Help! Should we move to Faringdon?

[howabouthisthen]

Mumsnetters - do any of you live in, or know much about, Faringdon?

Been looking to relocate for about 6 months. Suddenly out of the blue, DH says 'let's move to faringdon' and we have now twice seen a house there and he is putting me under enormous pressure to put in an offer and move there.

We know the area well, but not Faringdon itself. On paper, it does seem to have what we need (can afford enough bedrooms and a garden, commutable to London and possibly Oxford, though looks like it'll be a pain), state schools good on paper, some stuff going on for kids out of school hours, shops, pubs, couple of cafes. Oh and a Waitrose! Well well

I have some reservations about the house, but mostly I am really worried about moving there as just don't know the town. Feel like this move will need to tie us down for next 10 years if we don't want to interrupt kids schooling... and that is a lot of pressure!

So, what's Faringdon like please?
Will a green lefty academic fit in there? will i find some kindred spirits?
I am a very friendly person but really worried that DC and I won't fit in - I can handle that for myself I suppose (tho it would be better to have friends ), but don't want to plonk my kids into an environment they won't thrive in.

And what are the junior and secondary state schools like in your experience?
I heard mixed things about the junior school - issues with building works, and some years having a lot of challenging kids (what does that even mean?) - and does it have an impact on other kids, or is it more of a staffing issue to ensure they have enough vital TA and support staff to help the kids who need help. Have read ofsteds and websites but nothing beats hearing from people who work there or who have kids there

Lastly, is it commutable to London or Oxford? Best ways to do it?

Help! My window for deciding is so small - DH will throw his toys out of pram if we miss this house due to my indecision.

Thanks

[marl]

I've always felt it was somewhat 'out on a limb'. Small town feel and too far from Oxford to feel you are in any way living an Oxford life. The other side is Swindon which has a very very different feel from Oxford and again is some distance. Both these larger places are a bit of a drive so finding 'more to do' would involve a significant drive that is far more than a cab or short bus journey. I briefly lived in a village nearby and felt that I wouldn't want to live there despite the fact that there are some lovely houses. There are nice walks in the countryside, some functional shops that would mean you could get things for your week food-wise or a quick present for someone, but not buy decent clothes for example. For me I would prefer to find a small town nearer to Oxford and further from Swindon. My guess, as I have made this mistake myself before, is that it looks like it could be rather 'romantic with local shops' but I think in reality it would be bleak. The local secondary used to be well regarded when I was near there. There are a number of temporary students that come across from the military college in Shrivenham. I'm not up to date with latest ofsted though. Hopefully you may get a more informed view from someone that lives there. It wouldn't be for me.

[VictoriaBun]

If you have viewed the house ( so obvs aware of location in Farringdon )
Is it on the far side of the bypass ? It is pretty busy most of the time and the constant house would be a dealbreaker for me.

[evilharpy]

Don't be influenced by the presence of a Waitrose. It's tiny.

[MeetJoeTurquoise]

Faringdon is a strange place. The only reason we ever go there is to go to Aldi, drive through on the way back from Swindon or if we need to go to the tip. It's not a town I would ever choose to live in.

[ohamIreally]

God I opened this thinking you meant Farringdon. Enough bedrooms and a garden in Farringdon!!!! Must be £££££££

[howabouthisthen]

Thanks all - sorry for not replying sooner! Work madness + illness going round each family member in turn + half term = haven't been online much!

So: house is definitely on the table despite my uncertainties. Eek! Any other MN out there with good things to say about living in Faringdon with kids (or bad, or neutral... but hoping there are some good things!).

We are also looking at Eynsham and a couple of other places - but concerned that the Primary School in Eynsham seems to be consistently poor. If anyone has advice about that I'd be glad to hear it (will do a separate post too).

@marl: you have captured some of my worries really well, i.e. that I might feel cut off. I felt sad that the town centre seemed to be dying (common problem I know, thanks to out of town supermarkets), and have since seen that the Tuesday market is in trouble so who knows how long that'll last. Though DC and DH both up for living more rurally, so perhaps it's just me that needs to adjust?

