We currently live in a small town in Wales which is a fantastic place to live but due to some life changing events we have decided to move within striking distance of our daughter who lives in Cambridge.
We certainly can’t afford to get too close because of our restrictive budget and 50 miles seems a doable distance so we were thinking the Wisbech area seems nice enough though we’ve never been there.
North West of Cambridge is preferable because we also have parents in the West Midlands, could anyone give me some heads up on places in and around this area please.
I suspect it may be a bit flatter than North Wales.

Honestly don’t!
it only lost it’s title as drug capital of the fens a few years back to the shit hole that is Ramsey.
Moving from Wales will be nasty shock

Wisbech will be cheap, but then there is a reason for that. Like a lot of small market towns in the area it has been somewhat gutted by underinvestment. It has fairly high crime for it’s size as there is naff all to do apart from getting drunk or high. Transport links, including the roads, are not great.

Unless you really want to maximise what you get for your money I’d suggest looking elsewhere.

If you need to be near Cambridge, maybe Peterborough, surrounding villages (depending where you go can be miles from some great flat countryside), outskirts of Huntingdon or St Neots. The latter being a stone’s throw from Cambridge and not ridiculous prices.

Ignore that clap trap.

I’m in Elm just outside, lovely little village, pub is spot on. I commute to Peterborough in half hour, and the wife to Bar Hill in an hour. Good rail at march or king’s Lynn.
It is the fens so very open.

I love the fens, but I think there are better places. As above, more towards Peterborough, Huntingdon area (but not in either). Or a bit closer to Cambridge, Ely, for example.

I left the area late 90s, but have been back working that way the last 12 months. All the criticisms above are valid to a degree.

Wisbech is a long way from anywhere by road. Roads are poor, lots of tractor and HGV traffic to slow you up. 50 miles will take longer than you think. There is nothing around it except fields and banjos. Unless low cost housing is your key driver, look elsewhere.

I don’t know the area too well, but if you look 50 miles east of Cambridge, plus or minus 45 degrees, that might be an area to maybe find a better town/village for your money

Absolute **** all elevation.

I grew up 7 miles from Wisbech, never did me any harm… I’ve been fine since my brother stopped cheating my cousin with my wife or “sister” as you metropolitan types call it.

Downham market is a LOT nicer and on the train line direct to Cambridge (and London). (Also some more interesting countryside , a few trees etc our that way). Also Ely is nice or even March actually.

It is without doubt the worst place on the planet for mountain biking mind (the fens I mean)

Remember some statistics that said it was the worst place in the country for youth crime (related to per head of population) That was some 10 years ago so they will be upstanding citizens now!

There really is no work out in the sticks unless you want to work on the fields or in a potato factory.

My mum used to employ a girl who was paranoid about “them Russians working in the fields”

(I think she meant the exceptionally hard working Eastern European’s who’d come for the summer work)

Strange place really, I almost miss it.

Oh and my parents lived there 32 years and were still considered “outsiders” when they left as they had the gaul to be born in the south east.

I’d avoid Wisbech or anything out that way. Better looking along the Cambridge / Peterborough corridor somewhere. Peterborough to Cambridge via A1/A14 is about 35 minutes. Peterborough to Brum less than 2 hours.

It’s not got the best reputation around here. I’m from St,Ives area and even I find the fens a bit odd, some of the towns are a bit grubby. They are building a new town called NorthStowe which might be worth a look. The biking is not great around here, you end up driving. Actually compared to Wales it’s gonna be a shock.

Housing market seems quite subdued at the moment – lots of houses not selling.

I’m just outside Cambridge, to the north.

Chatteris?

🥴👊💥

My Sister lives there, that should be enough for you to avoid it.

Have you considered somewhere along the a14 corridor?
A lot more in the way of jobs and a hell of a lot closer to civilisation.
Where I am in Kettering is less than an hour to Cambridge so it should give you a decent are to search from.
Anywhere east of Huntingdon and Peterborough I’ve found the residents are a bit “different”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone moving to Wisbech unless they really had to, it’s not an inspirational or even aspirational place to live.

I lived in Ely and enjoyed it, also north Cambridge, some decent little villages off the A14 corridor.

This is an MTB forum so do be aware there is nowhere worth taking an MTB, miles and miles of ‘gravel’ stuff though if that’s your thing.

i pop up for work once in a while, and also have in-laws nearby.

it’s not an ideal location. Cheap houses, yes, but a reason for that.

Flat as a pancake + straight roads + no real jobs = loads of boy racers crashing in a massive fireball.

If you can find it anywhere, try and watch this https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00r3qyw – basically unemployed locals offered a chance for a job, then refusing when they realised it would be manual labour in a field. Bearing in mind those jobs are filled by Eastern Europeans, and it’s a staunchly Brexit area.

Edit – hopefully this is it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqo-7rtGwOU

Thanks guys some great information there, perhaps moving from a place where you can leave a mountain bike unlocked in the street and return the next day and it’s still there might perhaps now seem a little rash.
After recent events i’m probably not in the best frame of mind for making big decisions so the input here really helps.
If we do move i think renting first would be the sensible option, we’ll certainly look at some of the suggested alternative places.

