Living in Lambourn, West Berks

psionix318

Afternoon all,

My wife and I are currently living in central Reading, and have decided that it's the right time to head out somewhere more rural. We've already been through the convenience vs. lifestyle debate with ourselves and are OK with the sacrifices and benefits.

We've found one house that we really like which is in Lambourn, West Berks, but we don't know the area at all. I know that it's a very horsey community due to all the racehorse yards, but other than that, our knowledge is extremely limited. Neither of us have ever had anything to do with horse riding, so it's not like we're looking to move for that.

Having visited on Saturday I was slightly concerned by the atmosphere in the village: the wife likened it to Royston Vasey... We went to the pub in the center and found it quite rough around the edges. The staff were pleasant enough, but it felt very much like a locals' place, and wasn't particularly inviting. Certainly not the sort of place we'd feel comfortable popping along to for a drink in the evening.

Based on the price of the house we're looking at, it certainly seems like you can get a lot for your money in Lambourn, but that raises questions about why it's relatively cheap.

Digging around on Google hasn't come up with much other than a couple of old passing comments like "nice area, but stay away from the village itself", mentioning potential drug problems, and that it can be quite a lonely place (especially as we know/care nothing about horses at all, so wouldn't necessarily be able to join in with that community).

So what do other people think of the place?

Potentially useful things to know about us:

• We're both in our early-to-mid-thirties, with no children (yet).
• We'll both be commuting by car for work: I'm a web developer in Windsor, the wife's an accountant in Abingdon.
• We're usually quite busy at weekends, or will be inviting guests to visit, once we have the space.
• We're both sporty, and want to be able to put on running shoes or jump on the bike and be on the trials within a few minutes.
• We're both sociable, and although it's unlikely our lives will revolve around the village, it would still be nice to know that it's a friendly place to live, or to show guests around.

Thanks in advance for any help!

arbrighton

If you are that concerned about the reputation of the area, it's probably not going to be for you, and Lambourn will be a hell of a commute to Windsor (wouldn't be brilliant to Abingdon either for that matter).
There are plenty of pleasant and busier, more accessible villages which would allow a less crazy commute.
Have you looked in and around Wallingford for example?

theartfullodger

I gather the jockeys & stable lads have "active social lives"..

Tiddlywinks

I lived in a village in West Berks up until 2007 and commuted from M4 junct 13 to Slough everyday - a journey I would not want to start again. I nearly always got stuck on the way in or the way out and there are very few work-arounds if it gets really stuck.

Plus, for some reason, West Berks does seem to get the snow a little bit worse that East Berks and the minor roads tend to be left ungritted in winter months.

As to the community spirit... most villages are suffering from the demise of the local community with 'townies' moving in but spending their days and weekends (and money) away from their postcode.

There tend to be very limited facilities for kids (particularly teens) and we suffered our fair share of anti-social behaviour (vandalism, underage drinking and drugs) - even in the leafy confines of what looked to outsiders like a sleepy village.

Now? I live in a chav-town in North Hampshire - by choice - and have less problems with neighbours, transport and socialising than I ever did when in the village - who'd have thought it?

Edited to add... takeaways - nearest was a 7 mile round trip but most were 9 miles - none delivered! Just a thought...

psionix318

Thanks for the thoughts. We've decided that although the house is lovely, and we're OK with the extended commute, the feel of the village really just isn't for us.