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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 s****y 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.
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
fixed 😆Tell us your budget, tenure, work location and needs and we´ll[s] be able to advise better.[/s] shatter your illusions
njee20 - Member
Traffic was awful. Cannot describe how awful. Worse than London I'd say.
Not sure about now but I remember Bristol was second only to Bath for how long it took to do 1 mile at rush hour, London was 3rd or 4th.
Grew up in Bristol but moved North @ 30, still have family in the area & own 1/3 of a house on Royal York Crescent(Clifton)
Mr overshoot sounds like a useful contact if you're after a broom cupboard pied a terre. And having now looked at rightmove for the first time in years I'll retract my earlier valuation on totterdown which still looks like good value. Redland has gone mad, 750k for a 4 bed terrace!
csb - Member
...Tell us your budget, tenure, work location and needs and well be able to advise better.
Budget? Not enough, clearly.
Location? Somewhere nearish the NE if the centre.
If you're working in the ne of the city then the area around Frenchay is quite nice and cheaper than the central areas mentioned above. If you mean you want to be ne centre, then horfield and Ashley down are a bit cheaper, but you'll be living further away from the vibrant areas and nearer rundown areas.
Bristol is ace providing you don't need to drive anywhere. It has the worst traffic I have ever experienced and has got steadily worse in the 10 years we've lived here.
Where are people driving to and from, and at what time, to experience such bad traffic in Bristol? Is it commuting in/out at rush hour?
Controversially, the slow traffic is part of what makes it a cracking cycling city. Seen far fewer bike incidents the last couple of years than there used to be.
csb - MemberMr overshoot sounds like a useful contact if you're after a broom cupboard pied a terre.
Actually its a 2 bedroom property on 2 floors with on suite for each 2 bedrooms.
2 kitchens 2 lounges & 2 other rooms & balcony + the most important bit a big garage with automatic door
Wasn't suggesting it wasn't palatial, I was thinking you could rent an stw'er a nice affordable spare room, in the style of London broom cupboard horror stories. And yours sound like 2 flats to me! A garage, mmmmmm, I'd love a garage.
I lived there for two years but 15 years ago.
Rented a house in willsbridge, north of Keynsham.
Tended to use the park and ride, when I didn't need the car for work calls.
Nice enough spot, handy for bath.
Lived here most of my life,and as per the general consensus the ridiculous traffic and RPZ's/20 mph zones are completely strangling the City if you drive.
On the upside once you manage to escape the City boundaries then an hour in most directions will take you somewhere glorious to ride,Fly up 417 project about to become live too adding a Northerly option the the options
Point made above about resident parking schemes is important for newcomers. If you move to an area covered, or soon to be, you'll enjoy easier parking for an annual fee. Only local businesses and those with multiple vehicles dislike them. If your looking for a houses hare it might be a factor. And the 20mph zones are a brilliant way of reminding drivers that there's slower folk (cyclists, pedestrians) around.
Forgot to mention, the mayor is a complete dick! RPZs for the rich in clifton, sod the local businesses and everyone else.
The RPZ made precisely zero difference to me, as it's only effective between 9-5, when the car is outside my wife's work anyway. If it was 24/7 i'd be quite happy about it.
but yeah i think the 20mph zones are broadly a good thing. And it's not as if the flow of traffic in those areas gets much above 20mph at the best of times...
OP - bristol is a great place. depending on what you want consider the likes of Easton, Whitehall, Redfield etc. They're inner city(ish) areas, formerly a bit run down, but have nice victorian terraces and prices are rapidly going up as people who can't afford St Andrews etc start moving in. Walkable to town, bikeable to pretty much anywhere, some decent shops.
and to the person asking about the Bear Pit - no, it hasn't been like that for years in fact. These days there greengrocers, coffee stalls, about 3 restaurants and a general redevelopment vibe. And a load of alkies making still trouble for everyone. But it's way better than it used to be.
And the rich of st Paul's and Stapleton and Totterdown? Local businesses that attract trade seem to think it's great as now shoppers can park. Just stops the commuters jamming up the streets. I certainly find it much easier to stop at the local shops on the way somewhere. There's certainly a vocal anti mayor group. I'll be interested to see if they are a minority come election.RPZs for the rich in clifton, sod the local businesses and everyone else.
Forgot to mention that the Rpz had really pissed off commuters (and their employers) who can't now park where they like and sod the locals and businesses that need parking turnover. Simply health, a huge organisation that had located in a prestigious building near the downs in Clifton have been very vocal about the Rpz and new parking restrictions on the downs because their staff can't park for free. So their shitty wage call centre jobs are less appealing....
