Info on Cambridge or High Wycombe needed

Annando

I really want some info on what it is like living in Cambridge. OH has had some good job offers from Cambridge, nothing definite at the moment, we will only know for sure in March or April.
At the moment we live in Portsmouth, which I don't particularly like, although it has some positive aspects (university, seaside).
Can anyone living in Cambridge or around Cambridge tell me a bit more about it? how nice is it? How expensive is it property-wise? Is it better living in Cambridge itself or are surrounding villages less expensive? What sort of facilities are there etc? What are nice areas to live in? Which ones would you not recommend and why?

The other possibility is High Wycombe, any input is greatly appreciated!

Thank You!

gingin_2

Annando wrote:

I really want some info on what it is like living in Cambridge. OH has had some good job offers from Cambridge, nothing definite at the moment, we will only know for sure in March or April.
At the moment we live in Portsmouth, which I don't particularly like, although it has some positive aspects (university, seaside).
Can anyone living in Cambridge or around Cambridge tell me a bit more about it? how nice is it? How expensive is it property-wise? Is it better living in Cambridge itself or are surrounding villages less expensive? What sort of facilities are there etc? What are nice areas to live in? Which ones would you not recommend and why?

The other possibility is High Wycombe, any input is greatly appreciated!

Thank You!

I live in central Cambridge and it is lovely. It feels very safe to other parts of the country and imo is a very healthy and vibrant city to live in.

Is your OH going to be working for the university? My son goes to a school in the city centre where a lot of the children of uni staff go and I am always really envious as it seems there is a really good community scene there (do you have children as imo the schools here are fantastic?). Driving in Cambridge is a nightmare, I see accidents between cyclists and cars almost daily but most people tootle about on bikes. The restaurants, pubs, theatres and entertainment are really good.

On the other hand it is VERY expensive. My husband works in London and we would probably be better off living there once we have taken transport and housing costs into consideration. Houses in the city in my neck of the woods range from £230,000 for a basic 2 bed terrace (Mill Road area) to £650,000-£800,000+ for large family terraces between Hills Road and the station. These are London prices to me and I am staggered at the cost (we rent!). The villages are better value but still expensive and you miss out on being able to experience the city with ease.

Feel free to ask any questions and this is all purely my opinion.

Annando

OH will probably work in Cambridge, not in the colleges though. You seem to love it, makes me feel like I want to move there NOW!

We don't have children and I will probably be working in London (interior Design). I really want to go to museums or be able to go to London without having to face a 4 hour train journey (2 hours each way) but we also both want to continue our studies (postgrad level) so I suppose we will go to the colleges.

Portsmouth is safe and people are nice although it is not one of the nicest places to live, I call it the chav capital of the world (Please don't bash me in the head for saying this!). They are talking about regeneration plans etc... but it seems a longtime coming, we've been living here for 6 years and I am a bit fed-up with it. The university is nice and having the seafront is a plus.

How much is rent, if you don't mind me asking and how big is your house? Sorry but I want to be able to compare. Cambridge seems more expensive than Portsmouth house-price-wise, which to me is always a worry as it is the biggest expenditure!

Thank you for your help... I am definetely one step closer to moving to Cambridge...

gingin_2

I've sent you a pm Annando

Ebany

I also live in central Cambridge and it is a lovely place to live, but as gingin says, it is expensive (I have heard its the second most expansive place after London, but then I think I have also heard that about other places). The 45 min fast train into London makes it popular with commuters, which pulls prices up. http://www.cambridgepropertydatabase.co.uk/property_for_rent/ is a good place to start if you will be renting, but not all agencies are with them so it is worth hunting around for any others, but it should give you a hint as to what you can afford would get you.

We currently pay a hideous amount for a lovely 3 bed flat right by midsummer common which is a very good location, but going a little further out can get you a lot more for your money. Public transport seems to be quite good, or there arecycle routes all over the place. By going to the outlying villages you can get a lot more for your money, but traffic into the city in rush hour can be nasty, and parking is also expensive.

