Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Newark, Grantham, Lincolnshire, Notts and Rutland - advice please?

59 replies

rosieposey · 12/04/2015 20:56

We are considering Newark and the surrounding areas - it has to be there or Grantham really as DH needs to get into London on most days.

Rutland is gorgeous, we drove through there a couple of times last week on a bit of a fact finding mission and i looked at a couple of houses in the Oakham area. It is more expensive than lincs or notts but i suppose there is a reason for that? (not sure?)

I thought that Newark would be good because of the fairly fast rail link into London - is Grantham or Newark nicer? which is bigger and has more facilities ( nice restaurants, shops, cinema ect)?

I live in Devon currently and don't know anything about these areas, it looks nice and there seem to be some really nice villages plus the houses are affordable, much more so than where we were thinking of previously.

There is so much to think about - school ( state ) and how much there is to do - don't get me wrong i am not talking about big city life as i currently live in a village about 18 miles from Exeter and i can get my fix there a couple of times a month if i want to but i don't want to be too isolated and a bigger village would be preferable with a good primary really.

Oh i just don't know where to start but i really would be so grateful if anyone that lives in the area can tell me where to avoid and where is really nice to live - preferably no more than a 15/20 min drive into Newark train station.

We are looking at an area we know nothing about and i really need some help and advice!

OP posts:
MrsPnut · 12/04/2015 21:10

What about Collingham? It's a nice village half way between lincoln and Newark, has it's own train station but on the castle line not the Northgate line.
Newark has some lovely shops and the market is pretty good too. I don't know about the schools though.
Grantham is a bit rougher and I would rather live in Newark than Grantham.
I live in one of the cliff villages south of Lincoln and I can do home to Newark station in 20 minutes but that is going full pelt and not having to park etc.

Original poster
rosieposey · 12/04/2015 21:21

I have a couple of houses in Collingham saved on right move Grin the only thing i wondered about it is that isn't it literally part of Newark anyway? I was hoping for a largish village ( when i say large i mean with a school and a shop) but there are so many to choose from i don't know where to start?

Going full pelt at six in the morning in the cold winter morning isn't something that i think would be great for DH Grin he doesn't need any encouragement but seriously though i think a 15 min drive ( so maybe 25 mins by the time you have parked) to Newark is enough with the commute to London on top and tube times too.

I had a look to see if DH could get to London from Collingham but it would be much faster to drive to Newark.

Glad you said about Newark vs Grantham as i know nothing about either so its good to get some opinions.

OP posts:
knackeredknees44 · 12/04/2015 21:26

I was brought up in Ketton in Rutland. It is a lovely area and have fantastic memories but house prices are steep.

thetroubleis · 12/04/2015 21:29

Newark is nice and has a lot of lovely places- the train station is right next to Waitrose Grin which is handy.

Lots of little boutique places to browse, good state and independent schools.

Can't really go wrong I don't think although I've never been to Collingham so that might be even nicer.

Original poster
rosieposey · 12/04/2015 21:31

Yes Rutland is quite steep from what we have seen but so pretty ( i won't get withdrawals from Devon!) There is really only one house we are interested in in the whole county but we are still thinking that Newark and its surrounding villages might be better as the commute is supposed to be better from Newark than from Oakham.

OP posts:
Original poster
rosieposey · 12/04/2015 21:32

Is there anywhere in Newark ( or any village) within a 10 mile radius that anyone knows if i should be avoiding?

Thanks for the heads up thetroubleis!

OP posts:
Snowberry86 · 12/04/2015 21:35

We live in a village on the outskirts of Newark.

If you want a big village with shop and school then Long Bennington is the nicest.

Sutton-on-Trent is also nice and plenty of services.

Smaller, nice villages but that don't have a shop are:
North Muskham
Caunton
Carlton-on-Trent

Snowberry86 · 12/04/2015 21:36

Rosie there are a few areas of Newark toen centre to avoid.

If you pm me anything you are interested in I will let you know what the area is like.

Newark is definitely much nicer than Grantham and trains are better.

MrsPnut · 12/04/2015 21:36

Oh yes, long Bennington. Nice village, a couple of pubs as well as a primary school.

tigger32 · 12/04/2015 21:42

Have you thought about Caythorpe? It has a school, pub and shop as does Long Bennington, both are easy distance to Newark.
Another lovely village in the area is Bottesford, it has a primary and secondary school, 2 doctors surgeries, a pub, restaurant and a couple of little shops.
If you are looking in Newark itself there are a couple of very rough areas to avoid!
Newark has better shops and restaurants than Grantham but schooling is better in Grantham (in my opinion).

SprungHasSpring · 12/04/2015 21:55

Newark is much nicer than Grantham IMHO.

It's our nearest decent town but we're more than 20 mins away so I don't really know the villages nearby.

I thought the main station (line to London) was Newark Northgate not the one by Waitrose but perhaps I'm wrong? Dh uses it sometimes but finds it quicker to drive to other stations in the area and get fast(er) trains.

