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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Moving to Norfolk???

191 replies

womanwholivedinashoe · 28/04/2011 20:47

hello Ladies,

My husband was recently made redundant and we saw this as the ideal opportunity to search for the lifestyle that we've always wanted. We are seriously looking into Norfolk and I have 4 boys 19 (& Autistic), 14, 8 and baby 6 months and need to know where might be best to bring up kids.
I'm a nurse so will be looking for work and hubby said he would do almost (lol) anything for work. We would prefer to live out of a large town, we like the seaside but not a large beach area more quieter resorts. But in the same respect love the countryside too, so generally just a nice area but facilities within a drive for the kids to not get too bored?
Can anyone help??? We are so far considering Acle and Loddon? Shouldham and Marham although they are quite far from the secondary school is there a school bus service that operates?

Many thanks wwlias

OP posts:
RoseC · 28/04/2011 22:32

"Loads of close family live in Norfolk" ... I once worked with a girl who was awful to me until, upon mentioning me to her mother, she found out that her Mum went to school with my Mum and her mother was a distant relation of my sister's godfather who was also my mother's first boyfriend. Her brother was also dating someone that I worked with (and went to school with) in my other job in my home town. This was all spread over about 30 miles and fifty years or so... Normal For Norfolk! Grin

DontCallMePeanut · 28/04/2011 22:35

Rose, that made my head hurt...Confused

systemsaddict · 28/04/2011 22:46

I grew up in the Broads, it's lovely if it suits your family, my brother still lives in the same village and is bringing his dd up in rural idyllic peaceful splendour. It didn't suit me personally - I hated the 'everyone knows everyone' thing - but then I always felt like a bit of a cuckoo and escaped up North as soon as I could! Norfolk is definitely its own world, very distinct culture and identity, you'll work out quickly if it's right for you.

Hickling was mentioned, is particularly gorgeous and peaceful, less touristy than some of the other Broadland villages (there's an inconvenient low bridge between Hickling and the rest of the Broads, can be hard to get boats through at high water, so it attracts a bit less tourist traffic), worth a look.

Ah, I still remember the excitement when the McD's opened in Wroxham! Felt positively decadent! Grin

1973magpie · 28/04/2011 22:53

Aah, but slow is good for some of us Orange!

Loddon is lovely, and there are lots of lovely villages around Norwich. I'm near Harleston now, which is lovely too, we've got everything we need within a (longish) walk, or a short drive! Buses to Diss, Norwich, and I believe I've seen one that goes as far as London!.

Great for kids, fresh air, countryside, good schools with good values as well as good results. but I think would need to be somewhere on a bus route for teenagers really (coming from someone who grew up in a village 5 miles out of Norwich!!)

I personally would avoid Thetford, Lowestodt and Great Yarmouth areas though...

HTH Smile

baskingseals · 28/04/2011 23:06

am norfolk born and bred.
so it's very very hard to see it objectively. almost impossible in fact. think it is absolutely beautiful, but can feel isolated especially in winter when the lazy wind blows.
i was brought up in wells and live there now - not life's great plan, but just what ended up happening.

we rent, it's incredibly expensive to buy. there are some nice villages around Fakenham and Melton Constable if you fancy a bit of north norfolk.

hope people are friendly, but have a feeling they can be a bit reserved.

PiousPrat · 28/04/2011 23:30

TBH I don't think you have to go that far out of Norwich to get the rural ideal. I grew up in a village about 6 miles away, near the Broads and my childhood was almost like something from an Enid Blyton book (minus the tongue sandwiches ) My mother still lives there so I visit often and it hasn't changed much over the years. There are still a gaggle of kids playing cricket or tag or footy on the green, boys and girls from about 5 up to 12 all playing together.

Thorpe Green used to be really nice, if a little isolated if you don't drive, but it is probably about halfway between Norwich for the N&NU hospital and the James Padget hospital.

I am utterly biased, because I love Norfolk so find it impossible to be impartial and objective, but it can be an amazing place to raise kids.

