Possible move to March, Chatteris, North Cambs. Advice please???!!!!

[ruthimar]

My husband may have a job in Cambridge, but due to the potential salary and the value of our current house in Yorkshire we can't really afford central Cambridge or its suburbs prices. Houses in March and Chatteris appear to be very reasonable but I'm not sure whether they are nice places to live? We don't need to be near rail links to London and he doesn't mind a longish drive to work as he currently commutes approx an hour each way. We have two kids of primary age, so a half decent school is important though I am not obsessed with league tables and ofsted etc... I have seen a few threads on March, Chatteris etc... and they seem quite negative but they are a few years old so I would really appreciate some honest up to date advice. Do you live in these areas/know these areas? We currently live in a small market town outside of Leeds so we are used to being a fair way out from the city, but enjoy having a little town to shop in etc... Could you recommend any areas? We would be looking at spending approx £200,000 on a 3 bed house, pref with a garden. HELP PLEASE???!!!!

I would definitely advocate renting so that (a) you can take your time getting to know the area well and you're not under pressure to buy due to time restraints (b) house prices generally are on a downward spiral imo....

I have a friend who lives in Bury St Edmunds and commutes to Cambridge city centre and it takes her 30 - 45 mins depending on traffic. It's a really attractive market town. You should do a recce or two in the next few weekends.

Hi whats Soham like?i m looking at a place to rent there but do not know it at all!... are there schools, train st. and shops near by? :) thank you

My In Laws lived just outside of Whittlesey (about 2/3 miles) for about 10 years and they loved it there. But for a family being so far out of town would have been awful. There was no public transport anywhere near them so they were heavily dependant on their car.

And whilst my kids could run riot in their huge garden without disturbing anyone when we were there, the darkness at night used to spook me badly. Not to mention the sudden low flying jets that would go overhead now and again!!!

Have you looked in Linton in South Cambs? Lovely village and much more affordable than many parts of Cambridgeshire with excellent schools and a fairly short commute into Cambridge (although still busy at rush hour). I don't actually live there and rather regret that we didn't move there when we had the chance a few years ago.

Or even Haverhill. There are some nice bits and I think it's a really up and coming town. Some of the schools aren't fantastic but I know quite a few people who've got their kids into nearby Cambridgeshire schools. You get a LOT more for your money than in most other places.

There are some fantastic new homes on an exclusive gated development in Wisbech . Think prices start at £210k available through W H Brown . I also saw on BBC Breakfast that Campaign for Better Transport are pushing hard to get the train line back up and running, but at the moment a commute to Cambridge would be a 15/20 min car to Downham Market then 35mins on the train . Ive done it loads of times and its not a bad trip at all ! Hope this helps ! Its worth a consideration as you get so much more for your money in this area.

Zombie thread from 2012! I'm pretty sure all concerned in the thread have found something. Wisbech is still a hole though
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