Cardiff - good place to buy?
Discussion
tleefox said:
We personally hated Cardiff - both myself and Mrs L-F are English, and on occasion you do very much feel like an outsider and that you are not welcome. I'm not talking about having doggy-do thrown at you for walking down the street or anything like that, more that the Welsh are very proud people and patriotic and if you don't get into that, you do feel like an outsider. I would bear this in mind if you have children as it is something they will be exposed to at some point - apologies to the Welsh people if this sounds offensive, I'm only calling it as I see it.
"Feeling like an outsider" is what pretty much most people feel when they move to a different culture. If you embrace that, there's not usually an issue. Lots of English people express surprise when they head to the Celtic fringes and find that the culture is different, and then they get all defensive because they weren't expecting to feel like an outsider "in their own land" and start perceiving slights where there are none. My English uncle has lived in Welsh-speaking Wales for nearly 40 years now and still loves it, partly because he made an effort to join in and partly because he never expected it to be the same as Kent.There are parts of England with a strong regional identity, and if you wander around the Yorkshire Dales (for example) sounding like Del Boy or Hugh Twistington-Smythe then you will eventually attract some comment from a local (hopefully in jest) and possibly feel that you are not quite part of the local community that have been there forever but, so what? You've as much right to be there as anyone else and, if you are friendly, other friendly folk will gravitate towards you.
As a Welshman in England I have to put up with some reasonably frequent sheep "jokes" and a heap of ill-informed comment by people who have rarely (if ever) ventured west of the Severn (or anywhere else that doesn't speak English) but I don't let it bother me. I am grateful to the small-minded for identifying themselves so that I don't have to waste my time talking to them.
As others have pointed out, Cardiff is a pretty cosmopolitan place with a large university population who are mostly from outside Wales, a big TV and media sector and plenty of English and other non-Welsh living there (Cardiff has had a big Somali community since the 19c)so I have no doubt the OP will fit in if he joins in. On rugby days, enjoy and participate in the banter - it is usually always good-humoured.
Help to buy only goes up to houses max of 300k in wales.
Im English and never had any problems, but the welsh tafia is hard to break when it comes to business.
For your budget I would like pontcanna or roath if urban is what you are after. Or dinas Powys, penarth or cowbridge for places a little further out.
Im English and never had any problems, but the welsh tafia is hard to break when it comes to business.
For your budget I would like pontcanna or roath if urban is what you are after. Or dinas Powys, penarth or cowbridge for places a little further out.
AlfaPapa said:
great butchers, grocers and wine merchant. 
Wine merchant is gone 
We even have a coop now. There was a lot of protesting against that happening, but it's here. Still feels wrong going there though! We do have a decent local brewery though (pipes).
Inner city cardiff (eg walkable to the centre) is very studenty. Pontcanna is the only bit worth buying in, but the prices are massively higher than the other areas. Llandaff is another good one, but a little further out. Roath park is good, but mainly just housing and not much else. Roath below the park is basically wall to wall students!
SwissJonese said:
Same here as I work from home, so don't get chance to meet people, but everyone I have met has been very friendly.
State schools in Cardiff are excellent, look at reports for Radyr, Lisvane (primary), Cardiff High and even the Catholic schools like Corpus Christi, all pretty good.
If you play tennis consider David Lloyd center as is very popular, plus also has a great pool and where I take my 3 year old twins swimming.
Ex Corpus Christi person here. Still an OK school, think i'd rather send a kid to Cardiff High these days though (although that's got problems itself!).State schools in Cardiff are excellent, look at reports for Radyr, Lisvane (primary), Cardiff High and even the Catholic schools like Corpus Christi, all pretty good.
If you play tennis consider David Lloyd center as is very popular, plus also has a great pool and where I take my 3 year old twins swimming.
David Lloyd is OK. Decent facilities, arguably pricey for what it is.
Really think you wouldn't go a million miles wrong with Cyncoed / Lakeside for £600k. Cardiff High catchment, close to Roath Park Lake. Easy to get into town and the motorway. Not many pubs (the Discovery is decentish after the refurbishment) though and maybe a bit too suburbia (if you wanted a bit less suburbia then try Roath Park area / Penylan for a little more inner cityish.
Pontcanna is OK, full of the taffia though. That said - I'm biased being from the other side of the taff!
