Mill Rd to the Swaffhams - is this mad?

[SwaffhamCurious]

We've lived in Romsey just off Mill Rd for 6 years now, and while we love the area we need a bigger place. We are in each other's pockets and constantly trying to dig our way out from under toys and clutter that we don't have any storage space for, and that's really beginning to make us all feel miserable and stressed out. Extensions / loft would not add enough space or light to justify the massive arse-ache of renovations while WFH with kids and pets.

We don't make the most of living in Cambridge (except for the immediate environment of Mill Rd, which I do love and would greatly miss). So we're considering moving to the Swaffhams, where we could buy a bigger house and be mortgage free (a remarkably lucky position to be in just now, I absolutely realise). We've viewed a couple of houses and it's cemented the feeling that I just can't keep going in our small, dark house any longer, however charming it is.

DH paints and birdwatches and would love the proximity to nature. I'm fed up of people everywhere and hearing my neighbours through the walls, and parallel parking on kerbs.

Our child goes to an independent school not far from the Swaffhams, and can stay there until 16, so catchment areas are not an issue.

But would we all deeply regret leaving the young and lively area of Mill Rd? Will my child hate me when he's a teenager and stuck in the arse end of nowhere with nothing to do? Will it be like Royston Vesey?

Is this an insane idea? I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts who's had experience of the Swaffhams or neighbouring villages.

Can't comment on Swaffhams, but:
Check out bus and cycle routes so you're not always a taxi service.
Consider where school friends live.

The Swaffhams are lovely but do feel a long way out. There's no bus in an evening but it's very handy for Anglesey Abbey. I'd check out the local Facebook group to get a bit of a feel for living there.

Loads of people move out from Romsey to the villages, but the Swaffhams are relatively remote.
Two things I'd think about:

1. Opportunities for your child to meet other children in the village - cubs/brownies, football, etc - is there much, will it fit with your family timetable.
2. How you feel about ferrying your child around - school, hobbies, meeting up with friends, etc. I think the bus service is one of the ones that is being culled at the end of this month, so your child will be totally dependent on lifts, especially if they have not made friends in the village.

I'd be looking at less remote, better-connected villages, or at least larger ones.

I think a replacement bus operator has now been appointed, but who knows what might happen over the next few years.

We moved from just off Mill Road to a village west of Cambridge when the dc were younger. I did miss some of the buzz of Mill Road, but I also loved village life.

You do have to be prepared to be a taxi for the dc. Luckily we are quite close to Cambourne, which is where a lot of their activities were when they were young teens. As they got older it was a bit trickier. However, they were OK about rural living. DS is now in his 20s and has opted to house share in a village.

Personally I wouldn't choose one of the Swaffhams as they really don't have many facilities. If you want to be in that direction, what about Ely?