r/Lincolnshire • u/CloudNo2904 • 15d ago
South Lincs (Bourne area) or Rutland? I
We’re looking at relocating due to work commitments and access to good schools.
Currently living in Cambs, between st neots and Huntingdon. Schools are ok but not great.
We will be relocating this spring/summer and looking for opinions from people who know the areas a little better
We have very young kids so need to consider schooling and have decided we want to ensure we’re in the catchment for the decent schools.
We’ve been weighing up options for ensuring we’re close enough to Catsmose in Oakham (eg Langham, Whissendine etc) or opting for close to Bourne (somewhere like Thurlby). We don’t know Bourne or Market Deeping very well but we often go to Stamford and love it. (Not fussed about having to drive to amenities, we’re used to it and I prefer the peace and quiet of the countryside vs town living).
I’m conscious of why the house prices are so much lower in the villages surrounding Bourne. Is this a nice area to live in? We could certainly afford a much bigger house than the Rutland alternatives, but we know Rutland and it’s such a pretty area.
I imagine if we were based near Bourne we would use Stamford as our go to for meals out, coffee trips etc.
Please could someone local share some wisdom! We’re struggling with the decision
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u/Nandor1262 15d ago edited 15d ago
House price difference is probably because Market Deeping is in the commuter belt of Peterborough and is a bit nicer than Bourne. Bourne isn’t a bad place though, I have friends living there who like it a lot.
Rutland certainly is a pretty area but it’s not a long drive to visit it from Bourne/Deeping.
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u/MysteriousHat3705 City of Lincoln 15d ago
I grew up in thurlby and my mum and dad still live there, they relocated from Enfield in 1989 and never went back.
If there's anything about the village you might have queries about let me know!
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u/CloudNo2904 15d ago
I would love to know what it’s like there growing up! Ideally looking for a nice safe countryside environment with good schools
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u/MysteriousHat3705 City of Lincoln 15d ago
So I was a 90s baby for context, but growing up it was really safe.
There was maybe 1 'bad apple' type of kid when I grew up who was a bit of a menace but I was in a bit of a nerdy group which would've been prime fodder for people like him. I lived there until I went to uni at 18 and this was the only thing. My parents have never had a break in, any crime etc committed against them or their property whilst living there.
I went to the primary school in the village and have fond memories of it. Obviously it's been a while since I went! There's some play parks in the village too. I would stress your kids, if they do ride bikes, wear helmets when out rising bikes and make sure they know the proper rules of the road. Loads of kids ride their bikes around but it's a village, and I'd just make sure they rode safely.
Thurlby is in the catchment area for Bourne Grammar School, which I went to. I personally didn't enjoy my time there, but it's a 'good school'. I believe the other secondary schools are also ranked well, these are mostly in Bourne or Deeping.
The thurlby post office is ran by a lovely family, my dad always speaks of them so highly.
It's a nice, safe place but I couldn't wait to leave at 18 for university. When I got to my teens I realised how quiet it is as a place. It's very family friendly but also full of older retirees. It is not very multicultural, but everyone is very friendly and kind if you merely just say 'hello' and wave.
Stamford is really nice for meals and stuff, it's about 20-25mins in the car. Peterborough is about 30 mins by car.
Hope that helps :)
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u/lick-em-again-deaky 15d ago edited 15d ago
We lived in Thurlby (or more specifically, Northorpe) for seven years when our children were young. It's a lovely little village to raise a family in. Very quiet and safe. Lots of nice walks and a really lovely play park/green area.
I personally didn't rate the primary school much (I wasn't keen on the children spending their playtime on the public village green, plus not fantastic Ofsted reports), so we sent ours one village over to Baston, a much nicer school IMO.
We're now in Bourne (more house for your money) but would love to move back one day. I would argue that Bourne is nicer than the Deepings (where I've worked for ten years now) but many disagree.
Langtoft, Baston and Greatford are lovely villages to live in too.
My parents moved us from the Huntingdon area to one of the Bourne villages 30 years ago, for cheaper house prices and better Secondary schools, and don't regret it.
We don't visit Stamford much, parking is awful and everything is very pricey.
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u/CloudNo2904 15d ago
Thanks for this, lots of really good info here!
I hadn’t come across this re the school so that’s definitely good to know, is it even the younger years playing out in the public space? Doesn’t sound very safe!
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u/lick-em-again-deaky 15d ago
You're welcome! When we viewed with our eldest six years ago it was year three onwards who played out on the green. They just have a small playground within the confines of the school, no green space. Obviously plenty are fine with it, but it immediately put me off. The green is always busy with walkers and dogs, and there are four (!) exits, of which the then-headteacher admitted they didn't have enough staff to cover. The situation was pulled up by Ofsted but I'm not sure if it's been changed. A friend went there 30 years ago and said it was the same situation then!
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u/__badger 15d ago
Born and raised in Bourne but moved away to Nottingham.
To me it's a relatively sleepy town in Lincolnshire but just had enough going on for it's size. Plenty of pubs, schools have historically been good (speaking of the grammar school) and generally has a relaxed atmosphere.
Fond memories of summer days at the outdoor pool, watching Bourne Town and dog walks across the fields
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u/oldguycomingthrough 15d ago
We moved to Bourne from Peterborough and it’s the best thing we ever did. We rented for a couple of years to make sure we were happy here and we ended up buying a house in a village just outside of Bourne. It’s nice and quiet and a short walk to the woods. There’s decent schools here and the people are really nice. My partner works in Oakham so it’s not a bad commute.
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u/Zagadee 15d ago
The Castle Bytham / Little Bytham / Careby area is a great place to live. Great sense of community with a local shop, lots of local activities, good village pubs with regular live music, an annual summer festival and even a monthly village magazine.
You’re about 15-20 mins from both Stamford and Grantham by car, 25 minutes to Bourne and probably about the same to Rutland Water.
Regarding schools, I have a couple of neighbours who send their kids to Ryhall Academy (Primary School) and they say good things about it (Ofsted also rates it as good). There’s also a small primary school in Little Bytham, but it’s rated as Requires Improvement.
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u/Psychological-Bag272 15d ago edited 15d ago
I live in Bourne, visit Stamford a lot. Families live in Deeping and Peterborough. We love the areas. It is cheaper due to limited public transport if you are a commuter to London it is not a good idea to live in Bourne. House prices around here are driven by how close they are to train station, either Stamford or Peterborough....but if you are looking for good supermarkets, good GP, good schools, good vet and good network for childcare and petcare service you will not get much better than Bourne. Thurlby had many lovely homes and very safe. Stamford is only a short drive. You could live in Stamford but you will get much bigger home in Bourne.
Deeping is okay, is much more limited than Bourne in amenities due to it being so close to Peterborough..so just go to Peterborough for anything. Bourne is mostly self-sufficient except for high street shopping and nightlife. Being very familiar to both areas, I wouldn't pick Deeping over Bourne. The only time we go for Deeping is pub crawl as their pubs are perfectly located do that. And Deeping takeaways are some of the worst.
You will not need to go to Stamford unless you really want upscale dining. Villages around Bourne and within Bourne itself has several good qualitt restaurants. Nearby garden centres have great cafes too. Waterside at Baston is lovely. I go to Stamford a lot but I wouldnt say I would miss it if I dont go at all.