Moving to Winchcombe?

Steam train? We've missed that one, must add it to the bucket list.

Go for it! We moved to a market town in a new area when we were 70 and it was an excellent decision. We did lots of research on the area and had a list of must haves. Must be within walking distance of shops, must have good bus services (e.g. to nearest city and nearest station), must have access to open green areas for walking, must have active U3A... Be aware that you may have to give up driving at some stage. Ten years on, I am at that stage now and so grateful for good bus services and a bus stop just round the corner. I wish you well with your decision.

I am living not too far from Winchcombe. You might like to look at Bishops Cleeve. Lots of activities going on including Probus, WI, U3A and a Bishops Cleeve Senior Citizens Club. regular bus service to Cheltenham. It even has it's own bookshop.

spabbygirl

I live in Cirencester in the cotswolds & have done for 17yrs, its fantastic, the countryside is gorgeous there are loads of places to go if you want to go to a big city Oxford, Bristol, Bath or Birmingham are within an hours drive. I love it, my husband moved here too when I met him 16yrs ago & he loves it too. We have a tiny hospital here but there is a big one in Cheltenham & another in Glos if you need it, or Swindon has a good hospital but that not near winchcombe. You could rent your house out & rent in winchcombe just to be sure you like it, but I highly recommend the cotswolds

The hospitals.

Friday 20 October as at 1210pm TODAY!

CHELTENHAM GENERAL
A&E department
LIVE waiting times are as follows
Number of people waiting in the department = 50
Average wait time to be seen by a clinician = 37 minutes
Average time spend in the department = 3 hours
A&E is 'clinician led' between 0830 and 2000 hours, and 'nurse-led' between 2000 and 0830 (minor injuries) - if you call an ambulance in the evening you will automatically be whisked to the GLOUCESTERSHIRE ROYAL

GLOUCESTERSHIRE ROYAL HOSPITAL
A&E department
LIVE waiting times are as follows
Number of people waiting in the department = 87
Average wait time to be seen by a clinician = 4 hours
Average time spend in the department = 8 hours

There are frequently ambulances queued up outside waiting for admission of patients - anything from 3 to 6/7 ambulances. The South Western Ambulance service is in pretty dire straits.

Getting an ambulance is pot-luck. My OH waited over 6 hours after a fall where he lay in pain stuck over the rim of the shower tray (which broke his ribs), face down near the plug hole, unable to move. The fire brigade tried to raise him but couldn't and they were too afraid to move him too much for fear of inflicting serious injury.

On the other hand, I waited only 37 minutes for an ambulance for a suspected bowel obstruction.

The GLOUCESTERSHIRE ROYAL simply has too many people attending and not enough clinicians, doctors, nurses, etc, etc.

... and - this is a purely personal POV... it's an ugly and depressing building. Whenever I've had the misfortune to end up there, the Tower Block fills me with unease and melancholy:

www.gloshospitals.nhs.uk/media/images/IMG-20220405-WA0003.original.jpg

And the building work appears to be a permanent feature.

The Cotswolds is a lovely area - but it's as well to understand that it suffers from the same malady regarding hospitals / health care, as the rest of the country.

Hi Granva,
I know Winchcombe pretty well and we tried very hard to buy a house there. Sadly, we couldn’t sell our house in time so lost the house we were after. Anyway, I think Winchcombe is a super town, with beautiful walks, homes and friendly people. If you are looking in this area, I’d also recommend that you consider Prestbury. Look along the Burgage area, Lake Street and Shaw Green Lane. Lovely walks from there too, around the Racecourse or up Cleeve Hill. There are very friendly locals in Prestbury and it’s only a short walk, bike ride or bus journey to the centre of Cheltenham and all the facilities that has to offer.
Best wishes on your move.

