Moving to Norfolk

[Aahh99]

Hi,
We were planning to relocate late next year, but have been given notice on our private rent for end of February, so we've been pushed into doing it a bit sooner than we expected...
(great timing as baby No. 2 due in January!)

Feeling a little apprehensive about moving an hour and half Away from family so soon after giving birth, but if we don't take the leap now, it'll never happen!

We are looking to relocate King's lynn way, but not been able to go and have a proper look at areas due to covid and lockdowns.
We were thinking Dereham, Fakenham, Swaffham.
I need to be withing 20-30 mins of the hospital for work.

Can anyone recommend any nice areas with decent amenities / schools?
Any tips of relocating?
Posting for traffic! Thank you! :)

friends moved to cromer and love it and there is a hospital but it is quite remote transport wise - not sure you'd get to beds in 1.5hrs..and secondary school is ok - her ds is bright but not a school fan and its going well! its also big enough to have stuff going on out of holiday season

While it would be nice to be close to a beach, are you sure you'd go enough to justify it? I was so excited when I moved to a coastal town but even though it had a beach that tourists loved, you tend to get a bit blah about it.

You've got lots of rural areas to look at around Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire and you can still do day trips to the beach.

@bloodywhitecat that's interesting.
Southwold has been our go to beach growing up as children.
Maybe I should look at Bury St edmonds way also.

It's a great area and you have lots of options once you decide what your priorities are. I live on Norfolk Suffolk border and I just wanted to chime in that although the beaches you mentioned are amazing, it's funny how quick you go off them when the 'Londoners' are all up in the summer and you can't get parked or get into the pub. I wouldn't prioritise living near those beaches, as if you lived not so near, you can always go on a random sunny weekend in November without the crowds and won't have to put up with the inconvenience 365 days a year.

It's 30/35 mins to great beaches from Norwich - Waxham, Horsey, Eccles, Winterton are great. The more eastern beaches aren't built up unless you go Yarmouth direction really. Then about 45 mins to Northern beaches Wells, Holkham etc. So it's easy to have the day at beach, we're like you and love it. Dereham (over 45 mins to Hunstanton) is longer to beaches than Norwich by time for sure, and Swaffham (40 mins to hunstanton) is about the same. So those two towns aren't necessarily closer than Norwich for beach days by any means. They may look it on a map but you need to Google the times due to Norfolk roads

I wouldn't want to live in any of the places you listed and the NNUH would be a much nicer place to work than QEH. I worked in dereham for awhile and it's a miserable place. I know 4 separate families who have moved from dereham or kings Lynn to Norwich.

West Suffolk hospital is in Bury iirc.

My OH was stationed at Marham. Kings Lynn and Swaffham are run down towns, I wouldn't want to live in any of those towns

Hi, I've worked at both QEH and currently work at NNUH. NNUH is a much bigger teaching hospital and has more learning opportunities. I wonder if the children would prefer being closer to the city as they grow up? I currently live just south of Norwich in Mulbarton which is a lovely little village and has excellent links to the A11. Qeh is a lovely friendly district general, which i enjoyed working in when I was newly qualified. There are more quaint beautiful villages in North Norfolk, we lived in Castle Acre which has the nicest walks and most lovely place I've ever lived. Its about 20mins from the hospital. Although the traffic to get in and out of QEH at 9/5 often doubled my commuting and was a nightmare. The A10 to commute anywhere is also dreadful as you cannot over take. Feel free to DM me with any queries!

I live on the outskirts of Norwich! It's a lovely place 🙂
I would advise to look at Cringleford, Mulbarton, Long Stratton, Poringland.. south Norwich. All lovely, lovely areas and close to N&N hospital. X

Thanks @ecoby, think I may have been persuaded to look at Norwich way instead.
I used to work in a cath lab and know NNUH had a big centre for that, so that's an option.
I'm just not sure which direction I want to go in career wise while the kids are young.
I've always said I didn't mind putting things on hold a bit, as I'd rather just work part time and be around for them.
Currently work 8-6 and it's so nice to get back for dinner and bedtime.
I'd like to do those hours, so maybe outpatients or clinics for a few years.

