Why move to Bath?

Everyone knows about the Royal Crescent, about Jane Austen or Beau Nash but what is it actually like living here?

Community - Often described as a large village (For reasons good and bad) Bath is in fact a series of villages united by the Georgian centre. Each community has its own separate identity, as well as charm and character. They range from Georgian and earlier villages like Weston (West) , Larkhall (East) or Widcombe and Combe Down to the South , to Victorian and Edwardian suburbs like Newbridge, Oldfield Park or Poets Corner. These communities in the main are served by their own primary and secondary schools and have their own shops and local amenities. A good thing to remember in Bath is that you are rarely much more than 3 miles walk from the city centre. Modern housing in the main is focused in the South West corner of the city.

Schools - Bath has an excellent selection of schools whether state or private and whether infants, primary or secondary.
State schools -  Sought after primary schools include St Stephens in Lansdown (North), Widcombe Juniors (South) and  St Mary's Bathwick (South East). Of our State Secondary Schools Ralph Allen (Mixed and South) is rated 'good' , Beechen Cliff  (Boys only also South) and Hayesfield (Girls only) 'rated good with some outstanding features'. St Gregorys Roman Catholic (mixed) and Oldfield Girls school rated as 'outstanding'.
For a full listing try - http://bit.ly/dzMPPp.
Private schools - A wide choice is available with their own established feeder schools for prep and pre-prep to the seniors including Monkton Combe School, Prior Park and King Edwards School to the South  or Kingswood and Bath royal High School for girls to the North.
For more details try - http://bit.ly/cCirsL. 

Transport Links - By rail from Bath Spa Station will take 10-20 minutes to Bristol (every 15 minutes), Takes 90 minutes to London and 26 minutes to Swindon(every half-hour). Junction 18 M4 with links to London  and North Bristol and to the Midlands and South West via the M5  is 10 miles north of Bath at Tormarton.

Shopping - With a delightful mix of small private boutiques and strong local businesses all the major retail names are to be found in Bath. Of particular note on the more intimate sale has been the recreation and reinvention of the former 'Shires Yard ' to 'Milsom Place'. Those looking for some thing grander will be drawn to the more imposing Southgate Project in Bath.

Traffic and Parking - Bath is a small city and a delight to walk in, just as well since our stunning Georgian streets were not designed for cars. Parking is zoned in the central and outlying areas up a mile from the city centre. There is a strict system of bus gates in the very centre closing it during working hours to all but commercial traffic.  Pay and display parking on road is limited and expensive as are the Car Parks  which now operate the 'Pay on foot' system.   That said for those coming from outside there is an excellent park and ride system offering routes in from all  four points of the compass.

Sport - The recreation ground in Bath is well known as the home  of Bath Rugby club and whilst an afternoon cheering from the stands is hard to beat there are many other attraction including 'The Bath Half Marathon (March) , Cricket at the Bath Cricket Ground, Football at Bath City Football Club and Horse Racing at Bath Race Course on Lansdown. For those of a more mechanical bent Motor Racing at Castle Combe is not too far away.

Events - With the Theatre Royal in Saw Close and so many museums, galleries and superb venues there are festivals and event within the city all year round. For classical music lovers these might be the Bach or Mozart Festivals in October and November, alternatively The Bath folk festival in August or The Bath literature festival in February and March. Topped of by the Christmas market from the end of November there's plenty going on.

For more information on Bath
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/Jan/24/property-homes