Anyone live in the Axminster area?

[LostGoddess]

I was just wondering if there are any grapes in and around the Axminster area?
We are thinking of moving there and I would love to have some real life feedback on the pros and cons of the area...
We had never been that far east in Devon until the past few days, where houses for sale drew us there. Our first impression is that it is very nice! Pleasant countryside, Axminster looks like a nice little town to have on the doorstep and Lyme Regis a nice place too... you can sense the limit of my experience from the lack of adjectives here! So if anyone can help me out with their opinions that would be a big help, it is so difficult to get a feel for a new place in short visits, frustrating! We are basically looking for a move away from the rat race to a slower and more sustainable lifestyle. We will need to make new friends ofcourse, so things like local community would be important to us.
TIA,
Andrea

[jackie j]

Not sure about as a place to live as its a bit far from us. Lovely area not been that way for a while. Would you need to commute and if so where to. I think you will need to stay for a while, how about renting till you see what its like, someone could tell you its lovely lots to do etc but you may find its not your cup of tea, we are all different in what we want. Good luck with your search. Are you at home now.

[LostGoddess]

Thanks Jackie
Yes, we are back up north now, got back at 3am *yawns* ... we were supposed to stay longer and I was hoping we could have paid you a visit, but would you believe my OH was so worried about his tomato plants that he wanted to make a dash for it! guess that goes with the gardening territory

We won't be commuting as such. We have a business up here that can be run day-to-day by the staff and we can do alot of our work remotely. We would probably travel up north once a month just to do what can't be done from afar.
But moving down and renting doesn't seem to be an option for us, it's complicated. Plus, we have been looking for a year now all over Devon and Cornwall and we have hesitated on some good places and lost out. Now the market is picking up, if we hesitate too much we will price ourselves out of a move altogether!

[jackie j]

I think then you will have to go with your gut instinct. I am sure there is someone on here who lives nearer than I do but cant think who. Did you pick up any info on the area. How did you feeel about the property you saw. Make a list of pro's and con's.

[enrich100]

I don't live in Devon I am a neighbour as i'm in Somerset, my relatives live in Cornwall + my favorite fishing Beaches are Lyme Regis and the neighbouring Chesel Beach
so I might be in the right position to talk, I can tell you that us West Countrymen and Woman are not that bad (Only 3 witches burned this month), I don't know what you need to know but I can answer some questions on the area,
If transport was a issue I would advise Somerset as we are in Easy reach of the motorways and Stations but far enough away from city life, Devon is quite good but obvious further down the South West corridor, pace of life is slower the further south you go, when you Get to the borders of Cornwall it can almost grind to a halt ( which is why I love it so much. The only real issue is the lack of public transport but if you drive thats not a worry, I have driven through Axminster on many occasions I even have a carpet from there, it seems a lovely place, can't comment on the locals but most of us are pretty friendly bunch down here
this might help with your choice (probably not)
Neil

[LostGoddess]

Thanks for your replies Jackie and Neil

I guess my questions are impossible ones to answer anyway, because everyone is different and we could all have different perceptions of a particular place anyway!
Neil, you are spot on with what you say about pace of life in the different counties and ofcourse transport issues. It's the thing that puts me off going too far into Cornwall... it's a longer trek back up north from there, not only for business but my family are all in the Midlands.
Jackie I guess you are right that we will have to rely to a large extent on our gut feelings about a place. On the same day we saw the place in Axminster, we saw another property near Exeter, which in alot of ways is a better place... but it just didn't 'feel' as good, and our route out via the ring road around Exeter didn't help its case much... it's funny how you can be influenced by things other than the actual property.
I am going to do some research on the net about the area and see how we feel from that. The only real info we have to go on so far is the drive there and back, the hour we spent in Lyme Regis, seeing the signs for the country market in Axminster (townies are suckers for that stuff haha!) and the local newspapers I bought. Not much to base such a big decision on really!

[jackie j]

Go on come this way lol. Nice Market town, easy access to M5, moors not too far in one direction, sea not far in the other, cornwall about an hour or so away.

[pdblake]

Doesn't HFW have his River Cottage shop there?

[enrich100]

HFW Farm is on the Devon Dorset border, and yes he has a shop in Axminster

[enrich100]

one of the issues you mention is visiting your relatives, the rule of thumb is the further south you go the bigger the house you need to buy, you won't need to visit relatives as they will find any excuse to visit you, thats why when my father moved to Cornwall he bought a B&B now he can charge them rent and make some money out of them (jk)

[LostGoddess]

Go on come this way lol. Nice Market town, easy access to M5, moors not too far in one direction, sea not far in the other, cornwall about an hour or so away.

LOL Jackie, do you work for the tourist board? We always had our heart set on your area but we have been looking on and off for a year and can't find anything that we like, with more than an acre, in the right place and within our budget. And with the way the market is picking up it doesn't look like we would be able to afford that area for much longer. We looked at one in Bovey Tracey this time round but it wasn't really suitable.

Neil, I hope you are right about family and friends descending on us once we're in a holiday spot, I would love that! especially as there will be plenty of work for them to pitch in with in return for bed and breakfast
And don't mention HFW! I am trying NOT to be influenced into living in Axminster just because of the River Cottage connections. He's a bit of a hero of mine

[smallblueplanet]

I like the area around Seaton, it seems a nice little town.
We birdwatch at the local hides on the marshes.
Seaton - Devon
They have a fun tramway from Colyton that I'd like to have a go on. Seaton Tramway
Wouldn't mind living down that way, prefered East Devon to Dorset oddly enough even though they're 'next door'.

[LostGoddess]

Thanks for that Manda, this is all good info! I am ashamed to admit that I have lived in Blackpool for 8 years and never set foot on a tram!

[Hilary B]

My sister has a B&B place west of Bridport. Not so very far from that area......
Lyme Regis is nice, as long as you don't want to drive through.... (unless they have improved the road out of all recognition in the recent past)

[Comfreyfan]

East Devon is a lovely area, gorgeous countryside, some great little towns and villages (my only gripe is that the locals can't afford to live there!). Axminster's not that far from me and if I found a house I loved, I'd happily move there. You're not too far from the M5. You've got Exeter and Taunton or even Bristol within easy distance when the shopping bug hits and you've got the coast - what more could anyone want! Be aware if you move to the South West - your journey can take significantly longer during the summer!