We are currently looking to move to a bigger house, perhaps in a different area and are considering Saffron Walden. The main draws for us are the secondary school options, proximity to Cambridge (after living in a cultural desert for 8 years) and ease of access to London. When visiting it seems a friendly, cosy town, although we do worry about it expanding in the future and losing that feel.
DC are 7 and 9 so a big issue is secondary school options. They are currently at a small private primary school in North Essex and we are happy to consider state or independent options. DD should get through the 11+, so we were considering The Perse School for her. DS has some additional needs, although he copes very well in school at the moment. We were considering The Friends School for him (my family are Quakers, so this is a big draw for us).
DH would commute into Liverpool Street 4 days a week and I work in Local Government and would be able to work out of Harlow most days with odd trips into London and around Essex. I think I fancy living in Saffron Walden itself, rather than surrounding villages, as this would give DC more independence as they get older.
Any thought about the highs and lows of life in Saffron Walden would be much appreciated. :)