Although home to lush green spaces, the bustling harbour and tranquil riversides, one thing Bristol is admittedly missing compared to other West Country destinations is the seaside. For beach lovers hoping to stay close enough to the action, the North Somerset coast is starting to lure some house-hunters away from the city.
Last year a property agent spoke of how Bristol residents were rushing to buy in Weston-super-Mare thanks to the slightly lower prices and investment in the area, and now it seems it could be the turn of a neighbouring town. This year Kirstie Allsopp, who co-presents Channel 4 property show Location, Location, Location, spoke of the "super friendly" community in Clevedon and how it could be a great alternative for Bristol buyers.
During the Bristol episode of the series, which aired in late May, she admitted to "taking a gamble" in showing house-hunters Sue and Samira a property in Clevedon despite their search being centred in the city. They were looking to relocate from London after 30 years and were firm on £280,000 as their absolute maximum budget.
Read more: Zoopla's most viewed property in Bristol is a £165k three-bed house
Kirstie said on the show: "It's a beautiful coastal town, but it's 13 miles out of the city.
"There's a great community feeling here. There's also easy access to the motorway, meaning they can be back in Bristol in just 25 minutes."
Although that might be an optimistic estimate given the usual M5 traffic, Google Maps does log the journey as 'typically 28-40 minutes' from Clevedon Beach to the city centre depending on the route. Kirstie added during the episode: "I've lost count of the amount of people who have come up and told us that they love being here, that it's a fantastic community, that it's super friendly.
"It's completely different [to Bristol] - you've got the sea, you've got the greenery, you've got the community. Bristol - where's that?"
In January this year, Clevedon ranked as one of the best places to live in the UK, according to a list of 200 locations released by estate Agent Strutt and Parker. It was described as an "independently minded" town with elegant Victorian villas, independent shops and eateries, and possibly the country's prettiest pier.
According to Zoopla records, the average sold price for a property in Clevedon in the last 12 months is £355,024. That's not much cheaper than the average sold price for a property in Bristol in the last 12 months, which is £361,837.
However, terraced homes in Clevedon were significantly less expensive on average, at £284,676 compared to £344,356 in Bristol. That could be skewed by the numbers, though - Clevedon's figure is based on just 66 sales compared to a whopping 2,601 sales in the city.
Up next:
