Lincolnshire Norfolk or Suffolk

Fringe, we have the same plan!

We are in mid Kent, and have been planning a move to Suffolk for the past year or so. We’ve done several visits and keep an eye on property prices - just waiting for our son to move out, and we’ll be on the market here.
Small fly in the ointment now is that our 1st grandchild is on the way, which will mean a longer drive to see them…. So some other areas now on our radar too.

Good luck with your hunt!

I've recently moved to South Norfolk from Nottingham, and love it.
I'm on the suffolk border, house prices aren't cheap but you are in a quiet area.
Obstacles are public transport snd shops, although to be fair, I can get to Beccles in ten minutes by car , lots of shops there.
The quality of life here is better , I'd avoid many of the seaside resorts, which are unfortunately a tad dated with social problems too.

We lived in a small market town in Lincolnshire for 40 years and then moved to Suffolk 10 years ago when I retired - partly to be near my aged parents in Suffolk, but also because where we were in Lincolnshire we had to drive to get anywhere and I was worried that I might get bored. You'll get a LOT more house for your money in Lincolnshire. We sold our house, but had to top up with savings to buy something similar in Suffolk. But we love it here - Ipswich - 15 minutes from the coast, great public transport - use buses to get everywhere. Good selection of shops etc within easy walking distance. Plenty going on. We plan to stay here, as such good infrastructure - 4 buses an hour into town, 2 an hour to the hospital, 3 to the coast. My bus pass has nearly worn out!! Happy to give more info if needed about North Lincs or Suffolk.

I lived in Horncastle as a child, went to grammar school in Louth. Would say Lincs better value than Norfolk or Suffolk but not a lot of culture (except Lincoln).

Would certainly recommend Louth a lovely market town with Wolds nearby (the only hilly bit of Lincs). Otherwise mostly flat and rural. Some pretty villages around Louth.

Agree transport links not great.

I've lived in Norfolk and Suffolk, Bury St Eds and some of the other small towns around there, Eye for example, are very nice and there's a lot on your doorstep. I know people who live in Norwich who like it. However some medical services are quite poor, the transport system is not great either and it's hard to travel between villages without a car. Also, there are a lot of areas that have potential to flood and as sea levels rise this will be increasingly an issue.

Sueroe the circumstances I mentioned in my post were the arrival of grandchildren. We are glad we didn’t move and enjoyed them nearby.

I would think carefully about the situation in which you would like to live. We used to live in a village in Suffolk, north of Ipswich. We like music and ballet and so used to drive to Cambridge, Norwich and train to London for performances. When we decided to move to France we bought a small house in Woodbridge. We walked along the Deben with the dogs and could walk to the station and the cinema and even to the centre for shopping. Some of the trains went through to London although usually we had to change at Ipswich.

I would chose one of the old towns - B St E, Woodbridge, Beccles, Bungay as there is or was some artistic life. Ipswich has a theatre (not sure if it's dark now) and the dance centre in or near the old Brewery by the docks. There's also Snape Maltings.

The one thing I miss, now that we live in rural France, is access to cultural things. We're about 1 1/2 hours from Limoges and 50 minutes from Perigueux. Both towns have a theatre/concert hall but they are expensive. There's a jazz concert in a couple of months in Limoges which lasts for an hour and tickets are around 40 euros. A long round trip for 1 hour's music.

Finally, I would chose to live in the centre of town. As long as there's not a pub or restaurant nearby it should be relatively quiet at night.

I live in Lincoln and wouldn’t recommend going near the coast.
I would recommend Louth which is a lively market town and Horncastle. Also avoid anywhere near Bardney due to the floods. There are some nice village/ small towns around Lincoln which have good community facilities.
I would recommend Ely it seems to have great markets and history.

Last time I looked, Ely was in Cambridgeshire!

I live in Suffolk but not that keen on Lowestoft although it has a lovely beach. It is deemed to be a deprived area and has typical social problems but you can get very affordable houses there. Beccles is nicer.
Woodbridge and Bury at Edmunds are very pretty towns with a lot of activities. Hadleigh is a quaint historic market town close to Constable country.

I like the north Norfolk coast and Norwich best for my visits to Norfolk..

Many years ago I lived in Suffolk, near Framingham then Woodbridge.

