Cambridge commute?

[tbleca]

I'll be starting a fixed term post at Cambridge shortly and am currently based in Norwich. Initially I thought I would commute for a few days a week but the few trial runs of the commute I've done have been grim!! Delayed, packed trains etc which are pretty expensive too... From my initial research Cambridge looks awfully expensive with a huge demand for properties...

Just wondering if anyone commutes/has done the commute and has any recommendations for affordable and nice places nearby?

The commute into Cambridge is the absolute bane of my life - torture. I'll pm you if that's OK.

Have you looked for car sharing sites? The universities (in either Norwich or Cambridge) might have links on their websites. You might find someone who is doing the same commute and would like company/petrol money .. Anoher option might be to go in 2-3 days every week and Airbnb or find a cheap room for those nights. Also, once you start to meet people there might be other postdocs or lecturers who have a spare room (or sofa if you could bear it for a couple of days a week) and not want a permanent flatmate but appreciate a bit of extra money for a few nights a week. Or just embrace the long commute and use it to read novels, watch films, daydream etc...

I did what @Stillcantgetnosleep suggested when I used to have a long commute: contacted everyone I knew and asked if they or someone they knew had a spare room that they'd be willing to rent out 1-2 nights a week. I ended up staying with a lecturer in a different department who wanted a bit of spare money but not a full time flatmate.