Leaving London for East Anglia - where to go?

[AveEldon]

With secondary school decisions looming it may be time for us to leave London. But where to go?
OH needs to commute into the City.

We have previously looked at Buckhurst Hill but it was a bit too TOWIE
St Albans seems so expensive
Saffron Walden lovely but very little for sale

Any suggestions welcomed

Ipswich comprehensives are absolutely fine! I went to one and I now have letters in front of my name and everything

Too far East for what..........? The trains go straight to the City? Or are there other considerations like frequent travel from Heathrow?

I have a colleague who commutes from Wiltshire to the City. Works from home 2 days a week to make it do-able.

Too far East for everything... commute too long
Working from home not an option
We have family connections to Cambridge and Kings Lynn

Fair enough I'd consider it a long commute too unless you live on the doorstep of the station. Pretty much wipes out any time with the family Mon-Fri unless you are on the crack of dawn train and promptly out the door at 5. Houses are good value though and schools good. New Waitrose [the joy of MN ] and Cambridge is what 30 mins away down the A14 unless it's rush hour of course.

Treadsoftly. That's my absolute dream and is just about doable. Except would be massively disruptive for children - and I think as teens they'd resent being in the middle of nowhere and end up moving away like I did!!

I'll give my 2 pennies worth...

Saffron Walden is lovely. But, you have to drive to Audley End and pay for parking. The town itself is in the middle of nowhere and accessibility around the town is awful (traffic etc very bad). The schools are impossible to get into and County High is now unsustainably massive (and from what I understand, riding the crest of a reputation that may not match current conditions).

Whittlesford and the villages are ok, if that's what you want. But even Whittlesford, unless you live by the station (in which case quite a way out of the village) you will have to find your way their every morning (ie bike or drive).

Shelford is nice and we almost bought our very first house there, but we found it lacking in soul (but others may disagree).

I definitely wouldn't go to Linton, a total ballache to get to and from anywhere.

Truth be told we looked at every single possibility when we moved from a South Camb village, and, with schools being our top priority, we moved to Bishops's Stortford.

It's not to everyone's taste but I absolutely love it here

Having grown up in Ipswich (parents still there) and now living in the next village to Whittlesford I'd say south cambs. State secondaries are very good (DD at Sawston) and well connected by rail (either Royston or Whittlesford) and M11 too. It's just the getting into and out of Cambridge that's a pig not very easy at rush hour. That isn't going to get better any time soon - it's such a growing area.

Luckystar1 - which bits of Stortford would you recommend?

I would only recommend North West. Particularly Maze Green Road/Maple Avenue/Cricketfield Lane/Dane O'Coys. Lovely houses, close to great, great schools and close to town. Sadly town has suffered badly from the very high rates set by Herts CC so there aren't many little independent shops like Walden.

But interestingly, I'm a member on FB of the mummies groups for both Walden and Stortford and I'd say I hear a lot more complaints about anti social behaviour in Walden that Stortford (but that could just be to do with the members!)

I live in Duxford (South Cambridge, near Whittlesford and Saffron Walden), my DC go to Sawston Village College and Duxford primary.

Fab area, great schools. We moved from West London, via Hertfordshire. Not cheap, but much better value for money than London. Train into London a bit slow, but do-able. Lots of people do it.

And although a little pedantic, not in East Anglia :(

Can I also just mention that Cambridge has Hills Road sixth form college which is one of the best in the country - surrounding villages are in catchment. (Note that Saffron Walden is in Essex, not Cambridgeshire; however Saffron Walden County High has its own excellent sixth form)

Ellie we must be virtually neighbours!

