Calling Cambridge Mums.

[bluebear]

Can anyone tell me;

Which train company runs trains from Cambridge to London?
How much an annual season ticket might cost?
and, give advice about the better areas around Cambridge - house prices /good schools etc.

Thank you, Thank you.

Happy with state schools (unless we save significantly on our mortage) - just been pointing out all your 'hot spots' to dh - he is happy cycling up to 20k to work and back (in fact it would be considered a bonus by him). He is a little worried about what would happen if we needed to sell up and come back to London (having said that he hasn't worked in London for 5 years, just lived here and commuted out of it).
So excited and so scared!

The cycling option opens up lots of villages near stations which would give you lots of choices. Try upmystreet.co.uk for reviews of schools. Thriplow is meant to be a great village, although highly sought after and quite pricey - worth a look!

Wow, things seem to be moving fast, Bluebear. Is west London really that bad?

If your husband is willing to cycle, that more or less opens up the whole of Cambridge (it's not a very big place!) and many of the villages immediately around (Shelfords, Trumpington, Fulbourn, Grantchester, Girton, Histon, Impington etc). Don't think I'd recommend driving to the station anyway: quite apart from the time it takes, the cost of parking every day is not funny.

So maybe a key thing to decide is whether you want town or village living - that will at least cut down on the amount of looking around you have to do. Rather to my surprise, I've turned into a bit of an advocate for living in town, but obviously, you can't take my word for it, you'll have to come and look

We moved to Cambridge from NW London a few weeks ago. We have no regrets about leaving London, and we love it here. There is so much to do, and we love being able to walk/cycle everywhere. We can walk into the centre of town in about 15 minutes, and DH can also walk to the station in about 7 minutes. Coming from inner London, we couldn't imagine moving to a village and we are more than happy to be a very short walk away from Mill Rd!

Mill Rd is very cosmopolitan, and reminds me of where we used to live in London. There are several v.good Chinese/Asian foodshops, a lovely Italian deli, as well as three bookshops and a number of restaurants which we would like to go to if we ever get round to finding a babysitter!

The disadvantages of trying to find a house round here, is that you definitely pay a premium for being so close to the station, and also houses don't come on to the market very often. When they do come on to the market they sell very quickly. When we first looked at our house, it had only been on the market for a week, and six people had already made offers on it, over and above the asking price.

DH was slightly apprehensive about the commute, but so far it's been fine. Door to door, it takes 1hr 25 mins in the morning and about 1 hr 15 mins in the evening (when the trains are faster). Although the trains aren't completely full when they leave Cambridge, he says that by the time they get to Royston (still 45 mins from Kings Cross) it's standing room only.

Good luck, I hope you can work something out. We're so pleased we moved here, it really is a great place to live.

Fulham born and bred (perhaps that explains things) and arrived near Cambridge, reluctantly, via the Hants countryside (VVV rural and my spiritual home) 5 years ago. Now having to move to Notts, and terribly sad at leaving Cambridge behind. Never thought I'd say this at the outset, but I'm jealous! Wish I didn't have to leave -a great city. Good luck.

I discussed this with some colleagues today (all of whom commute from north of london and one from Ely), they all said to try to find somewhere north of cambridge, where dh can cycle across to work and I can drive to huntingdon and use the better train line to kings X.
SO, anyone got any opinions on Willingham? (just picked it off map)
Getting excited. .you all seem to love cambridge so much.

Willingham? I like Willingham. Only downside is that people drive through the centre to get to the A14. However, I think there's a bypass being built, from Longstanton, past Willingham? I'm not sure where it comes out.

I drive through Willingham at the moment.

Remember I said about going to Huntingdon for the train

Sorry Mary - i knew someone had suggested it (so I suggested it to colleagues and they all said YES!) but didn't have time to skim down thread as kids need feeding! THANK YOU

Wow - just used upmystreet to loook at schools - 99% of them score higher than ds's london school (and his is meant to be the second best in the borough!)

£600k in willingham would buy you a lovely big detached victorian villa with a big garden. The primary school is I think not quite as good as some of the surrounding villages. nearest secondary school is in a different village. This village is on the edge of the fens so it has a bit of a fenland feel to it. It has quite a few shops including a deli, craft shop, antique shop, fab auction rooms, fish & chip shop etc. It's not a swanky commuter village, more of a proper village I would say. It relies on the A14 to get anywhere which is one of the worst roads in the country for accidents and congestion but it would be much easier going to Huntingdon than the opposite way to Cambridge. Still a hellish road though, and a bit far to cycle the back roads instead I would say. There are some extremely pretty villages near Huntingdon but Huntingdon itself isn't much cop compared to Cambridge.

