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Relocation to Norfolk

16 replies

MumNo2 · 16/12/2025 16:34

Currently considering a move from Birmingham to Norfolk. We visited Norfolk and fell in love with the feel of it, the amenities and the people. But moving from Birmingham to Norfolk would mean moving away from the in laws who currently offer childcare help. Kids are 1 and 2.5 years old. We have a few friends in Norfolk but no family and no other connections.

Just wondering

  1. Anyone else who has relocated with small children and any tips? Especially if moving to a place without familial support.
  2. Anyone in Norfolk who can speak to the area- pros and cons?
OP posts:
ohyesido · 16/12/2025 20:01

Norfolk is a fairly big county, there are small villages quite away apart from the city or you have hamlets close by. Are you looking to be by the Broads, or somewhere rural?

Fleecy · 16/12/2025 20:31

I'm in Norfolk - we've lived in several different places. What areas are you considering?

RecordBreakers · 16/12/2025 20:56

I know someone who moved from Birmingham to Norfolk who really missed the amenities and convenience of the big City.

Both they, and someone who moved from Norfolk to Birmingham both talk about how isolated they feel in Norfolk in terms of being able to get to other places for holidays / outings / visiting friends / airports / getting dc to Universities etc having previously taken for granted how easy it is to get to most places from Birmingham.

OTOH, they have much nicer beaches in Norfolk that Birmingham Smile

BobbyBrewstersMagicTorch · 16/12/2025 21:09

Maybe moving to Norwich rather than a more rural area is the answer? The Golden Triangle area in the city is the more expensive and has good facilities locally.

Norwich city centre is lovely and easy to get around.

Happyjoe · 20/12/2025 17:00

Hello! We are currently buying in Norfolk now, on the Broads. My partner has had a fishing holiday there for years with his dad, and we lost his dad this year. I think my partner is romanticising a little about living there but guess find out. I do want him to be happy and his plan is to buy a little boat so he can go fishing nearly all year if he wants.

I know absolutely nothing about the place, never been. In fact, the day I move in will be my first visit to Norfolk. I have too many animals to actually go there before the big move, yeah, am probably mad.

I am concern about not having anything nearby other than a farm shop. But the other half has found a place with a train station just a few mins walk away which connects us to Wroxham to go local shopping and into Norwich if need more or for a nice meal out. Norwich is just 20 odd mins drive or about 7 mins on the train. This was very important to me as we are middle aged and I need to have the option of getting to the hospital when I get older if I can no longer drive.

I am worried that I am moving to an area where the hospital (Norwich) is very close to the bottom of decent hospitals, I currently live in a place with the same and it is horrible dealing and medical help is thin on the ground.

BUT! I am fed up being in the SE of England. Ideally I would move near my old childhood place of Brighton but it is too expensive now. After moving over 20 times it still is my fav place though. I will miss a bit of life and options but it will be a trade off for some peace and quiet. I am very much into nature so with the broads it will be lovely and our to be garden is .8 of an acre, which backs onto fields so again, looking forward to seeing what appears.

One thing, a neighbours friend has moved to Wroxham and her DH a lorry driver and he's away a lot. She finds it isolating and lonely when he is away and she is in more of the busy places on the broads too. So if you are someone who either makes friends easily or doesn't mind own company you'll probably be ok.

blossomhoney2 · 20/12/2025 18:42

It’s very bleak in winter - I grew up in northwest Norfolk. People aren’t particularly open minded either. In summer the coast is beautiful, but you also get a lot of holidaymakers clogging the roads. There are no motorways and you can get behind slow moving vehicles like caravans and tractors. Be warned 😉 I would move more towards Norwich if I was moving back to Norfolk, a great city.

champagnediva · 09/04/2026 18:54

Happyjoe · 20/12/2025 17:00

Hello! We are currently buying in Norfolk now, on the Broads. My partner has had a fishing holiday there for years with his dad, and we lost his dad this year. I think my partner is romanticising a little about living there but guess find out. I do want him to be happy and his plan is to buy a little boat so he can go fishing nearly all year if he wants.

I know absolutely nothing about the place, never been. In fact, the day I move in will be my first visit to Norfolk. I have too many animals to actually go there before the big move, yeah, am probably mad.

I am concern about not having anything nearby other than a farm shop. But the other half has found a place with a train station just a few mins walk away which connects us to Wroxham to go local shopping and into Norwich if need more or for a nice meal out. Norwich is just 20 odd mins drive or about 7 mins on the train. This was very important to me as we are middle aged and I need to have the option of getting to the hospital when I get older if I can no longer drive.

I am worried that I am moving to an area where the hospital (Norwich) is very close to the bottom of decent hospitals, I currently live in a place with the same and it is horrible dealing and medical help is thin on the ground.

