Living in Bath and North East Somerset

Bath has been a popular place to live since the Roman times, and for good reason. Live in Bath and work locally or, like many OHFT colleagues, use it as a base to commute to Swindon or Wiltshire.

The beautiful architecture

Residents of Bath can’t miss the daily beautiful views of the hills and parks accompanying the famous Georgian landscape. The city is a full of stunning architecture, with plenty of opportunities to get off the beaten track and discover hidden gems and quiet corners.

The vibrance

Bath has a fantastic range of events, festivals and exhibitions which take place in and around the city. The food and drink scene is diverse and there are options to suit everyone.

It punches above its weight in terms of cultural offerings and hosts the Literature, Music and Comedy festivals, as well as Bath Fashion Week and the Bath Digital Festival.

The shopping

Bath’s is famous for its shopping and includes a wide range of big brands, independent shops and boutiques. There are seasonal markets and plenty of little alleyways and backstreets to discover.

Education

Bath has an excellent reputation for education with a lot of academies and highly ranking schools to choose from. It also has two universities – Bath University and Bath Spa.

North East Somerset

North East Somerset is made up of the Somer Valley, the Chew Valley and the area of Keynsham.

The Chew Valley area is a largely rural area and has been identified as an area of outstanding natural beauty. It is located to the west of Bath and has strong links to Bristol.

Keynsham is one of the larger towns and lies between the cities of Bath and Bristol, providing strong links for both. Keynsham is a market town that has seen recent regeneration creating an interesting hub for businesses and visitors.

Useful information

Transport

The M5 runs through Somerset and connects Bristol with Exeter, other key roads include the A37 and A38, which also link Somerset to Bristol.

Somerset is served by the West of England Main Line, the Bristol to Exeter Line, Heart of Wessex Line and the Reading to Taunton Line. As such, there’s excellent connections to the south west and the south east.

Further information on travelling in North East Somerset can be found by visiting travelwest.info

Lettings and estate agents

North East Somerset is well served by local independent estate agents as well as the large ‘chain’ estate agents. Websites are a very useful tool for finding properties. Some estate agents have their own or include details of their properties on estate agency group websites or general property websites.

The following websites can help you with your search:

• Right Move
• Zoopla

Places of worship

There are many places of worship throughout North East Somerset. Further information can be found via the link below.

• www.banes-sacre.com/visiting-places-of-worship

Schools

You can find a list of all schools in North East Somerset by visiting: www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/schools-colleges-and-learning

Alternatively, to look at the details of specific schools or carry out a more refined search, you can use the DirectGov schools finder. This will also provide the school’s website, address, and performance scores.

• www.gov.uk/school-performance-tables

Shops

There are a number of independent retailers as well as the expected antique shops in the historic settlements. You will also find fresh produce on offer in the farm shops and a variety of art and craft work in the villages.

There are large shopping centres in Bath and Bristol or you have the designer outlet stores in Shepton Mallet and Street.