Bath (rental, insurance, new house)

[Bardot]

My husband is considering a relocation from Chicago to Bath; I'm curious what the general opinion on Bath is? It seems like everywhere in England it's overpriced to live, but where does Bath lay on that spectrum? Is a car absolutely necessary? Is it on the up and up or going downhill? How are the schools? Any negatives? My husband is English, but hasn't lived there since childhood. Thanks in advance!

[kas982]

Yes it's expensive. It's a very small town made wealthy by tourism & a lot of rich people want to live there + it's very difficult to build new houses due to planning laws.
It can never ever go downhill.... EVER! It will always be more expensive every year, same as London, Cambridge, Oxford & any other town in the UK that rich people want to live in.
You only need to car to go out of the town, parking is difficult in the summer & can get pricey. Just use a bike to get around town.
Most ordinary folk dont live in the town center, can't afford to. If you & your husband have been given a place to live in the center, i'd ride that gravey train for as long as you can.

[Rubi3]

I was in so many places when in England, but missed Bath. I've always regretted not going, but people said everyone goes to Bath and that caused me not to go. If everyone went, I didn't want to.

[Jezer]

Bath lies at the high end of the pricing spectrum, especially for outside London.

It's what you'd expect for a place that contains a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Needless to say it is a lovely place and is a tourist place all year round. It's not so bad in low season but I avoid it in the high season.

I live about an hour away and go there to meet up with our daughter, who is at university nearby.

Avoid the centre, where there are limited facilities for locals, such as supermarkets, and it shouldn't be so overwhelming. You also are able to get to some other lovely places, and indeed the train link to London is good.

Dependent on the package that you were offered it would be a shame to pass up on such a wonderful opportunity.

Here's a recent shot;

[dizzybint]

We only went last year on our way back from Cornwall but didnt reget it. a vibrant lovely city..

[Jan Alaska]

Bath is a beautiful city made popular by the Georgians as a spa town.

Look online for demographics for the area which should give you an idea of housing types and costs. Any good realtor (called an estate agent in the UK) should be able to help you with areas with good schools and facilities.

A car probably isn't necessary as bus services are good but many large grocery stores are now out of town and require a car unless you are comfortable with toting your weekly shop on a bus. Also I'm sure you will want to explore the English countryside and other cities. Tax and insurance in the UK are based on engine size, I know this goes against everything you know from living in the US but a 1.6 engine in a midsize car really will get you everywhere you need to go, also don't be afraid of looking at diesels, diesel is clean and priced competitively in the UK and many diesel cars get excellent MPG. (recently had an Audi A3 on rental over there with a 1.8 diesel that gave 70mpg)

[Jezer]

Actually, many supermarkets deliver an internet order to your door, so that's made things easier for many.

[Star10101]

I agree with everyone else - it's really nice there.

[Bardot]

Thank you for all of the advice, I greatly appreciate it