Hitchin v Cambridge - what is it like to live in these areas with little ones

[Picoloangel]

I am wondering what Hitchin is like as a place to live and would be really grateful for any opinions etc.
At the moment we live in Islington, and love living here, but the house prices have gone into EuroMillions winner overload and the local schools are beyond abysmal. I think for a while we were looking to recreate our life here somewhere cheaper (if that makes sense) In one way I guess St Albans is the closest to London we might find but I worry that it's all a bit overpriced and a bit snobby - apologies to anyone who lives there but I am basing this opinion on the experiences of a very good friend who says that there are only a handful of roads in SA which are considered "the right area" and this has really put me off. I also think trying to recreate our life here somewhere else would be doomed to failure because it just won't be the same and really it is more that we are ready now to leave this life behind.

I never expected to find myself wanting to live in a smaller town but now that we have our 18 mo DD it seems a very attractive proposition and the chance to have a very different life. Someone suggested Hitchin and we visited last week and really liked it. We ended up going back again a couple of days later and still liked it! There is a real beauty to it and just a really nice vibe. The property prices are much better than SA and so are the schools by all accounts.

Cambridge has also long been a contender because I used to live there and loved it! BUT it is further away from town, I gather that the traffic is horrendous, there seem to be fewer nurseries and less of a young family vibe plus it would be less house for our money. On the plus side the shopping is fab :) and there's loads to do generally and the schools are good.

We would have to commute some of the time and would probably have to have some form of childcare so any views/experiences on commuting and nurseries would also be great.

I am scared that it will be difficult to meet other people - you literally fall over other mothers in this part of London and there are endless classes to go to and meet people! What about Hitchin/Cambridge? Also as re Hitchin is it a pain having to go elsewhere for bigger shopping centres and cinemas etc?

Excuse the waffle and bleating and general Daily Mail schools obsession but I am sooo sleep deprived from 4 nights of DD'S horrible, scary virus and my usual wit and comic timing have all but deserted me!

Anyway, views/reviews/experiences of nurseries and of moving out of London will all be very gratefully received.

Thanks

Hitchins a lovely place to grow up in :D The good primaries (Purwell, William, Ransom, Mary Exton) are wonderful and the children are great and do very well- v supportive and pro learning. The secondaries are mixed, hitchin girls/boys are v good but a pain to get into, highfield is your next bet. (hitchin areas wise, avoid westmill and sunnyside) The town itself is lovely (Christmas

Hey,
We just made the same move from islington to hitchin after a similar decision making time! We also were priced out of islington... We've only been here a couple of weeks and I dont really know anyone yet but it seems like there is a similar number of mums and babies and plenty of baby groups!! I do miss islington, especially upper street but loving the slower pace of life and all the space we have here. Definitely better for our little one . The town is nice and there are enough shops. Don't have any regrets and have popped back on the train a couple of times already to see people and it's so quick we don't feel too cut off. Hope that's helpful! Message me if you want to know more... !

We moved to Hitchin from Finchley a year ago and have never looked back. It's a lovely town with a great community and there are loads of baby groups etc where you can meet people. There are lots of lovely independent shops but if you need to do some serious shopping Welwyn and Cambridge are not far away.

Another vote for Hitchin. We moved here last November after being priced out of London, and I'm loving it. I moved here late in my 1st pregnancy knowing absolutely no one, but there are so many baby groups and classes, and everyone is so friendly. There's definitely a real community feel, and its the right size that if you start going to a few groups you quickly start to recognise people and get chatting. DP is finding the commute in to London easy.

About the only downside is the shopping. There are lots of lovely shops but they are a little boutique-y (and half of them are so small you fill them with the pushchair!) and there aren't any high street shops. But you can get buy, and head to Cambridge, Welwyn or Milton Keynes for proper shopping.