where’s good to live for a convenient bike commute that direction?

    wrecker
    Free Member

    Wouldn’t go south of the river personally. Bedminster etc is not for me.

    richc
    Free Member

    Commute to where? If to the Center, I would look for somewhere on the Bristol to Bath cyclepath. However driving into Bristol from that direction is truly awful, and it takes a while to get to the motorway.

    IA
    Full Member

    Wouldn’t go south of the river

    Well that’s it, I never did when I lived there, except twice for parties. Always seemed a bit seedy…but maybe just the parts I saw.

    ransos
    Free Member

    Wouldn’t go south of the river personally. Bedminster etc is not for me.

    And they say north Bristol is full of snobs…

    Plenty of plusses southside: housing is cheaper, closer to the centre (10 mins walk from Southville)thriving independent high street (North St.), nice parks, good community feel (e.g. Totterdown) increasing number of nice pubs & restaurants. In summary, it’s changed significantly for the better in the 10 years or so I’ve lived here.

    Of course, there are the less desirable parts, but you can say that about plenty of areas northside too.

    clubber
    Free Member

    I never went south of the river when I was a student or when we moved back to Bristol and thought that it was a bit dodgy too but having now lived in Bedminster and then Totterdown, I’m not sure I’d move elsewhere – I think it’s a great area – easy and quick to get to good riding, plenty of good pubs/bars, easy to get to Clifton/Redland if you’re so inclined, easy to get to the docks, decent houses, affordable houses (not cheap but not silly like Clifton/etc) and a big plus is that traffic isn’t bad like the hell of North Bristol at rush hour. Also, some nice parks, more of a community feel and finally, it’s choka with mtbers 🙂

    Sure there are some crap bits but you can easily avoid those – I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to them.

    IA – Bristol’s changed loads since 2003 (which is when I moved back here) – Bedminster/Southville/Totterdown are all decent areas now (with the exception of Bedminster around East Street). I’d suggest visiting

    easygroove
    Free Member

    I moved there in 1991 and left in 2005 to move to sydney – it was awesome; rave culture back in the day was unbeliveable, massive attack and all the associated bands made it a really exciting place to be during the 90’s, skateboard, bmx, graffiti scene is lively, excellent night life, riding from home, quality natural trails in the Mendips, Q’tox, man made stuff with 1-2 hrs drive. Its got everything a big city has in a compact city…..move there!!

    IA
    Full Member

    Of course, there are the less desirable parts,

    Where’s desireable south side then?

    IA
    Full Member

    Bristol’s changed loads since 2003 (which is when I moved back here

    I can believe that, it felt on the edge of changes when I was there, areas just starting to redevelop etc. Bit of a trek for a visit though, currently in Scotland…

    IA
    Full Member

    quality natural trails in the Mendips, Q’tox, man made stuff with 1-2 hrs drive. Its got everything a big city has in a compact city…..move there!!

    Yeah, but I currently live in Edinburgh, which I think’s about the only city in the UK to beat Bristol for riding…

    SprocketJockey
    Free Member

    There’s a lot of snobbery about South Bristol. Make your own judgement.

    Sure it has it’s dodgy areas like anywhere but there are some good spots too. Southville is fine and has easy access to the centre, harbourside and Ashton Court, Totterdown is a bit quirky / alternative but has a really good community feel and is genuinely one of the friendliest city neighbourhoods I’ve ever lived (steep hills mind!). Windmill Hill is also worth a look. Even Bedminster itself is on the up these days – cracking Indian restaurant on Bedminster Parade.

