Best places to live in the south west?

I currently live in a rural area just outside a large town of around 60,000 people in the south east of England, near London. I am getting really fed up with all the noise pollution and traffic in the South East (which has increased 10-fold in the last 10 years or so) and as I don't plan to work in London, I don't really see the need for me to be living so close when I could live in the South West, which is cheaper, more quiet and with a better quality of life. I would like to live fairly close to a largish town (within 15-20 minutes drive) but I would like to be out in the countryside where there will be little noise of traffic, airplanes, etc. Can anyone recommend a good area to live in the south west, either Dorset, Cornwall, Devon or Somerset?

Public Comments

1. wells
2. Truro or Falmouth in Cornwall are lovely towns.. and there are so many small villages scattered within the distance you require.
3. Devizes
4. Call me crass, but I like Paignton. Perhaps it's more holidayish than living, but my mum plans on moving there when she retires. It's got a nice beach and a nice pier, and there's a Tesco... that pretty much ticks all of my boxes! If I were to move to the south east, it would definitely be near the coast (not that I can afford anything anywhere near the sea, of course) Paington's near Torquay- that's fairly large. Failing that, what about the plymouth area? We went to Salcombe a few years back, and that's a lovely village. Not too far from Plymouth.
5. I live in North Cornwall 4 miles from Padstow. It is a rural area, and only 1 mile from the coast. I wouldn't change the area were i live even with a lottery win (just a bigger house). Large ish towns within 30-40 minutes drive are St. Austell, Truro, Bodmin and Newquay.
6. i live in newquay and i wouldn't say it was cheaper to live in the south west but the quality of life is amazing....you have to drag me kicking and screaming to get me out of cornwall..!!!