Relocating to Cambridgeshire... looking for help on areas please!

[crazybutterflylady]

Hi all
I wondered if you ladies could help me please. We have just found out we are pregnant and are currently living in SE London. We had planned to move at the end of next year but have now decided to bring it forward and aim for February instead, and rent first to make sure we are happy with the area before we buy.

The problem is we don't really know the area too well, apart from having friends in Huntingdon.

We are looking for an area from which we can reach stations that come into Kings X ideally, rather than Liverpool Street. Ideally closer in then Ely as the journey is quite long. We don't mind driving to stations.

I hope you can help... I'm getting myself very stressed trying to find something from scratch!

Thanks in advance xx

Royston is nice. It is North Herts rather than Cambs - in a little bump on the top of Herts that pokes into Cambs. 40min to Kings Cross. Schools are great till secondary (yr 9). You've got 14 years for the secondary to improve though.

If you're thinking that far ahead, you could live over the Cambs border in one of the villages - Melbourn or Bassingbourn say - and it's a 10min drive to Royston station. Or you can catch a slow train from Meldreth.

Houses are cheapest in Royston and get more expensive the closer to Cambridge you go.

Thanks fruitful we have actually driven around Meldreth and Melbourn and loved those areas. I don't have much info about Royston so I shall add that to our list. Thanks a lot!
Do you have any idea how easy it is to rent around there? I worry in those sorts of villages that houses are mainly for sale.
x

depending on budget available I would say that the villages around cambridge are lovely but I have no knowledge about the station and commuting etc.

You do get houses for rent in the villages - definitley worth looking.

definitely houses to rent in the villages.
If commuting to London then station access is your priority - unfortunately you aren't alone, and this impacts on the price.

I'm on the north side, but it sounds like you want south if Ely is to far.

It is probably worth searching the archives on here at this type of thread pops up reasonably regularly.

Hi CS - you still in the village local to me or have you moved recently??
strange question but is there a village magazine? I want to place an advert and know about the beacon but don't think that covers you does it?

still here.
It is the Crier, contacts here.

The other villages also have individual mags Reach (Out of Reach), Burwell (Clunch) and Bulbeck (I think anyway) also have individual village mags.

oh - and if you do your "ad" as a letter with contact details they will probably just publish it. Obviously might not be appropriate, but might save you some advertising money.

I'd second the villages around Royston - v. good schools, reasonable house prices. Try Melbourn, Steeple Morden, Guilden Morden, Ashwell (actually in Herts). There are houses in these villages to rent.

Also something to think about - try looking at the London to Huntingdon train line. It's much faster and more frequent (and cheaper, I think) than the London-Cambridge line, but house prices of towns on the line -Hitchin, Letchworth, Biggleswade, Sandy, St. Neots are much cheaper than the towns and villages on the other line. Plus it's still a fairly quick drive into Cambridge for city shoppping.

thanks so much CS!

The commute from Huntingdon to Kings X is pretty fast and there are lots of nice villages around Huntingdon. Are you hoping to live in a little village or would you prefer a town? Congrats on the pregnancy :)

Hiya CBL, just saw your CAT. Bookmarking and will be back later to reply properly :)

Right DD back in bed so can reply properly.

I don't really know the areas around Royston but do know that there are some lovely villages and good schools around that way.

I would second looking at the huntingdon-Kings X train line. A lot of people I know commute from St Neots and the surrounding area and it is doable and house prices are a lot lower than nearer into Cambridge (but its near enough to shop/visit there regularly).

Do you want village life or would you prefer to be somewhere a bit bigger?

I live in Cambourne which is a completely new build large village. I like it as there are lots of young families and lots to do with a baby without needing to get in a car but its not to everyone's taste. From here its about 15-20 mins by car to St Neots station. We moved here when I was pg with DD from a smaller nearby village partly because of the activities and amenities on the doorstep. Lots to rent around the village too.

