Moving to St Neots

[cjm1979]

We're considering moving to St Neots from London for more space. DD is two and a half; DS is nine months. Am especially worried about a lack of things to do with the kids, and also walkability (I don't drive, but DH does). Are there many good local classes and activities for small children? And what's the bus service like if I need to get from one end of town to another?

Hmm it wouldn't be top of my list its ok but wouldnt go further than that - and especially if don't drive - apart from Cambridge it's self and the villages v near Cambridge and maybe ely you need to be able to drive in my view in Cambridgeshire

St Neots is very small indeed, only about 30,000 people. It's got a full range of shops and supermarkets etc.

"And what's the bus service like if I need to get from one end of town to another?"

There certainly are a number of bus routes and each one runs about once every 30 mins or once every hour. As the PP said, I think you will struggle if you do not drive. But that's not just St Neots, most villages and small towns are like that.

If bus services are important then perhaps somewhere like Peterborough (about 20 miles north of St Neots) might be a better bet. It's a lot bigger and there is much more to do there. Also, lots of bus services which run about every 10 or 15 minutes and house prices are typically 20-25% less than St Neots.

The downside with Peterborough if one of you is commuting into London is that it is more expensive. A one month season ticket including a London Travelcard is £771 from St Neots or £947 from Peterborough (or £1,013 if you want to use LNER rather than Thameslink/Great Northern).

I think it depends where abouts you are looking in St Neots? Walking to town from most places is doable. There are baby classes/activities at most churches.

amenities are not great. The population is growing and things like doctors and dentists are not keeping up – I doubt you will get registered in a NHS dentist here.

feel free to message if you want more information

I would check the location of your potential new home very carefully on the Environment Agency flood maps. St Neots is on the River Great Ouse and some areas can be prone to flooding.

St Neots is lovely!

Regular buses into Cambridge where there is loads going on, train into London and much cheaper than both London and Cambridge.

It has progressively got nicer as more and more people are priced out of London and Cambridge so naice shops and activities have grown. Plus there is a Waitrose.

If you can learn to drive then you should, it's not like living in London, but it's not impossible without.

What about St Ives? It's in the end of the guided busway, which would be a great choice for a non-driver.

The secondary schools are not good.

Both secondaries are part of the Astrea trust which is super strict. I know lots of teachers that have left the schools because they didn't like what they had become.

I think Peterborough is a bit too far from London unfortunately.

Good point. Will check!

This is my other worry about moving there. I'm hoping that they'll have improved by the time the kids are secondary school age in ~10 years' time

Unless I'm wrong, it's not on a train line? So commuting to/from London could be too tricky.

It does look really nice! Am hoping to find somewhere between the station and the town centre. Tbh I passed my test years ago, but haven't driven since, and have built up a bit of a phobia about it! DH does all the driving. Maybe I just need some refresher lessons ;)

I love St Ives, much nicer than St Neots, but commuting to London from.there would be much harder.

St Neots is ok, there's quite a lot going on. You could manage there without driving but it would be tough.

You need to be aware that - at the moment - there is no railway line from St Neots to Cambridge. One may or may not get built in the next few years but I wouldn't bank on it.

Can you afford Cambridge itself? Far more to do, commutable to London and very easy to live in without a car.

St Ives is nice but a pain for a London commute.

If you have only driven in London, driving in Huntingdonshire will be a doddle. I had to remember to calm down and stop behaving like I had permanent road rage.

I don't think the secondary schools have ever been well thought of. But 10 years is a long time, you may not even be in the same jobs. St Neots has changed a lot in the last 10 years.

Would happily live in Cambridge but it's out of our price range unfortunately :( If we do end up in St Neots we'd be aiming to make occasional family trips to Cambs, but am aware the traffic on the connecting roads can be bad.

My mum and dad live in St Neots. They live in Loves Farm which is a pretty big estate near the station. They use buses quite a lot and my mum has a lot to say about them (and also about traffic in general!)

She has heard not good things about secondary schools in the area; I think there is also an issue with housing increasing without services including schools and doctors etc.

If you are coming from London, my experience as a health professional is that GP in the Hunts area was excellent but now more difficult as it is every where. There are lots of new estates but no funding for the extra services needed.

However compared with London, it is still way ahead.

Maybe look at Royston. It is smaller but closer to London, and on the main line to Cambridge.

Never been to Royston but I've always heard it's a bit rough? At least the secondary schools look better there.

Royston is a lot better than St Neots schools wise.

Maybe Ely? On train line to London plus good schools.

Ely is beautiful and has a great market.
Lots of little shops too.

Ely is lovely but it's too expensive for us sadly :(

I've lived in Cambridge 20 years and never particularly heard that about Royston. St Neots has a pretty bit, but it really is a bit out in the arse end of nowhere. I would also prefer to live in Royston if I was considering a small town. Train connections are good. I would avoid Astrea schools.
Could you afford Histon or Milton, north of Cambridge? Better secondary schools and handy for Cambridge North...

What's your budget OP? How man beds do you need? Any other requirements besides being commutable to London?

Max budget is £525k. Need a 3-4-bed house somewhere with a direct train link to London, under an hour's journey time. Must be north of London, so looking at Herts/Beds/Cambs.