Bristol for £600k means BS9 if you utterly insist on detached and have a good tail wind, this one probably not achievable (I'd expect this to go for 625+) but it is close to outstanding state schools (ignore this bizzare "you have to go to Backwell" nonsense on here, yes it has a state school with a good reputation, but the one in Thornbury (BS35, northern opposite of Backwell) did too, now its flunking), so being somewhere with choice would be a wise move imo)
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope... lovely high street with good mix of independent shops, small cinema and Waitrose, close to the open space of Durdham Downs and easy ride to the city centre. A fantastic place for a kid to grow up and plenty to do on the doorstep.
This one has 540 written all over it, shame the vendor was hoodwinked by the EA pre- Christmas and still thinks it has nigh on 600 potential, its OTT at this money, has 5/6 car garage (or could house some of your business), again close to good schools and easy/ quick bus shoot up the hill in to town
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
I'd start at 510 for this one, been on a while (started at 6 I think), should really be a generous 3 bed http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
Long Ashton (BS41) is close to the centre but has a village-y feel, with most amenities on a main thoroughfare. Many small estates have big detached exec "could be anywhere" houses on but there is still character and charm if you look for it- http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
Personally I'd reassess the necessit of detached, in super prime areas (BS6, 7, 8) you have no chance of a family suited home, and you really would be limiting yourself in much of the Bristol area.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope... lovely high street with good mix of independent shops, small cinema and Waitrose, close to the open space of Durdham Downs and easy ride to the city centre. A fantastic place for a kid to grow up and plenty to do on the doorstep.
This one has 540 written all over it, shame the vendor was hoodwinked by the EA pre- Christmas and still thinks it has nigh on 600 potential, its OTT at this money, has 5/6 car garage (or could house some of your business), again close to good schools and easy/ quick bus shoot up the hill in to town
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
I'd start at 510 for this one, been on a while (started at 6 I think), should really be a generous 3 bed http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
Long Ashton (BS41) is close to the centre but has a village-y feel, with most amenities on a main thoroughfare. Many small estates have big detached exec "could be anywhere" houses on but there is still character and charm if you look for it- http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
Personally I'd reassess the necessit of detached, in super prime areas (BS6, 7, 8) you have no chance of a family suited home, and you really would be limiting yourself in much of the Bristol area.
Grew up in Penarth. Live just outside.
My take.
Penarth: Retire there. Some decent areas, but can look like a scene from Cocoon. Stanwell a good school as in the brand new St Cyres. Town looks tired.
Dinas Powys: old village lovely. Close to town, woods, tennis, cricket rugby and football clubs ....could go on. I'm biased.
Cyncoed: a welsh Milton keynes, soulless and full of Jags. A masons wet dream. Large detached properties...detached generally.
Radyr: Lovely. What Cyncoed can only dream of being. Good schools and sports clubs, particularly tennis. Pretty.
Llandaff: as above. Good schools, rowing club and centre with Cathedral etc. Twee, but great for City Centre. BBC HQ.
Pontcanna: Guardian readers que up to live here. I lived her for 10 years before the Tristrams. If I were single, then would look here, close to town pretty housing, a buzz. North end of Cathedral Road more desirable. Ignore the black polar necks.
Cowbridge: tries too hard. The centre of The Vale. 50+ year old women preen on a Saturday, with their dominated blow dried husbands in tow. Mock Tudor at its worst, with the Vale a lonely place. Prefer to call it Upper Bridgend.
All have easy access to welsh coast, mountains with surfing and MTB on your doorstep. Driving roads are sublime up through Black Mountains. City Centre now superb, great restarants, bars, great university, National stadium, white water centre, snow dome, Bay Area, sailing, superb culture with WMC etc. Cardiff couldn't be more cosmopolitan.
Bristol ?.....because you're 20 minutes closer to London ?.
My take.
Penarth: Retire there. Some decent areas, but can look like a scene from Cocoon. Stanwell a good school as in the brand new St Cyres. Town looks tired.
Dinas Powys: old village lovely. Close to town, woods, tennis, cricket rugby and football clubs ....could go on. I'm biased.
Cyncoed: a welsh Milton keynes, soulless and full of Jags. A masons wet dream. Large detached properties...detached generally.
Radyr: Lovely. What Cyncoed can only dream of being. Good schools and sports clubs, particularly tennis. Pretty.
