Lambourn- nice or awful ?

[mousemole]

So it looks like DH is going to accept a new job in Swindon and we will need to relocate. From uni days I remember Swindon not being that great but that there are some lovely villages around there. I would prefer to be to the South or East of Swindon rather than the west to be nearer family.Is Lambourn nice ( did a search on here and someone said it was awful), what about Marlborough or Pewsey ? I'd like to be in a village preferably but access to a largish town with supermarkets and restaurants. I'd love to hear all your words of wisdom. I told a friend we would be relocating down there ( who lives in Bath) and she said to be aware of some very parochial villages with drug problems ??!!

Dunno about any drug probs but my DB used to live in Lambourn and the horses used to drive him mad - he had to add 10 mins to his travel time to prevent him from being late for work

Malborough is very nice -lots of shops, I don't live any where near but have been there a few times. Pewsey is also nice but more village like.

Marlborough looks really nice - lots going on, lots for the kids and good shopping. I am a horse fan but might rapidly go off them if they hold me up everytime I drive somewhere so thanks for pointing that out Olivia !

Malmesbury and Tetbury are both lovely, we will probably move there one day.

thanks kitsmummy, will have a look at them

anyone else -would love to hear views on villags near wiltshire ?

Lambourn hmmm - have you ever seen Deliverance?

How far away from Swindon do you want to be? Commute times?

Marlborough is nice, also Hungerford, then there are smaller places like Ramsbury, Aldbourne, the Bedwyns...lots of lovely little villages. Devizes is a bigger market town but maybe too far away from Swindon? The countryside around Swindon is very nice.

I live in Lambourn and love it here. It is not the most picturesque of villages, but has some very pretty parts. There is a real community feel with lots going on for people with children (not sure if you have DCs?).

The strings of race horses are an occasional problem not a daily one! Most of the yards are out of the main village these days, and they train at regular times so you can easily avoid them if you want. Is a lovely place to live if you love horses as lots of nice horse riding country.

Also in Lambourn you get a lot of house and garden for your money compared to the surrounding villages because of it's reputation (see EG above - I haven't seen Deliverance but pretty sure I should be insulted?)

I can give you lots more information on Lambourn if you would like - but please don't discount it out of hand - I heard tales of drug problems before I moved here but have seen nothing worrying at all (maybe am blind).

Marlborough is very nice but expensive I think, a bit posh for me tbh - has a Waitrose as the main supermarket, lots of pricey clothes shops. (Disclaimer - am broke so avoid clothes shops unless Primarni prices!)

sorry lambourn.

Also what sort of schools are you after? also a consideration.

look at me - getting all Kirsty and Phil.

Lambourn does have a bad drug problem. My friend used to live there but moved after a couple of years. She said you couldn't go in the pubs as they were quite rough. There are always groups of kids hanging around outside the church too. I wouldn't live there even if the house I could get would be bigger.

lambourn- thanks for the info, it does sound nice. I was attracted buy the Equestrian element as I am mad about horses. I had concerns as had heard about the drug thing before - but then again drugs seem to be absolutely everywhere now don't they. My parents live in a lovely village near Stockbridge and there seems to be quite a problem with drugs around there.
Eccentrica - haven't seen Deliverance - enlighten us as I'm really intrigued .
I've got 2 boys aged 2 and 4 and number 3 on the way so schools and nurseries a big consideration. The bous will be 5 and 3 in the summer and ideally I'd like them in the same school. Keen on hearing about state and private ones.
Eccentrica, ideally we'd like to be no more than 35mins or so from Swindon and to the East or South,not West.
Marlborough and the Bedwyns do look lovely but indeed very pricey.

Marlborough is nice. lots to do for small children. not so much for older ones but that goes for anywhere.
Villages around - Manton, Minal, Ramsbury, Burbage, Avebury, and little ones in just out of Swindon - Baydon, Aldbourne, Broad Hinton, all nice too.

Great Bedwyn has a station with direct route to Paddington.

Pewsey is a bigger village place - lovely countryside around pewsey vale.

Both Pewsey and Marlborough have range of shops. Pewsey has Co-op, Marlborough has Waitrose and plans for small Tesco.

Marlborough Schools - Infants and juniors are separate for now. There are plans afoot for rebuilding a new joint primary - was supposed to be starting next autumn.
Brand new shiney fabulous secondary.