OP this is the sort of thing available here
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-53149495.html
closest station Whittlesford, catchment for Duxford primary, Sawston Village College and Hills Road

we bought a house to rent out in Great Chesterford which we hope to move into when we return from overseas. The commute is better than from Saffron Walden due to it having its own station in walking distance (although on the slower stopping line). I'm a bit worried about schools now! We had our eye on the County High for our DD but I'm hoping that if thats not a goer then Linton or Sawston seem to be very well thought of. I'm a big fan of Saffron Walden, I think its a super town which over the years (I'm from near Royston originally) I think has got better and better whilst Royston and other areas have really gone down hill. But yes I have heard much about the school places being a problem.

There are a few villages that didn't get in to County High Ifink - Great Chesterford beng one of them I'm afraid. Saying that, if you return mid year, things may have changed.

I really do seem to be putting a big downer on Saffron Walden - I'm sorry! It's just that there is So Much housing development going on, with me to come that the infrastructure (particularly schools) is taking a right hammering.

More to come I mean.

Ellie/Grumpy we must have been almost neighbours too, I was in Ickleton.

Op, I was commuting to London daily and from the stations with slow trains (so all of the stations on the LST to Cambridge line, except Stortford. Audley End and Whittlesford) it's a slooooow journey.

When looking bear in mind the commute to a station, parking at the station and costs of such all of which have to be calculated alongside the increased season ticket cost.

If I'm also truly honest, and it's only from chat rather than experience as my DC aren't school age yet, I have heard very mixed comments on Sawston VC and Newport Grammar (now Joyce Franklamd academy). You will definitely not get into County High living in the villages.

The village primary schools are also heavily over subscribed and they are quite small (2 years sharing a class etc) if that would bother you?

Ingatestone or Shenfield? Both nice areas and fairly short commute to the city.

Hi everyone,
Ickleton is in catchment for Sawston Village College (Cambridgeshire) and Great Chesterford for Saffron Walden County High (Essex), even though the two villages are stone's throw apart.
The schools are generally over subscribed; however kids were definitely being allocated places at their in catchment school. No-one at Duxford primary or Great Chesterford Academy was turned down last year, for example.
But what there isn't is choice. Great Chesterford kids will not get into SVC, and Duxford/Ickleton kids will not get into SWCH. My friends live in Ickleton, sent their DS to Great Chesterford, but he then had to go to SVC whereas all his classmates went to SWCH.
Fortunately there are no bad schools in the area, so not a big problem. And there are free school buses, to SVC at least.

Waves to the neighbours :)

Grumpy that's interesting as I have heard of people in Little Chesterford being waiting listed for Gt Chesterford primary. Not ideal.

As a PP said, their is quite a lot of development in the locality at present. Gt Chesterford has just had a new smallish development built but it's large compared to the limited amenities of the village (and if rumour be true, there will be further development behind that new development in the not too distant future.

Op it's a wonderful area, but extremely popular with people moving out of both London and Cambridge so it is becoming quite squeezed.

For that budget you could get something within cycling distance of Cambridge station if you wanted to be in a town rather than village (assuming you don't want 7 bedrooms or something ). Now the new cycle parking has opened it's actually easy to park bikes at the station. Then you get a choice of trains to Liverpool Street or Kings Cross.

True - doesn't get much more central than this though needs updating. For a forever home though it would be worth it
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-52911556.html

Oh I LOVE that house. We've already considered it but ruled out as I wanted something more rural. It's fab fab fab tho!

If things were different I'd seriously consider buying either of these (although I see the more expensive has just gone under offer): www.giggsandco.com/search/property-search.html?from=home-page&DepartmentType=Residential&propertyType=&propertyStyle=&tenure=&showSold=1&newOnly=0&perPage=24&Location=&Department=Sales&MinPrice=900000&MaxPrice=1500000

Both in catchment for an excellent primary school and for the lower price of the second you could fund private secondary if necessary as the secondaries aren't up to much.

45 mins into Kings X. Still South Cambridgeshire but not really East Anglia.

I'd also look at Cambridge with your budget.

I want that house too. Although it would be far too close to where I work, at least I wouldn't have to get up before 8am

Actually the second is in catchment for ok schools. But it is almost half a million cheaper!