Moving back to UK

[Sinfield]

This has probably been asked a million times before....

I am moving back to the UK next year from Australia and am looking to settle in the Cambridge area. I am originally from Bournemouth and have never been to Cambridge so need help.

Ideally we would like to live on the outskirts of town with easy commute for job opportunities. My husband does project management and I am a remedial massage therapist. I have adult children so they don't really need too much consideration as the y have cars and their own lives now

I have been looking at Biggleswade, Ely and anywhere in between really. Have heard bad things about March and Chatteris but these are dated.....

Any suggestions would be welcome

thanks in advance

so you need to know what you want in terms of housing and then how much money you have to spend. South Cambs is lovely but dearer than other parts, eg North Cams. Biggleswade is a reasonable distance out. If you want cute country side maybe consider near Bury St Edmunds?

Ideally we would like either a larger 3 bed or a 4 bed. Not a new build on an estate but something with a little more space and privacy. Somewhere like you see on Escape to the Country but on much more conservative budget :-) Probably don't want to go over 350,000. I like the idea of being a little further out but still with enough local amenities (like every other person I bet). Think we are going to rent for a few months and check things out but I am inpatient and want to work it out now.

I guess even if you could give places to maybe avoid?

I guess for now

For that budget and requirements, you need to be looking north of Cambridge. It'll just about get you a 3-bed ex-council house in a South Cambs. village and barely a walk-in cupboard in Cambridge itself.

The further north you go, the more you get for your money, but obviously increase in travel time and expenses. Avoid anywhere that involves travelling on the A14 at all costs.

we moved from NZ and we managed to buy an ex council 3 bed semi in south cambs but luckily hit the property market at a good time so have moved on to a detached 4 bed but it took time

on that budget you won't get what you are after south or close to cambs. I agree, look north. Maybe up towards Thetford even?

You could get a 3/4 bed in Ely but houses there have very little outside space. The villages surrounding it offer more space

You need to consider travel into Cambridge if commuting for work. Travelling in by car is very difficult and parking expensive. Park and ride is the best option because roads in the city are gridlocked morning and night. Park and ride buses can use the bus lane so travel is quicker. Train is the best option to travel in and Ely offers that option along with Waterbeach which does offer more affordable housing.

I don’t like saying to avoid places because everywhere has its pros and cons. Thetford, March, Chatteris do have their issues mainly due to rurality and lack of opportunities. But they are fairly nice places with nice architecture and public realms and decent amenities. They just wouldn’t be my first choice to move to if I was working in Cambridge. Royston and the surrounding area is a good option as is Huntingdon and Godmanchester. Have you considered those places? They are more lively and better connected than Thetford, Chatteris & March.

Look at the Guided bus route north of Cambridge

I will check out those areas, never heard of Godmanchester but sounds cool 😉. Budget is a nightmare, do we come home pretty much mortgage free but risk a ‘not so good area’ or do we up the mortgage and settle somewhere a bit nicer.
? It’s going to be hard enough coming from an Australian house to a potential shoe box that cost twice as much!! But Home is where the heart is as they say......

How close to Cambridge do you need to be? Do you have jobs already here? If you have a budget of 350k and don't already have jobs I would look elsewhere. For a house that cheap you would need to be quite far out which would make the commute quite hard into Cambridge. Are your adult children going to be living with you? In the north Cambridge villages like Histon, Gorton, Milton etc you wouldn't get 3 beds for 350k sadly.

Go on www.rightmove.co.uk and look at , say , 10 miles radius of Cambridge. Budget of £350,000.
Sadly I think that will show you how little your budget can buy.
Don’t aim for long commutes into town, traffic is awful.

St Ives? It's on the Guided Busway and I've just seen a 3-bed detached for your budget:
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-66946373.html

Do not underestimate just how crap Cambridge traffic is. A distance that would be a reasonable commute in a car anywhere else will be unbearable in Cambridge. Trying to get around Cambridge is the worst, so if you can avoid living North and working to the South, you’ll fare better.

Thanks for all the info guys. I am checking rightmove daily, think I might be obsessed. Am still looking at area to love. With the whole of the UK to choose from I have no idea where to live 😂

Maybe look at jobs first.
It’s not exactly a buoyant job market here , so possibility of jobs will help guide your search.

if you have the whole of the UK to choose from and are job hunting then maybe look somewhere else?

Cambridge is expensive as is London. We are here because DH works in biotech industry, as do many around here because of the science parks. I work in a field where I work currently in Cambridge but could also commute to London if needed. If these aren't your constraints then you could get a look more for your money elsewhere

At present we are not sure what my husband will be doing. Either project management, so will need to be commutable to London or the like. Or teaching where we could literally live anywhere. Ideally I would like to be equidistance between Essex and Bournemouth but that would be Surrey (even more expensive than Cambridge!) I am a remedial massage therapist so would be beneficial to live somewhere where people have disposable income...

Its all just information gathering at this stage so this is all good stuff to know.

we thought we were going to move to Reading. Really glad we didn't!!! Get the first job sorted first and then plan from there. We rented for a while when we came over and found our feet.

Pretty sure we will rent for a few months but I am so impatient. I’m wishing my life away and just want to come back now. I love Australia (who wouldn’t) but it’s time to come home