Anyone moved from London to Cambridge?

[skippythedogfromthesea]

What was your experience?
How did you find property prices compared (depending on where you lived in London of course?)

Has it been a positive move and is it 'safer' than London and more pleasant?

It's a bit of a long term objective at the moment but we are starting to think about making the move so info would be great.

[TheBlonde]

I moved the other way
Prices are similar although you get more space for your money, garden, driveway etc

Traffic is awful there and public transport fairly poor once you get out of town

[Lilymaid]

I work in London, live outside Cambridge. It is a very nice place to live, particularly if you have plenty of money for a good house in one of the best areas. Good state schools in some parts - but not others. Very good independents. Nice lifestyle.

[cazzybabs]

there are buses in cambridge but it is sooo easy to cycle.

good schools, nice shops, lots of green spaces.

[skippythedogfromthesea]

Part of the attraction is being able to cycle into the centre.

We'd probably go private sector for school but would consider good state primaries of course.

So if we sold our large Victorian London house in Outer North London and wanted to buy a similar large Victorian Cambridge house would we be able to release a tiny bit of equity?

Dh says the West side of town is the best - is that right?

So is it nice and safe still then (presume there's the odd town versus gown fight still?)

[skippythedogfromthesea]

p.s. which boys or mixed preps are worth considering and do they tend to be oversubscribed?

[ChasingSquirrels]

look on rightmove for what you would get for your money.
we are in one of the north-east villages and apart from work and the odd work nigth out I never go into Cambridge because the traffic is such a pain.
When we were buying 8 years ago you got alot more for your money in the villages, but obviously you have the travel issues. We looked in the city but as we both worked near the train station we were looking there and you were basically paying london prices because people commuted.
Personally I don't think the shops are that great, but we came from Norwich which was alot better.

[cazzybabs]

The Perse has gone co-ed (always popular)
There is St. Johns, kings (both hard to get into), st faith's and St Marys and Perse girls (both girls only). St. Marys less academic.

[cazzybabs]

no single sex boys prep

[Lilymaid]

I don't think there are any boys only preps now - all mixed. Consider - Perse Prep, Kings, St John's, St Faith's - all very good.
West is best.

[cazzybabs]

or south...nice houses off hills road

[skippythedogfromthesea]

Sorry worded that badly - I'd prefer mixed anyway to boys but I'd consider a boys only if it were good or mixed wasn't an option (a lot of the preps near here are single sex)

[Lilymaid]

Perse Prep was the last all boys prep school but it has now gone co-ed and so has the senior school. There are also lots of lovely houses off Trumpington Road.

[cazzybabs]

yes to the lovely houses off trumpington road...youwill need at least a million and I shall be very

[Prufrock]

We did. We intended to move into central Cambridge, and were looking at the houses near the station (dh commutes to Liverpool Street). Tbh we found that prices,and atmosphere was a bit Fulhamesque, lots of 3 storey Victorian semis with long gardens.
we eventually moved to a village just South, which is on the Cambridge/Liverpool Street line, and where we got significantly more for our money (though prices are still high- 5 bed family houses with gardens are about 750k) and got to live in a village, but with Cambridge very close (it takes me 12 minutes to drive to the town centre car park and is easily bikeable)
There are great private schools, but in the villages the state primaries are excellent, and I wanted my kids to have the community experience that I had - as a SAHM it was v. important for me to be somewhere I could make friends. My village also has a brilliant deli, butchers and other shops.
We definitely don't regret it, far more pleasant than London and a million times better than Bishops' Stortford, where we rented for a while.

[skippythedogfromthesea]

What do you get for a million in terms of bedrooms/ bathrooms?

I have had a look on Primelocation etc but it's nice to get a broader idea of what the going rate is.

It would absolutely have to be Victorian or maybe Edwardian - we are period house lovers!

Oh I want to move there now....dh is being all sensible though and saying the London market has already started tanking and there will be a lag before prices in CA fall so we would have to wait rather than losing money iyswim. Actually we can't move there right now anyway as dh has work commitments in London and understandably doesn't want to commute, but things might all be changing in a few months time anyway so that would free us up to escape London!

[skippythedogfromthesea]

We are thinking outer Cambridge 'suburbs' rather than city centre of villages. We would want it to be cyclable or even a long walk into town but not paying the being very close to the station premium so maybe 1.5 miles.

I was thinking that the immediate roads around the station seem a lot more expensive, presumably as they keep the commute into London just under an hour if you are five mins walk to the station iyswim. There's that psychological thing about being under an hour if you're commuting I think.

For us dh might only need to go to London a day a week if our mid term plan happens and I would only go maybe once a month for work if that so it's not a problem to be a little further out. Villages sound lovely but as I say I think we want to be able to get into town on bikes.

[ChasingSquirrels]

prices are definitely down here (well in the villages around us anyway).
www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-22028849.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=buy
www.rightmove. co.uk/viewdetails-10368594.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=buy
www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-20571404.rsp? pan=1&trt=buy www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-10263489.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=buy
www.rig htmove.co.uk/viewdetails-10216332.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=buy
Thats the first few on a £1m search within 15 mines of me, ohh., just realised one if my friend's house!

[ChasingSquirrels]

1
co.uk/viewdetails-10368594.rsp?pan=1&trt=buy 2
pan=1&tr_t=buy 3
4
htmove.co.uk/viewdetails-10216332.rsp?pan=1&trt=buy 5
sorry crap links

[ChasingSquirrels]

bugger!
put cb2 1la into www.rightmove.co.uk

[Lilymaid]

Prufrock - I was about to suggest your village! We seem to have spent a lot of our time there - tennis club/rugby club/deli etc. It is possible to cycle into Cambridge from there - particularly when the new road is open.

[Prufrock]

This is round the corner from me. It is on the corner of a crossroads, but set well back. It was originally on at £1,050K, then reduced to £950k, now £899,950. It does need work -it's habitable but you'd want to improve/add bathrooms.
It's 2 minutes walk to station for direct train to L Street (which does take 1h15 because it stops everywhere) I thought I wanted to be ableto walk/cycle into town, but honestly, I really don't mind not being able to - having fields and village life on my doorstep is wonderful. And I could cycle in on a dedicated cycle path in under 20 minutes.

[Prufrock]

I forgot about that lilymaid. Isn't the deli lovely? Have you ever tried the Shelford special sausages from our butcher?
You should come down next weekend - it's the Feast.

[Lilymaid]

I may be lurking at the Feast with a few friends ...

[Prufrock]

Ooh - I'll be trying to spot you now. I'll be running the hook a duck stall (well, hopefully I'll just be setting it up and getting others to actually do it most of the day)

[JodieG1]

I moved from London to Cambridge 3 years ago and I love it. I find it far more pleasant to live in and better for the kids. We lived in a village 9 miles from Cambridge city and it's lovely and quiet but not too quiet. I'm so glad we moved and wouldn't go back to London now. I'd lived there all my life prevoiusly as well.