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! :)

We will be private renting. Not in a position to buy at the moment.

Thanks on the advice about Sandringham estate. Will have a google!

I vote for Gorleston too, it's lovely, lots of schools, a big hospital., lovely cafes, our high street is hasn't been taken over by ound shops yet. We have the best beach that tends to be mostly locals as all the holiday parks are in Great Yarmouth.

Someone i know lives in Sutton Bridge. Not that I'm advocating living there exactly but consider South Lincolnshire as you get the Norfolk access but not at Norfolk prices.

Also house prices are far cheaper than West or North Norfolk, you would be amazed at what you can afford.

Just to add OP that the north Norfolk beaches get rammed in tourist season. We are in Suffolk now but previously lived in Norfolk. We found beaches like Mundesley were quieter and much nicer through spring and summer. We lived on the broads, only 25 mins to central Norwich and about the same to beaches too. There's also a hospital down Gorleston way which may be a factor to consider with East Norfolk. We are now just over the border in Suffolk and love it here. So beautiful but so many less tourists!

The best beaches imo are Winterton, Waxham, and Sea Palling. All easily accessible from Norwich and surrounding areas. NN is lovely, but as a pp said, beyond rammed in summer and they’re not enjoyable.

I’m Norfolk born and bred and moved out of Holt to Norwich. I’m enjoy it so much more away from NN in the summer!

I would have a closer look at both hospitals mentioned if you were looking to return to cath lab work ;)

Since the new roads (Cambridge and elevden bypasses) have been built you can do Norwich to Bedford in an hour and a half. My dm is Bedfordshire and we lived in Norwich 20 years ago, even then you could do it in 2. In the summer we did Norwich to west mids where we are now in 3 which was something of a record but probably a bit illegally fast, not me driving though!

I have fond memories of training at NNUH haven't worked there though but much more jobs going on there than King Lynn I'd have thought but I'm not a nurse so dont know what youd be looking for.

I don't really fancy Norfolk again but if I did I would have to live in Norwich. The other towns you mentioned a small, universe and like ghost towns these days

Undiverse that should say!

If you're cath lab based go to NNUH.

Also definitely a quicker trip to Beds on the dual carriageway A14 road rather than the single Kings Lynn road.

Those deriding the parts of Norfolk further south in favour of the area around Holt are giving no consideration to costs, the North Norfolk costs are massively inflated. There would be about a 30% difference between the two areas for a similar property.

@TeddyIsaHe

The best beaches imo are Winterton, Waxham, and Sea Palling. All easily accessible from Norwich and surrounding areas. NN is lovely, but as a pp said, beyond rammed in summer and they’re not enjoyable.

I’m Norfolk born and bred and moved out of Holt to Norwich. I’m enjoy it so much more away from NN in the summer!

No No No they're not, stop letting out secrets!

Don’t know how nice it would be to live there but I enjoyed the beach at Old Hunstanton.

Sheringham/Holt way is nice and has Cromer Hospital.

@keeprocking that's how I feel everytime people mention Gorleston, let the holiday makers stay in Wells etc.

Winterton etc are lovely but the sea is so dangerous up there with the riptide. Thankfully G beach is relatively safe and it's been a fairly long time since we've had a tragedy, unfortunately happens far too often up at Sea Palling etc.

Those of you saying Dereham is rough clearly haven’t lived anywhere that is proper rough.
Dereham used to be thriving but like so many market towns it is suffering and there are not huge numbers of rich people living there but there are some super parts of Dereham and lovely villages nearby.
It’s easy to get to Norwich, but I would say a bit too far from Kings Lynn.

Im confused as to the hate for Dereham too...i had an ex that lived there...i used to stay at his most weekends...i thought it was a lovely little market town...never saw any bother there and he lived smack bang in the town centre.

North Walsham is supposed to be a nice place to live.

Dereham isn't really rough, just grim. Just nothing going on, and not especially pretty.

Hi Op

I lived in Norwich and had family in Bedford not a bad commute

I would advise living closer to Norwich and looking at jobs at the N&N it's a nice hospital

Wymomdham is a nice town and has new houses going up, shops, sports centre etc and not far from Norwich as are many of the villages around. I think a village around Norwich is probably better than a small town but depends what you looking for

Equally nice is Aylsham and holt but harder to get Bedford

Hethersett is nice, loddon, beccles on the Suffolk boarder.

All the best in your move

Reading a lot of replies on here I don't recognise Kings Lynn. Yes there are rough areas but there are some lovely areas I feel safe round here kids had a great mix of activities growing up and always safe. Its a nice old town close to the coast close to Sandringham which kids loved growing up. In less than 2 hours you are in Central London on the train. And most summers obviously not this year, several free festivals in town centre we have the biggest free music event in Europe. Yes Hospital is not rated great but I have had nothing but great care from it and its staff are always great.
I would be careful with how far you live from your chosen hospital as especially in summer roads can be jammed and there are no motorways and very few dual carriage ways in Norfolk so a few miles can take an age.

I grew up in N. Norfolk and my family are still there. I'd carefully look at how long your commute will be if you move to a village or town that is not near where you plan to work. The commute from Fakenham to Kings Lynn, for instance, is much longer than it looks due to traffic and this traffic is awful in the summer as everyone coming from the Midlands to N. Norfolk with their caravan goes via Kings Lynn. The roads are mostly single-lane and the traffic has increased massively over the years - we go up in the summer to visit my parents and we time our drives very carefully to avoid peak times, but if you are working and you start at X time, you'll have no choice but to drive through the worst of it, particularly if your dream hours at 8-6.

I wouldn't move to the N. Norfolk coast for that reason too, because lovely though it is it's eye-wateringly expensive and the traffic/parking are hell for people who live there year-round. So, if I were you I'd either look at villages like Dersingham, Snettisham or I'd head towards Norwich (but again, don't live too far out - Norwich rush hour traffic is also pretty awful these days). And yes, Gorleston is lovely, but it's a bloody hike from there to Beds.

If you want to be near the coast but in reach of several hospitals somewhere in North Suffolk such as halesworth beccles bungay might work for you. Halesworth for. Example is about 20 mins from Southwold, walberswick and dunwich as well as other quieter beaches. You are then about 30 to 40 minutes from Norwich Ipswich and James Paget hospitals. Bungay and beccles are slightly further from the coast but nearer to Norwich.

I live near downham Market. Brilliant as it has a train station..you can be in cambridge in half an hour which opens up addenbrookes as a work place. Half an hour to get to kings lynn by car or short train journey. Primary schools are very good but secondary are not so great in this area.
We moved from London and are very happy here.
You have to visit and really think about what you want.