Frizzywizzy

Hi Granva,
I know Winchcombe pretty well and we tried very hard to buy a house there. Sadly, we couldn’t sell our house in time so lost the house we were after. Anyway, I think Winchcombe is a super town, with beautiful walks, homes and friendly people. If you are looking in this area, I’d also recommend that you consider Prestbury. Look along the Burgage area, Lake Street and Shaw Green Lane. Lovely walks from there too, around the Racecourse or up Cleeve Hill. There are very friendly locals in Prestbury and it’s only a short walk, bike ride or bus journey to the centre of Cheltenham and all the facilities that has to offer.
Best wishes on your move.

... I'd recommend Prestbury too!

Dickens

spabbygirl

I live in Cirencester in the cotswolds & have done for 17yrs, its fantastic, the countryside is gorgeous there are loads of places to go if you want to go to a big city Oxford, Bristol, Bath or Birmingham are within an hours drive. I love it, my husband moved here too when I met him 16yrs ago & he loves it too. We have a tiny hospital here but there is a big one in Cheltenham & another in Glos if you need it, or Swindon has a good hospital but that not near winchcombe. You could rent your house out & rent in winchcombe just to be sure you like it, but I highly recommend the cotswolds

The hospitals.

Friday 20 October as at 1210pm TODAY!

CHELTENHAM GENERAL
A&E department
LIVE waiting times are as follows
Number of people waiting in the department = 50
Average wait time to be seen by a clinician = 37 minutes
Average time spend in the department = 3 hours
A&E is 'clinician led' between 0830 and 2000 hours, and 'nurse-led' between 2000 and 0830 (minor injuries) - if you call an ambulance in the evening you will automatically be whisked to the GLOUCESTERSHIRE ROYAL

GLOUCESTERSHIRE ROYAL HOSPITAL
A&E department
LIVE waiting times are as follows
Number of people waiting in the department = 87
Average wait time to be seen by a clinician = 4 hours
Average time spend in the department = 8 hours

There are frequently ambulances queued up outside waiting for admission of patients - anything from 3 to 6/7 ambulances. The South Western Ambulance service is in pretty dire straits.

Getting an ambulance is pot-luck. My OH waited over 6 hours after a fall where he lay in pain stuck over the rim of the shower tray (which broke his ribs), face down near the plug hole, unable to move. The fire brigade tried to raise him but couldn't and they were too afraid to move him too much for fear of inflicting serious injury.

On the other hand, I waited only 37 minutes for an ambulance for a suspected bowel obstruction.

The GLOUCESTERSHIRE ROYAL simply has too many people attending and not enough clinicians, doctors, nurses, etc, etc.

... and - this is a purely personal POV... it's an ugly and depressing building. Whenever I've had the misfortune to end up there, the Tower Block fills me with unease and melancholy:

www.gloshospitals.nhs.uk/media/images/IMG-20220405-WA0003.original.jpg

And the building work appears to be a permanent feature.

The Cotswolds is a lovely area - but it's as well to understand that it suffers from the same malady regarding hospitals / health care, as the rest of the country.

We recently attended the funeral of a friend (he was in his 90s when he died) and, living on the borders, he had spent time in a Welsh hospital and some time in the Gloucester Royal. His son said the care at the Gloucester Royal was far superior to that in the Welsh hospital (I won't name it).
Of course, it is all probably dependent on which department you are in.

Perhaps the answer is to rent there during a less attractive time of year and see how you like it? I'm sure that there would be holiday lets available during the less popular winter months.
We have a holiday home in Dorset and had considered moving there when we retired but have realised that we are not country dwellers.

Thank you, Dickens in particular, and everyone who has replied. A lot of food for thought.

We might, of course, end up staying where we are and spending money on this house. It’s in a good position for getting older, bus into town goes past the door, supermarket 5 minutes walk away, trains to Birmingham, countryside outside our back gate, manageable garden; oh dear!

We live in Winchcombe and have done for the last 7 years. No regrets at all. There are 4 pubs, 2 restaurants, several coffee shops, a butcher and an excellent deli. There is a good community feeling and a thriving u3a. It’s a centre for walking and cycling in the glorious countryside all around. Highly recommended.

