Moving to Norwich / Norfolk area

[maloney]

HI, I'm likely to be moving to Norfolk in the next few months with my 3-year-old-daughter. I will be leaving my partner and setting up alone with dd. I decided to try to move out to Norfolk because my mother is quite close, in Mundesley. I can't drive however so need to be somewhere with decent-ish public transport. I don't know where to start, what kinds of areas. I'd like to be nearish to Norwich so I can try to find work. And of course I'd love to be near a nice primary school. And finally I'm going to have to go on benefits so will be broke for a couple of years.

This is my first post here. And this is a very tough time coming up for me. I'd really appreciate any help any of you can give me.

Thanks

Don't do it!!

No, seriously, Norwich is lovely, but there are soem rough areas, so be careful where you go. I moved out of norfolk a year ago, and I do miss it. There are Norwich mums aroudn who can prob help you more. Public transport isn't too bad if you stay fairly close to Norwich. Some more remote places have poor transport links.

Where are you movign from?

Don't do it!!

No, seriously, Norwich is lovely, but there are soem rough areas, so be careful where you go. I moved out of norfolk a year ago, and I do miss it. There are Norwich mums aroudn who can prob help you more. Public transport isn't too bad if you stay fairly close to Norwich. Some more remote places have poor transport links.

Where are you movign from?

Hi Kelly. From London. So I'm used to rough!

Could you give me any names of any places that are ok?

Where did you move to by the way?

Most of inner norwich is rather dire, same as any big city I suppose. Stay outside of the ring road plus I personally would also avoid Earlham. Don't want to offend anyoen who may live tere onher, and it might have changed, but when I was growing up we used to drive through there, and called it satelite city, because of allt eh council houses with dishes as tthe 'latest hitech!' Sprowston was one of the defo nicer areas. brundall is nice too, and Acle, but a bit further out. Acle has some good schools too.

I moved to Croydon. I moved from Gorleston near Great Yarmouth. My dad grew up in Norwich so we were always up there. Loads of memories of fishing on the rivers, playign in the woods, and stuff. Great place to bring up kids really.

Hi Maloney, we should've met sooner! I have just split with my partner and nearly considered going back to Norfolk for the same reasons as you. Have decided to stick nearer to ex because he is a good dad and I have good friends nearby. If it doesn't work out then we shall have to meet for a drink when I come back?

Norwich is okay, but agree with Earlham - bleugh.
If you want a website with lots of helpful and friendly mums mostly based in Norwich/Norfolk try www.justformumz.co.uk
If you want advice about things to do in the area look at www.netmums.co.uk
Hope you settle soon!

Thanks everyone.

Libb, I've never lived in Norfolk myself, my mum retired out there 3 years ago so I only know the journey from Norwich station to Mundesley where she lives. She doesn't know a lot more either! I would like to stay closer to my partner but London is way too expensive for me to manage on my own plus the local schools are terrifying. I've been wanting to move for ages and our decision to split has brought it to a head.

In some of the nicer areas mentioned here, is it possible to live in walking distance to schools and transport? And are they terribly expensive to rent?

Thanks spagbol, I'll look at that website!

I happen to know of a very nice three bed house for rent in a fantastic area (Eaton Rd) Walking distance from two private schools and two state schools.
About £795 (or it was when we were there!)
Go to multimap or upmystreet.co.uk and type in NR4 6PY

Thanks spagblog, sorry for calling you spagbol. I'm not sure I could rent a house for that much on benefits could I? I only need a 2-bed flat really. But what area is that one you mentioned?

I think in Norwich you would be very lucky to get mroe than £500pcm in HB. You could try for a two bed house though.
BTW, living in Norfolk isn't necessarily cheaper than London. Rent is lower, but I found all my other bills were higher in Norfolk, esp food and water.

brundall and Acle only have small lcoal schools abnd shops. There are trains to norwich from both, buses from acle to norwich, nt sure about Brundall. I think Hellsodon and some areas of Cotessey are supposed to be nice too, and there are def good bus services to them. Just keep away from council estates. But it def no where near as bad as a London estate in any case.

