Comberton and other villages

[Busymummy50]

After in depth researching and looking at cambourne, (we initially wanted to look at moving to cambourne) have now changed our mind for various reasons.

An excellent secondary school is the main reason for our move and also quality of live. Living in London is very stressful and we would like a village which has all the shops you need but not far drive to a big supermarket or shopping centre/high street shops. With 2 young children, having a swimming pool not too far drive away would be ideal. With smaller villages like comberton, is it an issue living far away from the school in terms of having friends? We'd like enough children nearby so kids can have friends and play out or go to each other's houses.

Are there any villages like this in west or south of canbridge?

I like shelford. It’s quite expensive but definitely a lovely area.

I have visited cambourne and drove through linton. But will make a trip next week to visit melbourn and comberton

We visited Melbourn. Had a walk around and went into the local shop. Loved the area and houses but people in the co op seemed a bit miserable and outside people just seem to just get in with their day. Didn't get a friendly feel like other areas where people are smiley. Since we only walked through, anyone from Melbourn can tell me what it's really like?

Also cambourne and comberton village colleges are outstanding and Melbourne rates good. I know Melbourn joined the cam academy trust, was this recent? Anyone with kids at Melbourn could give an opinion on the school from a parents point of view? Also Comberton?

Originally liked cambourne but recently put off a bit with the crimes which have been happening

I really like Comberton Village College. The pastoral care is very good.
My DD was bullied last Xmas and the school did everything they could to help my dd.
The after effects are still ongoing and their care and support for her have been outstanding.
My Ds goes to the 6th form there and seems very happy.

My ds went to Comberton. He had some MH issues and the schools pastoral care was outstanding.

We live in Bourn and everyone is very friendly here! If you are in the area at the moment go and have a look again at Comberton, Toft snd Bourn all of which are very friendly places. The two cafes in Bourn are both open until 4pm today if you need to revive yourself with cake! There's also a nice cafe in Cambourne called Greens

I love wysing arts cafe. The owner is really lovely and makes great cakes.

Thanks everyone! I am back in London now but will come back again!

Ihatethecold did you know that Abantu has just won best cafe in the region and that it's made it to the National Finals next Thursday. Very exciting.

I didn’t but I’m not surprised. I like it even more now it’s moved to wysing.
I really don’t like the stove. Terrible acoustics in there. I can’t hear properly when I’m inside the cafe.

I agree. And Wendy does really good salads, cakes etc. Did you know the Red House at Longstowe reopened this week? I went there for lunch today and it was very nice albeit slightly bare.

Sorry, didn't mean to derail the thread OP. Hope you had a productive time house hunting.

EmmaGrundyForPM No problem at all. I like hearing about the areas and what there is on offer. We are really stuck on picking to stay in London or make the move to Cambridgeshire. Our eldest is 10 and where we live we have most things nearby and lots of things going on. We would love a quieter setting for the children but worried he might get bored in his teens. Dilemma.....

I live quite close to the red house. Haven’t been yet.
How was the food?

You will become a taxi op. 🙄
My dd gets the bus into town which isn’t cheap.

We had sandwiches, which were good. The menu is quite "pubby" - bangers and mash, fish and chips, but done well (I was peering over at other tables! ).

OP, I love living in a village close to Cambridge so we can access everything it has to offer, but also have the community feel of being in a village. So for me it's the best of both worlds. But as Ihatethecold says, you run the risk of being a taxi service for a few years. If you are serious about living in the Comberton catchment area then ensuring you're in a village on the number 18 bus route is a big plus. When ds was in 6th form he could get home early via the number 18, although it only runs every hour.

We moved from London when I was pregnant and never regretted it. But it is a big decision.

Thanks, I'll have a look at the route. How about melbourn village college? Any good or bad things about it?

We are local to Melbourn college, although I don’t have DC there. It’s progress scores lately have been very strong, and it was OFSTED inspected this term as Good (I put a lot more store in a recent Ofsted). Friends with children there are very happy - each year group is considerably smaller than Comberton or Sawston, and it’s reported to be very friendly. It offers Mandarin, for what it’s worth. It’s a feeder for Hills Road 6th form, which is one of the best in the country.

I don't know much about Melbourn Village College as my DC aren't old enough to go there, but I've seen some pupils come out with very good results.

I find Melbourn a really friendly village. I grew up in London and love village life. It isn't cliquey, as far as I can tell, and being a large village makes it not feel too insular. My DD is at the primary school and bumps into someone (children and adults) she knows every time we go out in the village. The Hub cafe also has a library section and it's a good place to go for a coffee or meal. There's also a lot going on in the village - the Hub held at least 3 Halloween events last weekend, there were fireworks yesterday and a craft fair today.

Cammel Thank you for the information. Are there any parts of the village that is nicer than others as it is a large village? Any parts to avoid when looking for a house?