After looking at Cambridgeshire and finding the house prices quite expensive, we stumbled upon some very beautiful houses in Norwich which we could afford! In Cambridgeshire, we seemed to have settled for Ely, as a more affordable place. (Budget around 450k for a 3 bed house, which did not take us very far for Cambridge.)
I have been reading threads on mumsnet and reddit and a few people seem to compare Cambridge and Norwich, with Norwich coming up as more friendly and Cambridge a bit more 'snobbish'. Of course I am sure these are generalisations and exceptions will exist.
The most appealing facts I have read about Norwich was that it was walkable, doable without a car (I am currently learning to drive but do not love it) and that people are friendly and there is a sense of community.
Others said it was more 'sleepy', 'backward' and more like a retirement place. Again, I take these with a grain of salt. The other thing I read, is that it can feel quite isolating as everything is far away, with Cambridge being the closest, but if we have everything we need close to us, I am sure we will be okay.
We looked at some properties in NR2 and NR4 and the Golden Triangle, and we also saw some great sounding primary schools.
We are Danish and Greek, and we are used to the diversity of London but want something calmer for our young family. Do you know anything about any Danish or Greek community in Norwich? In Cambridge there is a Greek church and I believe they teach Greek on Saturdays.
Ideally we would like to be close to a nursery and a good primary and a good secondary, so we don't have to consider moving again down the line.
We both cycle and like it.
We like pubs, coffee shops and love food, so it would be great to be near some nice restaurants.
Any recommendations for a nice area, walking distance from a good primary, and in the catchment for a good secondary?
We will be going to stay in an AirBnb soon, so we can explore it.
Many thanks!