Relocating Bury St Edmunds v Cambridgeshire

[mrsbrightside73]

We are in Herts and will be looking to relocate in around 12-18m. We are considering areas around Cambridge, also like Bury St Edmunds, but honestly do not know these areas well at all. Daughter is off to uni in Oct & plan was always to sell our 4 bed detached in Herts at this point & move somewhere slightly smaller & maybe a bit further north. Originally we considered Nottingham as hubby from that area, but my family are in Chelmsford & Essex coast. So we've decided to still be close enough to Chelmsford but maybe slightly closer to Notts than we are now. The areas around Cambridge interest us as its a pretty good midway point. We wouldn't need to commute to London, husband will be mainly home based with occasional visits to Liverpool Street for work. I don't drive so not looking for rural, ideally somewhere with a train station or good bus way links. We like a bit of life, pubs, some shops etc, so a town or large village. It's a big decision and we are struggling to find a place we love which also works location wise. The problem is 2 of my husband's siblings are in Nottingham and my family, my parents and sister, are all East. My husband parents are no longer with us and I now feel I don't want to be as far away as Notts from all my family. Moving East takes us even further from Notts so we are really stuck to please everyone! A mid way point seems sensible. Any suggestions for a town/large village, ideally with a station and a bit of life would be great, so we can research and explore some places and areas. We are quite social, like to walk and I'd need opportunities to make new friends. All suggestions welcome 😊 Thank you.

Price? I think bury will be noticeable cheaper than Cambridge

BSE is lovely. Great market in town, plenty of shops and restaurants. It is quite picturesque. Can be expensive because of this.

Cambridge probably an hour closer to London than bury also

You really need to have a price in mind. Cambridge is incredibly expensive and that extends a long way beyond the City itself.
BSE is lovely, also expensive but the expense doesn't spread as far out as it does from Cambridge. If you don't drive the area around BSE could be difficult though.

I’m in south Cambs, very near the Magog Down, easy access to Cambridge via train and bus. Coming out of Cambridge you have Trumpington, great Shelford (with station), Stapleford (bitty), Sawston (bigger village w/most amenities and some shops), then you get Whittlesford (train station), Pampisford, Haslingfield (lovely, great tennis club)...all sorts, really. Plus, Addenbrooke’s hospital very near. Then there’s Linton, which is almost self-contained for young families with schools and clubs and services, but not sure what it’s like for everyone.

I know Bury only from an ex-boyfriend who said it was lovely but boring. He was 25 at the time.

Thanks all. I think the budget is very healthy, and we will be slightly down sizing also. The point of moving is to release equity, so depending on price we could find ourselves mortgage free or with small mortgage. Travel to London would only be needed very occasionally, husband is hopefully going from full time to 2 days a week from Sept 2022, working predominantly from home. So although getting to London easily is good it's not the most important criteria. We've looked at Bury on Righymove and we could afford something nice in the town, but we don't the town well at all.

Should have added the reason I mentioned the Magog Down is it’s one of the few areas in Cambridge that has any hill whatsoever, but a very active ramblers club that does regular walks all over the area, including Grantchester and the Abingtons.

South Cambs feels rural but generally isn’t, if you don’t mind a Park&Ride to Cambridge for theatre, great restaurants, etc. Most villages have at least one great pub for food and locals.

@ShagMeRiggins

I’m in south Cambs, very near the Magog Down, easy access to Cambridge via train and bus. Coming out of Cambridge you have Trumpington, great Shelford (with station), Stapleford (bitty), Sawston (bigger village w/most amenities and some shops), then you get Whittlesford (train station), Pampisford, Haslingfield (lovely, great tennis club)...all sorts, really. Plus, Addenbrooke’s hospital very near. Then there’s Linton, which is almost self-contained for young families with schools and clubs and services, but not sure what it’s like for everyone.

I know Bury only from an ex-boyfriend who said it was lovely but boring. He was 25 at the time.

Thanks for the Cambs info, I'm sure lots of places seem boring to a 25 year old 😂, sadly we are pushing 50 so happy with a good pub, nice walks and some good local restaurants. We don't ask for much really, nice town, good amenities, preferably a station, a few shops and eateries, or good access to a town with more pubs/restaurants. We will be working less and have more time for leisure pursuits and doing stuff together. Daughter will be coming back from Uni to stay so don't want to take her too far from her friends but she does drive. It's just time for us to think about ourselves a bit more, last 2 houses have really been just about good locations for schools and raising our daughter. Time for less financial pressure, a smaller house and more time together 😊

Ely might fit the bill? Nice small town feel but its a city thanks to the cathedral. Easy train access to Cambridge and London.

Ely is a really good option! direct trains to Nottingham I think from there too. Bury is lovely but the public transport is bad, no direct trains to London. However anywhere out of Cambridge I would honestly say you'd struggle not driving unless you only want to travel by train or spend hours of your life on very slow buses.

@turtletum

Ely might fit the bill? Nice small town feel but its a city thanks to the cathedral. Easy train access to Cambridge and London.

Yes, we have been to Ely twice, first time was it was very quiet due to covid restrictions and 2nd time was a couple of weekends ago as we were camping nearby. It was much more lively, market was there, lots more people. The cathedral is really lovely. Again, not sure what it's like to live there, I've heard of awful Siberian winds in winter 😂

BSE is a really nice little town, with some nice shops, and the Abbey Gardens which are lovely. I always go there to get DS’s school shoes because I just like visiting (I’m about halfway between BSE and Norwich, I like both but I think I prefer BSE). Not sure what the train connections are like though, or public transport generally if you don’t drive.