Many people are missing the point of RPZs. They're not for the benefit of residents, making it easier for them to park - they are meant to discourage people from driving into the city to work. The major flaw of course is that the public transport into the city is both shit and expensive, so the options for commuters are terrible.
From the point of view of someone who lives thirty miles away from Brizzle, it's vastly improved from what it was twenty years ago. The whole docks area is almost unrecognisable from back then, the live music situation has really expanded, from being just a couple of venues to loads. Good pubs, increasing number of good local breweries, Colston Yard at the top of Colston Street is great, easy walking distance from the O2 Academy or the Colston Hall if a gig finishes in good time, then there's the Louisiana and Start The Bus...
Can't comment on the RPZ's, but the 20mph limits appear to be a fail in many places; recent checks have shown most vehicles, including police and local authority, are doing 25-28mph. Which is understandable when it includes the likes of the main A420 coming into the city from the east.
I like the city, Broadmead does need razing and completely rebuilding like Cabot Circus, but by and large, there are far worse places to live.
Broadmead does need razing and completely rebuilding like Cabot Circus
Just expand Cribbs.
The 20mph limits work - all those caught doing 25-28mph would likely have been doing 35-38mph in a 30 zone, so it's an improvement, right?
Big up the 20mph limit - and RPZs. 🙂
As I said, life on four wheels is hard around here - but great on two. (Coming from a repentant petrolhead).
It's a good city to live in, whether you're single or attached or with children.
As said before, rush hour driving is slow but it's OK outside those hours. The bus services are noticeably better than even a couple of years ago, and the residents' parking zone (RPZ) means that residents , shoppers , tradesmen can park easily, but commuters from outside the city are having to think about how to manage.
The main problems in Bristol have been due to a political antagonism between the city proper, and South Glos council which controls the northern suburbs and seems to delight in stuffing Bristol City's efforts to make the place better.
Bring back CUBA !
LOL everyone who lives in bedminster says they
live in southville.
I live in Bedminster.
yeah, a lot of people living in Knowle West say that.I live in Bedminster
I'm in Montpelier and I'm 15-20 mins ride from Ashton Court/Leigh Woods. RPZ are great as it stops the idiot commuters leaving their cars and in residential areas close to the centre and hopefully encourages them to travel in another way.
All for the 20mph zones. Car drivers tend to stick to it IMO as I have seen the speeds drop on the Gloucester Road (A38). Seem to be more parents commuting by bike with their kids to my daughters school too. Also encourgaes cycling and I see lots of bikes going up and down the Gloucester road now.
Pollution is crap in the city but luckily the city isn't that big and you can get into the countryside pretty quickly. Lots of great riding nearby such as the Mendips, Wales, Quantocks, Exmoor etc...or stuff on the doorstep.
Property is expensive but you can still get decent housing if you are prepared to live a little further away from the centre.
Also a great variety of bike shops. I can think of 6 withing a mile and a half of my home.
Lived there for 8yrs and loved it. We had both our kids there and it's a fantastic place to bring up kids. Everything is really handy. I'd go back in heartbeat if I didn't need to be in the South East for work. I think the traffic issues are being over exaggerated. Sure, if you try and drive through the centre at 8.30am you won't get anywhere quickly but most towns and cities are similar imo. Also a great place if you love bikes. Weather wise, I had a colleague who said it was "tropical" which is a good description. Warmer and wetter than a lot of the U.K. There is an international airport 20 mins from town which is great for getting away. The general vibe is very relaxed. Go for a long weekend and check it out though. Im sure you'll like it.
yeah, a lot of people living in Knowle West say that.
Another subtle joke trampled...
Another subtle joke trampled...
Yeah what a git, it was really [i]hilarious [/i]too.
Yeah what a git, it was really hilarious too.
Almost as funny as the one about people in Bedminster pretending to be in Southville. Gosh, I remember when I first heard that 15 years ago: laugh? I nearly did.
Almost as funny
Yeah, almost.
Yeah, almost.
Perhaps you could regale us with some more of your erudite bon mots: I for one am pregnant with anticipation.
I'm tempted, just to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your razor sharp wit. Again. 😉
I'm tempted, just to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your razor sharp wit. Again.
Do hurry, please. The edge of my seat is becoming uncomfortable.
Move your head then.
Anyway, OP: Bristol's great, and we're a tolerant lot. We even put up with Wrecker.
Bristol's great, and we're a tolerant lot
BTW, I've lived in bristol all my life, we even let uptight, dour demeanored blow-ins live here, but they are ruining the vibe of the place. I suppose that's the price of tolerance, eh?
We even put up with Wrecker.
Ah, the famed ransos wit. I knew you couldn't hold it in.