There are many museums and other such intellectual pursuits, and if you want you can pick up a copy of the Cambridge reporter (Which is essentially the unversity lecture list, not sure why its sold like a book) and toddle off to some lectures if you want, as I belive they are mostly not restricted to just students - of course, this would just be for your own interest as you don't get to take any exams at the end.

skintas_2

i used to work in high wycombe , lots of factories there, not many jobs. i was offered a swap to micklefield in h.w. neat h,w, marsh..... as soon as i saw it , it was so hilly there was no way i could push my buggy about. micklefied is not a very nice area. bourne end and soem areas are. my mum grew up in h.w went to school in marlow. it was train station to birmingham, to marylebone, motorway to m40. lots of buses in h.w. i dont know what its like now but that was 4 years ago..........

illmonkey

i currently live 10 miles from Wycombe but i work in central Wycombe. Let me know if you have questions!

Wycombes fairly large and has a few good new developments in it, as well as them currently spending a huge amount of money doing up the shopping centre and bus station. House prices are fairly low compared to around Wycombe, but it has great public transport links. London is 45 minutes away by train, and its literally on the M40.

The area is packed with business's. There is a huge business/industrial estate and plenty of shopping centres about. As well as there being a rather large Tesco's in the town centre, as well as 3 others about.

Depending on the job location and pay etc.. i might be tempted to look about around wycombe, to get a local smaller town with easy train service into wycombe. I live 19 minutes away by train, and its hardly ever late. Wycombe is cheaper than its surrounding towns though.

ftbworried

I used to live in one of the villages/towns round and about cambridge and i thoroghly enjoyed it. I loved the city but i was glad that I didn't live in it because I couldnt have handled the lack of parking and driving!! As mentioned above, Cambridge is REALLY expensive to buy, but you find cheaper houses around the outskirts of the city (iirc my friend bought a 3 bed semi for £250k on one of the main roads out of the city (Milton Road).

Go up and have a nice weekend tootling around all the sights, then go round some of the local towns and villages and see which type of place suits you best. It really is a nice part of the country to live in though- if I could go back there I would do in a SHOT! I'm so envious of you!

Nicki

gingin wrote:

Houses in the city in my neck of the woods range from £230,000 for a basic 2 bed terrace (Mill Road area) to £650,000-£800,000+ for large family terraces between Hills Road and the station. These are London prices to me and I am staggered at the cost (we rent!).

I think you would be staggered then if you actually looked at house prices in London! We live in a non-fashionable part of London, and our small house is about the price of the Hills Road ones you quote. To get anything nearly as nice and big as those houses, even in our area you would be looking at well in excess of £1m, and for an area as nice as that part of Cambridge but in London you could double or triple that amount!

Having said that, having lived in Cambridge for a few years in my youth, it is a lovely place while you are young. I'm not sure I would want to go back now, in my middle age however, as the town is so geared up for students. I think though it is the kind of place you either love or hate, so would second the suggestion that you check it out for yourself before you make your decision

gingin_2

Nicki wrote:

I think you would be staggered then if you actually looked at house prices in London! We live in a non-fashionable part of London, and our small house is about the price of the Hills Road ones you quote. To get anything nearly as nice and big as those houses, even in our area you would be looking at well in excess of £1m, and for an area as nice as that part of Cambridge but in London you could double or triple that amount!

Having said that, having lived in Cambridge for a few years in my youth, it is a lovely place while you are young. I'm not sure I would want to go back now, in my middle age however, as the town is so geared up for students. I think though it is the kind of place you either love or hate, so would second the suggestion that you check it out for yourself before you make your decision

I went past a 4 bed terrace today that has just sold along Tenison Ave for £750,000. As far as our research goes, you could get a similar terraced property or thereabouts in an area like Clapham for the same amount. Oh also has to pay £400 pm in travel costs to London so London probably would probably be a more sensible choice for us to live financially.

I do have to disagree with Cambridge being primarily geared up for students and that is one of my favourite things about the city - it just has such a huge range of things to do for everyone and everyone seems to be so much more tolerant of everyone else because of the varied range of people. The students are really only here 60% of the time as they have such long holidays. My Aunt and Uncle chose to move over here from the northern countryside in their late '50's for the theatre, restaurants and culture of the city and were very happy and I think it is an amazing city to raise children because there is a lot of things for the to do here and because it is so laid back (apart from the driving).

Annando - I know you asked about different areas and if it is just the 2 of you and you want city life, central is good. I don't really know the villages that well but the some of the villages south of the city have better rail connections into London than north of the city.

hollydays

Wasnt there something in the news about problems with a travellers site in Cambridge.Are there any problem areas to avoid?I have worked there and found the bus journey am and pm on congested roads very tiring to the park and ride.It is one of my favourite uk cities,very busy with tourists in summer.I loved it.I understand the property and the wages tend to be higher there.