HELP!! Want to move to Newmarket area ..... any info on villages greatly appreciated

[TheGabster]

Basically, been living overseas for 8 yrs and finally moving back to the UK early next year. Woohooo.

But it means I am out of touch and have no way of checking out villages for pubs/shops/bad industrial influences etc. (there is only so much you can do online).

Newmarket area looks good as near Cambridge for work for DH and not too far from family for me. Have only one DC so far (DS, 11mo) but planning on more. Having been looking at lots of villages but would appreciate some insider info as have to find somewhere to live a.s.a.p and obviously physical viewing villages/houses is not an option until we are back in the country and we kinda need to find somewhere to tell the removal company to deliver to before then!

Pppppplllllleeeeease help me!

I can help, I'm the other side of Newmarket to Cambridge but will ask around and see what I can come up with

That's brilliant! Thank you.

I keep being drawn back to Mildenhall and Red Lodge (because they are cheap) but it makes me think "what is wrong with them?". Are they really awful?

I am also looking at Fordham, Barton Mills and Burwell which all look lovely, if a bit remote.

Basically, we need somewhere with some kind of pub or takeaway or something for emergencies. A village shop would be fantastic, but baby group or something within walking distance is pretty important as don't think I will be able to get a second car to start with and also have a dog to deal with so needs to be something local.

Any info?

What about Bury St Edmunds -not a village I know but lots of people commute to cambs from there - lovely market town.

Or Saffron Walden - easy commute again and smaller than Bury but still enough going on.

Oooh, love Saffron Walden, nearly moved there before we moved out to Germany. Is it not a bit too far for a commute to Cambridge?

Not too keen on Bury St Edmunds mind. We looked there before too, and it was a bit too busy for us.

Like the look of Newmarket itself to be honest, but again think it might be a bit busy for us. Anyone live there?

No - its just down the M11 - which is a far nicer road to travel on than the A14.

Good to know, MissisBoot, thank you!! Just looked at rightmove - Newport looks like a definite possibility, although love Saffron Walden itself so much may have to work on the hubby!

What about Linton?

Never actually been there - what's it like?

What are you looking for in a village?

I personally don't like Red Lodge and Mildenhall (yes they are cheap because they aren't desirable). Red Lodge has had a lot of development over the past few years.

Nice villages:

Gazeley
Kentford
Kennett

Hi, I am near Burwell. I have worked in Camb for 8 years, but am now working in N'market.

Burwell isn't small (well not if you think N'market will be a bit busy).

Personally I would rent for a while to get a feel for the area.

Happy to answer questions on this side of Cambs.

Have to go - will come back and post more later.

Thanks for the tips IL2 - figured as much about Red Lodge. I suppose Mildenhall is full of Americans?

I am looking for a village with:

Some kind of community/activities
village shop
pub or somewhere we can get somebody to deliver to in emergency
good walking for the dog

Pluses would be:
post office
a few local shops (vege or bakers or something)
maybe a Doctors' surgery
Or a Supermarket (yeh, right .... and in the real world ....)

Have 11moDS and very large dog, but unlikely to have my own car for a while.

Oooooh - getting excited now. I'm coming home .... I'm coming home ....

Yes ChasingSquirrells - please tell me all about Burwell!! We are def renting to start with - have no choice as DH has not secured a new job as yet.

grrr - typed loads and just lost it with lo tugging at me. Will try again later.

right, boys gone to their dad's house so I will try again.

Burwell is one of the larger villages in Cambridge and facilities include;

• primary school. 2 x 30 class intake per year, so approx 400+ in total. Usually oversubscribed but unless you are on the very outskirts of the village you get a place.

• pre school, in the primary grounds but a separate charity.

• 2 day nurseries, one montessori.

• small summer (but covered) swimming pool in the school area. It used to be open to the general public but they have had a few problems. The school use it.

• Library, also in the school area but general use, very good for it's size.

• doctors surgery
• dentist
• vet

• co-op and another general store
• post office
• butcher
• bakery
• habadashery/craft/gift shop
• bunting cupcake shop
• chemist
• 2 (or more) hairdressers
• treatment salon (nails, sun beds etc)
• florist

• chip shop
• chinese
• 5 pubs

Bus service to Cambridge/Newmarket runs every 30 mins, although it has been cut recently.

Lots of community activities, HV new mum's coffee morning, todler group 2 mornings a week, beavers/cubs/scouts (and presumably brownies and guides aswell).

Cambridge is 25/30 mins on a good run, and can be an hour in the rush hour (I used to work 8am - 1pm and leave at 7.30am to miss the traffic, and later and it was at least 40 mins, usually more).

Newmarket is 10 mins max, with the Tesco being less as on Burwell side.

Bury St Edmunds is about 20 mins.

