Is Bristol a nicer place to live than Swindon?

[Reg Smeeton]

I've never lived in Swindon, just born there.
Lived in cirencester, perrots brook, stonehouse, Stroud, Oxford, Edinburgh and Luxembourg in no particular order. Moving to London in october hopefully.

Edinburgh was probably where I had the best time.

Used to use the Bear Inn at Perrots Brook as a home pub for quizzes...15-20 years ago now mind. Used to be proper freezing out there on a Monday night in January. Last time I went past it was no more 

The old landlord was an ex services type...navy, you used to get a lot of these, get a decent pension quite young, then run a country pub to keep the missus happy...Monday was ladies darts night.

[Batch]

They used to have the odd student band gig at The Bear in the early 90's, unfortunately being the one with the driving license and car I got to be the sober one. The Bear went tits up a while ago now.

Had a girlfriend who lived in Perrott's Brook too.

[Reg Smeeton]

They used to have the odd student band gig at The Bear in the early 90's, unfortunately being the one with the driving license and car I got to be the sober one. The Bear went tits up a while ago now.

Had a girlfriend who lived in Perrott's Brook too.

It would have been early 90's that I drank there...no bands on a Monday night...were they in the outbuilding which may have been a skittle alley?

Also quizzed against the Hooray Henrys from the Royal Ag College....used to enjoy stuffing those wankers, the sort who I could happily slap. They'd use the Tunnel House at Coates...an otherwise fine establishment.

[Flashheart]

Wow, you really did take the plunge when you went out there then.  Had you lived anywhere else (besides UK and Thailand)?

Just wasn't content in the UK (obviously). Friends and acquaintances were seeing the world and I wanted some of that. I followed a couple out to Kavos were I stayed for 5 months, I found it even harder to settle back home after that experience.

I despise the cold. If if Britain wasn't so cold I may still be there. I was also very shy and needed to expose myself to life more to remedy my shyness.

Sold my house to do some travelling. The intention was to land in Bangkok and travel south to Australia to get the bug out of my system before returning back home and settling. I had a decent job a Nationwide-wide Life waiting for me (they gave me a sabbatical)

I chose to stay in Thailand. Personal reasons aside, I think most people that come to Thailand would quite to stay. I was one of those that did.

I have never regretted it.

[Peter Gibbons]

Just wasn't content in the UK (obviously). Friends and acquaintances were seeing the world and I wanted some of that. I followed a couple out to Kavos were I stayed for 5 months, I found it even harder to settle back home after that experience.

I despise the cold. If if Britain wasn't so cold I may still be there. I was also very shy and needed to expose myself to life more to remedy my shyness.

Sold my house to do some travelling. The intention was to land in Bangkok and travel south to Australia to get the bug out of my system before returning back home and settling. I had a decent job a Nationwide-wide Life waiting for me (they gave me a sabbatical)

I chose to stay in Thailand. Personal reasons aside, I think most people that come to Thailand would quite to stay. I was one of those that did.

I have never regretted it.

Very jealous.  Would love to move abroad, my shyness was stop me though, couldn't up sticks on my own.

[Flashheart]

Very jealous.  Would love to move abroad, my shyness was stop me though, couldn't up sticks on my own.

If you really want to do it then just take the plunge. Or you could just read about other people doing it 

[Peter Gibbons]

If you really want to do it then just take the plunge. Or you could just read about other people doing it 

I'll do the latter and just try to get as many holidays in per year as I can, that has taken the edge of the desire a little bit

[LucienSanchez]

Any place in particular?

I quite like the idea of Canada or Germany, would consider the US too. To raise a family (as I'd be getting on towards that), it'd have to be somewhere relatively developed and 'easy'. Would love to end up somewhere warm and Latin though, learn the language, enjoy the culture, relax and that.

[Flashheart]

I've always fancied South America myself.

[RobertT]

I quite like the idea of Canada or Germany, would consider the US too. To raise a family (as I'd be getting on towards that), it'd have to be somewhere relatively developed and 'easy'. Would love to end up somewhere warm and Latin though, learn the language, enjoy the culture, relax and that.

The US will be predominantly Hispanic within a few years anyway, so that covers off your Latin requirement.

Brother has just gone to Munchen to work, will keep you posted - seems a bit expensive and high in tax but early remarks are good beer (knew this from visiting already) and cheap wine.

[Honkytonk]

I like how this has turned into a 'living abroad is better than Swindon' thread.

Honestly though, I'd be quite happy to be living in the US/Asia/South America. I want to take the plunge but lack of money is always the problem. I really want to get out there and explore some more before it creeps up on me that I've hit the age where it's not really doable. I don't want to be someone who wishes they'd done all that stuff in their life when they're emibittered and ancient.

Sounds like a plan.  I'd suggest a TEF weekend trip but everyone on here is a cunt

Well, we could draw Swansea/Cardiff in the cup this year (presuming we get that far), in which case that's a goer.

[4D]

Why leave Calne when the world is so accessible? I wouldn't have it any other way.

[Baggins]

To take the thread a completely different way - I haven't lived in Swindon since I was 18, and now I am 29.  I've always lived in the UK.  Since leaving Swindon, I have been to uni, which I loved, I've met the woman of my dreams and got married, and I have two kids, who are now my whole world.

None of my family live in Swindon anymore.  The last to leave was my Mum, and she left about 8 years ago.

Yet - in some internal way, I still miss it, and on the odd occasion I go back it feels like home.
But its memories, not the place.  And in the end, memories are about people, not places.  The place reminds you of people.  But people are what matter - what I remember when going to Swindon is my childhood.

Not sure what my point is - but it might be the old classic of "you can never go back".

I get nostalgic sometimes.  Sorry.

[Peter Venkman]

Never fancied moving abroad partly due to my health problems but fair play if you can do it and want to.

Born and bred in Swindon until I was 20 then I have lived in Hammersmith for a 3 years while at Uni and wierdly I loved it but missed Swindon really badly, I lived for a few months in Exeter, Bristol and Bournemouth, Guildford then back to Swindon until 2000 when I moved to Yeovil with my new wife and then moved to Crewkerne and then been in Chard since 2004.

I do miss Swindon, its a lot better place to live than most people realise who actually live there, its only when you move to a quiet town you realise the amenities that you miss especially if you enjoy shops/eating out/fast food/entertainment/public transport etc.

In Chard we have 2 chip shops, 2 indian restaurants, 2 chinese restaurants and one kebab house/pizza place, all of which with the exception of the kebab shop shut at 8.30 every day of the week, but we do have 10 pubs in a town of 10,000 inhabitants. We have about 6 buses a day to Taunton and Yeovil.

If I want to buy anything we have a small Tesco and an even smaller Co-op and Sainsbury all of which shut by 10pm but the nearest large Tesco or Asda are both 20 miles away as is the nearest Macd and any other named fast food/large retailer.

But on the plus side.....I love the quiet and lack of hassle, everything in South Somerset/Devon is at a much slower pace than the rest of the country!

I am a 10 minute drive from the beaches of East Devon at Beer and Seaton and also Lyme Regis is only 15 minutes away. The lack of crime, mind you that helps living next door to the Police Station.

Local farms sell rough scrumpy at about £1 a pint and its good stuff.

Would I go back to Swindon.....yes.....would I rather live there over where I am now....I doubt it.

Life is what you make it where you make it.

[tans]

What kind of indian restaurants shuts at half 8 in the evening?!?