Moving to norfolk

[Ladyfranchy]

Hello lovely mums. I am new here. I need help please. We are planning to move next month. I have 3 children, ds(16), dd(14), ds(11). Dd is not keen on movingout of south croydon. Her excuse is , she’s not going to fit in because there are not many blacks in Norfolk. I have gotten sixth form school for my ds. Please I need your help looking for a good area. We looked at Wymondham, Aylsham, Hethersett. Thank you and hope to hear from you great mums soon.

Well, your DD is right that Norfolk is not the most diverse part of Britain. I don't know Hethersett, but Aylsham and Wymondham are both quite small with not a huge amount going on. I would say that it will be a pretty big change from South Croydon. Is the rural life what you're looking for? I grew up in Norfolk and couldn't wait to escape, but I appreciate that for many it's a rural idyll.

Hi Juneau, thank you for your reply. Yes, we want a rural life, a very quiet place. Can you please suggest a good area and also places to avoid. Thank you

You need to be aware that public transport is really patchy - you may be condemning yourself to years of taxiing if you move too far out.

What's the reason for wanting to be quiet and rural? Might that not be a huge culture shock after Croydon?

All the places you mentioned are nice. Hethersett is good as it has a rural feel whilst still being quite close to the city. What amenities are important to you? Where is the 6th form? Norfolk is a big place do I presume you don't want to be too far from there.

I would aim for Norwich or outskirts Norwich OP. Why? Because you are coming from an urban area with, I assume, good public transport and you have two teens and a tween. As a PP says, unless you move somewhere with a good bus service (or even, holy of grails, a train station), you will forever be driving miles along country lanes to ferry them hither and yon to see friends, go to a party, go shopping, football, ballet, or whatever their hobbies are. One of the main reasons I couldn't wait to move out of Norfolk was it's lack of infrastructure - as a teen I felt completely trapped as until I could drive I had to rely on my DM to take me places and even once I passed my test I needed to borrow her car. So my advice would be choose somewhere with good public transport, both around your town and to Norwich, Kings Lynn, Dereham, Cromer or wherever your nearest large town/city is.

There are lots of nice villages in Norfolk, and lovely small towns. Wymondham is lovely, as is Attleborough, both towns but surrounded by nice villages so you could go pretty rural but still be a few minutes from facilities. If you don't mind being mum's taxi service for a few years those areas should suit you, with the added advantage of being close to the A11 and closeish to the a47, the 2 roads that you need if you need to leave Norfolk for journeys elsewhere by car.

The only place that I would avoid in that area is Dereham by the way.