@VictoriaBun: You've also hit the nail on the head! House is on the A420 side and I did notice the traffic noise and wonder if that would bug us or would be bearable. And have also seen the proposals to build more houses off Park Road and wonder how/whether the noise from that would bother us all too?

@Evilharpy and @VictoriaBun: Do you live in Faringdon? Does it feel cut off to you as @marl described? Or does it have it's own things /vibe going on? (I'm currently a non-driver, which I know is contributing to my concerns about feeling stuck).

@Evilharpy - it is small isn't it!! I was surprised!

@MeetJoeTurquoise - thanks. any particular reasons you wouldn't choose to live there?

@ohamIreally - ha ha! If only [Smile]

[MaisyMary77]

We lived in Faringdon for a year. DH was in the RAF and was studying in nearby Shrivenham. We lived on the a420 side-the noise never bothered us-I didn’t notice it at all.
I didn’t drive when we lived there. I never felt isolated, there’s a good bus service for Oxford and Swindon. My dc’s went to the local primary school there-it wasn’t doing well according to Ofsted but they were very happy there. I
When dh left the RAF we looked there as we had liked living there so much. Unfortunately we couldn’t find a house we liked at the time and ended up buying just outside of Oxford.

[howabouthisthen]

thanks @MaisyMary77. That's good to know on all fronts! I've heard some comments that the bus service gets so choked up in traffic (and fears it'll get worse with all the new homes built/being built both in Faringdon and elsewhere). clearly that would be the same whether in a car or on bus, but either way can make for a miserable commute.
hmmm....
Hope you're enjoying life near Oxford!

[Namechangeforthiscancershit]

I would probably choose Eynsham over Faringdon. It’s not a great Waitrose by any means!

Where are you relocating from?

[howabouthisthen]

thanks @Namechangeforthiscancershit - Waitrose or no Waitrose not a big deal to me, but it seems to get estate agents very excited that's for sure

Can i ask why you'd probably choose Eynsham over Faringdon? I can see lots of advantages to be closer to a city like Oxford (and a train station - as I have to commute to London sometimes), - and that connectivity is winning for me at the moment.... but I'm interested to hear other pros/cons too which I might not have thought of.
And my DH and DC want to go full countryside, so I'm aware it might be my urban preferences swaying me...

Of course, we all like different things so hope nobody feels offended if I'm choosing one over the other!

[Namechangeforthiscancershit]

Oh I don’t live in either- I’m in Oxford so you won’t offend me!

Eynsham has Hanborough and Oxford Parkway for stations to London, and a much better drive to Oxford. It’s (I think) more atttactive.

There is also a bit of snobbery around that area I think about whether you’re nearer Oxford or Swindon. Generally speaking the Oxford side is seen as a bit nicer. Now I’ll be offending people!

Irrelevant but Faringdon also suffers from being the scene of a particularly tragic killing fairly recently so I think needs a bit of time to shake that off.

School wise most people seem very happy with Batholemews for secondary- lots of people get the bus out there from where I am.

[ticketytokety]

I recently moved to Faringdon from a nearby village.
In all honesty i didn't want to move here but circumstances/house prices/ school made it necessary.

The town centre is dead, we only go on for pharmacy, post offices, and library. We go to Witney, abingdon, didcot for shopping and occasionally oxford. Swindon is closer but i cant do it....Not been to any pubs as they look a bit grim. There is a nice restaurant or two. Lots of things for kids ( swimming, cubs, brownies, stagecoach each c etc)

Having come from a village its nice to have supermarkets, garage, library etc on our doorstep; on the downside there is no village/community feel but Im sure if you attend the primary that would be different, and you find a community through that.

The buses to oxford/swindon are good and regular

Cant comment on primary's as we go elsewhere. The secondary is "outstanding" but results at gcse/a levels have dipped a little. If you are considering eynsham the secondary there is v v good and worth a serious look for that alone. But eynsham has different pros and cons (a40 being one)

[Namechangeforthiscancershit]

Swindon is closer but i cant do it

Well at least I can’t have offended you with my Swindon comment then!

[ticketytokety]

😬

[howabouthisthen]

thanks @namechangeforthiscancershit and @ticketytokety !!