Normally driving around Newark is wonderful (A46 is a dream) compared to everywhere else I've lived but I have found it gets gridlocked at the wrong time on certain market days, antique fair days etc.

tigger32 · 12/04/2015 22:00

Sprung, you are right about the train stations. The one by Waitrose is The Castle, it's Northgate that goes direct to Kings Cross.
I live nearer to Grantham than Newark but often go to Newark for shopping as it's much nicerSmile

Original poster
rosieposey · 12/04/2015 22:08

Ok these are the areas that i have seen houses that we liked in, I have started with finding houses that we like as we had no ideas on the area we should be looking in but now i have some suggestions i will have a look at them.

These are the areas/villages that we have considered on right move. Folkingham, Barleythorpe,Collingham,Balderton, Ropsley, Cromwell, Girton, Cotham, Kersall, Redmile and actually in Newark - The Park and Pelham street

Anybody know any of these at all and any that stand out as particularly nice? Thank you!

OP posts:
HouseAtreides · 12/04/2015 22:16

Newark is lovely. Grantham is lovely too but the town planners are chimps and driving anywhere is a nightmare. There are rough areas in both places.

Floundering · 12/04/2015 22:21

I agree about Newark being nicer than Grantham,mostly, the schools aren't as good, and lots of kids get bused over the border to Lincolnshire secondary & grammar schools becasue of it. Primary schools are good in certain areas.

If you need a good commute Grantham train station is bigger & has a better service, Hull trains as well as East Coast network and loads of parking. It's a bit of a bugger to get into at rush hour I understand but so is Newark. (The A46 can be horrendous around Newark) They have a Sainsbury's near the station & recently an M&S food store, ASDA & several other chains.

Along the ridge of the A 607 which leads directly into Grantham there are lots of lovely little villages with good primary schools and easy access to a range of secondary schools, comps & grammar, many of them with academy status. There is easy access to the A17 which links to Newark and the A1. If you moved to that area then you'd have the pick of both towns & easy access to Lincoln too which has advantages of its own.

tigger32 · 12/04/2015 22:28

Of those places you've listed I have a little knowledge of a few.
Ropsley; has a great school, 2 pubs and a park. It's closer to Grantham than Newark (about 15/20 mins)
Redmile; Again closer to Grantham, it used to have a very nice pub but not sure if it's still there. It's a pretty village but I couldn't tell you much more, sorry.
Balderton; basically part of Newark, I have a couple of friends who live here, it seems quite big and built up for a village but has everything you'd need in a village; shops, pubs, school and nursery etc.
Collingham; I don't know a lot about but always looks lovely when I drive through Smile
Good luck with the search Wine

Northernlurker · 12/04/2015 22:34

What's your budget and size for a house?

I think Newark is a better town but Grantham is head and shoulders above it for secondary schools. There's no comparison really. Long Bennington is pretty soulless imo but good location, you'd get the best of both worlds really.

Ropsley and nearby Humby etc are pretty with village schools but the bus commute in to Secondary schools is a bit of a drag. Londonthorpe is a nice village. Also Hough on the Hill and Belton.

Is this too small in Londonthorpe?

This is stupidly pretty

Northernlurker · 12/04/2015 22:37

I believe BOTH pubs in Ropsley are currently closed actually. It's got a fair bot of village life though and the school site is nice, good field etc

Northernlurker · 12/04/2015 22:40

Foston here ????

Original poster
rosieposey · 12/04/2015 22:51

That last one is saved in my right move Northernlurker Grin We could potentially go up to £440 - £450 ish but i would prefer to stay around the £400 mark if possible - the trouble is there is so much choice and so many villages.

Im not massively bothered about being on a main road as we are here in our cottage in Devon and there are a few houses which are lovely which are just set off the road - as long as there is a secure garden and parking then thats fine.

We are going up significantly in price as this place is around the 250 mark - we have really struggled for space here and i am looking for something fairly big ( playroom!) as i don't think my older DC's are going anywhere soon.

I think that as long as the primary school is ok i will worry about secondary schools in a couple of years or so. If i am honest i am really hoping we will be able to stretch to private education as DS is still only 6 and little DS is two. That is not a given as things could change ( they always do!) but thats the plan anyway.

OP posts:
Original poster
rosieposey · 12/04/2015 22:56

I see what you mean about Long Bennington - it seems to be no more than 20 mins each way to either Grantham or Newark. I will have a mooch on street view at the village. Only one suitable property there though, its a 3 bed but the study downstairs would be fine for either older DD - a bit pricey for a 3 bed but perhaps thats because its a popular village?

OP posts:
Original poster
rosieposey · 12/04/2015 22:59

Scratch that above - actually there are a couple of suitable properties in Long Bennington ( I'm getting my villages confused ) one for £464 and another £395 - would prefer the cheaper one but both look amazing compared to how much space we have at the moment!

OP posts:
FabulousFudge · 12/04/2015 23:05

Your children can always sit their 11+ and go to grammar school for secondary.

Original poster
rosieposey · 12/04/2015 23:14

fudge I think the Grammar schools are in Lincs though aren't they? I have no idea about Grammar schools and what their intake is like and from where. Its something to consider though definitely.

OP posts:
FabulousFudge · 12/04/2015 23:35

I think lots of children from Newark attend grammar schools in Lincs. I assume they get the train. Are the primary schools good in Newark and surrounding areas?