There is also a florist, hardware shop, two excellent beauty salons, a good hairdresser, optician, dental surgery, bakers, a really good gift shop which also sells books and a dog grooming business. The nearest railway station with good direct service to London is Evesham. You can get to Birmingham but have to change. We don't bother with Cheltenham railway as it is more expensive and takes longer. We love it here.

Yangste1007

There is also a florist, hardware shop, two excellent beauty salons, a good hairdresser, optician, dental surgery, bakers, a really good gift shop which also sells books and a dog grooming business. The nearest railway station with good direct service to London is Evesham. You can get to Birmingham but have to change. We don't bother with Cheltenham railway as it is more expensive and takes longer. We love it here.

Do you know what's happening to the Post Office service - whether it's open or not?

I keep getting conflicting information from residents, and I haven't been able to go and find out for myself!

I have moved 19 times as an adult and 6 as a child and not to do with the forces, So I pass on the tips that I think might help . This is a good time to go and do b and b or rent a flat or something for a couple of weeks. Looking at somewhere when it is miserable weather and not a holiday gives you a far better idea of what it is like to live there rather than be a visitor. You can also sit down now and write a list of the things that you do or that mean a lot to you, so you may be a gardener, sing in a choir, go walking etc. If you go to the local library there they will have up to date information about all sorts of societies, so you will find out what is available in your new area. Wander about and look at the gardens, this will tell you what sort of soil is the norm there and you will see the various types of gardens round about. Check out how many different doctors surgeries there are and the hospital. If you belong to something like WI or Rotary contact the branch in the new area and get some up to date ideas from them. Think of the worse scenario and look at how many and what sort of care homes etc are about and what reputation the local hospital has. Then think of the area you want to live in and the things that you would probably do regularly. So for instance how far is the nearest swimming pool and could you get to it easily by bus. So go and stay with your list of things to check up on, notice which are the very busy roads in the area and is there one area where you only have one possible way out say over a river bridge. If you have no choice then should there be major roadworks you would be stuck getting in and out of that road. Look at some old local papers and get the present one sent to you to where you live now. That local news will tell you what is going on and also you will see the pattern of which areas seem to get the most problems at night, noise or disturbance etc and other areas will appeal to you more. Look in the local council offices and check up if there are plans to do a lot more building in an area that now seems pleasant. Come home and have chance to think about what you found. Then have another visit at perhaps February as a rather bleak and cold month. Once you have decided on roughly the area you would hope to buy somewhere then look at costs , such as bus cost into the centre, parking areas, ease of shopping areas to visit etc. The next thing I would say is to do what we did. When you find a place that seems to be a possibly buy, draw the house to scale on grid paper, then cut out shapes of your furniture and move it about and work out what will go where. A lot easier than moving the actual furniture!! I am sure that once you start looking you will think of all sorts of other things you might want to check up on. At the worst you will have spent a smallish amount checking it out , and if you decide it is not what you thought it was you will have found out before you actually move. Then you may decide to remain in the area you live in now but perhaps find a better house there, or you will then have a good idea as to the sort of area you are looking for. But the first thing to do now before anything else, is each of you individually write a note to yourself to say why you want to move and what you hope for etc. Close that up and then when you move or when you have a horrible day, look at your leter and remind yourself why and what you are looking for. I wish you all the very best

For Granva, yes, far worse places than the Cotswolds, and that town is OK, though as Dickens says (like so many places now!) not quite as good as it was. Cheltenham is OK, and bits of Gloucester are too, though look closer and I think you'll see rather too many run-down bits. Did someone say Tewkesbury? Careful, likely to be under water every other year?! Moreton in Marsh is OK (got trains too, in a limited way), but as some have said, swerve Broadway and Bourton, both get jampacked with tourists. Stay somewhere there for a week or two, travel around, get a better feel for things?

