moving to Bedford...??? is it a good idea

[sarahdottie]

thinking of a move out of London to Bedford; west of station on way to Biddenham. What is Bedford like - seems ok from the outside, but would like some inside opinion. We have two girls one due to start middle and one lower next september, so would appreciate views on schooling too. Saw thread on mumsnet from 2008 on similar theme - which was very anti - have things changed???

we live 8 miles south of bedford and it is really ok around here. i have friends in bedford who absolutely love it. prices are good, you can get a lot of house for your money. shopping reasonable and close to milton keynes for other stuff. lots of outdoorsy stuff and great theatre etc.

schools are mixed so get advice on that from someone with kids in school but sharnbrook school is truly excellent and i suggest you try to get into catchment area for that school if you can

we are south as i said and my dd yr 9 is at excellent middle school in georgian market town . pm me if you want more info on my area

Come and buy my house in Olney. Olney is equidistant from Bedford, Milton Keynes and Northampton and the schools (including the secondary school) are all within walking distance. Train stations into London are Bedford, Wellingborough or Milton Keynes.

Biddenham is one of the smallest villages in Bedfordshire. It lies in a loop of the River Great Ouse, before it reaches Bedford, some two miles away. It has a church, three schools, a War Memorial, a private hospital, and a village pub. A village hall and a secondary pavilion with grounds, are actively used for sports and other village activities.
The village largely serves as a dormitory settlement for Bedford, and also for commuters to London, being on the same side of the town centre as Bedford railway station. Biddenham is seen as a desirable location, with quaint thatched cottages in the older, southern end of the village, and a high proportion of large detached houses in the modern, northern end.
Education
Biddenham, as part of Bedford Borough operates a three-tier education system, which is arranged into lower, middle and upper schools. The village also benefits from its proximity to Bedford, home to some of the country?s leading independent schools.
Lower Schools

St James C of E Lower School
Tel: 01234 352721
www.stjameslower.ik.org

Middle Schools

St Gregorys Catholic Middle School
Tel: 01234 268649
www.st-gregorys.beds.sch.uk

Upper Schools

Biddenham Upper School
Tel: 01234 342501
www.biddenham.org

Independent Schools
Bedford School
Boys Ages 7?18 years
Tel: 01234 362200
www.bedfordschool.org.uk
Bedford Modern School
Co-educational Ages 7-18 years
Tel: 01234 332500
www.bedmod.co.uk

Bedford Girls' School
Girls Ages 7?18 years
Tel: 01234 361900
www.bedfordgirlsschool.co.uk

Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School
Co-educational Ages 3 months - 8 years
Tel: 01234 369555
www.pilgrims-school.info
Rushmoor School
Boys Ages 3?16years, Girls Ages 3-11 years
Tel: 01234 352031
www.rushmoorschool.co.uk

St. Andrew's School
Boys Ages 3-9 years , Girls Ages 3?16 years
Tel: 01234 267272
www.standrewsschoolbedford.com

Polam Oaks School
Co-educational Ages 1 ? 9 years
Tel: 01234 261864
www.polamschool.co.uk

Transport

Bedford railway station is the closest main railway station to Biddenham. It is located on the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras to the East Midlands. It is also the terminus of the Marston Vale line from Bletchley through Bedford St. Johns. The station is also known as Bedford Midland, and is situated to the west of the town centre. It is used by a substantial number of commuters to London.

The station is served by three operators but managed by First Capital Connect.
? East Midlands Trains
? First Capital Connect
? London Midland

East Midlands Trains slow services along the Midland Main Line between London St Pancras and Nottingham call at the station, as do London-Corby services.

First Capital Connect operate regular services along Thameslink from Bedford to Brighton passing through St Albans and London St Pancras. Services from the station also call at two Airports; Luton Airport Parkway to the north and Gatwick Airport to the South of London.

London Midland operate local services from Bletchley to Bedford via the Marston Vale Line. Services are operated using Class 153 Super Sprinter diesel multiple units. There is no Sunday service.

Road Journeys

Biddenham to Central London is 55 miles / 72 minutes

Biddenham to Milton Keynes is 16 miles / 31 minutes

Biddenham to Cambridge is 32 miles / 55 minutes

Biddenham to Heathrow Airport is 59 miles / 68 minutes

Biddenham to the M25 is 36 miles / 45 minutes

Sport and Leisure

There is a long standing sporting heritage in Bedford Borough with long established rugby and football clubs. Bedford has four rugby union teams called Bedford Blues, Bedford Queens, Bedford Swifts and Bedford Athletic, and, since 2004, has also a rugby league team; Bedford Tigers, who compete one tier below the National Conference.

