FOR … ARTS ON THE GO

Weston-super-Mare, Somerset

First impressions suggest a classic Victorian resort that’s seen better days: the promenade is a long line of chips and cheap hotels (one of the town’s two piers is in a perilous state of collapse). But dig deeper and you’ll find a lot to recommend Weston – currently on a mission to become a new cultural destination on a par with Margate. A disused quarry (which once provided stone for the town’s finer houses) is to become an arts hub; there are plans to redevelop the seafront’s 1930s Tropicana lido as an entertainment venue; and a new wave of opera pop-ups, vegan cafés and cool street art is already on the go. Make a home in one of a collection of suburban villages (Uphill, Worle, Hillside, Kewstoke) – all different but all a handy distance from the town’s three miles of

Bristol Channel beach, three stations (45 minutes into Bristol or Bath and just over two hours to London) and good schools.

House prices? Roomy Victorians (four or five bedrooms) at just over £350,000.

• Average house price: £231,974