Llandaff: as above. Good schools, rowing club and centre with Cathedral etc. Twee, but great for City Centre. BBC HQ.
Pontcanna: Guardian readers que up to live here. I lived her for 10 years before the Tristrams. If I were single, then would look here, close to town pretty housing, a buzz. North end of Cathedral Road more desirable. Ignore the black polar necks.
Cowbridge: tries too hard. The centre of The Vale. 50+ year old women preen on a Saturday, with their dominated blow dried husbands in tow. Mock Tudor at its worst, with the Vale a lonely place. Prefer to call it Upper Bridgend.
All have easy access to welsh coast, mountains with surfing and MTB on your doorstep. Driving roads are sublime up through Black Mountains. City Centre now superb, great restarants, bars, great university, National stadium, white water centre, snow dome, Bay Area, sailing, superb culture with WMC etc. Cardiff couldn't be more cosmopolitan.
Bristol ?.....because you're 20 minutes closer to London ?.
Robbo66 said:
Grew up in Penarth. Live just outside.
My take.
Penarth: Retire there. Some decent areas, but can look like a scene from Cocoon. Stanwell a good school as in the brand new St Cyres. Town looks tired.
Dinas Powys: old village lovely. Close to town, woods, tennis, cricket rugby and football clubs ....could go on. I'm biased.
Cyncoed: a welsh Milton keynes, soulless and full of Jags. A masons wet dream. Large detached properties...detached generally.
Radyr: Lovely. What Cyncoed can only dream of being. Good schools and sports clubs, particularly tennis. Pretty.
Llandaff: as above. Good schools, rowing club and centre with Cathedral etc. Twee, but great for City Centre. BBC HQ.
Pontcanna: Guardian readers que up to live here. I lived her for 10 years before the Tristrams. If I were single, then would look here, close to town pretty housing, a buzz. North end of Cathedral Road more desirable. Ignore the black polar necks.
Cowbridge: tries too hard. The centre of The Vale. 50+ year old women preen on a Saturday, with their dominated blow dried husbands in tow. Mock Tudor at its worst, with the Vale a lonely place. Prefer to call it Upper Bridgend.
All have easy access to welsh coast, mountains with surfing and MTB on your doorstep. Driving roads are sublime up through Black Mountains. City Centre now superb, great restarants, bars, great university, National stadium, white water centre, snow dome, Bay Area, sailing, superb culture with WMC etc. Cardiff couldn't be more cosmopolitan.
Bristol ?.....because you're 20 minutes closer to London ?.
That's some great local input, thanks! Hadn't really looked over at Rydr or LLandaff which look pretty nice as well as being central. Will do some house searches there too.My take.
Penarth: Retire there. Some decent areas, but can look like a scene from Cocoon. Stanwell a good school as in the brand new St Cyres. Town looks tired.
Dinas Powys: old village lovely. Close to town, woods, tennis, cricket rugby and football clubs ....could go on. I'm biased.
Cyncoed: a welsh Milton keynes, soulless and full of Jags. A masons wet dream. Large detached properties...detached generally.
Radyr: Lovely. What Cyncoed can only dream of being. Good schools and sports clubs, particularly tennis. Pretty.
Llandaff: as above. Good schools, rowing club and centre with Cathedral etc. Twee, but great for City Centre. BBC HQ.
Pontcanna: Guardian readers que up to live here. I lived her for 10 years before the Tristrams. If I were single, then would look here, close to town pretty housing, a buzz. North end of Cathedral Road more desirable. Ignore the black polar necks.
Cowbridge: tries too hard. The centre of The Vale. 50+ year old women preen on a Saturday, with their dominated blow dried husbands in tow. Mock Tudor at its worst, with the Vale a lonely place. Prefer to call it Upper Bridgend.
All have easy access to welsh coast, mountains with surfing and MTB on your doorstep. Driving roads are sublime up through Black Mountains. City Centre now superb, great restarants, bars, great university, National stadium, white water centre, snow dome, Bay Area, sailing, superb culture with WMC etc. Cardiff couldn't be more cosmopolitan.
Bristol ?.....because you're 20 minutes closer to London ?.
Robbo66 said:
Grew up in Penarth. Live just outside.
My take.
Penarth: Retire there. Some decent areas, but can look like a scene from Cocoon. Stanwell a good school as in the brand new St Cyres. Town looks tired.