Plenty of places to walk dogs.

other potentials in this area.
Nearer to Cambridge;

• Swaffham Prior (primary school - approx 100 children, mixed classes / church)
• Reach (pre-school / church / pub)
• Swaffham Bulbeck (primary school - similar to Prior / pre-school (I think) / general shop & post office / takeaway).
• Bottisham (pre-school / primary / secondary / swimming pool & gym / pub / general shop)
• Lode
• Stow cum Quy

Further away from Cambridge (hence cheaper)

• Fordham (pre-school / primary / pub(s) / co-op / might be few other things)
• Isleham (pre-school / primary / co-op / general store (but probably closing) / newsagents / garage / quite a thriving community
• Soham (don't know that well but quite large, probably has all the things Burwell has, plus a secondary)

Ely maybe worth considering, although not a village. Lots of new building and direct train to Cambridge.

Then the other villages Newmarket way;
Cheveley / Astley / Kennet / Kentford / Gazely / Moulton...

Burwell - also has a garage, forgot that.

Weirdly enough I drove through Burwell for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It certainly ticks quite a few of your boxes.

A lot of the small village Post Offices have closed down over the past few years.

The big supermarkets (Sainsburys, Tesco and Waitrose) do home deliveries to the majority of the villages.

There is a large estate (almost like a village really) on the outskirts of Bury St Edmunds (but right on the A14) called Moreton Hall. This would tick all of your boxes with regards to facilities, but it doesn't have a village feel or look to it.

Mildenhall is defo dominated by the base, and I'm told that its residents are very insular, ie they have everything they need on the base so they don't venture out much.

Sorry my post is a bit disjointed, but I've got ds on my knee as I type!

If there is anything I can do for you, you can contact me on greensj @ waterswood dot com.

Mildenhall is cheap because it is a dive - and also the distance to Cambridge.

Red Lodge was a v v small dive, recently they have built an enormous amount of residential housing, not sure of the infrastructure. I imagine it would be v cheap as there are probably a lot of buy to lets and empty properties. A client of mine was offered a great deal on 4 houses there earlier in the year.

Personally I think the above are too far re distance to Cambridge. Once you get to the outskirts it takes about 20 mins (min) to get into the centre. If you are adding another 20/30 mins to get to the outskirts that is a lot of travelling.

Similarly Barton Mills is too far for me, although no idea of the area.

CS has actually said what I was thinking about Mildenhall and Red Lodge!

lol

Thanks so much guys!! It's been great to get a "real person"'s view. I'm so glad I posted this now.

Burwell sounds excellent. I had seen a few nice places in Fordham too so nice to know it has a co-op. Thank you!

Yes, I do keep getting drawn to Ely too - v. flat obviously but all those rivers - the dog would be in heaven.

Decided going to ring a few agents - have decided going to look at Saffron Walden, Burwell, Fordham and Ely.

I looked at Soham as there seems to be a lot there, but hubby has flat refused to live there, just by name!! LOL - he is the same here in Germany. We are not too far from Dachau. Property is quite cheap there, and the village is lovely but he has always flat refused to live there!

Right

I know bottisham and lode fairly well, Have large extended family in lode and so spent a great deal of time there as a child.

Bottisham has good school (or it used to be) - the Village College. Is larger than lode. Less isolated but not as pretty IMO.

Lode has I think only a couple of shops (used to be a hairdressers and a post office. I know the post office still there for now). ONly one road going into the village and then that carries on into the fens, so no through traffic really. Very peaceful and quiet.

Both are very pretty and not so large that they are unmanageable.

Both villages feed into either Long Road or Hills Road for sixth form. Both good schools.

lol at Ely being flat - it is all flat, it's the Fens! not Saffron Walden obviously - which I understand is a lovely little market town, but more pricy?

I would chose Burwell over Fordham, no specific reason other than distance to Cambs, but Burwell has alot more to it but is still a village.

Ely has a shopping area - Argos, Dotty P, Wilko, Waitrose, Mackays, Boots, WHS, ind toy shop, poundland type shop, millets, wollies (well it did) etc. But depending on where you lived you would probably need a bus to get there.
Also a large Tesco on the outskirts and a 10-pin bowling / soft play place.

Have you looked at the rental bit on rightmove?

didn't know Lode had a post office, as you say road doesn't go anywhere so never gone down it - just past it every day.

Yes - still has a post office cum general store

I like lode, but then spent lovely time there as a child.

My aunt did seem to exist as a quasi-chauffeur for much of the time, until my cousins could drive. Not much in the way of public transport (but then I'm from south london, so rather different set up generally).

QUite a lot of life centered on bottisham I think -schools and doctor-wise at least.

What's Cambourne like?

I've fancied taking a look myself but never got around to it