living in ELY,CAMBRIDGESHIRE

mose_2

Hello All, Can anyone give me some info on what it is like to live in ely?
any info at all would be great, crime, schools, entertainment etc, would it be a nice place to bring up children?

Thankyou.

chrisxr2

I think if you look on upmystreet.com you can check out crime figures and school statistics etc. Only been to ely a couple of times but seems a nice sleepy hollow.

amcluesent

Like anywhere on the Fens, you need to have a liking for Country & Western music ;-)

VickyA_2

amcluesent wrote:

Like anywhere on the Fens, you need to have a liking for Country & Western music ;-)

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I spent 3 years living in Ely and it's a bit more cosmopolitan than the rest of the Fens........ there is a Waitrose there afterall! The schools are ok and there is a good rail link to Cambridge and London. In fact, the commuter trains to London are PACKED. It was becoming a place to live because people could no longer afford to live in Cambridge.

I had a good time in Ely, but I wouldn't move back there even though friends still live there and around and about.

Hereward

Ely is a small city in the heart of the Fens, it is approximately the size of a small town or a large village, and as such it does not have that many large shops, but does have a lot of small local shops. Kings Schools is extremely popular and regularly features in the top schools in Cambridgeshire. The area around the marina is very picturesque, but can be a bit price for property. IF you are considering Ely, why not look at a few of the villages and towns in the surrounding area.

mose_2

thanks everyone, i have looked at the ouse prices in march and some of the other villages but have heard some bad things about them and also dont know if we could be so cut off from everything.
going to drive up to ely at the weekend to have a look around.

thanks again........:T

the_geary

We have just moved to Ely.
It is very nice and has enough decent shops (including Waitrose as above!) for day-to-day living. Cambridge takes about 16 mins on the train.
There are a good mixture of pubs (real ale vs busier noisier ones) and a fair few restaurants. There's a couple of nightclubs but I don't know what they're like.
Saturdays are quite busy in the city (it's a city because of the cathedral) as it's market day. You may find it easier to do the park and ride.
There is a mixture of areas, round the outskirts are some new estates, then as you move in closer to the centre there's a few 70s and 80s smaller estates, then a mix of 30s and Victorian houses. In the centre are some Georgian and older properties. We went for a house on a small estate (a set of cul-de-sacs) rather than one of the new ones. We can walk into town in 10 mins and the train station in 20 but it is still quiet on our road.
IMO the new estates feel a bit sterile at present so wanted a place with a more settled feel.
3 bed semi especially in the more established estates sell very quickly, esp if in good nick. On the estates there seems to be a surplus of houses priced at 230-250k range.
You'll find that the decor tends towards rural floral type, very traditional looking and swirly ceilings are definitely in.

We relocated here from Nottingham, as I have a job where I work in nearby Newmarket and Cambridge. We've found it quieter, friendlier and a different pace of life. So it depends what you're looking for really.
As other posters mentioned, the prices are going up and by a fair whack (20% at least a year) due to the commuting potential for Cambridge and London.

HTH
Perhaps I will see you around in town on Saturday!
I am easy to spot, probably the only person in Ely with a pierced nose, DMs and wearing black :rotfl:

tinkerbell1978

i am biased i love ely i love cambridge! my friends father owns the butchers shop on the market place and its seems a really friendly place although if im honest i preferred living in cambridge city mainly because i worked from the airport there at one time and the shops are great!

mose_2

the_geary, i will keep my eyes open for the doc martins coming towards me!!
tinkerbell, free steaks on saturday????

thanks all....:T