*Moving to Canterbury*

[crossy]

My family and I are moving to Canterbury next August. We,ve been living in North London (near Camden) for over ten years, so we will miss the vibrancy and mix of cultures. We have two children, aged 6 and 18 months. We would love any information about Canterbury, any info on schools (in Wincheap area) and any other info on activities for kids. Also, can anyone tell us where the good places to go are for my partner and I, such as pubs, restaurants, etc. Thank you to those who answered my earlier message. Regards, Crossy.

Canterbury is a student City and feels like it! It is also full of tourists all the time. Having said that, I love Canterbury. We considered Wincheap school for our DS & only decided against it because it chucks out at 3pm (IIRC) and starts early, so it didn't fit in with the school run we were already doing with the older ones. It feels like a nice school when you visit, and seems to do well enough in the League tables.

Canterbury City Centre is full of pubs and restaurants of all sorts so I'm sure you'll find something you like. My boys go to ballet in Canterbury and are in an annual show at the Marlowe Theatre (also right in the City Centre), if your kids are into that sort of thing. There are the usual activities for kids- beavers, rainbows etc. I'm in Ashford, and my children are teenagers, so I don't know of any other activities for littlies off hand, but we used to go to Tumble Tots there many years ago!

(I don't think you'll miss the vibrancy and mix of cultures TBH)

Canterbury is great!
I live in Deal & often go shopping in Canterbury.
They now have loads of new shops too!
They also have loads of cool bars & places to eat.
Don't know much about schools etc though!

Hi Crossy. I live in Canterbury, not in the Wincheap area though so can't help with schools. Canterbury centre has got loads of nice places to eat - if you like Italian there is an Ask restaurant, The Olive Grove, Zizzi's and Cafe Uno. There are a quite a few nice Indians and Chinese restaurants too. Loads of pubs - some local tradiotional ones like The Hobgoblin, The Cricketers and The City Arms and others chains - 2 Wetherspoons (one a non-smoking one). The Kingsmead leisure centre runs a play gym nearly every morning and the library has baby bounce and rhyme once a month and story time once a week. There are plenty of M&T groups too. I think Wincheap might be a Surestart area so that would be a good place to meet people. HTH - I love living here

oh yes Blueteddy - forgot about shopping (how could I?!!) The Whitefriars shopping development has just opened up wich is full of new shops we didn't have before like H&M and Zara and new versions of old shops like Topshop, Monsoon and a big new Boots. At the moment lots of the old shops in the centre are vacant so there will be lots of new cafes and bars opening up I would have thought

I do know that they have recently opened a new indoor play thingy in Chartham,(just outside Canterbury) because my sister lives there & I took my ds's the other week!

have they? will have to investigate!
there are also local Mumsnet meetups round here too - I've met Cadbury and Turquoise who are lovely, but I keep missing Fio!!

If you get a bit of time to yourself, try out bar HA, HA, for a bite to eat!
They do the best chunky chips!!!

Yeah, it's great! Kept my 2 amused for hours!

For culture there is lots on at The Marlowe Theatre. There is also The Gulbenkian Theatre and cinema at the university and there is an Odeon cinema.