March Cambridgeshire

[kiwibella]

short story is we have been looking to move out of London for some time. Dh has come back from March, Cambridgeshire and wants to move - now!! Of course, no decisions will be made that quickly (by me )but is anyone out this way with littlies? Just looking for any advice really. dd1 is 12 and dd2 is 18 months.

My brother lives near Grafham Water near Huntingdon - I am always surprised how reasonbly priced houses are round there - and a quicker commute into London compared to Peterborough, Bourne or even Whittlesey.

Eelpie - is that because you know who I am ? I know quite a few parents who have pulled children out of Witchford too, and sent them to school in Cambridge.

On the other hand Witchford Rackham Primary School has an excellent reputation.

I do know people who live in March and like it there. Its not somewhere we considered when we moved here.

March has its own fashions it is so removed from the rest of the world. Very cheap place to live though.

Bourne is not very convenient for mainline train stations. I lived for a long time in and around Peterborough and Cambridge and would agree with what others are saying that March is a bit isolated. I would look more to the area around Humtingdon and to villages to the west of Peterborough.

I grew up in March, and having returned there this summer I would say AVOID. It was once a nice enough little town but has gone completely the wrong way, as have many of the surrounding towns (avoid Wisbech too. Maybe I am too sensitve but I was stared at and verbally abused for breastfeeding my 2 month old and didn't feel safe in broad daylight. I went to school there and am shocked at the decline in 5 years.) Schools are awful. Some good private schools though. I was lucky enough to get a scholarship to one, but my understanding is that most places have stopped these now, which is a real shame. My parents live in one of the surrounding villages and I would say they are a good option, there are some really good small village primary schools in the area, but for secondary you are looking at having to pick the best of a bad bunch.

Does your DH work in the City or in the West End? If he is in the West End it would be better to commute to Kings X. If he is in the City, the rather slower trains to Liverpool St might be better (you can take a short cut to the City on this line by changing to the Victoria Line at Tottenham Hale station). I commute from South Cambs on the L'pool St line and it takes me almost 2 hours door to door (car/train/tube). The Kings X trains are very very busy (extra coaches from next spring) so you can't guarantee a seat if you join the train at Cambridge!

Oh dear - I meant to write that you can take a shortcut on the Liverpool St line to the West End by changing to the tube at Tottenham Hale - obviously if you stay on the train you go right into the heart of the city at Liverpool St.

You can definitely guarantee a seat from Huntingdon and it's dead quick as well. DH hops on the tube a couple of stops from Kings X to Barbican, I used to go to Angel or Old Street in my last incarnation as a commuter.

wisbech doesn't sound great

TheBlonde- that's exactly how it is there. It's frightening. A typically run down community that was already troubled has had seriously high levels of immigration in a very short space of time and the tension between the locals and immigrants is just palpable. It was horrible.

Grim but tbh I'd avoid the whole fens
Norwich is fine but the rest of it

wisbech is definitely not great! neither is peterborough, although the commute is easy.

Ely is nice, so is huntington and the villages around it. There are also fairly fast train from there (it would be cheaper than from Peterborough, which is extortionate!)

Don't know what St Neots, but there are fast trains to London from there.

thanks for info re trains lilymaid... hubs is working in the city although who knows for how much longer (banking industry - his employer's share price dropped 40% today so surely someone has to answer for that!!)

thanks for link Blonde!

so many recommendations for Ely! I'll have a nosey at Huntington too.

kiwibella what age are your DC? you mentioned you wanted good schools so i could recomend good ones around the huntingdon area for you - there are good state schools in the villages, and there is a private school in kimbolton and also some in cambridge which have good reputations if your looking

Cambridge sounds lovely BHN

Sparkles... dd is 12 - in Year 8. We also have a 19mo dd so I will be happy if we have a social life

OK well the senior schools in Huntingdonshire are

Abbey College in Ramsey - Bloody awful!!

Hinchingbrooke School in Huntingdon - Very good reputation, facilities and results

Longsands College in St Neots - I believe has a good reputation and results, but i don't know too much about it

Sawtry Community College in Sawtry - same as above

St Bede's Inter Church Comp School in Cambridge - has a really good reputation

St Ivo in St Ives - not too sure what this is like i'm afraid

St Peter's School - has a fairly good reputation now (was bad a while ago but has changed around i believe), and fairly good results

Villages around Huntingdon area i can recommend which are 'nice' and have good primary schools are Alconbury Weston, Brampton, Buckden, Elton, Godmanchester, Hemingford Grey, Houghton, Kimbolton and Stilton

Girton, on the edge of Cambridge is reasonably priced and seems a nice area. Might be too far away from the station though. Has an excellent pub. It has a primary school, not sure what its like though.

St Bedes Cambridge is where I'm planning on sending my two, all being well...

ooh my village is on sparkles' list!

fbb!

Off to stare at a map... once again .

Happy to do a similar list for South Cambs, should you be interested.
If you are interested in league tables, it is fairly easy to use the BBC tables.

thanks lily... how do you define Sth? I am hopeless at knowing UK counties as it is.