Hello all,
My husband, myself, and my two-year old DD are taking the plunge and selling our place in London in search for a calmer pace of life. I work in Cambridge and DH will still be commuting to London, so for this reason we're concentrating on the villages around Royston, since this seems to be the most convenient commuting point for both of us (also giving me the option of driving into Cambridge via Barton).
We've found a house we like in Bassingbourn, but don't know much about the village itself. Obvious pros is the location, the fact it has a primary and secondary school, and it seems to have a nice sense of community. I'm unsure about the military presence there, and what that would mean on a day-to-day basis, and we found Royston a little bland. Another concern was the amount of ex-local housing in the area - what does this mean for the demographics? Is Bassingbourn a bit of an outlier as far as Cambridgeshire goes?
Does anyone live around this area? What can you tell me about the different villages and their respective "feels". Other villages we're considering are Melbourn, Haslingfield, Harston, Meldreth (though expensive!) etc. Essentially anywhere close to the Kings X-Cambridge train line and that has a primary school and preferably a shop (this is a deal-breaker for me, I am not driving eveywhere!).
Another thing to consider is the fact that my husband is Iraqi and I myself am half-Italian, so my DD is mutli-lingual and obviously doesn't look white British - will she stick out like a sore thumb in Bassingbourn or is it quite accommodating to difference due to the RAF base and proximity for London/Cambridge commuters? I don't have an issue with the area itself not being as diverse as London (I grew up in Shropshire, which if anything is even less diverse!), but it's more about whether people's attitudes are open or not.
We're due to sell our flat by the beginning of March, so if we decide that Bassingbourn isn't the place then we'll probably look to rent in the area for a bit.
We have our hearts' set on moving, but it's a scary thing to do, so any advice/local info greatly appreciated!
Thanks 