Help please- anyone know nottingham?

[Nottsmove16]

We are hoping to move to Nottingham with baby and 3 yr old and don't know it at all. Would appreciate help with any of the following questions please...

The villages around NE nott, particularly Woodborough and OXton etc look lovely but are there any toddler groups or activities etc to make friends at?

Is the commute to nottingham girls high ok? ( will miss application deadlines for Woodborough woods etc and get the impression they are over subscribed as excellent schools?) . Hate driving and dont want to spend life in the car.

Where would one go for a coffee shop/ wander/ chat with people ?

With a young family is it better to live on west Bridgeford side if I want to make friends?
Would the commute from villages on WB side eg Plumtree be a nightmare?

Thanks !

MissC - I agree! I'm just finding it hard as move will coincide with starting school and uncertainty about how many days I will work etc and I can't imagine what my days will be like with school runs etc and no baby sensory/ tumble tots! Feeling a bit sad that era is over and slightly concerned about making new friends etc.

Yes Ned - agree exciting and scary. Also love our current area so very sad to be leaving.

have you looked in the wollaton/bramcote area? still not cheap but possibly cheaper than west bridgford. Sherwood amd mapperley are nice too.

as a poster pointed out before, lowdham is nice but seriously prone to serious flooding (think whole playing field underwater). dont know about the surrounding woodthorpe/gunthorpe areas though but theyre lovely too and gunthorpe is right on the river trent.

MissC. I need Phil and Kirsty to tell me I need to compromise somewhere! Lovely house and similar to lots I have seen on rightmove but smaller than our current house ( which sadly is worth 200k less!) and We really do want the big garden.

I think the house we want doesn't exist in WB and if living on that side would need to look to the villages to the south of WB.

I like the look of wollaton park primarynoodle that would be an area to consider too. Although bit of a wimp and don't fancy the traffic around QMC on a daily basis!

When I have moved before it had been to a small town and we just had to find a nice house. This time it feels like I have 10 towns and 20 villages to choose from, none of which I know!

Thank you all for your comments and advice.

Miaow I wonder if I live near you??!!

OP have you thought about Sherwood itself or Mapperley Park/Mapperley? Sherwood is very much on the up... And about 5 mins from the High School. Lots of mummys and coffee shops and artisan sausage places

To the person who was looking at the west side of Nottingham, I think this looks a good family house (Long Eaton). Really close to the lovely West Park and not too far from the swimming pool. Not too much cafe culture here unfortunately.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32048745.html?premiumA=true

For private education its really close to Trent College and Elms prep school. State schools are goodish and close by.

Have a look at the privat buses to the high school, they run from all over Nottingham and surrounding villages and are very sociable for the kids. The school,website will list them

I have lived in most of the places mentioned.

Wollaton doesn't have much of a cafe culture. The park is lovely and houses are pretty. Don't buy near the ring road as problems from the city spill over into that bit. Parkside is the prettiest road I think, and girls that go to the high school live there.

Sherwood is getting more arty but it has a crime problem. More for young couples I think.

Mapperley is full of young families and gets better all the time. Nice being on a hill too.

West Bridgford is like being in a London suburb. Good facilities but crowded and expensive.

Lowdham has a nice little station. I would live there for the station alone.

Southwell has everything. Lots of cafes, lots of things for families, and is is small and safe. Furthest away from the city though.

I've seen trams on the new bit!

Good schools in southwell, certainly no further than ravenshead from nottingham.
Lots of school bus services to nottingham high school too, as lots of local children go to this school. Plenty of families live in southwell, it is a good mix, but as it is very desirable house prices reflect this. Definately recommend over bridgford, mapperley etc for growing families.

Definitely Ravenshead you are right on the door step to Newstead Abbey. Fantastic local school and an amazing nursery. Papplewick and Linby is lovely too. Close to Hucknall which is on the up.

Lots more food for thought, all these positive recommendations are making me feel more postive about the move and can't wait to go and look round some more areas now.

Good to hear positive things about Southwell.sadly a little too far for my husband's work but part of the appeal of villages eg OXton and Woodborough were that it was only 10 mins ( I think) down the road and I thought might be a nice place to wander and have coffee? Are there many shops there?

Will look at bus routes, thanks Carrie. Definitely would be a plus for when they were a little older.

Advantages of Linby, Papplewick, Ravenshead are easy access to the M1 and across to the peak district. I live round this area ( have also lived beeston and gelding) and I love that we can be in the Peak District in half an hour, countryside on the doorstep and 12 mins by train into Nottingham from Hucknall (free parking). When I lived other places I seemed to spend half my life trekking across Nottingham.

The tram is being tested on the section out past beeston currently.

Another vote for Woodthorpe/Arnold here. I live in Arnold and I love it here - it's a real community and a lovely place to be. I do like West Bridgford to visit; but Arnold's totally where it's at for me - and still very affordable too.

I shall fly the flag for burton joyce. Villagey and lots going on for children. I find west bridgford not that friendly. East bridgford is lovely. Southwell is very nice. I know lots of people who live in Southwell and send their kids to the high school.

Southwell has boutiquey shops and cafes and a massive great minster. It is nice for a wander.

I like Burton Joyce too.

Burton Joyce advocates..what does the village have in the way of amenities/ kids activities? I get the impression it is a bit larger than some of the surrounding villages?

don't know north nottingham at all,
But just to throw a spanner in the works.......
If you consider villages like plumtree/ keyworth, then the loughborough private schools are a very real option for you. You'd be on the bus routes.

One thing to consider for Nottingham girls high school, is that the associated boys school has just gone co-Ed. Looking ahead (especially if your dds are only 3&1) I'd be very very surprised if the girls school was still in its current form by the time yours are at secondary.

Can I mention Radcliffe to you - next village along to the east from west Bridgeford, before Bingham. Good primary schools, a new secondary being built, and also bus runs through to the girls high school. Lovely village feel but with good amenities, loads of families and children's activities. And a bit cheaper than WB, and likely to get much more garden space for your ££.

Burton Joyce has a toddlers group that meets each Monday and Thursday. There's a brilliant kindergarten called windmill. The play park is excellent. Nice cafe's and lots of mums - very friendly.

I'm very close to Bramcote. It's hell trying to get into Nottingham city centre every day, the traffic is really bad. There is a school bus to the High School/Girls High School though. The boy's High School is taking in girls from September, 6th form and another year, the other years from next September.

I grew up in west bridgford. It has great school but very oversubscribed so I would check catchments carefully as otherwise you could end up at school in the meadows. Lovely area with park and m&s food but you pay a premium with house prices and get less for your money that North of the city.

I have now lived in Sherwood for 10 years and had my family here. Mapperley Park, woodthorpe and Sherwood have lots of nice large houses that are better value than in WB. Also outstanding primary schools woodthorpe, Ernehale and Haydn rd but all also oversubscribed - have just been through applying for DD1. High school much easier to get to from this side of town. Lots of family stuff and toddler groups and coffee shops locally as well as only 10 minutes into the city centre on the bus or under a 30 min walk. I love it here!

Thanks MrsBungle- another one for the list.

Cherry, hadn't considered Radcliffe - so many places- good to hear about places I didn't know about! Going to have to go on an almighty road trip!

And thanks for the bad traffic tips too ladyS

Blowinthebreeze- hadn't realised how close Loughborough was - probably a nicer 20 min drive than into the nottingham high school. Definitely food for thought if go for a village near west Bridgeford. Also good point about high school changing. Do you think smaller due to competition?