Anyone here from the Malvern/Ledbury area?

[surrey7er]

Hi folks,

I am considering moving to the Malvern or Ledbury type area and have just started my research...

Really was interested in any info at all really, such as which are the nice areas, what is the 'lifestyle' like there, what are the amenities and shops like, how are the transport links etc etc...

any comments gratefully received...

thanks

[madmover]

Malvern is a lovely place to live, we have alot of friends over there and did once look at moving there ourselves, if you didnt need to move to that area or was flexible i live in Barnt Green which is about 30miles away, all i can say is i love it, you have alot of great scenery, peace and quiet, the golf course, great pubs and the village is filled with great people including a few celebrities! and its got some superb roads!! have a look around see what sort of areas you can afford/want to live in and google them specificly and have a look. id recommend where i live (still live with my mum and dad) and one day i hope to buy a house here myself if i can afford it, but if you wanted alternatives and that sort of distance was feasible then take a look at Barnt Green. sorry i cant be of more help with regards to Malvern but from what our friends say it too seems a lovely place.

Edited by madmover on Friday 14th May 18:23

[itiejim]

I live in Cradley, a village about 5/6 miles from Malvern or Ledbury. I suppose, as with most things, whether you like it will depend on what you are are used to and what you are looking for.

Both towns are well linked to the Midlands or the south via the M50 / M5. Though the commute to Birmingham from Malvern is a little more tedious as you have to go all the way through Malvern and over the river bridge to get onto the motorway - not a PH sort of road... I remember, growing up near Ledbury, that it used to be a real hick town, very Herefordian. However, over the last 10 years in particular it has become quite upmarket and is full of interesting shops etc. In this respect I prefer it to Malvern. Also, the fact that Malvern is really a series of villages which have grown and merged (Great Malvern, Malvern Link, Malvern Wells etc) means that there's no real centre as such and to me it feels that there is less sense of community for that reason. House prices are generally higher in Ledbury though.

The Hereford side of the Malvern Hills is the more interesting geographically, less overcrowded and offers a great selection of driving roads; the A449 from Ledbury to Ross-on-Wye, or the B4220 / B4214 to Bromyard and Tenbury Wells. Wales is just on the doorstep as well if you fancy exploring some of their (well surfaced and abandoned) roads.

There are plenty of good restaurants, events at Eastnor Castle (including The Big Chill in August), the acclaimed theatre at Malvern and a good selection of cultural points of interest (often linked by good driving roads), so a bit for everyone.

As you can probably see from the above, personally I prefer the Ledbury side of the hills to the Malvern side, however, it does depend on where you have to commute to etc, so must be a personal choice. I know that often people moving to the area come to work at QinetiQ, if you are going there then it's an easy run over British camp from Ledbury.

If you are looking at the villages, I would suggest that you have a look at Colwall, right on the (western) side of the hills and well served with post office, a couple of shops, railway station, pharmacy etc. Cradley is also well served, though no station, it has better links to Worcester / Hereford as it is near the A4103. Both have excellent primary schools. You could also look at Eastnor, Upton on Severn etc - let me know if you need any other specific guidance.

Good luck, James.

[surrey7er]

thanks guys!

all info very helpful... The wife and I are currently mulling things over!