Thanks again, much appreciated.

I can only reiterate what has been mentioned above, but avoid the proper Fens! Particularly the towns such as Wisbech, Ramsey and Chatteris.
I live between Huntingdon and St.Ives, I like it. There are all the amenities I need and good access to Cambridge etc. Obviously not good for mountain biking, but that’s a given.
If I was moving here, with the reason of a family member living in Cambridge, I would start by looking for somewhere on the guided bus route. The map is here.
If nothing was suitable, I would expand out in to the triangle you get from Cambridge-St.Neots-Huntingdon. Then look up at the villages between Huntingdon and Peterborough.

Can’t really offer much as i’ve never lived Wisbech way, i moved from good mountain biking territory to North Norfolk, so not too far from Cambridge (60 mins on a good run from mine), but property is cheap where i am, but i much prefer i to the Fens, field size are a lot smaller here, a lot more woodland, whilst not exactly hilly, it is a least rolling countryside here with some climbs, plus we are 20 minutes to the fantastic beaches at Wells/ Holkham/ Burhnam which is lovely up there.

i often have to travel through the Fens to go north, and i have cycled there many times, and for me personally it just holds no appeal, too open and flat, but i suppose it comes down to what you are used to.

I live between Huntingdon and St.Ives

I live between St Ives and Cambridge. There’s plenty of housing locally as a new town in current in development – lookup Northstowe if that’s your kind of thing. Areawise it’s close to Cambridge but quieter, it’s not amazing and filled with culture, but it’s also not a bad place to live.

Absolute **** all elevation.

For that we have the wind, that seems to roam freely across the flatlands and never seems to drop by much. It may be flat, but it rarely feels like an easy ride.

As others have said, my MTB languishes in the garage glaring at me occasionally wondering why it never gets used, but MTB on the flat lands is dull and any decent riding is a decent drive away.

Ignore that clap trap.

I’m in Elm just outside, lovely little village, pub is spot on. I commute to Peterborough in half hour, and the wife to Bar Hill in an hour. Good rail at march or king’s Lynn.
It is the fens so very open.

This

I moved to a small town 10 miles north of Wisbech (Sutton Bridge) just over a year ago and haven’t regretted it.

I wouldn’t live in Wisbech itself but the outskirts are fine (such as Elm!), there are lots of really nice houses at very reasonable prices.
Cycling here took some getting used to as it’s so flat and there is a definite skill to it, there’s a decent cycle club in Wisbech that I joined and is very welcoming.

I moved from a crowded part of Sth Essex that was falling apart, so my perspective may be different from yours. If I were you I’d book a couple of days in a local hotel, and also book a few house viewings with local estate agents to get a feel for the area.

Wisbech is pretty bad, my wife is a social worker and it’s on her patch.
We moved to Ely from Bristol 6 years ago, nothing would be as good as Bristol but Ely is a really nice town, it’s just a shame that it’s in the Fens for all the reason above. Ely would be out of your budget though, rail connections are really good (shame about the roads) so there are lots of Cambridge and London commuters which push the prices.
Soham or Burwell might be worth a look.
East of Cambridge past Newmarket has some nice small villages and rolling countryside but unless you’re near the A11 or A14 it will take you a while to escape West or North for proper hills. St Ives isn’t a bad call but If you’re comparing Wisbech to Cambridge you can be surprising was along the A14 / A11 / M11 for the same journey time.

My Wife used to Police Wisbech. It isn’t known as Wisbechistan for nothing….it doesn’t seem to be a very nice place by all accounts and it is proper flat, fenland country out there….straight roads and headwinds.

As already mentioned there are plenty of other places you could look.
I’m about on the very limit of an hour to Cambridge living in a village/small town just north of Peterborough.

I’d consider:
Huntingdon, St Ives, perhaps St Neots or Papworth or some of the villages around Peterborough like Stilton, Yaxley or Eye.
You could also look at places like Stamford or Oakham which are nice places but a bit more pricey than the fens and getting towards the edge of a frequently driveable distance.

I ‘escaped’ Peterborough back in 2006, and still have family round there (Bourne) and grew up around Stamford, so not a million miles away.

You’d have to pay me a lot of money to live back there, even a fairly nice small town like Bourne has sweet FA in the way of work, Peterborough may have improved since I left but it’s not got many redeeming features.

Live out in the middle of the fens? No thanks, not in a million years. I wouldn’t even retire there.

North west of Cambridge would be much better, you will pay more though. Look at a town like Oundle, and compare on street view to a similar size town like Long Sutton. 1 empty shop for every 2 or 3 full ones, vs cafes, shops, a market, a bustling, pretty town. You’ve also got Northampton nearer, better jobs, and places like Silverstone, Rutland water, access to Civilisation, actual transport links, and so on…

Basically, stay west of the A14 and then A1.