@Mufflette

Ely is a really good option! direct trains to Nottingham I think from there too. Bury is lovely but the public transport is bad, no direct trains to London. However anywhere out of Cambridge I would honestly say you'd struggle not driving unless you only want to travel by train or spend hours of your life on very slow buses.

Thanks for advice. Yes me not driving will always greatly influence our options. To be honest my husband drives and so does our daughter. He will be working less so I should be OK for lifts etc but always like to be able to travel myself. I much prefer trains to buses but I'm used to using public transport. It wouldn't bother me to go a stop or two on the train to get into Cambridge itself.

People I know who live in Ely really like it. It's still a tiny bit fen but has a nice community feel. Lots of arts stuff going on (Babylon Arts, Toppings bookshop and the cathedral), fab markets and easy to just walk out of town and be in the countryside. Lots of nice villages nearby with good pubs too. Easy train links to Cambridge, London, Midlands, North from there (and to Bury too).

If I had to choose I'd pick Bury to live in, better shops, restaurants, loads going on, but it just depends how important that train link to London is - the more rural lines can be a bit unreliable (often cancellations).

Again, not sure what it's like to live there, I've heard of awful Siberian winds in winter 😂

Ah, the winds, yes. You’re going to find that pretty much in Cambs, east coast. Much in that area is generally flat.

On the plus side, generally less rain than other parts of England.

Are town/city centres important to you?

And you mentioned opportunities to make new friends (which can be simply good neighbours or related to interests).

Perhaps you and your husband could do a tour of the areas you’re considering—maybe a weekend away—where you book viewings for interesting property, stay in the area, talk to locals, and absolutely purchase the local village publication, which will tell you all about what happens and what’s available.

For towns it’s different—bigger, more on offer—but some villages are beautifully located so that train access and friendships can be easily made.

I live between Ely and BSE, similar age to you. I'd go for BSE every time.
Ely is lovely but quite small, it can be a bit villagey and can be difficult to meet new people. It's close enough to Cambridge and London for people to easily go there for entertainment, shopping etc. so it can feel a lot like a dormitory for somewhere else.
BSE feels bigger, because it's that bit further from Cambridge and therefore London it has more going on. Lovely city and gorgeous countryside immediately outside (the bit around Ely really is very fen!). BSE is quite wealthy and that is reflected in the range of restaurants and shops.

Me and DH really liked bury when we lived there a few years ago. Lovely small town with some independent stores (don’t know if this has changed since the pandemic) - nice to walk around. Has a couple nice theatres and pubs - chilled out place.

Cambridge city itself is a bit more connected and gives more options. Eg train to London or stansted or Peterborough direction. Or stagecoach to Bedford/Oxford. Also lots of events - music concerts, Shakespeare and science festivals. Greater ethnic diversity in restaurants/food shops. But traffic is not great (eg can take a while to get in from surrounding towns); loads of tourists in summer (pre pandemic). Expensive property.

@ShagMeRiggins

Again, not sure what it's like to live there, I've heard of awful Siberian winds in winter 😂

Ah, the winds, yes. You’re going to find that pretty much in Cambs, east coast. Much in that area is generally flat.

On the plus side, generally less rain than other parts of England.

Are town/city centres important to you?

I'm pretty hardy so I'm sure I can cope, as long as I'm prepared 😁 I think Goox town centre and amenities are important, particularly to me as a non driver. I'm lucky to have lived within walking distance of St Albans and Welwyn Garden City Town centres in the last 20 years, but it's time for a lifestyle change, a smaller house and more time together. We'd love a nice local pub, definitely 🙂

What about Saffron Walden? It is a lovely town and has good access to the m11/a14 plus decent rail link to London from audley end.

@Spudlet

BSE is a really nice little town, with some nice shops, and the Abbey Gardens which are lovely. I always go there to get DS’s school shoes because I just like visiting (I’m about halfway between BSE and Norwich, I like both but I think I prefer BSE). Not sure what the train connections are like though, or public transport generally if you don’t drive.

Yes we really like BSE, it's definitely an option, but yes the transport links aren't as good.

@Indigopearl

What about Saffron Walden? It is a lovely town and has good access to the m11/a14 plus decent rail link to London from audley end.

Funnily enough we did visit Saffron Walden a couple of years back, a really nice town and we were there on a roasting hot day when they had this big bike race in town. The downside is that the station isn't in Saffron Walden itself, but its definitely worth another visit.

Bury is great for families with children etc. Perhaps older people too. But if you need to travel out towards Cambridge, the A14 will be a car park in the next decade, unless they 3 lane it, and that would take years.

Born in Bury, live in Cambridge.

Don't know BSE well, but have lived in Ely and Cambridge. Ely is lovely but it was too quiet for us (pre kids) and I hated the commute down the A10 into Cambridge. Loved Cambridge city, if you afford to buy somewhere in the city I'd do that. You don't need a car and great transport links. For more villagey feel I love Histon. Though it doesn't have a train station the guided bus gets you to Cambridge north station in a few minutes. Histon is really pretty, lots going on and great community feel. Some lovely pubs and cafes :-).

Cambridge is busy, great amenities, expensive. Tourists and students ++
BSE, nice town, less busy. Transport awful and town snarls up at rush hour.
Ely, pretty, improved a lot, bit fen-y. Better transport than BSE. Far from anywhere else...