Personally, I'd sooner move to somewhere at or close to a coast, as we like the sea, Somerset, East Anglia, or most of the S Coast could be considered, though Cornwall is too far, and the hospital ratings have to be considered too these days! We visited Ludlow and Shrewsbury last year, both have lots of attractions, (& nowhere near sea!) BUT we heard that the hospital trust there is just hopeless!

DrWatson

For Granva, yes, far worse places than the Cotswolds, and that town is OK, though as Dickens says (like so many places now!) not quite as good as it was. Cheltenham is OK, and bits of Gloucester are too, though look closer and I think you'll see rather too many run-down bits. Did someone say Tewkesbury? Careful, likely to be under water every other year?! Moreton in Marsh is OK (got trains too, in a limited way), but as some have said, swerve Broadway and Bourton, both get jampacked with tourists. Stay somewhere there for a week or two, travel around, get a better feel for things?

Personally, I'd sooner move to somewhere at or close to a coast, as we like the sea, Somerset, East Anglia, or most of the S Coast could be considered, though Cornwall is too far, and the hospital ratings have to be considered too these days! We visited Ludlow and Shrewsbury last year, both have lots of attractions, (& nowhere near sea!) BUT we heard that the hospital trust there is just hopeless!

The truth is DrWatson, the whole nation is now showing its raggedly bits here and there.

Austerity, Brexit, the Pandemic - have all taken their financial toll. The "tough decisions" that government takes doesn't only affect people's personal income / benefits - those cuts mean services like road sweeping, potholes, street planting, etc, get pared down to the very basics. Amenities - like public toilets, get closed because they're too expensive to maintain... desperate people then start peeing up against the nearest wall. Here in Winchcombe, the main thoroughfare at one point was littered with debris - dust, dirt, discarded confectionary packaging; the planters were left bare and then become receptacles for rubbish. Gloucester Street - when it rains - floods over because the drains are blocked with debris and straw from the passing farm vehicles which blocks the drains. Street signs get defaced with graffiti which is only removed when the residents decide to do something about it. Low-level crime and anti-social behaviour proliferates because there's no police around to stop it - our community police have gone.

And gradually the decline shows, continues and becomes a permanent fixture. But it's not just Winchcombe, it is happening everywhere. And not just in the UK either.

The solution is obvious, but I'm not going to turn this thread into a political debate, so I'll just leave it at that.

But it is very depressing and soul destroying to watch the slow decay and decline.

Dickens

Yangste1007

There is also a florist, hardware shop, two excellent beauty salons, a good hairdresser, optician, dental surgery, bakers, a really good gift shop which also sells books and a dog grooming business. The nearest railway station with good direct service to London is Evesham. You can get to Birmingham but have to change. We don't bother with Cheltenham railway as it is more expensive and takes longer. We love it here.

Do you know what's happening to the Post Office service - whether it's open or not?

I keep getting conflicting information from residents, and I haven't been able to go and find out for myself!

The Post Office is still closed and nobody seems to know if or when it will reopen. The nearest PO is in Alderton, a few minutes drive away.

Taka

Dickens

Yangste1007

There is also a florist, hardware shop, two excellent beauty salons, a good hairdresser, optician, dental surgery, bakers, a really good gift shop which also sells books and a dog grooming business. The nearest railway station with good direct service to London is Evesham. You can get to Birmingham but have to change. We don't bother with Cheltenham railway as it is more expensive and takes longer. We love it here.

Do you know what's happening to the Post Office service - whether it's open or not?

I keep getting conflicting information from residents, and I haven't been able to go and find out for myself!

The Post Office is still closed and nobody seems to know if or when it will reopen. The nearest PO is in Alderton, a few minutes drive away.

👍👍

I watch Bargain Hunt and often there are retiring couples moving to large properties with a lot of garden but they don’t consider that one may be left alone and/or have to give up driving. I live in a village. We used to have bakers butcher etc now even the banks in nearest town are closed. Used to be buses to many towns now only one to one town daily. The surgery is overwhelmed. Have to wait two weeks even to get an appointment. Hospitals thirty miles away. All this applies to small towns all over the country.

