Aldershot - best area advice?

[SemperEadem]

Hi Ladies

We are shortly being posted to Aldershot (not sure how I feel about this)?

What are your opinions on the area and which are the best estates to request mq's on?

Thanks for any advice!

I'm not sure of the correct name for the estate but the newer houses are Cole Avenue, Badajoes Road area map

I used to do a lot of childcare in the area about 10+ years ago. Don't often visit the area these days so hope someone else will come along and confirm.

farnborough.
lol.

sorry.

i did the 'omdb' thing... with apols to anyone from the 'shot.

3 years on i think it would have been fine, but i needed time out from being a garrison girl really...

not sure what yr entitlement is - i would just say they are apparently better inside than out. the 'new' ones are v nice, but we weren't offered those.

or ask for farnborough.

ha ha Madwoman - you are filling me with much confidence

We are requesting the 'newer' one as DH's CSM lives there and says it is the best of the bunch but we obvioulsy cannot rely on allocations giving us what we want (in fact they have never given us any of our preferred locations!)

Am living in a not very nice area of London at the mo so am thinking that Aldershot may be an improvement?

there's loads of stuff for kids - check out the west end centre too - bands and comedians and all sorts. all the usual mod cons lol, mostly it's just me being a snob.
kids have had a whale of a time, and we're moving to the middle of nowhere in aug, so i'll be hankering after the 'shot and be forced to eat my words...

good timing though - loads of 'mew and improved' ahead in time for the olympics... (official training camp)
i prefer north camp than aldershot town tbh, and if i need proper shopping i go to guildford...

mew? new!

free gym membership - good pool... lido for the summer... dry ski slope... am i convincing you yet?

getting there

We were in the back of beyond on our last posting & to be honest, I sometimes hanker after that posting

Am probably never gonna be happy where we go as I then hanker after home but when at home I then get bored incredibly easy & long to be back in my army house, estate etc - pita or what??!!

Where are you going to next?

canada.

madwoman - you missed out Playgym (at the former icerink, next to lido) - children I nanny love it at Playgym. It's just a good 1/2 hour drive these days!

I would suggest avoiding Quetta and Wakefords (Church Crookham). I helped at pre-school there back in the early 90's and there were rumours then that the estate was going to be bulldozed in '92... but never happened... it's still being used as MQS. Only saving grace is that Fleet town centre is nice (about 1.5 miles from Quetta).

North Camp has some newer (well probably 10-15 years old by now) places.

I used to look after some children who lived in McKay Close (Goose Green estate) and on Middle Hill. Those were not that bad, but that was back in mid 90's... so quite some time ago now.

oooooh Canada

Are you sure you will be hankering after Aldershot??!!

I gre up all around there & am not forces (how did that happen i hear you ask) Church Crookham totally, it's a great place with a village like community & Fleet is lovely for day to day shopping.

Church Crookham is lovely if you are a civvie. The MQs literally send people to the the GP for ADs - it's nothing to do with the village itself, which is lovely. The MOD housing is abominable. In fact some people stick it for six months and then request a move (self-funded), they are that desperate to get out...

mmmm, you're probably right about the hankering thing - hadn't really thought it through...

i do shop in fleet - it's fine. dd2 has a ballet class in ewshott, so the surrounding area around the cc quarters is beautiful... but i wouldn't accept a quarter there unless there were literally no alternatives... in fact i might not do it even then... my own personal opinion obviously.

See thats the thing isn't it - it can be a lovely area with crap housing! Or vice versa!

I've had enough of the crap housing situation (kitchen doors falling off, carpets falling to bits). I know I am never going to get a nice army house in a nice area but would, for once, like a decent house in a decent area.......

Going to push for the newer houses I think. Can you remember the name of that particular estate madwoman?

nick, you're right - mine love the gym. had no idea it used to be an ice rink or maybe we're talking about a diff place? i've been to the one rushmoor gymnastics use, next to the lido - is that the one? if not, i haven't found playgym lol... the kids love the rushmoor gymnastics place, and it's fab for dd2 as it's one of the few places she can try to run and i'm not petrified she's going to hurt herself. she did end up jumping into the parallel bar pit once and being unable to get out... no-one had a clue where she'd disappeared to... until we found one brave mummy jumping in to rescue the poor little disabled girl... we all had to haul the mother out after she'd hoiked dd2 up

tbh, we wouldn't mind moving back to the area later on - there's nothing at all wrong with it if you can get the right house. i think the problem the mod has, is that they have so few decent houses and the rest give the 'shot a bad name it doesn't deserve...

lol, no, i know where it is from here...

ring the nice lady at the hive - karen. i think she moved 'in' from wakefords or somewhere so i bet she'll give you loads of useful info if you say you want to ask about quartering areas

That's the place MadWoman - Rushmoor Gymnastics - Playgym 9.30-10.30, 1.30-2.30 weekdays during term time - and still £1 per person.

I agree with you re: Quetta, Wakefords, Humphries. While Church Crookham village is quite nice (was much nicer before they built Zebon Copse the big housing estate - can you tell I've lived in that area quite a long time) the MQs are quite terrible now. They weren't that great back in the early 90's... but I went to one in Wakefords just before Xmas and the parents there (I was babysitting their 5 month old baby) were telling me that the houses each side of theirs were unoccupied due to being too damp, not fit for human habitation. When property gets left empty, it will get damp... probably too late now to revive them. Planning applications for Elizabeth Barracks have been around for many many years now... one day I suspect the entire site, including MQs will get demolished and a big civie housing estate built (or maybe a combined civie MQs estate - do they ever do those - think Deepcut may be like that).

Agree... chat with Aldershot HIVE they will probably be able to give more suggestions for where to avoid... and where is Ok.

You may also want to consider local facilities such as: Pre-Schools, Infant/Junior Schools.
Children in a good school may help outweigh bad accommodation.

zebon copse
i got lost there trying to find the community centre... it's like The Truman Show...

Sorry for the complete hijack it says Rushmoor Gymnastics is for the under 5's but what age would you say it is actually suitable for? i.e what is the youngest you would take a child.

thanks.

toddling... unless you want to follow a crawler around. for your own sanity really! i think people take younger ones if they have older ones to run around though - like any soft play really...

cheers manwoman, will probably wait until after the summer holidays!