Moving to Suffolk / Norfolk

[XmasElfOnTheShelff]

I had no idea where to post this so please direct me if needed!

we are looking to move to either Suffolk or Norfolk in the next few years. We want to use the time in between to visit regularly and get a good feel of some towns / villages but I don’t know where to start!

we do not want to be coastal, which helps bring cost down. Budget is around 550k. Ideally detached, with land (doesn’t have to be massive, but we don’t want to hear the next door neighbour’s screaming kids like they’re in our garden or barking dog for example). That said I don’t want to be the only house for miles, it would creep me out. But maybe a quiet lane with a few houses on.

ideally near a river for walks and canoeing.

we love the idea of a British village, not too quiet but old school - a butchers, greengrocers, post office and a pub. We would like to be able to walk a lot locally, and still have food shops delivered! Not worried about take always or anything like that.

within a 30 minute drive of a golf course would be good too.

any ideas?

I enjoyed living in Dersingham for nine years. Lovely location with tons of walks. Golf courses nearby, Sandringham on your doorstep, coast twenty minutes. I had a fabulous GP there and a specialist used to travel from London to the hospital at Kings Lynn for clinics.

There are parts of West Norfolk that are very nice, and the problem with What's On is that there's usually a lot going on but it's impossible to find out about until it's happened! And it's a lot more affordable than the Burnhams.

Laxfield? Lovely village with pub and shop.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147389378?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

My village...
♥️ ♥️ ♥️

Laxfield is lovely - it has a regular Saturday market I think every 2 weeks? Plus a really active local community with lots going on at the village hall

Every month normally but none till March now...

Laxfield in Telegraph Survey... Here....

What about east bergholt/brantham/capel st mary/ copdock on the Suffolk/Essex border? Or Hadleigh or Sudbury?

Me too 😀

Oh dear...Leman 89 & 91?

Yes… 😄

There you go. Terrible place to move to - all those uncouth mumsnetters getting pissed by the river bank 🤣

I always have thought about moving to Castle Acre if I could be so rural

I wouldn’t go to Bungay, people there are quite insular. That house has reduced its price significantly. It’s also on a rat run road and next to the grain silos.

I’ve been pissed and uncouth too 😉 just wasn’t a great first impression!

In the same position, looking to move within the next couple of years. Have been visiting Suffolk for 3 years, and have narrowed it down to Beccles or Bungay. Have not seen as much of Bungay as I would have liked, but will be next year. Does anyone have any insight into Bungay at all? Are there any children's parks? They have a lovely Common !

Have you had bad experiences? I have found the people of Bungay very friendly each time I've visited 😊

Bures? Dedham?

@Suffolkstarshine I lived there for ten years. I found it to be very insular.
The school is average, and the only supermarket expensive.

Ah thank you! 😊 it's all helpful info. Do you know much about Beccles in comparison? Much appreciated.

Beccles has good sports facilities for the region tennis, AstroTurf, tennis, rugby team (but the girls group folded) Lido, paddle boarding and kayaking on the river.

However areas of it flood so pick somewhere slightly uphill and be careful where you choose. It's a 15 min or so drive to the beach.

John Leman High school is good, Set I've heard mixed reviews about, college students often tend to travel in to Norwich or Lowestoft Sixth form or East Norfolk in Gorleston.

Langley is private and sports heavy. Norwich Girls school is selective and a very good school, Norwich School at the Cathedral is beautiful and as close to a posh public school as the area gets if that is on your radar

It has a big Tesco, Morrisons and Lidl and a train station connecting Lowestoft - Ipswich - London

Realistically though, anywhere in Norfolk and Suffolk is quite insular. Ethnic diversity is low unless in Norwich or one of the hospital towns as many Drs are brought over from Sri Lanka. This has its pros and cons, it can be a bit 'Hot Fuzz' particularly very tiny villages, but also the way of life is slower which is nice once you also slow down. It's normal to travel quite a distance for facilities so hospitals, sports clubs, matches, youth orchestra etc most people wouldn't flinch at a 45+ minute journey to any of those things. Obviously living in Norwich / Ipswich cuts down the travel time.

I grew up in Beccles but actually only visited Bungay a couple of times. I always thought of it as a smaller version of Beccles, with less going on. The main advantage to Bungay was that they got the indoor swimming pool when the location choice was made between the two towns, whereas we just had an outdoor one - although that seems to have worked out for Beccles now that outdoor pools have become more of a rarity.

To add that depending on budget, in Beccles, the streets around the Leman high school have some nice big old detached houses with usually decent sized gardens, and is where I would live if I moved back and could afford.

Private school options, there’s also St Felix near to Southwold, which I don’t know much about nowadays but I think is co-ed.

Beccles was where I absolutely set on, but then news of all of the upcoming newbuilds being approved happened, and after speaking to some locals it didn't sound good. Sounded like it's going to get much busier, what we are trying to get away from, so changed things a little. 😕

Yes I had heard about the upcoming new builds in Beccles (I’ve not been back for a while), although I think that they are on the opposite side of town to the Leman school. It seems to be happening to most small towns in Suffolk/Norfolk and elsewhere too - we moved to a tiny village where we live now, to get away from it a bit, but even here there is some building going on.