Bijou

I watch Bargain Hunt and often there are retiring couples moving to large properties with a lot of garden but they don’t consider that one may be left alone and/or have to give up driving. I live in a village. We used to have bakers butcher etc now even the banks in nearest town are closed. Used to be buses to many towns now only one to one town daily. The surgery is overwhelmed. Have to wait two weeks even to get an appointment. Hospitals thirty miles away. All this applies to small towns all over the country.

All so very true, Bijou.

The continuing loss of amenities and shops in towns and villages effectively means that unless you are quite active, and / or drive - you can become very isolated. If you cannot get to the supermarkets or other large outlets then shopping online is the only alternative.

I understand 'changing times' - it's not a new thing, but I'm not convinced that losing local shops is a good change, nor even necessarily inevitable. But if local councils are starved of cash and have to recoup through various measures including high rents to business premises, then the local baker and butcher will obviously eventually disappear.

In Winchcombe people do use these shops - because they are there and a short walking distance for very many, in spite of the fact that people also shop online. So I'm not convinced that online-shopping is the sole culprit for the slow death of towns and villages.

To me it appears that the infrastructure is slowly dying because money is being sucked out of the economy via continuing spending cuts (and there's more to come apparently).

My late grandmother who lived in a very small village in Lincolnshire used to walk to the butcher, baker and small grocery store virtually every day - in spite of being in her 80s - as did other elderly people. It not only kept the village alive, it possibly contributed to their wellbeing. Because the village thrived, younger people moved there - and because there was a good bus service, it didn't matter if they didn't have a car; they actually used to catch a bus to go to work.

I visited the village a while back, and it has quite simply, died. Most of the shops have gone, the local pub looks like it's not far from its demise, the whole place has an air of neglect and decay. There are a lot of cars - because the bus service was axed decades ago. What is happening (according to the remaining residents) is that small businesses - like a car-repair 'garage' for example, are opening up and in fairly quick succession, closing down again. The local church and church yard has had to be closed because structurally it needs some maintenance, but that's unaffordable, the grass is overgrown, the headstones are crumbling behind the locked gates. I shall not return.

I know that times change, but I'm not sure it was meant to be quite like this.

madeleine45 thank you for your detailed and thoughtful post. We have lived in the same house for 43 years, so the opposite of your experiences! We do plan to go and stay and see what Winchcombe looks/feels like on a wet November Monday, or February for that matter.
bijou Yes, we have considered the prospect of being widowed (widower-ed?) and also of being much less able than we are now. It will affect what kind of house and garden we look for.
And thank you, all you Winchcombe residents, for all the detail you have provided. It is encouraging that you all seem to like living there, despite recent changes.

... good luck, with whatever you decide!

Bijou

I watch Bargain Hunt and often there are retiring couples moving to large properties with a lot of garden but they don’t consider that one may be left alone and/or have to give up driving. I live in a village. We used to have bakers butcher etc now even the banks in nearest town are closed. Used to be buses to many towns now only one to one town daily. The surgery is overwhelmed. Have to wait two weeks even to get an appointment. Hospitals thirty miles away. All this applies to small towns all over the country.

Do you mean '*Escape to the Country?*

Granva

madeleine45 thank you for your detailed and thoughtful post. We have lived in the same house for 43 years, so the opposite of your experiences! We do plan to go and stay and see what Winchcombe looks/feels like on a wet November Monday, or February for that matter.
bijou Yes, we have considered the prospect of being widowed (widower-ed?) and also of being much less able than we are now. It will affect what kind of house and garden we look for.
And thank you, all you Winchcombe residents, for all the detail you have provided. It is encouraging that you all seem to like living there, despite recent changes.

I think you may want to consider somewhere else now to move to Granva 😁
The East of the country is drier and house prices cheaper too.

I'd still prefer Gloucestershire .....

Monmouthshire and Herefordshire are lovely too 🙂

But they're all rather hilly!