As has been said though, it isn't terribly diverse. An oft told family tale is the time my Dad took me to Peterborough to get my first passport and I stood in the middle of a bus path asking why that man hadn't washed his face. I was about 5 and that was the first non-white person of any description I had seen (we didn't watch TV) Obviously it is more ethnically diverse now, but it still isn't anywhere near 'proper' cities in terms of ethnic mix. A minority in Norfolk is still very much that, especially in the sticks. That said, people are very tolerant and I have never had the impression that people don't immigrate there because they wouldn't be welcome. More that they can find far better places to go with more happening and more chance of work Wink

If you do move here, would your DP consider working in a care home for adults with learning difficulties? There are a glut of them in Norfolk (due to daft government white paper-ing, Norfolk ended up with a disproportionate amount of people needing care home places) so work in them is usually readily available and it tends to be a field that one doesn't need experience in (although obviously having kids is great experience at being a carer) as it is attitude that matters.

I wouldn't recommend Marham, purely because of the fact that the RAF base's future is up in the air and when Coltishal (RAF base about 8 miles out of Norwich, on the Broads) shut a few years ago it hit the area terribly and it went from being a highly desirable place to live, to somewhere you went if you couldn't afford the rent anywhere else. Lots of lost services etc which really impacted badly for the locals. I would hate to suggest you move to Marham only for the same to happen there.

womanwholivedinashoe · 29/04/2011 12:11

Thank you so much ladies, have a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge list of places that hopefully we can look at on Mon/Tues.

Great advice about the schools btw and thank you for Marham piousprat, stunning house but you're right will mean nothing if all services get taken away :(

Man head hurts Confused Confused Confused

OP posts:
ihearttc · 29/04/2011 13:31

Norfolk is lovely! We live in Diss now which is on the Norfolk/Suffolk border as DH works in London...he often commutes daily and can get to his office in under 1 hr 45 mins door to door which is quicker than some of his collegues do from the outskirts of London!

With regards to you looking for work Diss and the surrounding area would perhaps be a good place for you to look because it's practically in the middle of several hospitals...Norfolk and Norwich,James Paget,Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds-you could get to any of them within an hour or so. Our neighbour is a nurse at the N&N and her husband is a doctor at James Paget!

Probably not much help at all but perhaps another area to at least look at!

onadifferentplanettoday · 29/04/2011 13:50

The Pit! Miss Bee now that brings back memories the plastic glasses and the regular fights!!! They changed it's name but it wiill always be the Pit to anyone who visited it!

ShuffleBallChange · 29/04/2011 19:50

Norfolk is lovely. Have lived here all my life and would not want to move anywhere else.

ragged · 29/04/2011 20:05

Norfolk High Schools have specialist programmes, I think Maths/Science is at Long Stratton or Broadlands.

womanwholivedinashoe · 29/04/2011 20:29

Looking at a house just outside of Long Stratton on Tuesday so hopefully it'll suit, but sooooooooo much to think about when you move blind into an area. It would be fine if the kids were all little but with ds being 14 it wouldn't be fair to uproot again if the area doesn't live up to hopes and dreams so we have to make a real go of things.

Thanks ladies for all the help and if I finally move I WANT to join the Norwich coffee's lol!

OP posts:
throckenholt · 30/04/2011 16:46

Stratton High School is improving (my friend is the head of governors and is working hard on the areas it fell down on).

A word of warning - Stratton is not a good area to live to get to the airport - totally the wrong side of Norwich - and Norwich can be a pig to get through depending on the time of day. You can go round the east side and come back in from the north (but it is a faff).

throckenholt · 30/04/2011 16:48

by the way - Stratton High doesn't have a 6th form.

There is also the high school at Framingham Earl in that general area.

ProfYaffle · 30/04/2011 16:58

Wow, I can tell mn is so much bigger these days, there was a time when I think I was the only poster in South Norfolk!