Your honest opinions much appreciated. I hadn't heard anything about a tragic killing in Faringdon. How awful, I can imagine how tough that must be and how that can disturb and haunt a community. My thoughts with anyone involved or affected by that.

[Namechangeforthiscancershit]

5 year old boy. Horrible. As I say, not relevant though and I feel a bit bad for bringing it up.

Are you coming from far? You have two good options and I hope it’s a great move for you.

[VictoriaBun]

I don't live in Farringdon but know it quite well. I know a lot of people are fairly negative about Swindon but their are some quite nice areas surrounding. Swindon has all the amenities , nurseries, soft plays, swimming pools, sports centres etc so I wouldn't rule it out.

[VictoriaBun]

Oops Faringdon ?

[lunabody]

My DH grew up in Eynsham - loved it then and still loves it now. The primary school was rubbish when he was at it too, but the secondary is consistently good. Village has great amenities - is more like a small town, but still with loads of community - annual fair, Morris dance troupe (!), lots of pubs, great buses to Oxford. DH keeps joking we'll move there despite our jobs and lives being miles away, and proximity to in-laws would be unacceptable, but I can see why he loves it.

Don't know about Faringdon though... sorry!

[howabouthisthen]

@namechangeforthiscancershit - oh god, how awful. Don't feel bad, sounds like it was in the news. Not coming from too far away but would be a fresh start in either place (and totally new for me to be outside of a major town/city with a train station!).
Thanks for your kind words and honest opinions.

[howabouthisthen]

@ VictoriaBun - good point. Faringdon does have a lot of amenities and seems to have lots of clubs going on for kids, which is all good.

[howabouthisthen]

thanks @lunabody. That's good to hear!
I heard from someone whose teenagers 'hate it' there! Guess that could happen wherever though right - too big/noisy/polluted or too rural/dead/out of the way/boring... never know how the teenage years will turn out I suppose. bless 'em - growing up isn't easy I know.

I had heard there are lots of pubs... sounds good to me!

[Sunnydaay]

I live in faringdon and brought my three children up there. I moved here from London. It was a very positive experience. The town is small but once you create a little network (which is easy with kids) you’ll have friends for life. The pubs and coffee shops are lovely. Nice leisure centre and library. Wonderful music and arts festivals. And the walks around the countryside are gorgeous. I love it here.

[emjules]

Hi hi, I'm curious to know @howabouthisthen... did you move to Faringdon? We're considering it (moving from nr Twickenham) and I'm having the exact same thoughts as you - particularly around the sense of community and usefulness of amenities. We have two small kids (2 and 5) so I guess wherever we go we'll meet other folk...

Anyway, hope you see this as I appreciate you started the conversation ages ago x

[howabouthisthen]

Hi @emjules. We moved somewhere else in the end - the survey on the house we wanted to buy revealed some terrible structural flaws so we pulled out... and in the meantime work commitments changed so we went elsewhere.
I found the comments in this thread really helpful. Other things that were helpful for me to get a feel for the place: I tested out the bus route to see how my commute would have been so I could think about whether or not I wanted to do that (this was important because, as a non-driver the fear of feeling stuck was really the main thing for me! I found the route do-able - there is wifi on the bus so i would have been able to work /catch up on news or podcasts or whatever, and it goes through beautiful countryside!). Another thing I did to get a feel for the place was walk about on my own and explore all over the town, do the walk from the house to the school, and we went there on a weekend with our kids to see what there was for them to do locally/how they liked it, and get a sense how it would be getting around with them there. Did spend quite some time there as a result which wasn't easy to arrange but when considering a relocation it felt like time well spent.
I also found two facebook groups which were informative re: local events/groups/and what people think or are worried or upset about locally (think they were called 'I live in the town of Faringdon' and 'I love the town of Faringdon'. ). They are closed groups but I requested to join saying was thinking of moving there and would like to hear from local folk. Might be interesting for you?
As you have young children, I'm sure as you say that you will meet people very easily. I think the countryside around Faringdon is lovely, there does seem to be stuff to do there for families, and if you need to travel via public transport then the bus journey is do-able to Oxford (or Swindon) with good onward train connections.
Good luck with your decision-making! Whatever you decide I hope you and your family find somewhere lovely and it's a good move for you all.