Dinas Powys: old village lovely. Close to town, woods, tennis, cricket rugby and football clubs ....could go on. I'm biased.
Cyncoed: a welsh Milton keynes, soulless and full of Jags. A masons wet dream. Large detached properties...detached generally.
Radyr: Lovely. What Cyncoed can only dream of being. Good schools and sports clubs, particularly tennis. Pretty.
Llandaff: as above. Good schools, rowing club and centre with Cathedral etc. Twee, but great for City Centre. BBC HQ.
Pontcanna: Guardian readers que up to live here. I lived her for 10 years before the Tristrams. If I were single, then would look here, close to town pretty housing, a buzz. North end of Cathedral Road more desirable. Ignore the black polar necks.
Cowbridge: tries too hard. The centre of The Vale. 50+ year old women preen on a Saturday, with their dominated blow dried husbands in tow. Mock Tudor at its worst, with the Vale a lonely place. Prefer to call it Upper Bridgend.
All have easy access to welsh coast, mountains with surfing and MTB on your doorstep. Driving roads are sublime up through Black Mountains. City Centre now superb, great restarants, bars, great university, National stadium, white water centre, snow dome, Bay Area, sailing, superb culture with WMC etc. Cardiff couldn't be more cosmopolitan.
Bristol ?.....because you're 20 minutes closer to London ?.
Completely agree on this analysis. Also on bristol, I wouldn't move there if you paid me.My take.
Penarth: Retire there. Some decent areas, but can look like a scene from Cocoon. Stanwell a good school as in the brand new St Cyres. Town looks tired.
Dinas Powys: old village lovely. Close to town, woods, tennis, cricket rugby and football clubs ....could go on. I'm biased.
Cyncoed: a welsh Milton keynes, soulless and full of Jags. A masons wet dream. Large detached properties...detached generally.
Radyr: Lovely. What Cyncoed can only dream of being. Good schools and sports clubs, particularly tennis. Pretty.
Llandaff: as above. Good schools, rowing club and centre with Cathedral etc. Twee, but great for City Centre. BBC HQ.
Pontcanna: Guardian readers que up to live here. I lived her for 10 years before the Tristrams. If I were single, then would look here, close to town pretty housing, a buzz. North end of Cathedral Road more desirable. Ignore the black polar necks.
Cowbridge: tries too hard. The centre of The Vale. 50+ year old women preen on a Saturday, with their dominated blow dried husbands in tow. Mock Tudor at its worst, with the Vale a lonely place. Prefer to call it Upper Bridgend.
All have easy access to welsh coast, mountains with surfing and MTB on your doorstep. Driving roads are sublime up through Black Mountains. City Centre now superb, great restarants, bars, great university, National stadium, white water centre, snow dome, Bay Area, sailing, superb culture with WMC etc. Cardiff couldn't be more cosmopolitan.
Bristol ?.....because you're 20 minutes closer to London ?.
Robbo66 said:
Grew up in Penarth. Live just outside.
My take.
Penarth: Retire there. Some decent areas, but can look like a scene from Cocoon. Stanwell a good school as in the brand new St Cyres. Town looks tired.
Dinas Powys: old village lovely. Close to town, woods, tennis, cricket rugby and football clubs ....could go on. I'm biased.
Cyncoed: a welsh Milton keynes, soulless and full of Jags. A masons wet dream. Large detached properties...detached generally.
Radyr: Lovely. What Cyncoed can only dream of being. Good schools and sports clubs, particularly tennis. Pretty.
Llandaff: as above. Good schools, rowing club and centre with Cathedral etc. Twee, but great for City Centre. BBC HQ.
Pontcanna: Guardian readers que up to live here. I lived her for 10 years before the Tristrams. If I were single, then would look here, close to town pretty housing, a buzz. North end of Cathedral Road more desirable. Ignore the black polar necks.
Cowbridge: tries too hard. The centre of The Vale. 50+ year old women preen on a Saturday, with their dominated blow dried husbands in tow. Mock Tudor at its worst, with the Vale a lonely place. Prefer to call it Upper Bridgend.
All have easy access to welsh coast, mountains with surfing and MTB on your doorstep. Driving roads are sublime up through Black Mountains. City Centre now superb, great restarants, bars, great university, National stadium, white water centre, snow dome, Bay Area, sailing, superb culture with WMC etc. Cardiff couldn't be more cosmopolitan.
