Lincoln, Notts surrounding villages...help !!!

[clairehills]

Hi, my partner and I need to rent within a commutable distance of Lincoln. We would like to move to a village/town with good amenities ie nice shops and a few nice pubs or restaurants. It needs to be within 50mins - at present we have identified Southwell but would love to hear of any other options - Stamford would be my choice but it is just that too far.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks

Claire

And yes, you could walk/cycle to work and forget the commute!

Really not much going on in Gunthorpe IMO. I've lived in Lincoln before, and have similar requirements to those you have described - but wouldn't consider living in Gunthorpe. Southwell is OK - it looks pretty - but in rush hour, the A46 is a bitch.

There's no way you'd do Southwell to the uni in 40 mins. You might struggle to do it an hour to be honest some days.

I'd say either Newark or uphill Lincoln.

the night sky, thanks but is Louth not quite a distance ? sounds nice though ;-), not heard of Welton, I shall have a look, are there nice shops, cafes etc in Welton ?

greatsoprendo, I must admit i was a little put off by some of the clientele in downtown lincoln, it was a bit of a culture shock, however I loved uphill Lincoln and the little shops to potter round.

Cascumpec Does navenby have shops which lie outside just the local budgens, newsagents etc ??

The A46 is ok until you hit Whisby/Newark road roundabout and BAM you could be crawling along through to town for another 45mins. There are other routes in to the uni off the bypass (doddington rd) but these get gridlocked esp as there are level crossings.
Navenby is lovely, a small village, however an easier commute along A607
Have a look at the Burton Road Area of Lincoln

I agree with some of the previous posters, I can't think of any villages that offer many more amenities than some of the bigger villages already mentioned up thread. The uphill area of Lincoln probably has more of what you are looking for.

Louth is lovely but I would always allow an hour driving because I always got stuck behind a tractor!

Market Rasen might fit the bill maybe?

Navenby has a little antiques shop and coffee shop.

I used to commute from Lincoln to Louth and it took 40-45 mins but I guess I was going the opposite direction. It would be more traffic from Louth to Lincoln but Louth is lovely.

..and a very posh overpriced tat shop

ok Gunthorpe out and now concerned that southwell may be too far but my OH said we can drive over and try it in rush hour.

It sounds as if there are no lincolnshire villages that have amenities other than local food stores, post office etc. I was hoping for a village like Southwell in Lincoln that had nice home shops, boutiques etc and cafes but also i am getting the impression that uphill Lincoln is the only place that resembles this.

Great soprendo Where is the West End in Lincoln ? can someone tell me what area this is as opposed to Bailgate, old uphill Lincoln. Thanks everyone I really appreciate your help :-)

That Lincoln to Louth road is a horror in icy weather too. Many times I turned back because it was impassable in snow

Maybe worth a trip over to have a wander round Navenby & Welton and see if you like the feel of them?

West end is between Carholme rd and Yarborough rd. between the west common and The Avenue. To be honest I wouldn't live there, its student central.

Ignore downhill Lincoln - you can live in Lincoln and never go there unless you choose to. Move to Burton Road/Westgate/Newport/Rasen Lane/Broadgate area - short walk to the 'naice' shops, cafés and restaurants around Bailgate/Castle Square/Steep Hill. Easy travel to work at uni by car, bike or foot. Sorted!

How about Newark? Some great coffee shops and independent shops.

Horncastle, google that, it's the nearest small town to lincoln with possibly the kind of thing you are looking for.

Agree with Beaver - West End is studenty, but great if you want to be near the City Centre and there are some cracking houses there (although lots have been taken over by students). If you can afford it (and it is pretty affordable IMO) uphill is the way to go.

The west end is the area along carholme road, a nice place but full of university students.
If you are looking for Leamington Spa in Lincolnshire then you will be very disappointed. Uphill is probably closest but housing is expensive and parking is hard to find.

Woodhall Spa could be right up your street to. to the most amazing cinema in teh world [[http://www.thekinemainthewoods.co.uk/]]

Bigger Lincolnshire villages tend to have some little independent places (such as butchers, tea rooms, cafe) as well as mini supermarket type stores & maybe a pub/restaurant..

If you'd like more than that I'd say you either need to live in town or be prepared to drive there to make use of the amenities. All the villages mentioned are quite traditional, in that they are pretty, rural locations with a strong sense of community.

fail! [[http://www.thekinemainthewoods.co.uk/]]

thanks colleysmill,that may be enough to put us off then, need to be able to get in to work and icy roads sound a big no no.

herladyship, thanks we will definitely do that _ i am intrigued as a lot of people have suggested navenby so will check it out.

greatsoprendo, thanks that is good to know. I felt there was quite a lot of poverty in downhill Lincoln and staff i spoke to at the Uni said areas in Lincoln have drug, stabbing problems associated with it which had a big part to play in us making our decision. The cheap property and offers of professorial positions at the uni however won the day and property is so much cheaper than where we live now.

Vivialebeaver I thought newark as a place was quite nice and had lots of potential but I have heard lots of bad reports in terms of travellers that frequent the town regularly and when we visited there seemed to be a real mix of people (sorry if that sounds really snobby) :-)

Yes, agree with viva Newark itself is lovely, but just make sure you get the right area. Plus not too sure about schools?

What about Collingham?

Southwell is lovely, but not really directly on the A46, & then you have to wriggle round Newark AND the worst bit of the Lincoln stretch.

I agree, Navenby is very popular at the moment, and although not as big as Southall, has 2 decent pubs, a chippy & indian takeaway, a newsagent, fab bakery & butcher (recently voted best in whole of East Midlands) as well as a couple of hairdressers & an antiques centre, chemist & gift shop.

I also think maybe uphill Lincoln might be better for you if you like all those handy shops, very popular among the uni staff, & you could walk or cycle to work!

The train from Newark Castle to Lincoln is fast and reliable. 5 minute walk to the University from the station. Southwell to Newark by car, 20 minutes? It may well be quicker than driving into Lincoln.

Southwell is lovely.