BUT! I am fed up being in the SE of England. Ideally I would move near my old childhood place of Brighton but it is too expensive now. After moving over 20 times it still is my fav place though. I will miss a bit of life and options but it will be a trade off for some peace and quiet. I am very much into nature so with the broads it will be lovely and our to be garden is .8 of an acre, which backs onto fields so again, looking forward to seeing what appears.

One thing, a neighbours friend has moved to Wroxham and her DH a lorry driver and he's away a lot. She finds it isolating and lonely when he is away and she is in more of the busy places on the broads too. So if you are someone who either makes friends easily or doesn't mind own company you'll probably be ok.

Hello
Have you moved yet? you sound very similar to myself. We are moving from The Wirral, north west England to Norfolk coast. It is a huge challenge. We used to live in Kent then I came back to my roots, Wirral and now we wish to move to Norfolk. We have friends there, close to the coast, Cromer/Mundesley. I will retire when we move and husband is already retired.
We now wish for more peaceful time in our life, Wirral is very built up.
Good luck with your plans, I do hope you find what you want.
Christine

Riapia · 09/04/2026 19:53

Norfolk. Con it’s Norfolk.
Pro it’s not Lincolnshire.

POTC · 09/04/2026 19:57

Amenities? Norfolk? Ha!
I'm just over the border in Suffolk and neither county can be classed as having amenities.
The current hot topic of debate is why National Rail won't completely rearrange the engineering works on the Ipswich to Norwich line, which have obviously been planned for some considerable time, to make sure the away fans can get to the Norwich/Ipswich derby match at Carrow Road this weekend. Yep, that's the main story on all the local online news, including BBC.

Happyjoe · 09/04/2026 21:52

champagnediva · 09/04/2026 18:54

Hello
Have you moved yet? you sound very similar to myself. We are moving from The Wirral, north west England to Norfolk coast. It is a huge challenge. We used to live in Kent then I came back to my roots, Wirral and now we wish to move to Norfolk. We have friends there, close to the coast, Cromer/Mundesley. I will retire when we move and husband is already retired.
We now wish for more peaceful time in our life, Wirral is very built up.
Good luck with your plans, I do hope you find what you want.
Christine

Oh, you've moved a bit! Hope you'll have a good time of it and great you've friends there too.
We've bought a place next to the Broads but it needs a lot of work. Had half the roof done so far, but need everything fixed and getting tradesmen in the UK is quite hard at the moment. Hoping will all be done and dusted within 6 months so we can get in and start making it a home. It's not liveable at the moment.

I am looking forward to the peace and the wildlife. Saw on the camera we put up some rabbits this morning out the front and some partridges out back. Very different to my local mob of pigeons and gave me a big smile!

Good luck with the move and enjoy retirement. I hope you love the place :-)

champagnediva · 09/04/2026 22:59

POTC · 09/04/2026 19:57

Amenities? Norfolk? Ha!
I'm just over the border in Suffolk and neither county can be classed as having amenities.
The current hot topic of debate is why National Rail won't completely rearrange the engineering works on the Ipswich to Norwich line, which have obviously been planned for some considerable time, to make sure the away fans can get to the Norwich/Ipswich derby match at Carrow Road this weekend. Yep, that's the main story on all the local online news, including BBC.

I don't think they even have M&S's.

Happyjoe · 09/04/2026 23:08

champagnediva · 09/04/2026 22:59

I don't think they even have M&S's.

A few food stores are around Norfolk area and I think in Norwich is a normal M&S.

Wonderwoman333 · 09/04/2026 23:44

Norwich is a nice city with good amenities.
The other places in Norfolk that I have stayed at have been quite isolated. Terrible public transport, nothing to do and very little diversity. Depressing, particularly in Winter.

TheWildZebra · 09/04/2026 23:53

Apart from Norwich I don’t think I’ve heard anyone utter “amenities” and Norfolk in the same breath. I’m from near Downham Market - the shit side of the county - and while the coast is fairly close, the roads getting there are awful.

where are you planning to move to? Norwich was voted best place to live in the UK recently so can’t go wrong there, and you’ve got fairly decent rail and road connections from there.

Olderbutt · 09/04/2026 23:59

As nice as Norfolk is for a holiday I wouldn't want to live there. It's too cut off . You could live in rural Wales or Scotland and get to amenities quicker. Norwich is a nice city but it's better to have a choice in my opinion. I'm in the Midlands and you will miss the ability to get to other parts of the country quickly.

mummybearSW19 · 10/04/2026 00:18

I would not move away from your ILs and childcare right now.

Norfolk is lovely. (Grew up there) but it’s very cut off from the rest of the country and childcare is still a challenge and expensive.

id stay where you are.

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