Some friends from 50 years ago, and from near Framlingham moved to France, fairly near me, for a number of years. They moved back to Suffolk a few years ago to Wickham Market, a little market town just off the A12, near Woodbridge. They are extremely happy there. House prices are reasonable, on the flat and I has everything. Dr, dentist , butcher, baker, cafe, pharmacy, supermarket, Indian and Chinese takeaways, other shops and a weekly market et al. A bit like a little French town!

The bus service is good, free with bus pass, easy access to a train station, direct to Woodbridge, Ipswich and London. Their car rarely leaves the drive!

I visited them at New Year and thought it lovely. It is certainly top of my list when I move back to England. I loved living in Woodbridge, but it's changed and expensive. Saxmundham and Framlingham are also worth thinking about.

Good luck.

Lincolnshire is beautiful especially The Wolds. Yes,parts are flar but never boring. Try the villages in the AONB in fact,look up any village whose name ends in BY. Its quiet,peaceful, beautiful, lots of walks and the houses are much cheaper than Suffolk or Norfolk. Lincoln cathedral and the cathedral Quarter especially Steep Hill and The Bailgate is truly wonderful, full of individual shops and restaurants. The coast is not as attractive as Norfolk, but it's a haven for wildlife. Donna Nook has seals every year and are a great attraction. Try a long weekend especially in The Wolds you won't be disappointed.

Well Fringe, you've had masses of good advice! The 'twee' bits of Norfolk and Suffolk can indeed be pricey, but other bits less so, you can scan Zoopla, Onthemarket, etc to get some likely comparisons of what your sort of property might cost.

We liked Norwich, but some of the surrounding villages will differ in price. We've stayed in Holt and Wells (close to GSM perhaps) and they're great, but only you know your budget?! We also stayed in Hunstanton (we liked) and visited King's Lynn (which gets criticised - though we thought it was OK - and I believe has parts prone to floods). In Suffolk, Bury and Stowmarket looked fine to us, and Ipswich too, but we weren't looking for hospitals, GPs or dentists!!!

Up in Lincs, usually described as one of the cheapest counties, we've stayed in Horncastle and Louth, both very nice (especially the latter, a terrific market), but as you've been warned, some of the southern end has flooding issues, and I recall forums when the 'locals' slagged off what the likes of Wisbech and Boston have become, as they felt they were being marginalised in their own country? I recall an old friend, who's now up in I think Brigg, giving that a good word, also the likes of Market Rasen and Woodhall Spa (further south).

Perhaps surprisingly, she also gave a good word for Cleethorpes, which has reasonable trains into South Yorks and across to Manchester & Liverpool. Someone else I know gives good reports of Peterborough (actually Cambs) which has a fast train to London if needed, and decent facilities, a reasonable ride into Norfolk if needed?

Jolly good luck!

Gorleston-on-Sea near Great Yarmouth is very nice with reasonable house prices. It has a good beach which isn't commercial and also the main hospital for the Great Yarmouth area. It has plenty of shops in the small town centre and a big Morrison's supermarket. Great Yarmouth isn't far if you need more shops. There is pretty countryside nearby too. Some of my family retired there and were happy.

Coastline bus runs along the coast from Kings Lynn to Nowich (with bus changes) and market towns good - Swaffham, Fakenham, Holt. Norwich nice smallish city. Norfolk would be my choice.

I’ve always chosen somewhere near a bus route, near a train station, church, hospital and shops. We moved because the house was near these - a few years later now / they stopped the bus route, closed the local pub, no milk delivery or paper delivery and the dentist is now only private. The mobile library stopped. The local hospital has no emergency service and no minor injuries. The GP is still local so far. Things sadly change. I wish you luck.

Norwich is another place which ain’t what it used to be.

Someone mentioned Wisbech. Over here they call it Wisbekistan. 🤣 It has some beautiful old buildings and used to be a nice town. I love a look in charity shops but I have to say those in Wisbech were the worst I have ever seen anywhere! Absolute junk, and grubby stuff at that. We were also put off by several men down by the river either drunk or off their heads on Spice.

Another place in Cambridgeshire! Yes, I agree - large immigrant population, drawn to agricultural work, and very down at heel now. Once a thriving port.

