Moving to Norwich - advice please :)

[Singingstarfish]

Hi, I've posted this on the local Norwich board but thought I'd post here too. I have seen there is loads of useful advice on here for people moving to Norwich and surrounding areas and I have read and re-read all the posts. We are hopefully going to be moving up from Suffolk and would really welcome some advice from anyone who lives there on the following...
I would love to be quite near the City, either a bus ride or 30/40 minute walk with a few local amenties (cafe, grocers or supermarket) nearby, but my husband wants to live somewhere he can walk to fields, woods etc with the dog. Would really like an older property rather than a new build and have a daughter starting school next year so looking for a nice school too.
So my question is, is it possible to find a part of Norwich that can off all these things?? I have been looking at Thorpe st andrew as a possible, but not sure about walks with the dog, parks etc?
We know the city centre well but not the outskirts, so I'd be really grateful for any advice.
Thank you in advance :)

Norwich has loads of greenspace so that should be no problem.
If you want countryside feel but still walking distance to city centre then look at Trowse. It's a village but geographically very close to the city centre.

As a shorthand, anything within the outer ring road (A146) is within about 40mins walk of the centre.

North side we have the new ring road/distributor road coming in. Nobody knows quite how things will be after that.
I wondered if Mousehold Heath was fieldy enough for your DH.
Trowse is expensive.

Thanks for your replies.
Trowse does look really nice, but maybe a bit out of our price range.
What is the general area of mousehold like? Through my (extensive!) googling of Norwich posts it doesn't really seem to crop up as a recommended place to buy?

Thorpe Hamlet side of Mousehold used to be nice when I was younger but haven't been back that way for a while.

That is the general area I have been keeping an eye on property wise (but mostly out of our budget!) as looks like some nice pubs etc by the river, is it walkable to the fields from there?

Also, useful to get an idea of walking distance within the outer ring road - thank you :)

Given a choice I'd still live in the Golden Triangle (and still be 19 and a student) but from what I've heard from friends who stayed it's mega pricey now.

Definitely walkable to Whitlingham Broad if you live the Thorpe Rd side. Dog walkers also used Lion Wood but that was so long ago it might not even exist anymore. Ketts Heights was another green space closer to Mousehold side. I lived in Thorpe Hamlet (just off Thorpe Rd) over 15 years ago though so I might well be spouting bollocks.

It looks like Lionwood Infant School (which I think is my old school but has changed names) is OFSTED outstanding.

Yeah golden triangle is way out of our price range, and we've lived in too many mid terraces with crap walls and noisy neighbours to compromise on the house for the area! Think we need to go and have a look around the Thorpe and mousehold area - any parts that should be avoided that you know of (remember!) places don't really change that quickly do they??

Can't see a Lion Wood on the map, might have been Tarmacced over!

Google says still exists!

I miss Norwich

Really nowhere in Norwich to be avoided. Some parts "naicer" than others but everywhere generally ok.

Ah a thread after my own heart. Norwichite here

I was gonna suggest Trowse, then I thought of Hellesdon/Drayton - it's not quite walking distance but it's certainly not far. Sprowston has some nice areas but can be hit and miss.

Hethersett and Eaton are also reasonable contenders, especially the latter but I'm not sure on house prices in that area - I know it's been popular with postgrads recently.

I love Norwich

Where do you live now AppleMagic? We are going up in a couple of weeks, will have to find lion wood now!
I get very excited at the prospect but then daunted and go round in circles about whether to go for it or not. My dh now works from home and I'd like to make the move before my daughter starts school so it's now or never! I think it would be a great place for her to call home :)
We drove through Hethersett missybct but I think it's too far out for me, Eaton looks nice but I think a bit out of our budget. I'll also add Hellesdon to the list.

Check Wymondham - easy drive to Norwich, buses and trains and check schools which used to be outstanding.

I'm in the Mid West (US) now so nothing like Norwich!

Found this walking map of Lion Wood and area when I was trying to see if it still existed Singing. Might help you encourage dh that it's green enough.

Oh, yeah - that really is a bit of a change from Norwich :) hence why you're up at 1am! And here I am dithering about moving an hour up the road!
Thanks for map, I'm surprised at how green it actually looks. We'll definitely have to explore further. We go up quite a bit but never venture out if the city centre.

Millie - Wymondham does go on and off the list but i Have read (on here I think!) that maybe it's not particularly great for newcomers?

Wymondham expected newcomers, OP Plenty of my non-Norwich friends and co-workers move there once they've had a "go" at living in the city centre.

If you're willing to look that far ahead, you've got commuter villages like Poringland, Brooke and Stoke Holy Cross which are about 5 miles SE of the centre. Poringland has good schools (with a secondary in neighboring village Framingham Earl) and has a few decent pubs as well as a community centre, library and nurseries etc. Access to city is pretty easy from there and it has a decent(ish, for a village) bus service into the centre. The others are a bit more hit and miss but if you drive it's easy peasy.

Lots of mugging in Golden Triangle now (I was nearly mugged there 20-some yrs ago).
Wymondham is expensive for what it is.
There are dodgy areas in Norwich: Larkman, Mile X, parts of Earlham. Most MNers turn noses up at Lakenham, too. Bowthorpe doesn't even get discussed!!

Haha I've lived in three out of three of those areas (and the Golden Triangle as mentioned) lljkk and they are dodgy for Norwich but pretty tame overall. I wouldn't chose to live there now but would walk through them happily without being worried.

You and me both looking to move to Norwich. It's a property hotspot at the moment. Frustratingly, a extremely high proportion of houses have downstairs bathrooms or a bedroom leading into a bathroom. An absolute no for me. So although I have the money to buy, not particularly impressed with what's available. I'm also zoning in on Thorpe St Andrew. DussInDale, although an estate has a surprisingly good mix of properties. Tuckswood is a relatively nice estate and relatively reasonably priced given distance into the city. Maybe we'll bump into each other. The estate agents here are very fond of an 'open house' with a view to getting an offer on the day and perhaps a bit of bargaining to boot.