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Does anyone here live in Cambridge, or has done in the past and can tell me a bit about it? Even people that are familiar with the area will be helpful

 

B has been offered a job there, so we're considering moving. Thing is neither of us know anything about the place as we've never been there before! I'll still be keeping my job in London, so being near the train station would be good so I'm not adding too much time/money onto my commute... so can anyone offer any tips? Areas that are nice, ones to avoid etc? 

 

Thanks for any help

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I'm a bit busy elsewhere but I will get back to you.

Don't forget that there is a fast route to Kings X now as well as the old Liverpool St. one. If you check where they stop you might find alternatives to actually living in Cambridge, although you may have a small commute each!

Nothing wrong with living in Cambridge it's certainly less violent than Oxford.

Garage Joe

Cambridge's two universities,the collegiate University of Cambridge and the local campus of Anglia Ruskin University.

 

The Anglia Ruskin University has two campuses, one of which is not actually in Cambridge.

 

Transport

Cambridgeshire Guided Busway

Because of its rapid growth in the 20th century, Cambridge has a congested road network.The M11 motorway from east London terminates to the north-west of the city where it joins the A14, a major freight route which connects the port of Felixstowe on the east coast with the Midlands. The A428 connects the city with Bedford and St Neots, and the A1303 to Newmarket and beyond to Colchester.

As a university town lying on fairly flat ground and with traffic congestion, Cambridge has the highest level of cycle use in the UK.[89] According to the 2001 census, 25% of residents travelled to work by bicycle.

Cambridge has several bus services including routes linking five Park and Ride sites all of which operate seven days a week and are aimed at encouraging motorists to park near the city's edge.[90] Since 7 August 2011, the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway has bus services running into the centre of Cambridge from St Ives and Huntingdon.

Cambridge railway station has direct rail links to London with termini at London King's Cross (via the Cambridge Line and the East Coast Main Line) and Liverpool Street (on the West Anglia Main Line). There is a non-stop train to King's Cross every half-hour during off-peak hours, with a typical 50-minute journey time.[91] Trains also run to King's Lynn and Ely (via the Fen Line), Norwich (via the Breckland Line), Leicester, Birmingham New Street, Ipswich and London Stansted Airport. A second station, Cambridge Science Park, is due to open in 2015.

Cambridge also has its own airport, Cambridge Airport used mainly by business, leisure and training flights, and to fly in aircraft for maintenance

Extremely Fluffy Fluffy Thing
Last edited by Extremely Fluffy Fluffy Thing
Originally Posted by moonie:
Originally Posted by Pengy:

my cousin did his PhD at Wolfson college at Cambridge.  I also got a telling off from a police officer for not being in charge of a bicycle properly   I met Stephen Hawkins there   

Was you inebriated? 

slightly and it didn't help that the bicycle was far to big - if I sat on the saddle, my feet didn't touch the ground and I only felt comfortable doing left turns or going straight on 

FM
Originally Posted by El Loro:

I've driven through Cambridge some times. There's a couple of pubs there, the Slimbridge wetland centre is a couple of miles away, but there's not much else there.

 

(Oh, I'm referring to Cambridge in Gloucestershire, you may mean the other one )

In my time i've offered some hopeless replies (Of which i'm quite proud)

But this one ^^^ is shameful

Saint
Originally Posted by Pengy:
Originally Posted by moonie:
Originally Posted by Pengy:

my cousin did his PhD at Wolfson college at Cambridge.  I also got a telling off from a police officer for not being in charge of a bicycle properly   I met Stephen Hawkins there   

Was you inebriated? 

slightly and it didn't help that the bicycle was far to big - if I sat on the saddle, my feet didn't touch the ground and I only felt comfortable doing left turns or going straight on 

 

FM
Originally Posted by SazBomb:

Joe, I think I'd be getting the fast train to Kings Cross, can walk to work from there

 

Xochi, he'd be working in the Electronics Department of the uni, wherever that is Looks central on the map

If it's where I think it is, you're right, it is very central. But one of the good things about the city is its quite bijou and compact.  The dept is very near to the Fitzwilliam Museum which is excellent!  And close to Fitzbillies which gets its name from the museum and is excellent for cakes! 

 

http://www.fitzbillies.com/

Xochi

Avoid the north of the city (esp Arbury and Kingsway)....the south is much better and nearer the train station!! The villages to the south are lovely too (I was born and bred in one!!) and some have their own stations with direct links to London. We still live nearby, so give us a yell if you need any help or suggestions....we know some great pubs and restaurants...Good Luck to you both xxxx

MrsB

Ely is nice actually...can be a heck of a commute traffic jam wise certain times of the day...but it a nice place...there is a fab antique shop there which regularly forces us to part with money!!! My BIL commutes daily from Downham Market which is just up from Ely and he has survived...but then, he is an accountant!! Also, the Cathedral is gorgeous and the riverside is pretty too. It is cheaper in the villages to the north and some of them are very, erm, small....Ely is a better option as it is a small town and does at least have some kind of life to it. St Ives is also lovely and has the guided bus route which takes you to Cambridge too...it is market town and again has nice places to eat and is very friendly (we have family there...MrB's lot seem to have populated the place years ago!!). To the south, the villages are much more expensive until you get to Royston which has good links in both directions but is a bit of a dive tbh!!

MrsB

Can't really be a lot of practical help Saz, never lived there but have been a v regular visitor, particularly during my 20s and 30s. I LOVE Cambridge, one of the v few cities that I could even begin to consider living : v pretty, plenty going on, nice restaurants and little shops, attractive buildings etc. etc. but that's me, everyone is different. If I were you I'd go for it, but just get a short term central let to get the feel for the place and look around for where you might want to be long term. As far as cities go, it really is v small.

Have had numerous w/es visiting several friends in and around  St. Ives, v nice but if I were you, just engaged, I wouldn't tempt fate LOL!..Ely/Downham market are nice enough, but, think that they might be a bit of a backwater shock/cultural wasteland for you having got used to living in London! 

FM
As my food and shoe obsessed Forum chum says, "Everyone is different!" However, after A-levels many of my school pals went to London colleges. I loved to visit the city and it's fantastic transport infrastructure, music, amusements. They, even the ones who subsequently worked, meanwhile couldn't wait to leave and are now scattered all over the country. I don't think any of them regret leaving. Unfortunately and as a result I haven't been there for twenty odd years.
Garage Joe

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