Oh and unless you’ve been there, ‘a bit flat’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. A lot of it is below sea level, if the sea level rises a few metres the wash will extend down to Cambridge with Ely a small island.

Just checked house prices in Wisbech, under £150k for a 3 bed semi. Jesus.

I used to teach in Wisbekistan.

OP, are you f-in mad? Wisbech is bad, very bad. So unfriendly and full of ex travellers.

Ever since it lost the railways, it’s declined, not safe to walk at night and drugs. I used to teach at the local academy and too many problem kids.

Try Huntingdon, Peterborough, outskirts of Cambridge and other places. Or anywhere with a train station.

I moved to Bristol and asked the same question here and original Singletrackers saved my life 15 years ago from moving to s-hole and moved to a nice area.

ta11pau1, I’ve come back from Bristol to Peterborough and can’t wait get away from it and move back! Although a good hub for London jobs/visits.

I live in a nice area/village of Peterborough, the city is going downhill.

Chavs, unemployment, huge amount of English as additional language parents/children and drugs.

I’m selling up and moving back to Bristol next year.

Riding is mainly road, CX and small trails unless you drive to trail centres like Thetford – not far but poor roads takes ages – I drive to Bristol in the same time frame.

Jeez, not safe to walk at night?!? Are you actually for real?
Not seen anything of the sort

ta11pau1, I’ve come back from Bristol to Peterborough and can’t wait get away from it and move back! Although a good hub for London jobs/visits.

I live in a nice area/village of Peterborough, the city is going downhill.

Chavs, unemployment, huge amount of English as additional language parents/children and drugs.

I’m selling up and moving back to Bristol next year.

Riding is mainly road, CX and small trails unless you drive to trail centres like Thetford – not far but poor roads takes ages – I drive to Bristol in the same time frame.

I moved from Peterborough to Bristol! TBH, that doesn’t sound too dissimilar to what it was like when I left! There’s a few nice little areas dotted around but for the most part it’s just, meh. The job market was pretty dire at the time I moved away, I originally moved there in 1998 from the sticks of Lincolnshire so it was great at the time.

I’d live in Bristol again without a second thought – great city, loads to do, lots of jobs, Devon , Cornwall and Wales on the doorstep, and pubs. Lots of pubs!!

I moved to Bristol to Kent a few years ago and although it’s not a patch on Bristol, it’s still 100x better than Peterborough. I know people who’ve literally lived nowhere else but Peterborough their entire life, people in their late 30’s/early 40’s.

From 2011:

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/may/14/lets-move-to-wisbech-cambridgeshire

People made Bristol ace.

Although stay clear from Southmead…

Peterborough does have good roadie clubs and independent bike shops.

Rutland Cycle has a nice shop here but dismal service.

Wish I could move back to Sydney!

A quick look at the crime maps for Wisbech, and Maidstone in Kent, where I currently live, which is by no means what you’d call an amazing town, it’s got it’s rough areas.

423 crimes reported in April 2019 – population of 31,500 as of 2011. Wisbech
770 crimes reported in April 2019 – population of 113,000 as of 2011. Maidstone.

Yeah, no.

Comments on the Guardian article summed it up nicely…

You can buy a house for less than 80k. But why would you want to? The place is full of racists and xenophobes, there are no jobs, there is very little for families, the shops are a joke, the Market Place is a deathtrap, most of the town is ugly as hell, the secondary school is awful and for some reason people keep electing Tories. Really, I wouldn’t bother.

My wife grew up out that way. I’m not a fan. I get bored after a day or two.

There are some nice pockets, if you can find them.

Ely is nice.

North and East Northamptonshire or Rutland is just over an hour’s drive from Cambridge. Not flat and you’ve got Wakerley Woods or Rutland Water to ride around. The biggest crimes around here are throwing stones at aeroplanes or dropping litter so house insurance is cheap. Property gets a bit pricier if there’s a public school in the town (Oundle, Stamford, Uppingham) but the area has few of the problems listed above.

Wowsers, Wisbech sounds rather unique…!!!

Are there any tours or guides to Wisbech that allow a visitor to take in all of the fascinating sights and sounds of downtown Wisbech?

I can only assume that anyone getting towards Northampton or Stamford to / from Cambridge in an hour are either traveling by helicopter or at 2am when the A14 isn’t a car park

AFAIK Wisbech has two plus points: they make Elgoods there and it isn’t Kings Lynn

My parents moved there twelve years ago. Awful place, from my experience Wisbech is a depressing array of stained concrete and angry UKIPers. Ely is alright, but I’d be happy for Wisbech to sink into the fens, never to be seen again.

Google maps says Stamford to Cambridge, 1 hour 3 minutes, from Uppingham 1 hour 13 minutes. I’ve never found the journey a particular hassle.
I once stopped in Wisbech to get some lunch for the family. We walked into 3 pubs and walked straight out, I’ve never been known to do that anywhere. We got back in the car.

But Stamford prices are eyewatering!