Where to live in Cambridge: young family

[Sunway769]

Hello,

I am really interested to hear anyone’s thoughts/ experience on living in Cambridge with a young family…

in particular, are there certain areas that stand out as more family oriented?

I’d also love to hear what the community is like? Areas for good state primary and secondary catchment? Activities to do with children?

My partner, our two under 5s and I are looking to move from a leafy part of London zone two. We’ve been living in London for the past 15 years and are very nervous about leaving, but we want to buy and have been totally priced out.

We both lived in Cambridge a long time ago, but as students, so have no idea about what the city might be like for families.

We are looking at small 3 beds with a garden around 6-800K.

We have been looking around Mill Road and the station, but are open to other areas.

We will both be working in London two days a week to start, but I imagine would look for jobs locally if we were there long term. We are currently really keen to have a situation where we could go down to London as a family fairly regularly as we’re very used to the galleries, museums, theatre etc that London has to offer. Although I imagine with time this might seem less important and we might feel more settled locally.

I hope you get plenty of replies here: there are also existing posts in the Local talk: Cambridge group which you might find helpful.

thank you ☺️
the Cambridge board threads seemed more focused on the surrounding areas and at the moment, we would want to be max 15 minutes cycle from Cambridge station & equally 15 mins max from the city centre

I’ve done a Rightmove search, and while there are plenty of houses in your price range many of them have tiny gardens. That probably applies to most of the houses near the station, and the new ones. I’ve just considered closeness to the main railway station, not Cambridge North.

I’m well past the small-children stage, so can’t really be too helpful there as my current schools knowledge is third-hand. I’ve heard nothing bad about the primary schools in the catchments for these, and there used to be plenty of small children living nearby.
However, going by the way things used to be, at your stage of life and with your requirements, I’d consider all of these:

Newnham (my favourite area, has a mostly off-road/cycle path route to the station and the city centre. Very large play area at Lammas Land. Several nurseries, but I have no idea if they have space. I’ve read good things about the primary school)
Selwyn Road
Another Selwyn Road
And Another
St Mark’s Court ( but has a tiny garden, backs onto a main road)
Hardwick Street (small paved garden)

Also
Mawson Road
Paradise Street
Thoday Street
Sedgwick Street
Hobart Road
Cherry Hinton Road (on a busy road)

These are a bit further from the station, but within 15 minutes if you’re a fast cyclist
Brunswick Terrace
Herbert Street
Another Herbert Street
Magrath Avenue
Marshall Road
St Christopher’s Ave (house backs onto a main road)

Oh wow - thank you so much. Amazing research. We have seen some, but not all of these.

Ideally we would like a bigger garden and house, however, in our current part of London, we can’t afford anything, and the “affordable” areas of north London that would be useful to us are all small two bed flats, usually with no garden. So for us, Cambridge garden sizes are exciting (we’ve never had a garden as adults).

we’ve looked in Oxford, Bristol and Bath too, and it seems the same story that zone one equivalent of any city means smaller proportions.

I really liked the two on Selwyn Road

You could look at chesterton if Cambridge north is ok station wise, also trumpington is pretty near 15 mins to town by bike and will be right by Cambridge south when it opens

Thriplow. Amazing community atmosphere.

I really liked the two on Selwyn Road

It’s an interesting road. On the opposite side to those houses for part of Selwyn Road are what looks like originally local authority houses, then some detached ones. Parking can be difficult, but there’s residents parking on many roads in Newnham.

The cycle route to the station along Driftway/ Lammas Land/Coe Fen to Trumpington Road is unlit, it just has solar studs in the path. I would not cycle there in the dark, but plenty of people seem to. It’s a lovely part of the route in daylight, well away from traffic - just avoid the grazing cows and cowpats. The alternative on winter nights is the off-road path along Trumpington Road/Fen Causeway/Barton Road, which is fine, just a little further.

Thanks. I think we’d be more interested in Trumpington as we have family Bristol way/ friends in Walthamstow/ Bishop’s Stortford & Ware so are looking at the south for this.

My partner has a strong preference for an older property (I’m not bothered by this personally).

We both lived near Mill Road before and loved it as access to London felt quick, you were near green space, our side roads felt very, very quiet, but near the buzziness of Mill Road and the city centre for cinemas, bookshops etc.

Do families live in the area? Or is it only students?

My ideal area for bringing up small children in Cambridge would be the estate off Barton Road in Newnham with Gough Way, etc. Quiet, with mostly detached houses with front gardens and no fences at the front. There’s a small play area tucked away with equipment for toddler-age plus a couple of things for older children, and a playing field. There’s a path through to Cranmer Road, then Grange Road and into town, all off-road for pedestrians and cyclists.

It’s surrounded by open fields on two sides, which the University keeps trying to build on but hasn’t yet had permission to do. You can hear noise from the M11, though.

