Where to live in Cambridgeshire?

[Kiwi20]

Hello Cambridge Mumsnetters,

I'm looking for suggestions about where to live. Feeling a bit lost and clueless at the moment! The last post on this was from 2014, which was really useful, but wondering if there's new info for 2020 people wouldn't mind sharing.

Our situation: Me, DP, DD (2 yrs) and DS (10 weeks) are relocating to Cambridge from NZ in July this year. DP will be working at Addenbrookes, and I'm looking for a part time university research post, ideally in Cambridge, but I would travel to London if necessary.

We know virtually nothing about Cambridge (where young families live, where good nurseries are), and we don't have any friends there. We will be there for at least 3 years, so looking to settle a bit after being abroad. Our main criteria are: 1) to be within 9 miles of Addenbrookes/the train station so we can cycle to work 2) to buy a 3-4 bedroom place for ~350k 3) somewhere we can meet some other parents/make friends 4) get the kids into a decent nursery, ideally walkable from home 5) decent primary school nearby/walkable, and 6) has some nearby fun things to do together at weekends. This is our ideal, but I'm aware we could be expecting too much! We're not decided on city, suburban or village living yet.

Any suggestions would really welcome, as we are too far away to visit in person before we make the move. It all feels a bit daunting. So far we've come across Linton as a village option, but the nearest nursery requires driving (rather than walking), and they can't guarantee places for the kids at the moment.

Thank you very much!

Something else to factor into your budget if your work would be in London is cost of travel. If you would need a season ticket then that will be over £5,000 a year. If you were part time a season ticket wouldn’t be cost effective but bear in mind a peak time day return (which you would need if you were getting a morning commuter train) is about £45.
Cambridge is a great place to live and work especially if you are in research and science type areas, unfortunately it isn’t cheap though...

Saffron Walden is lovely....
But not to sure about house prices....

Not very helpful.
But i went there today, and its really lovely

cambridgerelocations.co.uk/

I wouldn't focus too much on the nurseries. What matters is to find a house you can afford in a decent area with reasonable access to Addenbrookes and employment possibilities for you. Without any intent to be patronising, choosing a nursery for a baby and a toddler feels like an enormous deal at the time but as your kids get older you realise they would have been OK in most nurseries and primary schools! What matters most is being able to make friends and quality of life, and with 2 kids in nursery it should be easy enough to meet people wherever you settle.

Around Cambridge and Addenbrookes it is a nightmare for traffic especially at peak times. Train station is within biking distance but after a long day would be a bit of a walk - also some trains are now limiting number of bikes on them (non folding ones) at peak times.

I think you need to either up budget or opt for a longer commute.

Does this busway map help at all? It's a good flat surface for cycling (and of course you can take the bus if the weather is foul).

Many people also cycle in from the Shelfords, Sawston and Stapleford in the other direction -- often ploughing mercilessly through dawdling schoolchildren, in our experience.

Here's the Shelford 'DNA route'.

Theres loads of really good childcare lots of Drs from Addenbrookes live around trumpington meadows. Lots of people cycle from Histon and Cottenham to Addenbrookes this is currently available in Cottenham www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-67949946.html Cottenham is closer to 10miles from Addenbrookes but has a few surrounding villages that are also nice. If you can find a decent property waterbeach has a train station