Calling all Cambridgeshire folk!

[HarrietTheSpy]

Please tell me about March and if you know it a village called Manea. Near Ely. Pretty? Pretty friendly? Close to decent schools (state or private?) Live in outer London now - would you bother to go here for a big relocation or would you keep looking elsewhere? Interested in Essex/Cambridgeshire.

xx

2 windmills in our village - just north of Cambridge, 1 working, 1 converted to a house

Ladies - Weston Colville? Pos or negative?

Never been there, but I think that's the area where there is general discussion about putting up wind farms, which you might or might not like.

Looks like a much more practical house and location!

It's pretty and 'villagey' with a cricket club etc. I don't know what it's like to live there though. I will be watching the thread with interest .

I take it back! The layout downstairs needs work doesn't it? (Sitting room and dining room lovely, though - beautiful light rooms, though I suppose they're north facing?) I can see it's still effectively split into servants quarters and family house, ins't it?

You can only get from the kitchen to the sitting room via the dining room? Dining room = corridor, but also only place to sit and eat?

You arrive home, dump bags in hall, walk through dining room, go into kitchen...

You're upstairs, going to bed, realise you want a glass of water, go downstairs, through dining room, into kitchen and back again..

Presumably you'd be planning to knock the kitchen into the current snug, internal hall and utility room, and then use the space you've freed up to knock a door from the kitchen into the entrance hall? I can see that would work well, but I guess it would be a lot of hassle.

Also, I'm not great on room sizes, but aren't those 3 very poky bedrooms and two big ones upstairs? Which daughter gets the poky bedroom?

Grendelsmum, how do you know what the house is like - have I missed something?

If you go on Globrix, you can see all the houses for sale in a particular village - there aren't that many in any one village at a time, so it's pretty easy to play spot the house!

Wouldn't get rid of a utility room for love nor money. Remember, I'm a Yank. Looks like it might need a bit of re-jigging though.

It's a bit small I think for the whole servant's quarters/family area thing to be going on. Agree one DD would get pokey room. However, our older daughter self selected a smaller room in our current house.

Will research with windfarm thing. Not sure how I'd feel about it because I've never been confronted with a full scale one near me so it's hard to say.

Well, my sister picked a tiny bedroom in my parent's house, so maybe you're right!

Are you off to see it tomorrow?

Was hoping to but EA hasn't gotten back to us. We are in Cambs for another reason but it also might be tricky to sneak away. Think we will try for next.

Went to the town. Saw the house from the outside. Location and town are a no. Bad bad roof. Too close to the road.

Oh well. Wind farms are going to be appearing soon too, excellent intel again, signs up all over. DH: "Do you think if you asked on Mumsnet where Osama Bid Laden was you'd actually get the right answer???"

Cheers again ladies. Must learn to start following your advice though.

Snorks to your DH.

But now he's got me wondering whether there is someone on MN who does know!

Sorry the house turned out to be wrong - it looked like it had real potential.

It sounds like Mims has had a good experience picking the location first and then choosing a house. Could you try putting together a short-list of what you fancy in location first, and then setting up alerts in RightMove / Globrix and the like?

If you're looking for a Cambridgeshire village with cafe lattes, I'd think that Barton might fit the bill for a start...

Well, maybe Osama Bid Laden, not sure about Osama BIN Laden, though.

But would be fascinating to know exactly how far the MN networks would stretch!!

Good idea re picking the location first. Will also check out Barton - this time we are going to listen.

Here's a bit of a mad suggestion - but you artsy London types might fancy life bang in the centre of Cambridge.

www.cheffins.co.uk/cheffins-property/panton-street-cambridge-9500/map

FANTASTIC bit of trivia that there used to be a 'Varsity' Line running between Oxford and Cambridge. The 'Brain Line' it was also known as.

Lord's Bridge was Barton's station on this line...thought you might like to know...

I think I've been to that shopping complex they talk about on Wiki.

Oh, was that what the old railway line was? Thank you so much - DH and I see it on our OS map and have never worked out what it was! and I see that it's now what the radio telescope runs on.

I think it's hilarious that there was a Toft & Kingston railway station - no wonder these stations were closed down!

This is the little shopping centre in Barton - is it the one you remember?

www.burwashmanor.net/

No little shopping centres in Manea

We've settled in a village 6 miles north of Cambridge and about 20 mins drive from Ely and we love it. It has had some bad press in the past (due to an apparent traveller invasion which I've not noticed myself ) but can honestly say in the 5 years we've been here we've had no problems and I wouldn't live any where else.
It's a typical village so lots of thatched cottages etc, very prety, active and friendly community and very good for young families with always something to do. There's a train line in the next village with direct link to London and the primary school has also been deemed outstanding by ofsted.
For me it's the best of both worlds, lovely countryside if you want to venture in to the fens and Norlolk cost near by but Cambridge only 20 mins drive away.

We're in Lancashire and looking to relocate near to Huntingdon. We looked at a few houses in Manea, but felt it was just too isolated. The one that we were in the process of buying 18 months ago was in Wimblington, until our buyers pulled out and we lost it. There are some beautiful houses on RightMove near Wisbech, but I assume the reasonable prices mean its not a desirable area. We've also looked at Chatteris, St Ives and Ely. It's been really useful to hear other people's opinions of the area. If we ever get an offer on our house I'll be back on to ask opinions again!

Peanut, are you willing to say where you are, it sounds lovely!

Jennipanda. We're in Cottenham and as I said it was in the news a few years back over traveller site issues and a few disaproving residents but this seems to have blown over now and although there is a site near by it's not a problem or I wouldn't still be here .
People I know who don't live here have taken the piss but a few have since visited, looked around and ended up staying!
I'm not to hot on house prices around Cambridgeshire as we have only moved twice within the village but I'm guessing it's a lot do do with distance to Cambridge.

Well, I think it was the murder that really got Cottenham a bad reputation in the area, and then there was the case of that poor little girl, wasn't there? I think other people tend to remember that kind of event and associate it with a particular village for a long time, even if it's a very unfair representation of the wider picture . I remember thinking at the time that houses in Cottenham were probably a good investment - things seemed to drop in price quite sharply.

Oh yes there was a fight outside a pub which resulted in someone being killed but we knew about that before we moved and figured that could happen anywhere tragic stuff can and does happen in all sorts of quiet little places and yes it does make people wary of an area. I feel very safe here though and am quite happy to walk around alone at night. The house prices did dip for a while but recovered at the height of the property boom. They're pretty reasonable now I think and hasn't stopped people buying here.

Oh and by the poor little girl you mean the one who attended the village college? If so she wasn't killed in Cottenham just went to the high school. Tragic but wouldn't put me off buying in an area.

Okay Grendels, the next target is in Little Waltham. I'm leaving you to it, very curious as to whether you can guess. Once you see it, you'll know...!

Not in Cambridgeshire though, it's one of those Essex villages which I think could be really charming though.

Millarkie et al? Anyone been round these parts before? Chelmsford is well, Chelmsford, but very commutable to London. We wouldn't be so far from friends either, which would be nice.

Ho hum. I'm developing a major crush, but do wish it were just outside Ely.

have just read this thread. Got all excited when you mentioned Weston Colville as its very near me but don't know Little Waltham so all disappointed now!