A move to Bishops Stortford - anyone live there?

[sezchick2]

Hello!

This is my first post but I have found Mumsnet really useful so far.

Myself (28) and my partner (35) both work in London, live in Essex temporarily near Southend. We're looking to find somewhere that will be a good place to live and Bishops Stortford has become top of our list (so far!).

We visited last week and it seemed pleasant. I'm from the north of England and I miss it, so wanted somewhere that we could go walking and get out into countryside during the weekend. We're also getting a dog and so want somewhere we can take it out! We will have a car but don't want to be driving all of the time.

We have no kids yet, probably will start next year. The commute seems fine for us as we're currently near Southend and a similar journey and price.

Can people tell me if it is a friendly place to live? I'd like us to meet friends there as I see us buying and staying somewhere for a long while. We have close family and friends in Essex so would be good to have people to go for drinks with once in a while in BS. We have been looking at two beds around the town centre for walking to the station.

Is there anything I should be aware of though, any negatives? I understand that schools are full but this won't be a real consideration for a couple of years yet? Do people feel a good balance or work/life?

Thanks for any responses!
S

[LivvyLo]

Hello mums!
Myself, my husband and our two youmg daughters are relocating from London to the Cotswolds in July, which we are very excited about! We are looking at moving to Cirencester and renting initially until we get a feel for where we would like to potentially buy a house (be it in the Cirencester area or elsewhere). As my husband's work is in the Stroud area we we would also consider towns/villages around there too.

I was just wondering if any mums in the Cirencester area could share a bit of inside knowledge about what its like to live in the town? Or live in the villages around there? Info on nurseries, schools, nice areas to live?

It's a bit daunting leaving London as its been our home for the last 8 years. However I do come from rural Ireland so I'm looking forward to a bit of country life again :)

Are there other mums in a similar situation? Are there any mum and toddler/pre schooler groups in the Cirencester area?

Any info at all would be so great.

Thanks for your help
x