Gorleston on Sea 😀 has a hospital, beach and is half hour from Norwich! (Not yarmouth tho)

I love Gorleston... it's the new Southwold (I actually hope it isn't as I love it as it is) very nice traditional seaside, nice bars and coffee shops. Good choice of high schools etc etc

Gorleston is a beautiful place and very affordable.

No one ends up in Norwich by accident... www.edp24.co.uk/no-one-ends-up-in-norwich-by-accident-a-love-letter-to-a-fine-city-1-4285353

I'd steer clear of West Norfolk personally. Gorleston is surprisingly nice, considering what Yarmouth & Lowestoft are like. But Norwich is a lovely city to live in/near. It is SO easy to get around the city without transport. It has a feel to it that I can't quite describe. And the coast is really close too, as are the broads. TONS of parks and green spaces too. It's a surprisingly accepting place, considering all the jokes about Norfolk being 300yrs behind the rest of the world (i'm not denying there are some... attitudes in the more rural areas). PM me if there are any areas you want to know more about without being too outing publicly.

Untill recently I lived in Bedfordshire, my DS goes to uni in Norwich, I have friends who live in Swaffham and friends who live closer to Kings Lynn, so I've done a lot of trips that way.
The drive to Norwich is much easier than going to friend near Kings Lynn as it's dual carriageway most of the way to Norwich, but single carriage roads at least half way to Kings Lynn. The time is probably similar but you stand more chance of being stuck behind a tractor/ caravan/ boat on the king's Lynn road 🙂

Avoid Kings Lynn/Dereham at all costs,
Around Swaffham in the villages is not too bad, ditto Fakenham but the towns themselves - I wouldn't.

N Norfolk is really nice,
Closer to Norwich is more useful.

Norwich is better, a friend lives in Aylsham which is very nice.

Wymondham is very nice, a market town. Properties very reasonably priced. I would say, 45/50 minutes to a beach rather than half an hour and not far from hospitals of various types; I'm presuming you drive.

Good luck!

Please don't listen to people telling you how awful west norfolk is!!!

Dersingham, Snettisham and Heacham are great villages. Very near the coast and handy for the QEH. Loads to do for kids and so friendly.

I actually live here and am bringing up children so know it really is a lovely area.

Yes kings lynn is a not the lovliest place - but it's nice and handy for shopping if you live in a nearby village.

Oh and another thought. If you are looking to rent rather than buy it may be worth contacting the Sandringham Estate. They have loads of houses and cottages on the estate for rent in some really nice rural villages.

Norwich is much nicer than Dereham/Swaffham/Fakenham. I live in south norfolk near the A11 which is great for commuting - Cringleford, Hethersett, Wymondham great in this area but the broads area is lovely too and villages such as Brundall or Blofield and Thorpe St Andrew is good if you want to be closer to the city. The other side would be slightly cheaper I think if you looked at Taverham or Drayton

We relocated back to Norfolk 15 years ago as we wanted to bring up our then 18 mths old and 7 year old children in Norfolk( lived in Buckinghamshire previously).My husband and I both were students in Norwich in the 80's. Both my children have had a fantastic upbringing in Norfolk.
We currently live in a village off the A11 corridor, south of Norwich. Also look at Diss way as well. You then could look at the hospitals in Norwich and Bury st Edmunds.
Wymondham is very popular as well with young families however the schools are oversubscribed. Taverham and Drayton and the surrounding villages are very nice as well and the schools are good around there and you are in a good location for the coast. Although a bit further a trek to Bedfordshire. Good luck with your move, I love living in Norfolk.

Holt and the villages surrounding it seem to be lovely - my parents moved there about 4 years ago.

Fakenham is nice. Lots of NN is VERY expensive- from Holkham along the coast, and into Norwich seems very, very out of normal people’s reach. If I were going there, I’d be trying to find a sliver of nice between Fakenham and KL, giving access to the glorious beaches etc without being stuck in a place where the only shop sells vintage wine and fish and chips are £15...

@Aahh99 I think the big issue is whether you are planning to buy or rent? Lots of posters seem to be assuming that you want to buy somewhere and are talking about house prices.
Renting in Norfolk can be quite different, in terms of cost. University in Norwich can distort rental costs and there may not be as much rental property in more rural areas as you'd expect.
I'd second the suggestion to contact the Sandringham estate, they are said to be good landlords.