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Calling Cambridge Mums.

108 replies

bluebear · 08/07/2006 19:32

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.

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bluebear · 12/07/2006 18:55

I thought saffron walden didn't have a station! Dh adores it - but I told him it was out of the question I guess I'm wrong.

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AllieBongo · 12/07/2006 18:57

saffron walden is lovely.. just down the m11. you should move there and we could have a meet up in a lovely tea shop (don't live in Willingham!)

pedilia · 12/07/2006 18:58

saffron walden is a lovely place, waterbeach itself is nice,Royston,Hauxton are all relativley close by and nice areas.

bluebear · 12/07/2006 20:11

OK - am interested in saffron waldon, have seen lots of houses in royston advertised but thought it might be too far away from anywhere.
Can't find a station in S W, looks like Audley End is nearest, and I guess that goes to L'pool st....would really prefer Kings X train because I can walk to work in 10 mins from there and don't have to depend on the tube (or pay for the tube )
I have told dh that, if we can reduce the mortgage I will only work 3 days a week ( I work 4 and a half at the moment), so I get to see the children, and don't get too tired, and he was all for it. (Couldn't stop work completely, I would go insane)
Ta for now.

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AllieBongo · 12/07/2006 20:23

audley end does go to Liverpool street. Ely has a direct route to Kings Cross and is also near a10..

bluebear · 12/07/2006 20:30

One of my colleagues lives in Ely and gets the Kings cross line in - but she is notoriously late (often for hours). Her journey time is standardly 2 hours - She didn't recommend it

There's still a part of me yearning after the simplicity of moving to those good roads mentioned near the station in Cambridge, but I do so want a garden.

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mousiemousie · 12/07/2006 20:31

Ely is nice - but very FENLAND. I think you could both get the train to work from here. Should get a great house for your budget in this area. Ely has a Waitrose and a vintage hall which becomes a cinema one night a week!! Restaurants and other stuff cost markedly less in Ely than in Cambridge. Cambridge is close on the train - 15 mins? but the road trip takes longer and the A10 is a big accident road - but not as bad as the A14.

Not sure if the schools may be a problem in Royston. The villages near Royston are very pretty but the town has a reputation for being rougher than Cambridge.

AllieBongo · 12/07/2006 20:33

mousie,are you in Ely?

mousiemousie · 12/07/2006 20:34

What about the area near Addenbrookes hospital ie south city, highly desirable residential area, about a mile from the station, big gardens available. Wrong side of town for Waterbeach but dh could get the train as Waterbeach has a station.

AllieBongo · 12/07/2006 20:35

my friend lives in great shelford. it's lovely there

mousiemousie · 12/07/2006 20:36

Allie - I am in Cambridge - was born in Mill Rd maternity hospital

AllieBongo · 12/07/2006 20:37

bless! I'm in Newmarket so not far.. Refuse to work in Cambridge anymore. The commute took and hour and a half to travel 13 miles

bluebear · 12/07/2006 22:54

Ooooh Mousie - tell me more about the bit around Addenbrookes! (Think I've driven round that bit and liked it (except for the traffic jam) was having a quick look as my job is hospital-based and the Cambridge 'office' used to be at Addenbrookes - now moved to Trumpington)
1 mile to station and a garden sounds great to me.

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MaryBS · 13/07/2006 07:21

I wouldn't call Ely "Fenland", not in the same way somewhere like March, Wisbech or Chatteris is. Ely is a beautiful city - just lousy for shopping!

AllieBongo · 13/07/2006 10:09

soham is fens

Gizmo · 13/07/2006 10:36

Well, I have several friends who live in the area running down to Addenbrookes (everything between Cherry Hinton Road, Hills Road and Queen Edith Way, basically). Houses are generally large semis and detached. Gardens range in size from typical narrow suburban garden (15-25' x 60-120') up to half an acre: you are likely to get a bigger, better garden as you move further away from the town centre towards the hospital. One of my friends even has a view of a hill from her bedroom window (and that's a big deal round these parts, I can tell you!)

So with my Kirsty hat on, here's some examples:

This is classic 1920's Queen Edith's Way house - garden of about 1/4 acre

Here's another although with a smaller garden from the looks of it.

Another right on the edge of town by Addenbrookes

And here's one that won't be suitable I suspect (not enough garden) but will give you a feel for the typical style of house if you live closer in to town in this area. This is about 10 minutes bike ride from station.

Finally, this is not in the area we are talking about but another attractive road on the west side of the city which is probably a 15 minute bike commute to the station and easily a sub 20K commute to Waterbeach. Biggish garden and house.

kickassangel · 13/07/2006 15:41

if your dh is a good cyclist, ther's a bike bridge over the a14 to get onto the a10 to waterbeach. milton is also just north of the a14, about 10 mins, by bike, from waterbeach, and with buses straight into town. you could then get kids into good schools.
a house in cambridge will, typically, have more garden than most places in london.

bluebear · 13/07/2006 18:23

Wow Gizmo (Kirsty) - thanks for the links - One of them looks fab, but seems to have 3 kitchens on the floor plan - hmmm..house for people who love their food.

The Queen Edith's Way house link didn't work, but I shall search on that agent's site and see if I can find it.

That last one has a mega-sized garden - I'm not that greedy, just enough for climbing frame and maybe playhouse?

You lot are great!

Thanks for info on cycle bridge KAA!

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bluebear · 13/07/2006 18:28

Ok - found the QE's Way one - fabulous - that would be PERFECT!

(But it's sold and I haven't even had my house valued..ho hum)

So, dh and I are travelling up next weekend to look at the town centre and stuff, will have a good look at route to station from QE's Way, and finger's crossed.

Are the schools any good around there? ( At a push, we could go private if we had to).

Ratherpinkandexcitedbear

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AllieBongo · 13/07/2006 20:18

Queen Ediths Way is lovely. There is the Perse Private scholl v expensive. How old are your lo's?

bluebear · 13/07/2006 20:20

lo's are 2 and 5 (well, he will be on Sunday)

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AllieBongo · 13/07/2006 20:23

lovely! my pal lives in Shelford but her ds is 8. She's lived in Cambridge all her life. Could ask her about schools for you if you like?

bluebear · 13/07/2006 20:28

The results for QE's school don't seem too bad - better than ds's current school, not as great as some around Cambridge.

Waiting for dh to come home from work so I can show him house details

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AllieBongo · 13/07/2006 20:51

link?

bluebear · 13/07/2006 22:15

Can't get a link to work - just goes to the main search page. It's on with www.rah.co.uk. I put in city centre - all types of houses and scrolled through the pages.
It's 445k, only one on QE's Way. Has 4 beds, kitchen, dining room, living room, but also an add-on bit downstairs with 2 rooms and a shower/wc which would be brill as either 2 home offices (dh needs a home office, and at the moment I have taken over a corner of a bedroom with my stuff), or accomodation for live-in nanny/au pair or (horrors) granny.
Nice size garden - big enough but not too big. Can fit climbing frame, may even get a trampoline in.

Dh is still not home but did ring to say 'oh but it'll be such a big upheaval"
Think I need him to talk to you lot!

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