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?

There is a good choice of properties in Welwyn GC for your budget -

@thesugarbumfairy I believe the Brampton stink issue has now been resolved! It’s not as big as Godmanchester but does have a lovely green just outside the school. The circus rocks up every summer and there are lovely Christmas events etc on the green. Goddy is really lovely though - bit more going on than Brampton I think.

I think there are parts of Peterborough that are really nice - don’t know it well enough. The shopping centre has gone downhill quite a bit I think, they lost the John Lewis that was there which frankly was the main attraction. The cathedral is nice, I have visited Kathryn of Aragon there a couple of times! The Cathedral secondary school has an excellent reputation.

@cjm1979
The schools are generally good or excellent. The ones that are highly regarded would be Chesterton community college, parkside and Impington Village College (just north of the city). They are over subscribed so check out the catchments. Then you have Hills Rd 6th form which is also excellent.

@cjm1979 I could never get on a bicycle unfortunately - even more terrifying than driving! Looks like we'll have to stay in London :(

There are many cycling routes between the villages and Cambridge city. You can practise on the off-road ones before you brave the on-road ones. You can cycle with two children on your bike, or get a cargo bike so they are in a little trailer.

Look here - there’s a map which might also give you some idea of the relative positions (but not distances) of villages and train stations.

I didn't think I would cycle in Cambridge before I moved here. I'm not a natural and hadn't cycled since childhood. But I soon got into it. Almost everybody does. It's often quicker than bus or car and there are so many nicer, safer routes across the commons or back streets that don't require any cycling on big roads. And of course dedicated cycle paths from many outlying villages into town.

St Neots is great, lots of non drivers (including some close friends) and it's an incredibly walkable town. During rush hour the train to Kings X is around 50 min and you can usually get a seat!

Great primary schools, secondary not amazing but improving and honestly no different to many comps around the country! Still sending students to Oxford/Cambridge/Warwick etc. Good independent options at Kimbolton or 6th forms in Cambridge etc. Plenty of kids go elsewhere for secondary or 6th form if their parents decide that's right for them.

Great house prices, biggest town in Cambridgeshire. Independent shops, tonnes of green spaces. On the river. Easy drive to the park and ride for Cambridge so lots of days out. It's a great place with lots of London expats 😂. Honestly the only people who moan about St. Neots seem to be the folk who have never lived anywhere else!

I'm looking to move go st neots. I hope you don't mind me asking. Did you move in the end? If so is it a good place to raise a child? What about commuting to London ? And the amenities? Thank you so much in advance x

I didn't in the end... We opted for Hitchin - much more expensive and we could have afforded a much bigger place in St Neots. But in the end, the standard of the schools and the relative closeness to London swung it for us. St Neots seemed nice, however, and time will tell if we made the right decision!

Thank you so much. We are still trying to decide where is best to move to raise our 9 month old x

Best of luck! Hopefully you'll find some useful advice elsewhere on this thread.

Peterborough doesn’t have a great reputation and has been named as one of the worst places to live. Some people must like it though!

Hi, St Neots is a fab place to raise a child. Not sure where you are moving from but lots of London leavers end up here because of the great rail connections to the city. 40 min fast train for commuting and it's pretty reliable, we've been doing it for 12 years! Loads to do for kids, riverside living, independent coffee and shops. Safe, kids walk to school from all over town. It's great! Cambridge so close for culture, food, etc and just £2 on the bus, we go all the time. Park and ride very convenient for Cambridge too.

Moved when our eldest was a toddler and had another baby while here. Eldest goes to the local secondary and is on track to get great GCSEs. Don't listen to all the click bait noise about Longsands, it still turns out plenty of Russell Group uni students. Our child is very happy there. Youngest in primary school of which we have great options. Affordable housing too here, come and have a look 😀

Thank you so much for your help. We are still considering a few places but we will definitely have a look at St neots! Thanks 😊

Hi everyone,first time posting and will keep it short.I’m a single parent with 2 almost adult children and no extended family in UK.Moved from London to Norwich around 15 yrs ago with my now ex who has married and isn’t really in children’s lives much now apart from phone calls and meet up maybe 2-3 times a year.My issue is that I will soon be an empty nester in a large house and I’m thinking of leaving Norwich as although it’s beautiful,I miss that excitement of London and can’t see myself living here for the rest of my life.I don’t think that I could afford anything more than a 2 bed flat in London and would have to start all over again(I’m 58)
Im wondering what living somewhere like St Neots,Cambridge,Ely etc would be like or would it be just the same as Norwich and should I compromise my space for being in London?

If your issue with Norwich is that it's not as exciting as London, I'd DEFINITELY not be looking at Ely or St Neots!! Cambridge has a lot more going on, and a faster train to London - but it's still not London! If I were in your position and had no ties, I'd go for a 2 bed flat in London. Or I'd stay put for the sake of having friends in Norwich and a home my adult kids could visit me in, but I would be making regular trips to London. I'm not sure I'd bother with a compromise that might actually feel more boring and isolated than where you are now!