It’s not in your price range currently, but maybe it could be your next house?

Do families live in the area? Or is it only students? (Mill Road)

Plenty of families live there - I know four there at the moment - on both sides of the railway bridge.

I love Newham area. Have driven past it many times. I prefer the streets off Mill Road that's closer to town ie before the Mill Road Bridge. Devonshire Road, Tennyson Road etc. Good luck!

Recently Mill Road bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic, except for local buses, taxis, blue badge holders (broadly) and pedal cycles. It’s a source of local debate.

The effect seems to be less traffic on the road itself but busier side roads, plus irate drivers and some shop owners who have seen their trade drop off.

Trumpington has a local authority housing estate, some older private homes and a lot of new build houses and flats. I couldn’t cycle to the main station in 15 minutes but it will be handy for Cambridge South when it opens and I think there is good public transport to the station and into town. I’d prefer the Mill Road area, but ymmv.

It’s easy to travel south from Newnham via junction 12 of the M11.

Is Royston an option? One stop towards London on the train. Easy train ride to Cambridge for museums, etc.

Benefits are the lack of crowds, bigger houses and gardens, with parking and the heath.

Obviously you don’t have the lovely Cambridge vibes there.

I just looked at the listings as there is. I thing exciting there at the moment, but sometimes lovely period homes.

I grew up on one of the streets off Mill Road (this was in the 90's) but it was a mega family friendly area. Is there still a swimming pool nearby, park and Parkers Piece. Loads of local shops. Was an amazing place to be a kid.

I have lived in Cambridge for 25 years and I would like to know this too. LOL.

Thanks so much everyone. This is really useful. Sounds like Mill Road & Newnham are going to be good to explore.

My partner grew up in the suburbs and as an adult is a resolute inner-city person. I’m finding it hard to persuade him out of central London so unfortunately Royston (and I think even Trumpington) might be a stretch.

basically I would live further out and have a bigger house/ garden & he really wants an inner city apartment so we’re looking for something in the middle

Mill Road has a much more inner city vibe. Plenty of families there as well as students.

Newnham is much quieter. Fewer students. Fewer shops.

We live nearish Mill Rd and about 20 min walk from the station (guess it would only be 10 min walk) and like the area. Brought a smallish 3 bed with garden for £500k 2 years ago. I don’t drive and can reach everywhere I want to go (libraries, bakeries, swimming pool etc) within 30 min walk or maybe 45 min to the city centre. We love being close to Cherry Hinton Park as it has lots for little ones like duck pond, sand pit, playground and lots of open space. Also handy for supermarkets as large Sainsburys nearby. Some areas of the city only have smaller supermarkets.

There are not many child friendly activities like soft play or play cafes that I hear about elsewhere but I generally prefer to be outdoors anyway so it doesn’t bother me much.

DD is at Patacake nursery which we have been happy with but it does have a long waiting list as do many other nurseries.

Thank you so much - this is amazing info! We tend to have a big weekly shop delivered and do outdoor things with the children or go to galleries etc or the cinema. We’ve never really enjoyed soft play etc. so it wouldn’t worry us not having that.

I didn’t know about the park. That’s really helpful. Walking times sound good too. Both my partner and I cycled a lot pre London so would like to get back into this too.

Does the Fitzwilliam museum have much on for children in the holidays? Are there child and adult holiday things in general?

I think we would probably move for when our youngest starts school, to avoid a nursery transition/ waiting lists. Do you know about areas for state primaries and secondaries?

Fitzwilliam does stuff for children, as do all the university museums.

so in the centre of town the is the museum of archaeology and anthropology (totem poles etc), museum of zoology, (massive blue whales).

Polar museum is also good.

https://www.museums.cam.ac.uk/

there’s a science festival once a year with many many events aimed at under 18s and they also now do a Cambridge festival which is humanities and social sciences

https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/

The Fitzwilliam museum does have occasional holiday activities for children, including a free monthly Play Make Event. There are many activities for children in the Cambridge Festival, in March each year also Open Cambridge each September and generally, I’d say.

Revised when seeing a cross-post: I think the Cambridge Festival of Ideas and the Cambridge Science Festival have combined to make the one I mention above.

Awesome. Thank you. Sounds perfect.

What’s the area like around Midsummer Common?

@Sunway769 If you like north London but are wanting to move out have you considered Enfield?
there would be plenty in your budget :
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/158353799
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/158544821
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/158684741

It’s a very green (forty hall, Whitewebbs, hillyfields etc), friendly family area with good schools and is much better connected back into town (overground and great northern rail) than Cambridge! It has great playgrounds, play friendly pubs annd pub gardens, playbox, softplays etc etc. And it’s full of people priced out of zone 2 east/north London. Just a thought!