Nottinghamshire village advice please!

[Nottsmove16]

We are hoping to move to Nottingham with baby and 3 yr old and don't know it at all. Would appreciate help with any of the following questions please...

The villages around NE nott, particularly Woodborough and OXton etc look lovely but are there any toddler groups or activities etc to make friends at?

Is the commute to nottingham girls high ok? ( will miss application deadlines for Woodborough woods etc and get the impression they are over subscribed as excellent schools?) . Hate driving and dont want to spend life in the car.

With a young family is it better to live on west Bridgeford side if I want to make friends?

Where would one go for a coffee shop/ wander/ chat with people ?

Thanks !

I am probably biaised as I live in West Bridgford, but I think WB is fantastic for families. Loads going on, good schools, lots of toddler groups, great places to wander for coffee etc. However it is very expensive compared to some areas. You will definitely get more for your money elsewhere, but it is worth the cost imo. If you hate driving WB is also really well connected in terms of public transport.
Can't comment specifically on Woodborough/Oxton.
Good Luck with your move!

Thanks for the quick reply! If we decided to go for nottingham high school do you know what the drive through town would be like? I heard the bridges can get v busy at rush hour?

I don't generally do that drive myself at rush hour, but generally the traffic isn't too bad in the centre, so I think it would be doable - hopefully there will be someone else along, who can give you more info.
It would also be doable by public transport - bus into town (probably to the station) (the buses from WB are really frequent and there are lots of different routes serving the whole of WB) and then tram up to the high school (there is a stop right outside the main high school building)

Thanks- good public transport links appealing esp for when they are teenagers!

Hi
High school would be fine to get there and back as long as you avoid after 5pm.
I think west bridgford can't be bettered for schools, facilities, baby groups etc. I had 3 under 3, no car and a need to get out of the house every day. ..there was honestly something to do all the time. I wouldn't discount the schools ...Rushcliffe is outstanding and both have results on a par with private...you pay more to live here, no need to pay fees too.
I don't know about the other villages.

We went through pretty much the same decision as you describe. We were looking at Woodborough, WB, Mapperley Park, and The Park. We ended up in The Park. My 4 year old will also go to NGHS. WB is great, but you will pay a premium for houses there over other locals. because of the amount of 'outstanding' and 'good' schools. I grew up in WB and am moving back to Nottm this summer. We looked at some houses in WB, but just decided why pay a premium when we're not going to be using the schools. We too missed cut off date for school catchment area. We decided on The Park because of central location to NGHS, great housing stock, great community vibe, lots of community get togethers, a play-group once a week, weekly farmers market, etc, etc. And also a lot of kids go to the High schools. If you hate driving, The Park is great because you can walk into town so easily.

Good luck with your decision.

Thanks Neshobe, good to hear that you felt that there was a nice community vibe in the Park. Do you know if it has any green spaces or playgrounds for little ones ?

Good luck with your move

Bingham is also a lovely village/market town - Voted Best place to Being up a Family a couple of years ago. Primary schools and secondary are very renowned. Lots of toddler and playgroupd running as well.