Stamford, Oakham, Uppingham, somewhere else?

[hopingforapeainapod]

Hi all, we currently live in Oxford and are considering moving so that we can a) get more for our money and b) be closer to my parents who live close to Newark. Ideally we are looking for somewhere with good state primary schools / private secondary schools, and not too remote / quiet as we want to make friends with young kids!

Rutland seems to tick a lot of boxes, but would love to know more about the area before we visit/look around. Stamford looks great and I love the idea of being able to get the train to London or Cambridge occasionally but it is very expensive - are there any nearby villages we should look at? Is it worth paying a premium to be in town or is driving in fine?

I’d also love to know people’s opinions on Oakham and Uppingham, or if there’s anywhere else we should be considering… we have a toddler and a dog so ideally like somewhere with nice walks, maybe a pub or shop in walking distance! I’d like more going on (eg cinema etc) but DH is happier with a quieter lifestyle if it means we can upsize…

thanks!!

Watching with interest, it’s a lovely area to visit but I don’t know what’s it’s like to live there.

There's lots of lovely villages around Stamford with pubs e.g. Barnack, Uffington, Empingham, Ufford. There are bus services but you would be more reliant on a car. If they're still too pricy, you can go more into south Lincolnshire and it's only 15-20 min drive to Stamford and closer to Peterborough for London trains/Peterborough High School e.g. Market Deeping, Bourne or more "naice" but smaller Greatford, Helpston.

If I could afford it, I'd live in walking distance of Stamford town centre/station. But there's plenty of (paid for) parking if driving in.

I know less about Oakham but it's on my list of places to retire to. Looks nice when I go through it and has lots of amenities.

If you currently live in a city, you may risk finding Rutland incredibly dull. It's a beautiful area but there is not a lot going on.

Oakham is dull too, I dated somebody that lived there. I could not imagine being there full-time and that’s inevitably why we broke up because he wouldn’t move and I couldn’t live there

@katand2kits @HRchatter yes this my slight concern - we have got used to having lots of restaurants / shops / museums etc on our doorstep (although I get to enjoy them slightly less with a toddler!)

I had considered Cambridge as lots of great schools and stuff going on but same issue as Oxford: wildly expensive, even on the outskirts, and traffic is a bloody nightmare.

There's lots of things for young children in or near Oakham e.g. mini monsters soft play, rutland farm, Rutland Water on the doorstep, walks across fields/canals, Ferneleys, baby/toddler swimming and pre-school music classes.

Maybe I know more about Oakham than I think 😅(I have a mum friend who lives there and these are a few of the places we have met up)

Also Rutland Showground has lots on.

You’ve got to think long-term we actually immigrated to Australia and move to a part of it. That was perfect for retirees and children under five. We ended up coming back.

@C0rner that all sounds great! I think Rutland Water looks amazing.

it’s just hard - we love where we live currently but we have prioritised location over size - we had hoped to be able to maybe do a loft conversion to give ourselves a third bedroom but we are having problems with planning permission as we are in a conservation area. ideally we would love a 4 bed but that’s not going to be cheap in Stamford.

@HRchatter agreed - moving is expensive and stressful so we really want to not have to do it again! Problem is we are going to want different things at different times - like Oxford would be an absolutely amazing place to be a teenager but right now not having any family support is really hard!

All those areas are absolutely lovely, Stamford is a great town, often referred to as a "mini Bath" because of its streets and architecture. But yes, it's relatively expensive for property although prices here are nothing like southern/Cotswolds prices.

Oakham is another lovely market town but gets very crowded (tiny roads and a lot of shopping traffic coming in), but it doesn't have quite the vibe of Stamford.
Uppingham similar.

What you need to realise is that these places are all in the east Midlands, the feel of the communities will be very different to those found further south. They are in essence rural areas; if peace and quiet, the rural scene, pretty walks and tiny villages is your idyll, you're in the right place. If you want a "city vibe in the countryside" you're going to find it harder moving here.
Stamford is just over the border in Lincolnshire, if you move further out into Lincolnshire the land is flat and resources become scarcer. Personally I would avoid most of south Lincolnshire.
Oakham is in Rutland, a lovely little county with a very different feel and plenty to do. You are also not far from the borders of rural Leicestershire - Leicester is a city to be avoided (in my personal, subjective opinion) but the beautiful villages are gorgeous. Especially in the Vale of Belvoir (lots of ironstone-built cottages, thatched roofs, tree-lined valleys).