There are some nice villages if you draw a triangle between Cambridge, St Neots and Sandy although some are more accessible than others train-wise. I have a hankering to live in one of the Gransdens or a village called Graveley which are really pretty but I don't know anything about them other than having driven through and ooh'ed and ahh'ed at some of the houses!

I know St Ives a bit and there are some nice bits and large houses but its a drive into Huntingdon for the train which I think can be quite busy. Godmanchester is quite nice too from what I've heard.

Hope that helps a bit - feel free to CAT me if you want more specifics or help arranging some visits/rental agency details.

Thanks for all your replies, I really appreciate the help. Sorry if I am being repetitive; I did check the threads first and took note of places that had been recommended before.

inmyhead we love Huntingdon but again I don't know too much about the surrounding areas, so not sure which bits to avoid. I love Brampton which is part of Huntingdon I think?! Thanks for those suggestions, I will add them all to my search.

EauRouge thanks for the congrats :) I am still pretty stunned and trying very hard (but mainly failing) to remain calm and not get too excited until the scan. We would prefer a vilage or even out a bit further, so don't mind a drive or cycle to the station. Given we are renting at first, it's not a big deal if we decide we are too far out since we can learn from that when we buy...so willing to give it a go.

runningmonkey thanks so much!! I have seen Godmanchester a lot on search sites and again didn't know much about it, so thanks for the feedback. I will definitely look at Cambourne and the other villages. If you don't mind me CATing with more crazy questions you it'd be really helpful, thanks for being so sweet xx

I feel loads more relaxed now I have some ideas, thanks a lot ladies

x

Brampton is nice and it's a fairly easy drive to the train station from there. It's also quite near the hospital if that's where you're planning to give birth.

If you were to go north of Huntingdon (the Stukelys or Alconbury) then you would have to go all around the one way system to get to the train station, which is a pain in the bum!

Godmanchester is very nice too, as are the Offords. Not sure what amenities there are as I've only driven through a few times.

Journey from Huntingdon to Kings X is great - I used to do it and DH still does daily. I would highly recommend basing yourself round Huntingdon for a commute. Takes about 45 mins for the fast trains, or about an hour for the slower ones.

We live in Godmanchester which I love. DH cycles to the station from there, takes him less than 10 minutes, or you can obviously drive or walk.

You're welcome, crazybutterfly lady. We made the move out of london and so I know what you're going through. The villages outside Hitchin, Letchworth are lovely.

The villages outside Biggleswade (Northill, Ickwell, Old Warden, Southill, etc) are gorgeous and houseprices are much, much lower than around Cambridge. Commute into Kings X is 36 mins on the direct trains. Plus you're very close to the A1 for a quick zip into London by car to catch up with friends. Godmanchester and Huntingdon are great - but the commute is, obviously, that bit longer and more expensive for a season ticket.

Right, so I have sent Mr Crazy all this and we have agreed to base ourselves around Huntingdon. I just need to be patient now and wait for our current contract to expire so we can start looking for a place to rent. We are thinking of moving in Feb (I will be due in May) so it would give me a good 3 months to nest, provided we manage to find a place relatively quickly.

inmyhead I have just flicked through some houses around Biggleswade and can see what you mean, I will definitely look around there when we come to buy. It looks like there is a bit of 'life' there as well as being out of town which is just what I am looking for once I go on maternity leave.

Eeek. Thank you for all your help! And the advice on the one way system eau which is the sort of thing you never find out about a place until you move there, thanks :)

xx

crazybutterflylady - we moved to Huntingdon from London over a year ago and love it. Everything is here and it is easy enough to get to Cambridge / Peterborough / London for city life or bigger facilities. The villages around it are gorgeous too. Brampton and Godmanchester are both close enough to the train station for the commute to Kings X. Hubs takes this journey regularly too. Dh is reading the local paper as I write... if you send your postal address to my email bella at tikitour dot net then I can post the housing part for you to have a nosey at?

we have the hospital and the train station on our doorstep!!

Realistically, you could follow the train line back down to London and base yourself near any of the stations along the way?