    I’d prefer to live in any of those places than the suburbs.

    wrecker
    Free Member

    And they say north Bristol is full of snobs…

    Just because I choose not to live somewhere, it doesn’t make me a snob. I grew up in staple hill FFS.
    I like the open areas which North Bristol has. I like the villages, the parking, the big gardens, the sports clubs.
    The traffic is horrible though I agree and if you want to go on the lash, taxis are expensive from town. For sure, there are some pretty shit areas in N bristol; southmead and lockleaze being ones which come to mind. You’d still not get me to live in bedminster though.
    Good point on the “is yate in bristol”. Since the south gloucs stuff, nobody seems to know. I’m in south gloucs (not yate) but still put bristol on our address and we’re not the only ones;
    Yate Town Council
    Poole Court
    Poole Court Drive
    Yate
    Bristol BS37 5PP

    richc
    Free Member

    Horses for courses really, personally I really liked the ease of living in Clifton (and allegedly I am about as far from posh as you can get, I am from W-s-M FFS) whereas other people find it completely up its own arse.

    phil.w
    Free Member

    Wouldn’t go south of the river personally. Bedminster etc is not for me

    Yet you say this about Bath…

    Lovely place but I couldn’t live there due to the wannabe toffs.

    …sounds like it’s perfect for you.

    clubber
    Free Member

    IA – Member
    Where’s desireable south side then?

    Southville, parts of Bedminster, parts of Totterdown, parts of Knowle. IMO, of course.

    clubber
    Free Member

    wrecker – you’re in the Bristol administrative area, not the City of Bristol 🙂

    My work has a Bristol postcode but it’s 12 miles from home…

    aka_Gilo
    Free Member

    clubber – Member
    but having now lived in Bedminster and then Totterdown,

    Erm, I believe you mean Lower Knowle? 😉

    I love South Bristol (grew up in Clifton). It’s really come up in the last 10 years or so, lots of good places to eat and drink, easy walking distance into town, and easy riding to local trails, or the Chew Valley etc for roadying. Generally friendly and laid-back too.

    wrecker
    Free Member

    Wouldn’t go south of the river personally. Bedminster etc is not for me

    Yet you say this about Bath…

    Lovely place but I couldn’t live there due to the wannabe toffs.

    …sounds like it’s perfect for you.
    You don’t know what you’re talking about. It has nothing to do with being stuck up and everything to do with preferring suburb living to inner city. It’s preference. Do you know that word?

    clubber
    Free Member

    I think you mean Upper Lower Lower Lower Clifton…

    TooTall
    Free Member

    If we weren’t moving to another country, we would settle in / around Bristol. It has everything and is big enough to have areas with their own identity as well as being Bristol burbs. Liked it when I visited it and lived here for 2.5 years so far and love it all.

    Yate. No thanks. Self build centre? Go and visit it so you know what is there. It gives you an appreciation of the market rather than all the cool things you could buy. It is useful on that front.

    phil.w
    Free Member

    It’s preference. Do you know that word?

    Indeed I do.

    I also know the word humour; as used in the phrase ‘sense of humour failure’.

    ransos
    Free Member

    You don’t know what you’re talking about. It has nothing to do with being stuck up and everything to do with preferring suburb living to inner city

    Unless it’s a suburb south of the river. That wouldn’t be for you…

    ransos
    Free Member

    Southville, parts of Bedminster, parts of Totterdown, parts of Knowle. IMO, of course.

    I’d add Victoria Park, parts of Windmill Hill, parts of Ashton and Perrets Park to your list.

    scruff
    Free Member

    I always laughed at ‘Sadly Broke’ 😆

    clubber
    Free Member

    ‘Victoria Park’ and ‘Perrets Park’ are parts of Totterdown/Bemmie to me but fair point maybe 🙂

    ransos
    Free Member

    ‘Victoria Park’ and ‘Perrets Park’ are parts of Totterdown/Bemmie to me but fair point maybe

    True, but it can be hard to know that from estate agent descriptions…

    scaled
    Free Member

    I cant believe people are knocking Bemmie 😀

    BS3 is a great place to live! Everywhere from British road to Southville, there’s a real sense of community, the vast majority of people are friendly. Since I’ve moved to Manchester and experienced Chorlton, Southville doesn’t seem anywhere near as pretentious/new age/hippytrehuggingwankyness as it did when I lived down south 😀

    I would move back there in a flash if we had family down there for babysitting duties!

    KINGTUT
    Free Member

    All the best people live in Portishead, Carol Vorderman, Johnny Briggs and me to name a few.

    clubber
    Free Member

    But none of them actually ever ride mtbs do they 😉

Viewing 40 posts - 41 through 80 (of 187 total)

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