[YorkshireLass]

As a career move, I'll be moving to somewhere in Northants in a month or so.
I have only been once, and that was for the interview! 
It looks like I will have to make some serious compromises to afford rent.... I'd love a little cottagey thing with a large garden to attempt veg growing (chickens? rabbits?) and have the dog run around.  But I may be restricted to a suburban "clusterhome" (??!) with a few square feet of dirt out front.

Does anyone on here live locally / know any nice areas / know any areas to not even contemplate...? For ease of commuting / travelling onsite I'm initially looking for somewhere between Northampton and Kettering. But I have no concept of how fast the main roads are (short but always clogged? long but clear?) either!

Fortunately my sheep can stay where they are for now. It would be nice to have some land for them though I think it unlikely!

Many thanks 

[Sandy]

Hi, I used to live in Market Harborough for many years, so on the boundary of Nothamptonshire and Leicestershire, so, being an agency worker I covered many of both areas but cannot really tell you where is best. Corby used to be a bit rough but I have friends and family there and I quite like it now, that rough edge is smoothing out and property prices increased with the train links. I worked in Kettering, Wellingborough, Northampton and ???it will come to me later, there are some pretty areas and road links are good, the A14 links a few places but due to it being duel carrageway it can get very frustrating as you get loads of lorries going to the ports at Felixstow, they take up one lane and the other is taken up with lorries overtaking the slower ones!! Mind you, I have been away from that area for a few years now but family are still around. Villages like Brixworth are lovely but to be honest, until I look at the map, have forgotten!!!!

I know where I lived is very expensive now due to trains to Londong taking less than an hour!!!  I loved the areas around Melton Mowbray,, now thats Leicestershire, but thats VERY rural but getting in and out of Melton was a nightmare as all the roads ended up at a roundabout that got conjested, although, that may have changed, some stunning villages around there and good prices.  I bet there are loads on here that know better than me but just one thought!, We bought this house cheap as its in a rough area, but it gets better and better and is actually less of a problem as the rough people here only pick on each other and we have had no crime whereas I lived in a very posh area, WOodhouse Eaves, and had loads of crime......Good luck and enjoy choosing!!!

[YorkshireLass]

One set of viewings last week, another set tomorrow. Three hour drive each way 
On the one hand, I'm having more luck with the dog than I expected (usually asking for higher deposit); on the other hand my budget only stretches to "grot that could perhaps be tidied up". Also spent two lots of mobile credit chasing letting agents. What part of "I'm only in the county for two days, let me know if dog issue is worth a try and I'll book a damn viewing" is unclear?

Ack.
Oh well!
Viewing one in Brixworth funnily enough 

[Sandy]

Brixworth is nice, near enough to the Northampton but rural and not far from Market Harborough.  We have 4 dogs so if we rent it will be very difficult!!

[ambriel]

I was born and raised in Ecton, in rural Northamptonshire, although I now live way up in the north west corner of Scotland.

It's a nice part of the county. The last house we owned before heading north was in a small village called Little Harrowden, which is between Northampton and Kettering, but nearer to Kettering. I can thoroughly recommend Harrowden as a place to live and it's just a few miles from Kettering.

The county remains very rural - lots of greenery and you don't need to drive more than a few miles from the town centre to find yourself in rolling countryside surrounded by fields or wheat or livestock.

The principal road link from Northampton to Kettering is the A43 which is predominately single carriageway and, as a consequence, quite heavily used during the rush hours.

One problem with the county is that it is relatively close to London (~65 miles) and with two mainline rail routes into the capital, so house prices are higher than might otherwise be the case.

With so much of the county remaining in farming you might find it quite easy to find land to rent but... no promises.

[lachlanandmarcus]

you could try estate houses on one of the country estates, they are usually more accommodating about dogs (tho thats sometimes cos theyre aware the house hasnt been decorated since 1962...:-))

[YorkshireLass]

Small world - am also viewing a little place in Ecton  

I'm hoping these fancypant commuter types will want their luxury apartments, thus leaving the higgledy piggledy cottages for me and the dog (and veggies...and maybe chickens....)

I did try a couple of estate websites but there ws nothing on; but I don't know the names to be looking for really.

[ambriel]

Small world - am also viewing a little place in Ecton  

Where abouts in the village is it?

There's a website at http://www.ectonvillage.co.uk

Regards
Gary

[Sandy]

A good contact would be farmers or large land owners as often they have houses to rent out!!!!

[YorkshireLass]

I'll be applying for the Ecton one but I won't give away the exact address...until there are random pics of the garden renovation :p

[ambriel]

I'll be applying for the Ecton one but I won't give away the exact address...

No prob's. Good luck with it.

I hope to be down that way myself in August - first time in more than four years.

[YorkshireLass]

Got my little cottagey thing in Ecton 
Collecting keys and moving mid-month. Of course my assistants will need refreshments at the local pub (especially as I've no cooker yet). 

Any recommendations for good little independent shops (from grocers to clothes to farm stuff), pubs, places to visit etc will be welcome 

[jaykay]

Good result 

[ambriel]

Which house is it, now that you've got it ?

Will the Three Horseshoes or the World's End be your watering hole ?

[YorkshireLass]

Just off the high street.

Three Horseshoes is closer, didn't go past the World's End that time. I think they're both worth a shot though  

I'm now plotting grand ideas for the garden   but think I'd better measure up and look at the soil first. And see what weeds are waiting for me. How boring! Thinking of trying a permaculture-esque approach; lots of edibles/functional plants, mingled in, mulched to avoid digging. Contract says not to remove shrubs, so how do I look after roses? I gather different types need different approaches. To my eye, they're bog standard, about 3 foot tall, at a glance looked healthy. There's also a small twizzly* tree, but not twizzly enough to be corkscrew hazel.

I may post a sketch plan to gather opinions of clever people here   I don't mind experimenting, and failing, but it'd be nice to avoid reaaaaally dumb ideas!






*technical term