If you live in a village it is a pain in the arse to get into the City and you will probably need to use park and ride. This means a lot of village folk don't bother with the city at all and go elsewhere for shopping and other facilities where parking is easier and cheaper and congestion less of a problem.

If it were me I would buy near Cambridge station but you won't get any size of garden in that area. I'm not mad for village life though

Thanks mousie - thing is that we have a 4 bed victorian terrace with postage stamp garden here - and the only reason I'd really want to move would be to have a proper garden (room for climbing frames and swings). I grew up in a small market town in essex, and had many fab summers in big garden and fields, s'pose I'm yearning for similar for my kids.
And better schools than london is a draw too.

(Does Ocado deliver to villages

ocado - I think so - ring them! There are Waitrose branches in all the small towns, not just Cambridge

Dh wants to know - why is this property so cheap - is it just the location (main road)?

www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-12539312.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=buy

I like it cos it has a very similar kitchen to mine

I'll have a look tomorrow. The main road location won't help, plus it may be near the new development in Willingham. 345K wouldn't necessarily be considered cheap in the villages. Cambridge itself costs a bomb, outside, especially to the North, is very reasonable.

Bear in mind that I live 10 mins from Willingham, and we paid 250K for a decent large 5 bed semi (was 4 bed det, both neighbours extended), 2 years ago.

As for cycling from Willingham, there is a back route into Cambridge, through Longstanton, over the 'the old airfield road' (supposedly closed to cars, but open for cycle), and into Girton, which is North Cambridge. Not sure how far it is, but certainly less than 20Km!

Now there's a thought - Girton, right on the outskirts of North Cambridge, the 'right' side of the A14 for cycling into Cambridge (1-2 miles to the centre), but close enough to get on to drive to Huntingdon for the train. Excellent pub there, serves good food, called the Crown.

Willingham is miles out.. also near immigration reception centre and large travellers site at cottenham...

Don't know about Willingham, but there's a Waitrose in Trumpington

Willingham is a bit stretched out around a couple of busy roads, and hsa (for this area, ) a high cirme rate - a high number of traveller families, and a big traveller community at Cottenham.
Willingham is therefore cheaper than other villages in the area. Where exactly is dh looking for work? If you are thinking of Huntingdon for trains, then St Ives & the villages around it are very nice, but you are then at least a half hour drive from Cambridge centre for shopping, if that bothers you. St Ives is a small but nice market tiown - Waitrose 7 Budgens, no other supermarkets, New Look & Woolworths, but no Next. Quite a few restaurants, and some night clubs. The secondary school there is very good, as are the primiaries.

I live just outside St Ives, and having moved from York, I miss being able to walk to everything. If I was doing the move again, i would live on the south side of St Ives.
Where, exactly is dh going to? Then we can all give you travel times to work. St Ives to Trumpington, when busy = 1 hour or more. St Ives to Hunt, when busy = 20 mins

This house isn't cheap, its the going rate in this area. Cottenham prices are indeed a bit depressed due to massive gypsy invasion but my friend who lives there doesn't find it a problem.

If you have £600k to spend and like this house could you buy it and give up work?

oh, and there's a guided bus route being built (not yet started, will take about 3 - 5 years) from Huntingdon, St Ives, and into Cambridge, which should cut down journey time & put up house prices.
Whatever you do, avoid the A14 for a commute, in either direction - it has OVER 150 accidents a year between Huntigdon & Cambridge alone.

totally agree re A14 - on that corridor misery lies

Argggghhhh to A14, that's all I can say: it will not improve your life and may end it prematurely.

Spacecadet used to live quite close to Willingham: might be worth finding out what she thinks. I do think you will find it harder to take advantage of Cambridge life, anyway. Girton sounds like an excellent compromise, or possibly Histon/Impington, where you can get the large garden and rural feel and good school within a very reasonable bike ride into town. Not the best side for getting to the station though: seem to be developing a bit of conundrum here.

Have you thought of Saffron Walden?

Gorgeous medieval town, easier and faster commute than Cambridge, but Cambridge is quite close still.

quick post - am trying to cook tea for kids

Thanks for all of your posts - lots of really helpful stuff.
That house was a bungalow which can't have helped the price - but good to know about the local area - I'm put off it now (despite the kitchen)...and will be looking on web at girton tonight,

Dh will be at the research park off the A10 near waterbeach (if he accepts job)...and he's a very good cyclist so can cope with quite a reasonable distance.
I've decided that my priorities are a detached house (my kids are very noisy, particularly as one is hearing impaired so tv etc are on max volume and I feel constantly stressed about the poor neighbours here), and space for climbing frame in garden...and I don't have to spend all £600k
Thank you, you are all better than Kirsty and Phil!