Moving from Cambridgeshire to York

[user1492681519]

Hi,
Just after some advise..
We currently live in Chatteris Cambridgeshire, we moved up here from a beautiful Buckinghamshire village but we outgrew the house when we had two kids and the house sold so fast we literally had 2 months to find somewhere to live. The properties in the area were ridiculously expensive so decided to gamble and move up here where we bought a lovely big house, the problem is its been a year and we haven't settled. Its the most boring place I have ever been to. Nothing for the children to do except a small park and everywhere is a good 30- 40 min drive away so we're selling up asap! We simply couldn't bare the thought of the kids growing up round here.
We are thinking of moving up to North Yorkshire as we love it up there, the only thing I am worried about is the kids when they get older if it will be boring for them. We are looking at York and surrounding areas. We need to be near a town or city yet still be in a rural-ish area which has pretty surroundings. If anyone had done a move like this up there, I would really appreciate the advice. Thank you :)

There are some nice villages near Hull too - Ottringham, Keyingham, Preston.

Thank you :) x

Can't blame you. Fenland life is different.

Another York villager with teen/tween kids. 👋🏻
it’s a great place for families, lots to do and easy access to town and country. Poppleton has a train into York and Harrogate/leeds, but your budget might be a stretch. The traffic into central York from all villages can be a pain, but public transport in York is better than most other parts of N.Yorks.

Harrogate and Knaresborough also v nice, but very expensive (particularly Harrogate.)

Northallerton in NY is on the east coast main line and is a market town with quite a bit going on. From there, you’ve good train access to York and Durham/Newcastle, and again, lovely countryside.

another option is the Ilkley/Menston/Guiseley area in W.Yorks. They all have train stations into the main with good access to Leeds, but also great countryside and loads to do.

Where’s your support network OP? You seem to be bouncing around to random places in pursuit of the dream - beautiful countryside with lots of life. I’m not saying it doesn’t exist but it sounds like it could be out of your budget and still hard to settle. Your kids have also had a lot of change so whatever step you take next, think hard and visit lots before committing.

For me, being near family is a must, it’s what anchors my family. I get family isn’t for everyone but have a think about what’s going to really make you all happy. It’s usually the people rather than the place in my experience.

Can you really be in London from Thirsk by rail in two hours? That seems quite optimistic.

The fastest trains I have seen are 2 hours 5 minutes. East Coast Mainline is fast.

Depending on where you want to live, you’ll struggle to find a 3 bed in a nice area with decent schools for 360k

Housing in York is v expensive; we’re in Heworth, won’t get much change from £380k for a 3 bed semi, 4 bed terrace or semi go for £450k+. However, it’s good schools, decent buses and an approx 20 min walk to the city centre

One of the best advantages of York is you can get the 6.00 from York and be at Kings Cross at 7.45. I know quite a few who commute two days a week.

Yep; when it works it’s great, when it doesn’t (cabling being nicked, broken down trains, people on the line etc) it’s dire. Still has better service than Avanti west coast line tho.

Yup. It’s really good. You get on at Thirsk, the train stops at York then it’s non stop after that. That’s using Grand Central. I also use SeatFrog to upgrade to first class if there’s space

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel @LittleMy77 @Teabelly71 thanks for your replies - I’m amazed it’s so quick! I knew it was just under an hour from Peterborough to Kings X, so was really surprised to think it could be just over 2 hours from Thirsk, so I’ve learnt something new today - thanks! 🥰🙏👍

York is lovely. There are lots of surrounding towns and villages all within a short distance of York
there are good transport links and excellent schools.
Dunnington is particularly nice. Pocklington as mentioned above is also lovely

I grew up in Easingwold, which is halfway between York and Thirsk, and the only thing i didn't like about it was the lack of evening or Sunday buses (i believe there is now a late bus on a Fri night and morning/afternoon buses on a Sun). We were heavily reliant on lifts to go to bowling / to the cinema etc, until one of us could drive and then we would all pile into our friends car, which probably wasn't really the safest. I agree with pp who mentioned places like Wigginton, Haxby, Strensall etc, all of which have public transport into York and so are much easier to get to and from for a social life for teens!

We moved from Southampton to York 9 years ago and love it here, no intention of leaving any time soon!

Take a look at Rawcliffe, you would be able to get somewhere decent with that budget. Good luck!

Just came on to say Heworth if you have the budget

Most places have an element of they are what you make of them though. I've lived here for many years, raised my children and now some of my grandchildren live here too. I found the people very friendly, and although it may be quiet, there is plenty to do locally if you look. Beautiful Ely with its amazing cathedral, and street food market is only 20 minutes away, each year they have an apple fair, eel festival, march 10 minutes, last week was the st George day festival, huntingdon, birthplace of Cromwell 15 mins. I don't know how old your children are but theres many local attractions, e.g. johnsons the zoo where prices for a family of 4 are under £20 is less than 10 miles away,, stunning fen walks, wicken fen nature and swan feeding reserve. All of mine went to local squirrels, beavers, cubs gymnastics etc. There are 2 skate parks, football clubs in the school holidays, and things like free bike riding lessons. The secondary school in chatteris was rated the highest in Cambridgeshire for A levels results last year beating many better known Cambridge schools. Maybe you didn't give it a chance.

The secondary school in chatteris was rated the highest in Cambridgeshire for A levels results last year beating many better known Cambridge schools.

Really? I can't find a comparison article for 2024, but it's not mentioned here for 2023.

Searching using the table on that page gives Cromwell Community College with an average grade of C with 5.6% getting AAB or higher.

This link from CCC's own website currently only has results for 2023. If its results beat all others in Cambridgeshire in 2024 you'd think it would draw attention to them.