I live in Diss and agree with iheart, it's great for commuting, you can easily get to Norwich, Ipswich, Bury St Eds, Great Yarmouth, even Cambridge and London at a push. We live on the edge of town, have a 5 min walk into the town centre with it's pubs/restaurants/train station etc but 5 mins in the other direction and we're into open fields/village greens etc

pil live in Gorleston, it really is not nice. The beach is lovely but the town itself is a very dull suburb of Great Yarmouth, the pubs are alarming at the weeknd!

Ooopsadaisy · 30/04/2011 17:02

Lurking with interest ...

I long for the day that DP says "F**k it - let's bugger off to Norfolk."

I am so happy and content when I'm there. Love Cromer, Trimmingham, Mundesley ... all down that coast. North Walsham is just sooooo safe and friendly.

Went to Hunstanton for Easter and cried all the way home cos I didn't want to come home. Baby.

millie30 · 30/04/2011 17:02

ProfYaffle I moved to Diss 2 months ago and I love it so far! Still finding my feet but seems like a nice friendly town.

ProfYaffle · 30/04/2011 18:36

It is Smile Did you get to Fair Green yesterday? That was lovely, think it's the biggest party Diss has seen for a while, everyone's talking about it!

olderandwider · 30/04/2011 19:21

Kings Lynn is 1h 35 mins to London St Pancras/Kings Cross. It also has Queen Elizabeth Hospital nearby. There are some pretty towns along the North West coast of Norfolk all about 30 - 40 mins drive of Kings Lynn - the Burnhams, Old Hunstanton, Sandringham, Snettisham, also parts of Heacham are nice (the older part!).
As a rule, the coast villages are are quite pricey, but very pretty. Inland is likely to be cheaper.

IWantToBeAFairyWhenIGrowUp · 30/04/2011 19:26

I moved to Norfolk about 8 years ago. I lived in Salhouse which isn't so far from Acle or Norwich - there are good bus services from north of the City. Wroxham has football club too and I'm sure there are youth teams, however if you live Roys side (Hoveton), its a nightmare during the summer as there is only one road from Norwich and it gets VERY busy.

I love Norfolk :-)

IWantToBeAFairyWhenIGrowUp · 30/04/2011 19:27

Also there are quite a few houses for sale on the main road in Wroxham and that is on the quick route to the inner ring road (to the N&N Hospital).

ragged · 30/04/2011 19:41

I know several airport-dependent workers who live in Coltishall area, that puts you in the catchment for Broadland, too, I think.
Reepham is another specialist maths/tech High School & is the right side of County to get to the airport.

raffle · 30/04/2011 19:46

West Norfolk is pretty, there are some beautiful villages on the coast, Snettisham, Old Hunstanton, Burnham Market. If you decide on this part of Norfolk, the local paper is the Lynn News, which has a job section on a Friday (I think)

Pompoko · 30/04/2011 19:53

Hunstanton is brilliant!!! The summers are beautifuly hot but winter has a evil wind. The upside to the cold winter is you have the whole beach to yourself to make giant sand/rock castles! Brilliant for livening up a bleak day.
Is good middle and high school here as well.

There is Kings Lynn about 20mins away which has the the Queen Elisabeth hospital, train station to london and a good collage.

Dersingham is pritty but residents arnt that friendly unless you have lived there 20+ years (just escaped THAT villiage so know what im saying)

SherlockHolmes · 30/04/2011 19:55

I lived in Cromer for years, and never realised it WAS rough until I moved away Grin.

I would def avoid anywhere around Great Yarmouth and particularly Lowestoft, which have both suffered from high unemployment due to the decline in the fishing industry in recent years.

Sheringham is nice and the school is ok. If you want the best schools then Wymondham High and Aylsham High are probably the best. If you want to be not far from the coast and a good school, then a village between Aylsham and Cromer would be a good bet. Or Overstrand, which is a gorgeous fishing village with a lovely primary school called The Belfry.

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