Bristol ?.....because you're 20 minutes closer to London ?.
My take, we moved into the area recently and had a blank canvas on where to go with a young daughter and schools to consider: My take.
Penarth: Retire there. Some decent areas, but can look like a scene from Cocoon. Stanwell a good school as in the brand new St Cyres. Town looks tired.
Dinas Powys: old village lovely. Close to town, woods, tennis, cricket rugby and football clubs ....could go on. I'm biased.
Cyncoed: a welsh Milton keynes, soulless and full of Jags. A masons wet dream. Large detached properties...detached generally.
Radyr: Lovely. What Cyncoed can only dream of being. Good schools and sports clubs, particularly tennis. Pretty.
Llandaff: as above. Good schools, rowing club and centre with Cathedral etc. Twee, but great for City Centre. BBC HQ.
Pontcanna: Guardian readers que up to live here. I lived her for 10 years before the Tristrams. If I were single, then would look here, close to town pretty housing, a buzz. North end of Cathedral Road more desirable. Ignore the black polar necks.
Cowbridge: tries too hard. The centre of The Vale. 50+ year old women preen on a Saturday, with their dominated blow dried husbands in tow. Mock Tudor at its worst, with the Vale a lonely place. Prefer to call it Upper Bridgend.
All have easy access to welsh coast, mountains with surfing and MTB on your doorstep. Driving roads are sublime up through Black Mountains. City Centre now superb, great restarants, bars, great university, National stadium, white water centre, snow dome, Bay Area, sailing, superb culture with WMC etc. Cardiff couldn't be more cosmopolitan.
Bristol ?.....because you're 20 minutes closer to London ?.
Penarth. Lovely seafront walk and pier. Some nice housing stock (very very expensive) and some overpriced turd (also expensive). Stick a for sale sign on a dogs
t and watch the cash roll in. 
One good school, one crap one. St Cyres may be being rebuilt but it's ratings have been dire for a long time. You have to live in the right bit of Penarth (the bottom half) to get into Stanwell. Do your research!Dinas Powys. School catchment unfortunately St Cyres - see above. Didn't consider any further.
Cyncoed: Lovely housing stock, bugger all else there apart from the school.
Radyr: See Cyncoed. Really, there's nothing there apart from the tennis club. Is that where everyone goes? There seems to be no community 'hub'.
Llandaff: Seemed ok but traffic everywhere, a bit city urban.
Cowbridge. Lovely little country town (sorry, but it is). Perhaps a bit try hard with it's boutique shops, but lots of lovely little pubs and restaurants and a great school. Consequently house prices are bonkers - see Penarth.
The Vale. It's either for you or it isn't, sorry robbo your Bridgend comment I find a bit odd! You may as well call Cyncoed Upper Splott. Lots of pretty little villages with a pub and small communities. In the end it wasn't for us although we did consider it.
We chose Brynsadler in the end. Great pub on the doorstep, 5 mins walk to Pontyclun High St with all the shops you need, few more pubs, train station and you're in Cardiff Central in 12 mins, Y Pant is an excellent school with a silly name, good motorway access.
I've also lived in Bristol. It's a lovely city if you pick the right area. We moved out because it's fundamentally flawed - it's on the wrong side of the bridge
It's not though according to the school rankings, and was being monitored by Estyn?
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/st-cy...
http://www.estyn.gov.uk/english/provider/6734067/
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/st-cy...
http://www.estyn.gov.uk/english/provider/6734067/
I lived in Cardiff for 18 months for work, and the only reason I moved out again was again, a change of work location.
I loved it so much there that at least twice a year we book into a hotel and spend a long weekend back there.
Its really fab, everyone is SO friendly, great social scene, plenty on independent shops/bars, you have the city centre and the bay, lots of activities too.
Id say Cardiff is your best bet! id move back there in a heartbeat.
This is coming from someone thats lived in London, Leicester, Milton keynes, Leeds and Wokingham, and been to many many more places.
I loved it so much there that at least twice a year we book into a hotel and spend a long weekend back there.
Its really fab, everyone is SO friendly, great social scene, plenty on independent shops/bars, you have the city centre and the bay, lots of activities too.
Id say Cardiff is your best bet! id move back there in a heartbeat.
This is coming from someone thats lived in London, Leicester, Milton keynes, Leeds and Wokingham, and been to many many more places.
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