Need somewhere within 1.5hrs of Cambridge

[runlikeagirl]

We need to find somewhere to rent within an hour or hour and half of Cambridge. Dh job will be there. Can't afford Cambridge itself.

Need 4 bedrooms (one as an office for Dh who will work from home 2-3days a week). All the usual, good schools, need reasonable transport links (A1?)

Renting to start with, budget of £650-£750 a month. Help me find somewhere, I'm driving myself mad on rightmove!

Try Biggleswade, Sandy or St Neots, they are all on the A1 and aren't too far from Cambridge. All have rail links to London as well.

Ipswich
Bury
Ely
Haverhill
Sudbury

To be honest, I think you would struggle to get 4 bedrooms for that price within an hour of Cambridge. Is there any way that you could manage with 3 beds?

We could. We have a 3 bed now on the outskirts of Leeds. Dh has one room as his office and ds (5) and dd (2) share a room. Was just hopeful they could have their own rooms. Dd is a terrible sleeper, despite sleep specialists, hv intervention she still wakes in night (although less) and wakes from 5am onwards. Poor ds is exhausted now he's at school!

Bury is beautiful.

I think you will struggle on that budget tbh.

Argh. Dh currently works from home but company is based in Cambridge. He is finding it very difficult to work completely remotely, and has to travel to Cambridge anyway a couple of times a month.

We were hoping we could move a bit closer so he could do some time in office and some time at home. We would sell our house and rent for a while.

Looks like not that feasible.

I live in north essex, so within your radius. We rented a 3 bed before buying and the rent was £1050. Also friend works in cambridge and has been known to sit in traffic for 3 hours.

Unlikely south of cambridge but what about north? Newmarket, Peterborough, March?

Around Huntingdon, cambridge 30 mins away on a clear run. About 45 in rush hour. House prices are pretty cheap.

Bury st Edmunds is gorgeous but expensive. The Fens are errrrm interesting. Ely is acceptable.

Bedford?

the travel in from Bedford would be very slow in rush hour.

Does your dh need to be in Cambridge for 9 each morning? If not, travel in would be much easier.

There are quite a lot of 3 bed properties for your budget in places like Haverhill or Ely. Personally, I'd prefer Ely. I dont know much about them, but Sandy, Potton and Biggleswade are 30+ minures from Cambridge if it's not rush hour.

I live in Norwich and commute to Cambridge 3 days per week (although on the outskirts), it takes me an hour on a good day and 1.25 hours in traffic. Anywhere down the A11 into Norfolk?

In laws live in Bedford, so that's where he stays at the moment when he goes there. Hadn't thought as far up as Norwich.

I know a bit about the fens, I did my teacher training at a school in Downham Market!

Bedford to Cambridge isn't so awful (currently it is due to work on the Black Cat). If they can get the black cat roundabout sorted with traffic lights and get everything moving properly then I would imagine your commute would be an hour or so. Up the bypass then onto the A428 or A1/A14. Personally I probably would rather look at villages along the A428 though as some of them are nice.

Commuting down the A14 is better currently. So Mildenhall/Newmarket - all have affordable property if you go to the right areas and don't mind an estate. Though there is a big A14 development that should make the commute better coming from Huntingdon way in the future, think we are talking a few years time though.

You are basically living my dilemma a year ago and we ended up buying in a village near Huntingdon. We have a four bed detached. I would have loved to have stayed in Bury though

Have a look at Chatteris and March. Less than an hour to Cambridge and nice small towns

Kings Lynn? It is on the direct train to Cambridge, so would be easy to commute that way. Not sure about how long it would take to drive, but at least it is a straight run down the A10. (Not sure I would be biting your hand off to live in Kings Lynn myself, but you are fairly close to the Norfolk coast, which is lovely)

I had a look at Haverhill on RightMove - 20 miles from Cambridge and one of the places that are affordable in the area. Only 1 property available to rent in your price bracket.
Try north of Cambridge - train line going from Cambridge to Kings Lynn. You'd probably need to be north of Ely to get anything in your price range.

Could you rent a 3 bed and have DH commute in every day until you decide whether or not to sell up in Leeds ? The problem (as I see it) is that you could buy a three bed property and put in a garden office but you can't really install one in a rented house easily though you could convert a dining room if there is one.

On your budget I would only consider Ipswich to be honest with DH commuting in a couple of days by train or park n ride. You can afford a decent house close to good schools there but I can't find anything closer to Cambridge that I'd want to live in with any schools that don't "Require Improvement"

3 beds but has a dining room
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-42013802.html

Honestly, and I know I'm going to offend, but I would not consider Kings Lynn, March or Chatteris.

Have you though about attleborough just off A11. There is a bungalow on rightmove, 3 beds but has a sun lounge for £750. I live in a village nearby and a neighbour of ours commutes daily- new duelling on A11 makes a big difference.

Also one in Brandon for £795 and on in Bury st Edmunds for £800

Or Peterborough or if not keen, one of the surrounding villages?