Norfolk/Suffolk / where to live?!

[TAI1984]

We are looking to relocate from Kent to somewhere in Suffolk or Norfolk. Needs to be within an hour or two train distance of London.

Priorities are a good community to raise children (good schools/family feel) with lots to do (or to do nearby) and within 45mins of a nice coastline.

We have a toddler and would like another baby soon so local amenities would be important to us (shops etc within walking distance)

Any recommendations for places to look at?

Norwich is an hour and 50 minutes on the train and plenty of coast within 45 minutes. Also a surprisingly great city to live in. It rates highly on surveys about happy places to bring up kids and affordability.

Thank you. We’d like more of a village/small town. Is there any which spring mind?

Norfolk and Norwich.

DH is from Suffolk and apart from Southwold and Snape Maltings, it’s pretty uninspiring.

There are some pretty villages around Stowmarket. You’d probably have to get a train into London from Bury or Ipswich.

Pretty much anywhere in Norfolk is 45mins or less to coast.

Diss is one train stop closer to Norwich than London; but anywhere north or east Norfolk starts to push that journey length a lot, so Suffolk would serve better for commute.

I would say Beccles but not certain on the train time to London.

Looking at the train times, I didn’t think that they were so long but that may be due to current Covid factors.

You’re not going to get many villages or small towns with a station and a direct London line. Are you prepared to drive to the station or do you want it between 1 and 2 hours door to door?

There’s some outskirts of norwich suburbs such as Old Catton and a Trowse with villagey feels.

No we’re assuming a drive to the station just preferably as short a journey as possible 😄

I live close to Diss, we are 30 mins from Southwold/Aldeburgh for the coast. I don't much like Diss but there are plenty of nice villages round and about. Norwich is lovely.

South Norfolk Wymonham is pretty, or Attleborough is a nice small town - both have nice supermarkets, independent shops, gyms/swimming pools and think some good schools, close to things like Thetford Forest/Banham Zoo - just off the A11 so quick to get into Norwich/Cambridge.

Both have train stations but they're on the Norwich/Cambridge line, rather than the Norwich / London Liv St line so be great for commuting to Cambs but for London you'd have to either drive up the A11 or get a connecting train in Norwich.

Suffolk Bury St Edmunds is really pretty and has lots going on so might be worth a look, but again not sure it's on the direct Liv St line.

Watton in Norfolk is nice and property is quite cheap, lots of ex Essex and Kent people seem to move there.

Suffolk is not uninspiring!! So many lovely places...
I second the poster who said the villages around Stowmarket might suit you - and Stowmarket is on the main train line.
Hadleigh might suit you, if you don't mind a 20 min drive to Manningtree for the train (1 hour to L Street). Plenty to do, 3 primary schools, high school, sports facilities, decent high street etc. Coast about 40 mins drive (Felixstowe etc), or more if you want posh coast (Southwold and the like).

Beccles, Bungay, Halesworth.

Coming from Suffolk I would weigh up which is most important travel to London or proximity to coast.
I agree if both are equally important around Stowmarket is the obvious choice.
If coast is more important I would be going more into Norfolk.

If commute to London is most important I might consider South West Suffolk ( around Newmarket) where there are lively villages. But I would run down the A11 and get the train to London from Whittlesford nice easy access to the station and good parking.
What I always find when I return home is that there many fewer facilities than there are in the South East and in particular when I listen to my parents that access to health care is more complicated.
It is much quieter fewer cars and fewer people, but this also has a knock on infrastructure and it's repair. My parents have regular power cuts that can last over 12 hours and only a couple of weeks ago they had no power for two weeks. They live within 20 minutes of Bury St Edmunds.