I moved from London 2 years ago to Lincolnshire - OMG there is so much SKY! I'm not far from Boston, or from RAF Coningsby (Oh my the Typhoons and their mock battles are amazing). I drive 30 minutes to Grantham for my train into my London office 2-3 times a week (70 minutes to Kings Cross). Or the option of a 45 minute drive to Peterborough. The bus links I have no knowledge of, but if the time comes when I have to stop driving/working the cab service seems reliable and cheap - offset the cost of running a car, insurance etc. Pilgrim Hospital in Boston have been really good for my arthritis check ups, my local GP surgery are really good and on the ball. The Village have something going on all the time although as I'm still working I haven't had time to indulge. I do, however, make use in Summer of the open air swimming pool at Heckington, a couple of miles away - if I'd looked about a bit longer I'd liked to have moved there, I think, it has a train service to Sleaford / Grantham, a few shops and pubs. However I needed to move very quickly from London due to circumstances and am very happy where I am. My sister used to moan about my parents home in Norfolk as being so flat - she lives on the South Downs. However I doubt very much she gets out anywhere more than once a year! For the bucks I've got a great little house, no mortgage, little garden, fields around me and (after London) peace and oh so much quiet!

Not keen on Lincolnshire probe to flooding and when I lived there I found it dull and boring .. I was in Sourh Lincolnshire..
Norfolk has some beautiful villages as does Suffolk…
I’m a Maid of Kent out of the three I would opt for Suffolk wolds ..

We've recently moved to the outskirts of Boston Lincolnshire, we have a village name in our postal address but there's fields between us and the village and none between us and Boston. We love the history of the town. The flood defense is much improved. The shopping is a variety of small independent shops spread over quite a large area. Some roads are narrow. We've found the NHS in the area very variable, individuals do their best, and our District Nurses are wonderful, but the office systems, referrals etc are a nightmare.
The biggest issue for us has been roads. Because of the fens shrinking, the smaller roads, of which there are many, tend to be higher in the middle and out lowered wheelchair adapted vehicle catches the exhaust and auto gearbox, so we've got to get a new one before it gets pulled apart.
There is a high concentration of Eastern European folk, in general I've found them really friendly, as is the 'native population. Not an area for you if you object to being called luv, duck, dear, sweetie etc.

Good evening everyone, wow what can lot of different comments, I really appreciate them all. I have been making notes from every one of them and we have decided at the moment to concentrate on Suffolk. We have stayed in various places such as Attleborough, Thorpe St Andrew, Beyton and even Lowestoft where I did feel safe, even though parts if it are run down but that's like many towns. We have cancelled the stay in Lincolnshire and have used those days to stay in the Premier Inn Lowestoft where we have stayed on a few occasions. Going to look in Beccles, Sudbury, Blundeston and a few villages around Bury Saint Edmunds. We know Pakefield very well, have taken a lovely walk along the top to get to the unspoilt natural beach and have gone back to walk along the lovely beach at Lowestoft too. We have also been to Gorleston and Gunton, the second place we were not keen on. I also feel Suffolk is a drive but not as far as Lincolnshire as I do have children and grandchildren all except one live in Kent, the other lives in the Cotswolds. I will keep you all posted!

We moved to South Lincs three years ago during lockdowns. Feel very safe in a village with a great general store, farm produce on sale sometimes and eggs. Hairdresser too. Loads of dog walking companies and trainers galore. Market town very near has good shops and a theatre. Lovely village vibe. Village hall, church, school. Bus service recently cut from hourly to two hourly. Peterborough not far . Hunstanton, Norfolk an hour away. Many great villages and towns. People are friendly here.
Also have friends who live in Norfolk Broads area near a village . Half hour from beautiful beaches also Sheringham and Cromer .
Close to North Walsham. Love visiting them. Have been staying with them for weekends 20 years+. Great pub restaurants. Norwich not far by bus or car.

I know Norfolk fairly well as my parents used to live in Attleborough , before they moved to be near me in the North west . It wasn’t my favourite area , I don’t like the flatness of Norfolk , I like hills . But the main issue was the health care in the area ….. impossible to get seen by a GP , because they couldn’t attract GPS to the area , hospitals were many miles away , and public transport was rubbish . Not a good place to live as you get older . That is why my parents moved , services are so much better here .