Going to be new to the area, whats around Taunton?

[VeegasRS6]

All,

Me and the other half are going to be moving to Somerset in early July, after deciding on a move from the very congested South East to somewhere a bit quieter. I've been offered a job (Somerset CC based at Taunton) and our house here has sold so everything seems to be a bit up in the air!

Were thinking of renting for 6 months to get things a bit settled down before buying again and hoping for a bit of advice on areas to look for / avoid.

I've had a good look through the thread a couple down about areas to consider (but he's got a bit of a broader search area than me!) but some personal experience would be most welcome.

Ideally I'd want to be within 45 minutes of Taunton, but I understand it's pretty rubbish getting towards County Hall in the morning and out in the evening. The Quantock Hills looks nice, as does the north area of the Blackdown Hills, we've got two big dogs so good walking is pretty important.

Also (most importantly!) does the area have a fairly good PH meet calendar, or regular events going on?

Thanks in advance

Steve

[VeegasRS6]

Thanks all for the feedback so far, I'll keep an eye out for those areas, and get myself registered with some estate and letting agents. I'll definitely pop along to Haynes, I'm not really into the car 'scene' like drifting or hillclimb, but its just nice to have a good chat, bacon sarnie and a cuppa with a group of like minded souls every now and again.

Dixy; without wishing to sound like a local government officer (code for that's exactly what I'm going to do) not my department fella; if you'd like to take a numbered ticket and join the back of the queue over there ------>, someone will be with you this decade

I've now got to figure out how to get three cars from East Sussex to Somerset, when the OH doesn't like driving on motorways!

[VeegasRS6]

All - thanks again for the suggestions and pointers.

I think we've decided on renting for 6 months or so, just to get a (little) bit of the stress and hassle out of the new job, new area, complete life upheaval that I've managed to instigate!

I was hoping that the traffic wouldn't be too bad, and if we end up not being too far away all the better. I take it the rural A and B roads are quite nice for a spirited drive if I do end up a bit further out?

Giles - thanks very much, I've put a request through.

[VeegasRS6]

Daston said:

Welcome to the area....well when you arrive.

What department will you be working in? I live on the East side of town out towards Monkton Heathfield, getting into county hall by car takes around 15 - 20 min during rush hour but thankfully I can walk along the canal in 30 min (even quicker when I get a bike).

As others have said Haynes breakfast club is a must, Wiscombe hillclimb is a good one to go to and if you like a car show then Thornfalcon garage holds one at the Mount Somerset Hotel September that has a very good turn out.

Adult Social Care; so based at County Hall.

There has been a couple of rentals come up, one in Heathfield and one in Lydeard St Lawrence, both of which look quite nice and the 'right' side of Taunton.

Thanks for the suggestions of roads, it's always good to get an idea of nice areas to start exploring.

Anyone know a good car transport company based in the area, I've got my MR2 turbo that I'll probably need to get moved that way, as SHWBO will be driving her's via the A303, I'll probably lead her that way in the RS6.

Cheers Steve

[VeegasRS6]

Munter said:

Midlifecrisis71 said:

Firstly, traffic in Taunton is NOTHING compared to the Southeast - don't worry too much. When people down here talk about traffic chaos they generally mean it took 10 minutes ! They have never sat on the M40 or M25 for 4 hours without moving !

I think the thing is people don't expect the 3 miles from (the wrong side of), the center of town, to the M5, to take 40 minutes. But it does. 25 on a good day I'll grant you. But that's nipping out of work a few minutes early. It should only be 8 or 9 minutes with no traffic.

I've been doing that once a week on various weekdays, for the last 7 years, and it's always the same.

Right now at before 16:00 you can already see the hot spots showing up: https://goo.gl/maps/9BuKvN5CAsD2

Wherever you are living, you want it to be on the same side of town that you work in.

It currently takes me 45 minutes to cover 11/12 miles, so as long as it's not as bad as that, I'll be happy.

[VeegasRS6]

67Dino said:

Just to add that one of the things I love about living here since we moved is having Carrs Ferrari in Exeter for my maintenance and servicing. Promise I'm not being paid for this (does sound like an advert I know!), but these guys deserve a shout out, they really do. First supercar garage I've used that actively look for ways to keep the bill down for you (eg offering reconditioning or fixes instead of new parts), and the quality of their work and general customer service is amazing.

What with the beautiful scenery, winding country roads, and generally low level of traffic, really is the ideal place to own a Ferrari. Although no local Owners Club branch at the moment, which maybe suggests otherwise...

Thanks for the suggestion, I think the RS6 would look a little out of place in a Rari garage, but that is something to think about, I'll need to find a decent garage to look after the fleet.