Here at Van Man Removals Tiverton we can highly recommend Mid Devon as a great place to live although we are a little biased.
Mike who runs Van Man Removals and Storage moved to Tiverton from Exeter about 10 years ago and finds it a great place to live. These are his thoughts…
Tiverton is located in a fantastic position. It’s a lively and active market town with most of the things you need available within walking distance: shops, sports facilities, the market, restaurants and a cinema.
And then you’re half an hour from Exeter with its bigger shops and businesses, ten minutes from the M5 and mainline railway station, and 30-60 minutes from the north or south coasts for beaches. Ideal!
I guess the main reason to relocate anywhere would be work, study or lifestyle change? I will try and give a first-hand account of what Tiverton and the surrounding area has to offer.
Moving to Tiverton for work
Tiverton is lucky to have a number of good local employers based in the town, as well as having bigger national companies on our doorstep in Exeter.
Heathcoat Fabrics have a thriving factory in Tiverton and employ hundreds of people making high tech materials including the parachute for a recent Mars Rover for NASA!
Hepco Motion are another big local employer based on Tiverton Business Park.
And did you know the products for the exclusive Floris of London perfumerie are made and packaged here in Tiverton too?
Mid Devon Council also has its head office on Phoenix Way in Tiverton and Petroc College shares a site with Tiverton High School, out near Exe Valley Leisure Centre.
There are also a number of recruitment agencies in Tiverton so you could give them a try.
Living in and around Tiverton
Different parts of the town and surrounding villages have different things that appeal about them, depending on what you’re looking for.
The town centre has period properties – terraced homes and some bigger properties like on St Peter Street leading up to the picturesque church. There are some lovely semi-detached period properties around West Exe park also. And West Exe has its own row of independent shops like a bakery, hairdressers and excellent fish and chip shop.
Around the Grand Western Canal is a popular area – Canal Hill and The Avenue have some good sized houses and then the Tidcombe area has plenty of bungalows if that’s what you’re after – a removal man’s dream as no stairs!!
The Moorhayes area is really popular with families and most of the properties are modern, less than 20 years old. This area also has its own Moorhayes community centre with a varied and busy programme of classes and clubs, and a popular bar/restaurant. The car park also hosts a range of food trucks during the week including woodfired pizzas and Sri Lankan curry – delicious!
The Rackenford Meadows development on the eastern edge of town is still walking distance into the town centre and has some lovely views out towards Exmoor. These are the newest properties in town, and some are still being built.
Then out past Blundell’s school you have the Braid Park development near Tiverton Golf Course which is going to be expanded upto Blundell’s Grange shortly. This offers plenty of brand new homes, many of a good size for larger families.
Villages like Halberton, Sampford Peverell and Bickleigh have a mix of old, country properties and some more modern family homes.
Virtually all the local estate agents seem to advertise via the Rightmove website so this would be a great place to start your search for rentals or purchasing.
Transport in and around Tiverton
Tiverton has great transport links. Tiverton Parkway train station is on the London to Penzance mainline. It’s less than 2.5 hours to London Paddington and around 2 hours to Cornwall. However Tiverton Parkway is about a 10 minute drive from the town itself, it’s near the M5 motorway junction at Sampford Peverell. There are buses to the train station from Tiverton.
You can also catch buses from Tiverton bus station directly to Exeter and towns and villages on the way including Cullompton and Silverton. Berry’s Coaches also operate a superfast coach service from Tiverton bus station to Hammersmith bus station in central London.
There is Exeter airport about half an hour away. With the A361 (locals call it the North Devon Link Road) and M5 both running close to Tiverton, it’s not as remote as you at first may think.
Making the move to Tiverton - Removal Prices Tiverton
Well I think you can guess what I am going to say here – I’m sure you’ll shop around for a removal quote for your move to Tiverton but please get in touch with us here at Van Man Removals and Storage for a free removal quote, or for any more advice on moving. Just give us a call or email.
Schools in Tiverton
Tiverton has a good range of state and private schools. In the independent sector, Blundell’s takes children from nursery age to 18 years old across its sites on Blundell’s Road to the west of the town. There are a number of primary schools serving Tiverton and the surrounding villages. And then Tiverton High School caters for children age 11-16. Petroc offers further education courses for 16-18 year olds and adults. For A-Levels students travel into Exeter College or Richard Huish College at Taunton.
Bad points of Tiverton?
We travel around virtually every region of the UK doing our kind of work and its always great to turn around at the end of a day and head back towards Mid Devon. Every area has its good points and its bad points. Luckily Tiverton only has a few and I am not going to dwell on these but remember it’s a really popular area for holidaymakers so if you’re travelling along the North Devon Link Road during the summer please allow extra time!
Importantly, Tiverton is surrounded by stunning areas with loads to do at the weekends. Here are some of my personal favourites…
Outdoor pursuits around Tiverton and Mid Devon
Walking
Only a 20 minute drive from Tiverton and you’re in the Exmoor National Park. Places like Tarr Steps are a must and Wimbleball Lake is another popular place for a walk, refreshments, sailing and even camping.
Right on the doorstep in Tiverton is the Grand Western Canal which stretches to the Somerset border and has a lovely level towpath for walking and cycling all the way. If you want something more relaxing there’s even a horse-drawn canal boat which offers rides in the summer.
A few minutes drive to the north of Tiverton is the stunning Knightshayes Court National Trust property. You have to pay, or be a member, to get into the formal gardens and house but the wider parkland and woodland, like the Impey Trail, is free for everyone to explore.
Beaches
You are spoilt for choices on this front. Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Torquay and Dawlish offer you a nice beach with all the attractions such as amusements and mini golf etc on the south coast.
If you want somewhere less developed then the north coast has a wonderful array of beaches and coast path – places like Saunton Sands and Westward Ho! are among our favourites.
Things for kids to do in Tiverton.
There’s a good range of shops and cafes in town including a number of independent places like Jo Amor and Liznojan bookshop.
We also have the Tivoli cinema and TCAT at the high school puts on theatre, visiting bands and comedy nights.
A bit further afield, I have never been to Crealy Adventure Park but reckon it looks good fun. I think it would look a bit odd in my case: a 6”2 adult going on their own, but if you have kids give it a try!
Initial booking was straightforward with Mike providing plenty of options with regard to amount of storage space we might need (or not! ). On moving day the team of 4 were punctual and thorough in all they did with the whole move taking no more than 5 1/2 hours. Courteous and polite throughout, gave useful and sensible advice and very prepared to respond to our suggestions. We would not hesitate to recommend them again. Sept 22
Ivan and Sue
We have had a fragmented move process using 3 different addresses. Mike Bradley and his team at the Tiverton branch were professional, courteous, careful and put our needs first every time throughout our engagement. We initially had a small move taking contents to our 2nd house and some items back to the first address, then weeks later packing everything at the first house and moving it to storage, then finally moving everything from storage and our 2nd house in to our new house. I would fully recommend this team for your moves. July 2022
Simon
Mike answered my request quickly and politely. He fitted in with all my wishes. Removal team arrived promptly with a large van. They were very professional, kind and caring. Removal to final destination was smooth and fast. 5* service We definitely recommend Vanmanremovals to all and we shall use them again. Sept 2022
Which? Review 2022
