What's Ottery St Mary (West Hill) like?

[anonymous-user]

Anyone from down that way on here? Me and the g/f fancy a radical change and it's close enough to where we are now not to be too far away but the surrounding countryside is stunning and not too far from the beaches. Just keen to know what the lifestyle is like - are there good restaurants/cafes etc. I like the cosmopolitan feel of Poole so trying to understand how that would compare.

Thanks
Gary

[TDIfurby]

Just drove through it

Very rural and I think there's a lot of money around that way. Very close to Woodbury Common for a bit of wilderness. Very convenient location for A30 dual carriageway. Not sure on the life there etc, but Exmouth/Exeter are within easy reach.

What else do you need to know?

Edited by TDIfurby on Friday 18th June 19:45

[wessexrfc]

West Hill, very nice, but has a feel of "Gods waiting room" Your near Honiton, not much there, OSM, quiet, Exeter, good selection of restaurants, Sidmouth, “Gods bigger waiting room, complete with sea views” Cullopton, don’t bother. Countryside, fantastic and worth it all!!! best of luck with your decision.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks chaps!! I went there on Thursday to view a property but did not have much time to get a good look at surrounding area, hence the question.

I'm not a nightclubbing regular but, being a young 47, not ready to hang up my party shoes yet I want peace and tranquility at home, somewhere to walk to dog but with the ability to take a £10/20 taxi ride and be somewhere with a little more atmosphere for an evening out (nice restaurant/cafe/bar).

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 19th June 11:21

[TDIfurby]

Well Woodbury Common is the logical dog walking area - good few square miles of wilderness, but its about a 5 to 10 minute drive from West Hill itself. There might be parks etc in the village as it is very rural.

£10 taxi should see you into Exeter, but might be £15. Plenty of life there for a small place.

If you like golf, Woodbury Park golf club is very decent indeed. We play there once a week via a little competition we have over the summer with work. It helps they are clients of ours though.

[anonymous-user]

TDIfurby said:

Well Woodbury Common is the logical dog walking area - good few square miles of wilderness, but its about a 5 to 10 minute drive from West Hill itself. There might be parks etc in the village as it is very rural.

£10 taxi should see you into Exeter, but might be £15. Plenty of life there for a small place.

If you like golf, Woodbury Park golf club is very decent indeed. We play there once a week via a little competition we have over the summer with work. It helps they are clients of ours though.

My dad has already said there MUST be a good golf club nearby

[TDIfurby]

garyhun said:

My dad has already said there MUST be a good golf club nearby

Then Woodbury Park should fit the bill. Decent 9 hole course for people like me (still kind of learning. Handicap of 22 to 26 variable) and a championship 18 hole course I have still to play, but will be playing this year for our end-of-season day. Looking forward to it.

As the name suggests Woodbury Park golf club is right on/next to Woodbury Common.

There is also a reasonable course in Honiton, on the outskirts. They do good deals on twilight 18 holes - £13 from memory for after 4pm.

Edited by TDIfurby on Saturday 19th June 15:24

[anonymous-user]

TDIfurby said:

garyhun said:

My dad has already said there MUST be a good golf club nearby

Then Woodbury Park should fit the bill. Decent 9 hole course for people like me (still kind of learning. Handicap of 22 to 26 variable) and a championship 18 hole course I have still to play, but will be playing this year for our end-of-season day. Looking forward to it.

As the name suggests Woodbury Park golf club is right on/next to Woodbury Common.

There is also a reasonable course in Honiton, on the outskirts. They do good deals on twilight 18 holes - £13 from memory for after 4pm.

Edited by TDIfurby on Saturday 19th June 15:24

Cheers! I've put an offer in on the property today. Below another but that one is in a chain whereas I am cash buyer. Will see how we go!!

[wessexrfc]

garyhun said:

TDIfurby said:

garyhun said:

My dad has already said there MUST be a good golf club nearby

Then Woodbury Park should fit the bill. Decent 9 hole course for people like me (still kind of learning. Handicap of 22 to 26 variable) and a championship 18 hole course I have still to play, but will be playing this year for our end-of-season day. Looking forward to it.

As the name suggests Woodbury Park golf club is right on/next to Woodbury Common.

There is also a reasonable course in Honiton, on the outskirts. They do good deals on twilight 18 holes - £13 from memory for after 4pm.

Edited by TDIfurby on Saturday 19th June 15:24

Cheers! I've put an offer in on the property today. Below another but that one is in a chain whereas I am cash buyer. Will see how we go!!

Great, hope all goes well for you.

[anonymous-user]

wessexrfc said:

garyhun said:

TDIfurby said:

garyhun said:

My dad has already said there MUST be a good golf club nearby

Then Woodbury Park should fit the bill. Decent 9 hole course for people like me (still kind of learning. Handicap of 22 to 26 variable) and a championship 18 hole course I have still to play, but will be playing this year for our end-of-season day. Looking forward to it.

As the name suggests Woodbury Park golf club is right on/next to Woodbury Common.

There is also a reasonable course in Honiton, on the outskirts. They do good deals on twilight 18 holes - £13 from memory for after 4pm.

Edited by TDIfurby on Saturday 19th June 15:24

Cheers! I've put an offer in on the property today. Below another but that one is in a chain whereas I am cash buyer. Will see how we go!!

Great, hope all goes well for you.

Thanks Paul! I've done all I can so will just wait to see if it's meant to be.

[flow99]

Seems that most have answered your questions and you've put your offer in, so good luck.

Lived in East Devon, for last 20 years or so, and would certainly recommend it. Although West Hill doesn't have good restaurants (none there!) there are several around the area, and not too far into Exeter.

Otherwise, Woodbury Park is a good golf course, with leisure facilities.

Exeter Audi are good to deal with for your R8.

Finally, if you like rugby, Exeter Chiefs have just been promoted to the premiership, so there'll be top class rugby in the area.

[VladD]

Living in West Hill will mean you also get to go to Tar Barrels every November 5th.

Does Nigel Mansell still own Woodbury Golf course anyone? I think he still owns the karting centre up at Dunkeswell too.

[flow99]

VladD said:

Living in West Hill will mean you also get to go to Tar Barrels every November 5th.

Does Nigel Mansell still own Woodbury Golf course anyone? I think he still owns the karting centre up at Dunkeswell too.

Mansell sold Woodbury Park about 2 years ago, and his house about a year or so before that.

[VladD]

I lived in OSM for 5 years. OSM itself is OK. Plenty of useful shops for a small town. There are 4 pubs, of which the best is the London Inn, but none of them are brilliant. There's a nicer one out of OSM and up the hill to the crossroads called The Hare and Hounds. Does a good carvery, but gets very busy at weekends.

There are a couple of restaurants, but they change hands so often I'm not sure what they will be now. There's one on the high street and one up by the police station (called the Normandy House). It used to be really nice place, but last time I was there it was an Indian (a decent one, but not exactly gourmet cooking).

The other good thing about the location is that you're quite close to Exeter airport, so going away on your hols is very easy. FlyBE is the main airline and goes to quite a lot of places.

Can't think of anything else at the moment, but if you've got any specific questions then let me know.

[VladD]

Just thought of something else. There's a little place called Tipton St John not far away. Has a good pub and also a very good small garage. They get some interesting cars in there. Probably not what you need for the R8, but if you had some other playthings, then I found their service very good.

[TDIfurby]

flow99 said:

VladD said:

Living in West Hill will mean you also get to go to Tar Barrels every November 5th.

Does Nigel Mansell still own Woodbury Golf course anyone? I think he still owns the karting centre up at Dunkeswell too.

Mansell sold Woodbury Park about 2 years ago, and his house about a year or so before that.

And the client of my work bought both off him. Can't say any more than that for confidentiality reasons obviously.

Edited by TDIfurby on Monday 21st June 18:05

[maniac0796]

West hill is somewhere which you drive through, and think "this looks like a really nice place to live." Except when you live there, if you're under some rediculous age, it's pretty dire.

Amentities in west hill are: One garage, hairdresser, an overpriced shop, and a british legion club.

However, it is right next to the A30, which is roughly 4 minutes away from the M5, and 10 minutes away from the A35. The closest town is obviously Ottery, which has a few pubs, and independant shops. I don't really go down there much, don't know anyone there, don't really intent to. However, sidmouth is only 6 miles away, and again, it's overrun with the elderly (but then most of east devon is) but has a generally nicer atmosphere, and one truely appaling night club called carina's, which is worth going in for a laugh on a saturday night. Takes about 15 mins for me to get into the centre of exeter, and that's at what I consider civil driving speeds, although I also don't go the congested main routes into the centre.

Golf courses include axe cliff in seaton, sidmouth, woodbury which nigel mansell plays at sometimes, honiton, lyme regis, and there's probably more about.

Anything else you want to know? I lived in seaton for 16 years, and west hill for 3 but spent a large majority of that down in sidmouth, so i know quite a bit around here

[maniac0796]

flow99 said:

VladD said:

Living in West Hill will mean you also get to go to Tar Barrels every November 5th.

Does Nigel Mansell still own Woodbury Golf course anyone? I think he still owns the karting centre up at Dunkeswell too.

Mansell sold Woodbury Park about 2 years ago, and his house about a year or so before that.

I think he still owns the karting in dunkeswell. Keep seeing his face in the local paper when someone complains of noise after moving next to an airfield and karting track a few months beforehand.

And that garage in tipton always has something interesting parked outside it. They've got a dyno down there aswell, if you're into that sort of thing.

[Porlock]

And dont forget you are only a short distance from Wiscombe Park Hillclimb

http://www.wiscombepark.co.uk/

One of the most scenic in the U.K.

[Prestige Detail]

garyhun said:

Anyone from down that way on here? Me and the g/f fancy a radical change and it's close enough to where we are now not to be too far away but the surrounding countryside is stunning and not too far from the beaches. Just keen to know what the lifestyle is like - are there good restaurants/cafes etc. I like the cosmopolitan feel of Poole so trying to understand how that would compare.

Thanks
Gary

You will be closer to me

Hope all goes well