Rowing is also a major part of the sports scene with a number of regatta events hosted throughout the year from February through to October; the most significant of these being Bedford Regatta, which in terms of numbers of crews participating is the second largest in the country.

Bedford Rowing Club
Tel: 01234 353183
www.bedfordrowing.co.uk

The Bedford Golf Club
Tel: 01234 320022
www.thebedfordgc.com

Biddenham Rugby Club
www.pitchero.com/clubs/biddenhamrugbyclub

Biddenham Cricket Club
Tel: 01234 346842
www.biddenham.play-cricket.com

I moved into Bedfordshire 9 years ago. This was despite a nagging voice in my head tell me not to due to the 3 tier school system. We moved out into Hertfordshire at the beginning of this year.

TBH I may well get flamed and I have no real basis for it, but if you were a friend of mine I would advice to look elsewhere.

Bedford is more affordable than a lot of the commuter counties. There is a reason for this.

And sorry everyone, I find Bedford itself well meh. Actually more than meh. I don't like it. And I would not want teenage daughters hanging out there-day or night - in a few years time.

Personally I think Bedford is quite an attractive town in places - the embankment area is lovely and has a fab park by there. House prices are also great. It does seem to attract a bit of a dodgy reputation - I don't know if this is deserved or not.
What puts me off it is the schools. There are a few good lowers in the town, 1 OK middle school, but none of the upper schools get even half decent GCSE results.
If you are looking at Biddenham then I guess you don't mind being outside the town centre itself. In which case you might want to look at Clapham and Oakley which are just out of town but are in catchment for the previously mentioned Sharnbrook School which gets consistently excellent GCSE results. The villages also have outstanding lower and middle schools.
Another place to look would be the villages of Wooton, Cranfield and Marston Moretaine. They all feed to Wootton Upper which gets very good results too (though not in the same league as Sharnbrook) and are also v good value plus are nearer MK.

I would second fishfingers and point out that there is a reason Bedford is so affordable. I moved to a very small village just south of Bedford 2 years ago for DHs job. We are due to move again next summer and I am very much looking forward to getting away from this area. Some of the villages are pretty but, in my opinion, there are no nice towns at all, with the possible exception of Hitchin just in Herst to the south. Bedford itself is bit of dump (sorry, but it's true) and the 2 tier school system is just weird. There are a lot of independent schools in Bedford if that makes a difference to you.

Hi all,
we are currently thinking in moving to Bedford- maybe at the #brickhill area, but I am scared reading all of the above.
We are currently leave in Leighton Buzzard.
Any advises would be much appreciated
thank you

Opinions will vary, as they will on any place. Bedford has some attractive features, but it doesn't suit everyone. It's bigger than LB, so has more going for it in that respect - decent range of shops. Milton Keynes is about as far as from LB, but it does have its own cinema (with free parking!) If you have children, check out catchment areas as schools do vary, but there are a couple of 2-tier schools now if you don't like 3-tier, and the new free school broadens the choice a bit further.

Just done the move to Bedford and could not be happier with the decision. Of course there are some grotty bits, like everywhere. Hard to fault Bedford Park, The Embankment which is stunning. Great commute to London for my husband and lots of space for the kids.

hello - we're making the move to Beford in about 2 weeks. my dh is from st.neots and went to school in Bedford and we're moving to be closer to in-laws. I'm looking forward to it and hoping it will be a good move. we've been living in Tooting in SW London for the past 3 years and our flat is feeling a little crowded with a 6 month old now. Tooting is also feeling a little crowded and grotty! we seem very similar to someone else writing on this thread which is great to know! if anyone has any pointers on Bedford let me know!!

Spooky that post is so similar to us. Husbands must know each other if from St Neots and went to school in Bedford. And just moved from Toots. PM me any questions you have although we have only been here a month.

I would strongly advise a village on the outskirts of Bedford as opposed to the town itself. I grew up there and would suggest that you may want to be in the catchment area for either Redbourne, Wootton or Sharnbrook upper schools. The town itself is fairly grim, we would drive out to St Neots or MK for shopping rather than going into Bedford itself.

If you do want to be in the town itself then houses near Castle Road are nice, there are some good sized properties and Castle Road as its own indie shops, bakery, pub etc which is lovely. Or houses near Bedford park and kimbolton if you're looking for much larger properties with period features etc. The lower and middle schools in those areas are also good, Castle Lower is a lovely small school which I attended.

I don't know Bedford at all, but can make a judgement based on WallaceWindsock's idea of driving to St Neots in preference to Bedford....

I know this is a zombie thread, just adding a link to this website which paints a brighter picture of Bedford I hope... Www.bedfordblogandboard.co.uk