• This topic has 18 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 7 years ago by donks.
Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
  • Northampton, y or n?
  • the00
    Free Member

    Possibility of a job coming up in Northampton. What’s it like? I’m guess it’s probably crap for MTB, but otherwise?

    Mister-P
    Free Member

    Abington Street has a 99p Store with a second 99p Store directly opposite it. This tells you all you need to know about the town centre.

    There are some great pubs and places to eat if you like that kind of thing (which I do). Milton Keynes is 30 minutes away if you like shopping (which I don’t).

    MoreCashThanDash
    Full Member

    The town is a bit Meh! but some lovely expensive villages around it.

    sandwicheater
    Full Member

    Countryside around it is nice.

    weeksy
    Full Member

    Not too far from Chicksands or Woburn. There’s also a couple of country parks with decent woods and some cool trails.

    bombjack
    Free Member

    As above, some of the surrounding villages are nice, the road riding is good, and the links to some MTB areas arent too bad if you dont mind driving. The city centre is a dump, and having been out there twice in the last 5 years I doubt I’ll go out there again.
    I’d definatley look for housing in the surrounding area rather than N’thampton itself, plenty of nice quiet semi rural villages out there.

    ahwiles
    Free Member

    it was merely alright about 25 years ago.

    nothing has changed, not a single thing.

    Mister-P
    Free Member

    The city centre is a dump

    Town centre. Let’s leave pretending our town is a city to the Milton Keynes lot thanks.

    Mister-P
    Free Member

    nothing has changed, not a single thing.

    I’ve been there 10 year and a lot has changed. It’s becoming a dirty run down place that no-one appears to give a damn about. You know how towns die when industry does? It feels a lot like that.

    guido
    Full Member

    I lived in Kingsthorpe until I was 23. The whole town is a dump.

    nickc
    Full Member

    Northamptonshire is really quite lovely, especially if you’re into roadie, there are loads of really quaint little villages (especially to the west of the M1) and Northampton itself has pretty good links so commuting into it is OK. The off road isn’t great, but as others have said Woburn the Chilterns and Cannock aren’t too far away.

    I lived near Brackley and the commute into Northampton was about 30-40 mins.

    Duc
    Free Member

    Northampton is a crap hole. but within 2 miles you’re into some lovely little villages – house proces are very cheap and road a rail communications ar pretty good.

    maxtorque
    Full Member

    The best thing about Northampton? It’s real easy to get out of, with Mway and Rway in all directions. Being reasonably central, it makes getting to MTB places actually quite easy, with the Peaks, FoD, Cannock etc all about 1.5 to 2 hrs away. CLose to home, Woburn, Chicky, AstonHill are all within about 35mins to an hr.

    For MTB, you’ll generally by driving to a ride, rather than doing out your doorstep, unless you like hard, flat muddy slogs along wet, boggy dual track between fields etc

    lunge
    Full Member

    Town centre is a dive and I’ve always found it a bit rough at night.
    The further out you go, the better it gets as their are some lovely villages within striking distance.
    Poor MTB, used to ride around Harlstone Firs a bit but it’s fairly limited. You need to drive out to Woburn, though there was some cheeky stuff in Badby Woods back in the day.
    Road riding is good, 10 mins you’re out of the centre and into the lanes.
    Transport is good, trains and motorways all work well.

    I lived there for 5 years, I don’t hold a great desire to return.

    sniffthebreeze
    Free Member

    Here’s some advice, from someone who has lived in the area for 50 years !!

    Start with where abouts will the job be based! Assuming you would drive to work, local roads / commute times are becoming a nightmare. Northampton has one of the worst road systems you can imagine!!
    All information is correct about the town centre- it’ horrible !! And such a shame as to how it has deteriorated since the late 80′ s / early nineties .
    However , equally true is that the countryside and villages can be beautiful, and pretty good value. Like everywhere we have ‘odd’ village pricing, for example our house would be an extra 100k two miles from where we live!
    If you need to shop plan either MK or Bicester village if you need to be on the south side, or market harborough Leicester, or even b’ham if to the north.
    As for MTB , not as bad as you may think, but it’s hard tail all the way really, plus if it rains you have to love plugging through clay!! For road it is excellent. Plenty of lanes, and as is our local Molto – there’s always a hill!!!!.

    I hope that helps??

    Sniff.

    PlumzRichard
    Free Member

    Born and bred and still living in Northampton.

    Going to echo many of others comments, Northampton town isn’t great but i visit about 1 a month if that and in many ways who uses town centres much these days any way?

    MTBing is not great but ok with Harleston Firs and Delapree Abbey being good fun if your with locals, check out the local MTB club Tredz.

    if you head out of the town towards Kingsthorpe, Pitsford and Old village then you have some fantastic villages with stunning cafe’s hidden away and some great pubs serving dam fine food. The roads out that way then stretch into Leicestershire and Rutland which i strongly believe are some of the nicest road riding you can find in the UK. I can easily clock up 1000 meters of climbing over 55 miles. Also great lanes for a CX bike with lots of Bridleways and tracks around reservoirs.

    All in all yes Northampton has its issues but what town doesn’t, but i have no interesting in moving and love what the area has to offer.

    If you have any questions then drop me a line at any point.

    lambchop
    Free Member

    Only go there these days to watch the cricket. The area around Wantage Road is nice (Abingdon?)

    swampi
    Free Member

    I.moved to Kettering for 6 months from Leicester before relocating to the peak district, if your into road riding lots of lovely quite roads thro lots of villages like Sywell etc, can’t speak about the town centres tho

    donks
    Free Member

    I live in MK but work in Northampton and will testify to the nightmare of driving to work. It’s just over 20 miles for me but can take well over an hour if you leave at the wrong time. I’ve taken to getting the train to Northampton then biking the rest which is saving my sanity.
    I used to enjoy a night out in town as it was a good change from MK but not been for years now. Still pop down to the road meanders for gigs though. Saw faith no more there years back which still goes down as one of my best gigs ever.

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