Hi Maloney, I live in North Walsham, 5 miles from Mundesley. We don't own a car (but bus and trains to most places from here). I have been working in Norwich (take the train and my bike). So works well from where we live.

What about Sheringham? Good schools, not so far from Mundesley. On the train line to Norwich (you could always move to Norwich later if it's too far out). I was told the other day that people in Holt (snobby, but close to Sheringham, doable on public transport) will pay minimum £8/hour for cleaners or other domestic help (am thinking of doing that, myself!).

I wanted to live in Norwich myself, but got priced out of the nice areas with good public transport.

Thanks kelly! Are Brundall and Acle on the Cromer / Mundesley side of Norwich do you know? I'm in a council estate in SE London at the moment, it's got good points and bad points, but the schools round here really worry me.

Is Acle a nice place to raise a child do you think?

Would second that, sheringham is very nice. Kings Lynn isn't that far from there neither.

Brundell/Acle are more or less due east or Norwich, and to be honest, the train connection times are terrible (I know, because I went from NWalsham to GYarmouth by train the other day, and it took 3 hours each way, 4 hours door to door with a slow-walking 3yo!). It only takes 45min. to drive.

BUT there may be a bus service that goes that way.... I know that there is one from Yarmouth to NWalsham (bus company=Sanders) but I don't know the route it takes.

You could look at the Thorpe Area in norwich, at least I think it's called Thorpe. East and slightly north of the rail station. It's a mixed bag socially, but there's a very good school there; best school outside the Golden Triangle.

Schools in North Norfolk aren't so brilliant in the towns; best one in a place with good transport links is in Sheringham.

(train connex towards anywhere close to Mundelsley, I meant, when I said they were terrible).

Thank you SO much fqueenzebra. Some names I know! I've been to Sheringham and to North Walsham which I thought were lovely. I didn't realise they were on a train line into Norwich. And they're both very close to my mum. Sorry to sound dumb but what's The Golden Triangle?!

Kelly, what's Kings Lynn like?

the Golden Triangle is the "best" part of Norwich - within easy reach of the city centre and the university.

I guess you need to consider you employment options for the future - so somewhere on the train line would be good.

If you want to get ot Mundesley then you really need to be north or east of Norwich - because getting round Norwich or through it is time consuming (I live in south Norfolk).

kings lynn is more of a town, quite a few shops, very pretty though, i liked it there. And pretty nice area too, didn't live there, but never seemed rough or anything.
It depends what you are lookign for really. I don't know what part of London you are in now, but norfolk will seem deadly quiet after London. Places like North Walsham are so tiny and have nothing there at all really! A few shops, a woolies, train stop tht abt it. You def need soemwhere easy to get to Norwich from.

Kings Lynn is like all towns - good bits and bad ! But it is quite a long way from Mundesley - Norfolk is a big county and it can take a long time to get from one side to another (particularly in the holiday season).

Golden triangle is a particular area in Norwich, bound by the inner and outer ring roads and the Dereham Road (to North) and Newmarket Road (to south). Very popular with students and high house prices; very high-performing primary schools. Very expensive housing (but there are council properties there, too).

NWalsham has a bad reputation in Norfolk, but people who came from outside the area usually think it's just fine(!). Bit sleepy. We had a brutal rape last year -- but the lady was out walking (on her own, drunkenly) down an isolated track at 4am. And a stabbing the other week, chap is still critical in hospital. He fell out with one of his best mates over drink and a girl (yes, this is such a small town you get to know all the goss).

But I think some crime is everywhere, and this place feels very safe in general. You see unlocked bikes everywhere in this town, even I sometimes leave mine unlocked. Once I dropped DD's wellies in town at 10am in the shopping centre and found them neatly standing up right where I had dropped them 6 hours later -- I've never lived anywhere before where I could possibly expect them to still be there. I knew where to look for the wellies because I was retracing my steps and asked in Woolworths if they had found them; "No," the lady said, "But are they red? I saw a pair by the Market Cross...."

Only thing is the schools aren't so brilliant here; probably better than where you are now, though, by the sound of it. We intend to move back to Norwich when the kids are ready for High School, but some people just stick their children on the bus for Aylsham or Wroxham high schools.