Does anyone live in Cambridgeshire?

ferry

Hi all
Not sure if this is in the right forum,but we're looking to relocate to Cambridgeshire to reduce our mortgage and move away from the M25 area(We're in Hertfordshire,on the edge of the M25 at the moment)Also we need to move as my wife has asthma and now look at this to make the move.With new industrial works moving into the area and the M25 widening this will be a real problem..
Basically we are a family of four,my kids are 2 and 5.
We need a 3 bed house and are looking to Cambridgeshire as its not too far from family and offers cleaner air and more open space(we'ed like to get a bigger house in the process too).but where in Cambridgeshire?
So we'd like to hear from anyone who lives there who can advise us on areas we should be considering that will have schools,good links into London for work,thats not too remote..shops etc etc...

Can anyone kindly help.

Thank you
T

grownup1

Hi - I live in Ely, about 12 miles from Cambridge on the Kings Cross to Kings Lynn train line.

I think it's a fab place to live, with a historic centre and cathedral, all local services including bargain shops and Waitrose, direct fast trains to London and to Manchester, Peterborough, Birmingham etc. We also have a direct line to Stansted (about 45 mins). It's surrounded by farmland and wildlife but, be warned, it's blinkin flat! It also takes a while to get to know fen folk - but it's worth it in the end.
Practicalities: 3 beds from 160 000 approx, schools in Ely moderate but Cambridge 6th form colleges are amongst the very best. Cheaper places to live include Littleport, one stop further on the Kings Lynn line but very fenny...

Best of luck in your move and let me know if you end up around here.

bargainaholic

I live in Brampton, which is a lovely village, just off the A1 near Huntingdon. The local schools, primary & secondary, have good reputations. Local shopping is not fantastic, but it's only half an hour to Cambridge, Peterborough or Bedford. The train station is this side of Huntingdon, & has a regular London service.

VickyA_2

We lived in Cambridgeshire until last September, near Ely. I insisted on moving because it was just so depressingly flat! OH still works over there though as it doesn't get to him as much. We lived in a place called Fordham, in between Ely and Newmarket (which is an interesting town in itself - a mix of the very rich racing yards to the very poor who work in them).

However, we'd also lived in Soham for a couple of years. I quite liked it there as it was very friendly and alot of friends lived there, with a good pub. They're building some new houses on the edge of Soham now. The secondary school there (Soham Village College) is one of the top in Cambridgeshire and the primary schools are reputedly very good - and my friend's dad used to be head at one of them .

ftbworried

I used to live in St Ives (an old market town on the River Ouse) in Cambridgeshire and LOVED it. There are enough shops, bars and restuarants close by to keep you going but Cambridge is not too far away witha bigger selection. I commuted to London a fair bit, by either driving down the A1 or getting the train from Huntingdon (about 5 miles away), it takes about 50 minutes on the train.

Alternatively, I liked the village of hinxton, but it is only small (and pricey I expect). A real chocolate box village though with some nice pubs :-) Its just off junction 10 of the M11 too so good for commuting. I also think it has a train station.

Supervixen

From a Soham resident - now, what I should say is that if you want a three bedroom terraced house, in good nick, about 30 years old...I'll have one on the market in a few months once I've decorated it (all in good order but needs a tidy)

Probably be on the market for around £125K.

Soham is great for people who have families, transport etc. Not great if you rely on buses and public transport. Cheaper than Ely and MUCH cheaper than Cambridge. Closer to Cambridge than Littleport - about 5 minutes drive from the Railway Station at Ely...

manhattan

i would recomend peterborough.

nice areas are orton wistow,orton waterville,orton longueville,and new builds at hampton,orton northgate,and riverside.all are 5 mins to the A1 with orton northgate the closest to the A1.

there is also a train station about 5 minutes drive from these areas riverside and orton longueville the closest,with excellent links to london.

hampton has an excellent 24 hour tesco extra store with lots of other stores inside.there is also the town centre,but i prefer the hampton stores.
lots of good schools,etc and ferry meadows country park is excellent in the summer,with lots to do ideal for the kids.

Esmerelda

Don't move to Ely and definately not Littleport. They really aren't nice. Cambridge, if you can afford it has some of the best schools in the area and the fast train to London takes 45 minutes. To the north of Cambridge, Histon and Impington are nice villages and very quick to get into town from. Waterbeach is 5 mins out of Cambridge on the train/ 10 mins drive and is also nice. Harston and a lot of the villages to the south of Cambridge are lovely too. If you want to drive into London you need to be relatively close to the M11. Be aware though that Cambridge is pretty damn expensive and that a lot of the villages/towns around it are getting pricey too.

rchddap1

Peterborough has good links to London. It is on the main run to Edinburgh and so has very regular trains. It is also sitting on the A1. However, if you decide the live in the city be careful of which area you pick (same goes with any city really)

Just out of Peterborough there are a few nice villages including Eye, Crowland and many more within about 30 mins of the city. To the east of Peterborough is an area called 'South Holland' that is generally a farming area. Lots of flat land and open spaces. Namely around Spalding, Boston, and Kings Lynn.

It all depends on what you're after and how far from London you want to go.

Red_Elle

I wouldn't recommend Peterborough and aside from people on here, have never met anyone who likes living here!
As on of the other posters said, there are some nice areas just on the outskirts, like Eye.

Slider

I would recommend you have a serious look at Peterborough. The property is some of the most affordable in the region and the development of the Hamptons is really adding to the area. Search for Hampton on Rightmove and you will get a good idea on pricing.

2 bed Flats from 120K, 3 bed houses from about 160k. Large 5 beds, 4 receptions around £300k. Lots of rentals available to allow you to test the water.

Note. "The new report from the deputy PM's office looked at how 56 major towns and cities in the country are performing.

The detailed State of the English Cities report, which runs into hundreds of pages, pinpoints Peterborough as one of the leaders of the pack in both economic growth and future potential.

The report says the best performing cities are located in the south of England, but adds: "Outside that area, the main cities leading the national economy were Bristol, Leeds, York, Manchester, Leicester and Peterborough."

Peterborough is also listed as a leading city for exporting goods, along with Derby, Nottingham and Stoke.

Peterborough is 16th in the list for disposable income, placing it ahead cities including Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham. For visible exports it is in the top 10, with exports having risen by more than 50 per cent since 1996"