You will need to accept that car travel is a must wherever you live in these areas.
Schools are generally good; the area is filled with excellent state schools and any number of private schools, both prep and secondary. Stamford, Oakham and Uppingham all have private day/boarding schools.

I hope that helps.

I would power through the next few years and staying in Oxford for the teenagers that your kids will become
The early years are really difficult and it doesn’t matter where you are. Family support can change in a heartbeat. My mother was incredibly enthusiastic to do Tuesdays and Thursdays until something popped up and she got a better offer and suddenly I had to Find childcare which was extra difficult in a less populated area with less nursery places
Appreciate not everybody’s mother is an idiot, but yeah, it is worth bearing in mind.

They are teenagers a lot longer than they are toddlers

Stamford every time. Within walking distance of town centre. We have lived there twice with a stint in Oxfordshire in between. Plenty of bars and restaurants. Cinema and small theatre. Trains to Oakham melton and further afield. Walking at Rutland Water and Burghley.

@Allisgoodtoday thank you very much for your comments, this is really helpful! My parents have moved from the area I grew up (Hertfordshire) so I really don’t know any of these places at all!

@HRchatter I’m sorry your childcare situation fell through! I do definitely feel torn on this point. We just know that we want to grow our family and at least try for a second child at some point and so would also just really appreciate having more space. At the moment there’s not really any room for my parents when they come and stay, and they are very active, hands-on grandparents who want to be involved but accommodating them at the moment is awkward!

@CandidOP this all sounds great - I just hope we can afford it!

We had a house about 20 mins walk to town so more affordable but still accessible. Four bed around 450 000 for a smallish up to 550 000 for larger.

I agree with @HRchatter — I’d stay in Oxford over any of those. I lived in Leicestershire, just over the border from Rutland (not far from Uppingham), and found it a deeply depressing place to live.

I live there and bloody love it, so feel free to message. I am in a village between Oakham and Stamford with a child at a fabulous rural primary.

Rutland is great if you like the wuiet life. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else now. Been here 11 years.

Interesting that it seems to be quite divisive as an area! @FancyCatSlave have just sent you a message!

Oundle's not bad. Has active football club with a cheap bar, residents can use the Oundle school gym & pool, some shops (including Waitrose). Mix of housing types.

Oundle and surrounding villages are nice

It will be a very, very quiet lifestyle in comparison to Oxford.

Stamford is a lovely town with slightly more going on, Oakham is again lovely but really very quiet (tho an abundance of coffee shops) and I wouldn’t live here through choice!

For any useful shops/amenities you’ll need to travel to Leicester or Peterborough. Public transport is poor - there is one unreliable train per hour running Leics - Melton - Oakham - Stam - Pboro but you can’t rely on it, won’t get a seat and the last service is about 9pm!

There are some lovely suburbs around Nottingham if you wanted to be a bit closer to “life” and for your LO to have some independence as they get older
?

I’ve only been once to Peterborough, but Leicester, where I worked for eight years, is not a nice or vibrant city. I’d choose Stamford of the three, but there’s absolutely no comparison to Oxford (where I’ve also lived).

Oh gosh I am absolutely not recommending living in Leicester or Peterborough 😅 The former is slightly nicer than the latter but I really just meant if you wanted proper shops/eating out/big cinema/hospitals that you would have to travel from living in Oakham or Stamford.

No, I know. I just meant that having Leicester as your nearest city is pretty grim.

It isn’t though. I work in Leicester (hybrid) but live in Rutland, but use Nottingham as much as Peterborough for city related things. I’m as close to any of them.

Depends what you need the city for I guess, I loathe cities so it’s for essentials only! I don’t choose to spend much leisure time in them for anything other than theatre really. It’s mainly just shops or hospitals.

Lincoln. Or what’s so awful about Newark itself?
I know Oakham, Rutland, Stamford etc are ‘naicer’ but I’d rather live somewhere slightly more interesting. Plus there’s great access to London, York, Leeds, Nottingham,Lincoln, Leicester etc via the two railway stations in Newark, should your child wish to escape in future.
Otherwise, what about Bawtry. Still v ‘naice’ and I believe it has a Fairfax and Favour there now!

@LittleMidlander I have considered Newark but ideally I want to be somewhere near private schools (I’m a teacher and am basically looking for the staff child fee remission). I also think my husband would prefer to be a little bit further south as all his family live in the south west…