Advice on moving to Cambridge?

[Samara26]

I am considering a move to Cambridge, due to its lively bar scene, cheaper housing and well-paid tech jobs.

My only concern is I've heard the city is very congested and parking is difficult. If I was to live in one of the surrounding areas, how would I get in and out of the city, as I've heard it's always busy? I'm not a cyclist and will be too far out to walk (probably up to 5 miles out).

Also is commuting by train to other places very convenient, and are there any areas to avoid?

I'm also considering Bicester and Didcot for their proximity to Oxford.

@mojiberry

Cambridge is an excellent place to raise a family (just enough to do for kids but not too city-like), and husband had a brilliant time here as a student. But I have always wondered what single people to in Cambridge outside of work who aren't students. We know someone in his 20s who moved to Cambridge for a job, but finds it really boring and is always going to London at weekends for something to do.

Thank you, this post has made my mind up, I'm not moving to Cambridge!

@PermanentTemporary

Look at eg Histon on the express busway.

Where do you work? Could we suggest somewhere else? Or start another thread on that basis.

I work from home as an IT contractor but I'm the future I may have a contract requiring me to go into the office twice a week.

I just heard Cambridge was good for IT jobs but after all the helpful insights I won't be looking there again.

Reading is expensive but looking at Cheltenham (more house for your money than Reading and cheaper council tax) Chelmsford or Farnborough

Cambridge doesn’t have much of a bar scene if you aren’t part of college life.

I used to live in Farnborough and feel your pain about house prices! (Depending how far is too far) I moved north near to Liverpool/Manchester and bought a 2 bed house with garden & driveway for under £150k. May be worth a try!

@PlodandPod

I used to live in Farnborough and feel your pain about house prices! (Depending how far is too far) I moved north near to Liverpool/Manchester and bought a 2 bed house with garden & driveway for under £150k. May be worth a try!

Well I don't know that area at all so I'd be starting from scratch and I'd hardly ever see any of my friends as it's so far. It's a big saving but rates/wages are also lower I expect - not sure about contracting?

Parking in the city centre after 7pm is free. On nights out I always manage to find a space and park. During the day P&R is good option as it's free for 18h and return bus fare is only £3.
Housing is cheaper and affordable in the villages. Most are 20 min from city centre. South of the city you can get to London in less than an hour via M11, or trains to kings X/Liverpool Street.
I would be looking to secure an attractive job before deciding what city I was living in. Whenever you get it you then look into best affordable options.

@Butterfly44

Parking in the city centre after 7pm is free. On nights out I always manage to find a space and park. During the day P&R is good option as it's free for 18h and return bus fare is only £3. Housing is cheaper and affordable in the villages. Most are 20 min from city centre. South of the city you can get to London in less than an hour via M11, or trains to kings X/Liverpool Street. I would be looking to secure an attractive job before deciding what city I was living in. Whenever you get it you then look into best affordable options.

As mentioned above I'm a contractor. Therefore I'm not looking for a permanent job, hence my interest in IT contracting work in the area, which I already know is strong.

Histon or Great Shelford would be my top choices. Good guided busway/ train connections into city of about 15-20 minutes on a bike. Milton is ok but I always found it a little dull. Ely is a great city (very small) and only 15 minutes on the train to Cambridge.

I have lived in cambridge and it’s one of the most expensive places in the country to buy a house. If you live outside the city, you’d be in one of the villages as Cambridge is small and doesn’t really have big suburbs. I wouldn’t say it has a thriving bar scene either or at least didn’t when I lived there. Maybe it’s changed. I rented in Chesterton, north of the centre, which was lovely but I’d never be able to afford a house there now. I had friends who lived in places like Milton, Landbeach and Waterbeach and they were fairly soulless places with poor transport links. Also had a friend who bought in Cambourne which is a purpose built town about 10 miles from cambridge - all new builds. It was the only semi-affordable place around at the time. It’s seriously the last place I’d consider for affordable housing and I can’t imagine it being cheaper than Reading tbh.

As for Oxford, it’s seriously expensive too. But Didcot is probably semi-affordable and has very good transport links. I don’t know Bicester but I do know it’s definitely cheaper than Oxford.