Less pricey areas near Swindon - Calne, Chippenham, and Swindon itself - all have nice areas and not so nice ones. Again - once out of the towns the country is lovely all around.

A bit further out you have Hungerfod (like a bigger marlborough) and Newbury - both have rail to London and some really nice villagy places around both.

Deliverance = "I bet you can squeal like a pig. Weeeeeeee!"

Some of the villages around Swindon are lovely, I particularly like Aldbourne.

The Pheasant is a nice pub.

Marlborough & Hungerford both lovely towns - if I had to move in that direction, I would certainly consider both of these places.

Sorry, I'm not being very helpful. I just wanted an excuse to quote from Deliverance really

I would call Hungerford a smaller Marlborough, population around 6,000 instead of 9,000 in Marlborough . Cheaper than Marlborough, good high street including a fab butcher and a lovely coffee and cake shop.
Two private nurseries in Hungerford, plus one just up the road at Shefford, as well as playgroups and so on, a very good primary and - um - a secondary.
When is your number 3 on the way mousemole?

thank you ladies such useful info here - info you would never get from searching the internet. Pleased to hear that Pewsey and Pewsey Vale are nice as that's a good location for us in terms of distance to DH's job and family etc.
Rindercella - I am going to have to get Deliverance from Lovefilm now
I hadn't considered Hungerford but quite a few of you have sung its praises. Bettymum baby number 3 is due first week of July. So that's another thing I need to sort out - a hospital ! Is Swindon Hospital OK ?
Eccentrica thanks for the train info, Great Bedwyn station sounds very handy.

I'm just trying to phone Swindon now as I'm supposed to have a 28 week growth scan today and with all this snow I don't know if they're open! Apparently there are jacknifed lorries at the M4 junction .
I had DD in Reading, but then we moved so I've had antenatal care with this baby in Swindon, plus I've had an overnight stay with DD when she had bronchiolitis, and an overnight stay for me with gastroenteritis about a month ago. I like it very much, it is new (8 years or so), clean and well run from what I have seen. My cousin is a midwife there. They do have a high caesarean rate, but there is no midwife-led birth unit in the hospital itself so I think they see more "medicalised" births than most hospitals. I think we're planning to have number 2 (due 1st week of April) at home but we would transfer to Swindon if necessary.
Hope all your househunting goes well!

oh dear, the weather is a nightmare isn't it ! Sounds like you have had vey positive experiences there which is great. I heard it was quite new which must be a plus. A home birth sounds great - I would love to try that but after 1 x crash c-section and 1 x third degreee tearing and ventouse I am going for a planned section this time

Swindon hospital is always bloody open. i spend most of my life there.

I used to live in Swindon and have lots of friends still that way some of my fave places if I could move back would be;-

Highworth - Market town nice pubs etc...

Aldbourne - gorgeous village

Cricklade - Lovely place

Purton is lovely as well...

Blunsdon another lovely villagey area...

Chisldon is lovely too..

they would be my top places to house hunt!

Marlborough is over priced in my opinion...

Cheltenham is lovely but probably a bit further than you want! its commuteable to Swindon though.

thanks Butterscotch will look at some of those villages

The GWH in Swindon actually has been rated really highly in the health care commission's categorisation of maternity services in the UK. In fact, Swindon was the only local hospital to achieve in the top category (best perfomorming). Oxford, Reading and Gloucs were in the next category of 'better performing', and Basingstoke was classed as fair.

Here is the link:

"birthchoicewww.birthchoiceuk.com/BirthChoiceUKFrame.htm?LocStatFrame.htm?Hospitals/S146.htm"

Almost all villages around Swindon are fine, even the town itself is not bad. Of course, there are better and worse areas, but the reputation itself is quite undeserved.

HTH

Apologies, Oxford was only categorised as 'fair' (3rd level of rating), not better.

Oh, and back to the OP - I have never lived in Lambourn, but know of people who have. Some people I know like it, others did not, finding it too 'cliquey' and 'Horsey'. Also, I understand that the options of schools may be questionable. Some try to get their children into Baydon primary school, and I also know a few years back some parents used to ship their children to secondary school in Newbury rather than use their local catchment school. Not sure if they still do that though.