Bedfordshire/Cambridgeshire/Bucks

[excitedanxiousyorkshire]

Where to move?
Relocating from up north.
Need a well connected market town or largish village with a good bus/train service as I don't drive.
Ideally somewhere with things to do, don't want to be too isolated but also don't want to live in a big town/city. Minimal deprivation a must.
Anyone in Beds/Herts/Bucks/Cams with any tips?
Thanks!

[Calcifer12]

Village on the outskirts of Cambridge and a 2 bed tiny terrace is £240. So unless you're loaded don't move here.

[Biscuitsneeded]

Saffron Walden? Actually Essex, but nearly Cambs and so pretty. Proper market town.

[FraterculaArctica]

What's your budget? What size of house are you looking for? Are schools a factor? May be able to help with a little more info.

[Twizbe]

St Ives (Cambs not Cornwall) very lovely market town. Buses to Cambridge and Huntingdon

[Nosnogginginthekitchen]

Leighton buzzard?

[Dreamscomingtrue]

What kind of budget do you have and what kind of property do you want? There are huge variations in all of those areas. I live close to Bucks and I’m looking at houses now in Beconsfield, Denham and Flackwell Heath. A 3 bed semi is approx £500,000 in all of those areas.
Herts, I think would probably be similar prices, maybe a bit more or less in some villages. I have friends in Essex who have family in Cambs and they say that it’s quite expensive there. But it would help if you have an idea of what you’re looking for, for people to give helpful advice.

[ZumbaAllTheWay]

It’s so dependent on how much you want for your money. It’s really bloody expensive to buy a house in Bucks.

[ServeTheServants]

Hitchin and Letchworth are really lovely

[BlueCowWonders]

Why are you moving? Work: schools/ family/ London?

Hitchin is supposed to be everything you've said in your OP but it does depend on your budget. Might be a bit too busy but it has a lot going for it

[CleanAndPaidFor]

What do you mean by "minimal deprivation a must"?. What's your budget?

[HeyMicky]

Not Leighton Buzzard, it's pretty grim, but the villages nearby. Half an hour to London, decent shopping and theatre in MK, loads of beautiful green space, good schools, grammar catchment, easy access to the M1, Oxford and Cambridge within reach.

[PresentingPercy]

Berkhamsted, Tring, St Albans, Harpenden. Low budget: Aylesbury, Bedford, Buckingham.

[organisedmother]

I’m Cambridgeshire and it’s pricey compared with the north, you may get more for your buck in Bedfordshire

[PaxMalmKallax]

Not Bedford! The town is a proper shithole these days - best thing we did was leave!!
Some of the surrounding villages care lovely, and north Beds had fantastic schools.

I’m a huge fan of Milton Keynes. Lovely community feel, loads and loads of green spaces but all the facilities and buzz of a city. I’d love to live there, but it’s a bit out of our reach.

[Oopsiedaisyy]

South Cambridgeshire is lovely but 350k upwards for a 3 bed semi. What's your budget and needs?

[SilkieRabbits]

I live in this area and if you don't drive (I don't) get a large village / small town with schools in, a supermarket, a doctors etc and clubs for kids (often these are school based). Bus services from villages are often just once every half hour or hour and not ideal - train service is normally more reliable for timings but check how often they run. If you need to get to a city for work I'ld maybe go for somewhere with train route in.

I'm not sure what you mean by minimal deprivation, in villages there normally is deprivation as employment opportunities are limited but not sure why that bothers you. Do you mean crime? Or just want a very middle class area? Generally that will follow house prices if the latter, the higher the more middle class. Villages I know crime is very low.

What is your budget?

[PrayingandHoping]

Tring, Harpenden, berkhamsted, cheddington, Leighton buzzard, harlington

[MandosHatHair]

Avoid Bedfordshire villages/small towns if you don't drive, public transport is very unreliable, it was bad when we moved here and it has become progressively worse. As a PP says avoid Bedford like the plague. Do you need to move urgently? If you can it might be a good idea to learn to drive before moving, I have noticed some of the driving schools in my husband's home town up North are much cheaper than here.

[Standrewsschool]

I agree, what’s your budget?

Harpenden, St Albans, Radlett etc are far more expensive than towns across the border in Bedfordshire, such as Flitwick. Milton Keynes or newport Pargnell could be an option. Also Hitchin?

[excitedanxiousyorkshire]

Thanks all!
Budget not very high for the area, 350/375k ish!
Would love to live in a village/smallish place, but need a reliable bus service to get to Bedford/Luton/a place with a train station for when I go back to work.
Ampthill seems to be about the right size but unsure whether its connected enough.
Parents live in Silsoe, anyone got any thoughts on Silsoe/Barton Le Clay type areas?
Don't want to live in Bedford or Luton but would like to be able to commute there easily.
As for Hitchin, well connected but is it a bit rough? Trying to avoid deprivation as that's one reason we're getting out of the north.
Does anyone know if this is really possible or am I dreaming?
Thank you :-)

[Excitedanxietyyorkshire]

Schools will be a factor, we have a baby on the way and I'd like to be able to walk them to primary school so need one walking distance. :-)

[GreekOddess]

What are you looking for with that budget? 2 bed terrace or large 4 bed?

[Scarftown]

I live in a village between Bedford and Luton. I like it but I avoid both towns if I can. I would have picked Hitchin in a Heartbeat or Baldock but for me out of budget to buy (rented in both and no one would call either rough) bedfordshire villages have shit public transport and without a car I wouldn’t have survived I moved from a midlands town with everything in walking distance and regular buses. Nothing here is walking distance and social activities when you can do them tend to be spread about.

[PrayingandHoping]

How big a house do u need for that budget as you would be priced out of anything but a 2 bed in the villages

Hitchin is nice enough. Barton le clay u may not find connected enough and again unless u only need a small house u may be priced out

[SilkieRabbits]

Melbourn in Cambs has a train station at Meldreth but goes into Cambridge rather than Luton or Bedford and think house prices start around that for 3 beds. It has everyday things in village - supermarket, secondary and primary schools, swimming pool (part of school but open to community), sports clubs, etc. Jobs in Cambridge tend to be general or sciency.

melbourncambridge.org/