Living in St Neots – A Handy Guide

You may already live in St Neots and be all too familiar with the benefits it offers. If you don’t and you would like to know more, this Living in St Neots – A Handy Guide might prove useful.

As buying a home is such a massive investment so you don’t want to make any rash or uninformed decisions without careful planning.

Living in St Neots offers residents a very pleasant lifestyle with access to all that is necessary for work and for play close to hand.

St Neots is an ancient and very attractive market town, home to a population of approximately 31,000 who bask in its vibrant and lively atmosphere.

The History of St Neots

People have settled in the town’s locations for thousands of years.

Archaeological digs have shown the first settlements in the valley were in Neolithic times

St Neots is named after the 9th Century monk Saint Neot, as is the town’s medieval priory.

His bones were laid to rest in the priory in around 980 AD. Following their burial, pilgrims visited in large numbers eager to pay homage to the monk.

St Neots grew slowly from the local traders who peddled their wares to visitors who flocked to the town’s medieval priory.

Over time, these small stalls were replaced by permanent structures, which defined the boundaries of the attractive Market Square as we see it today.

If you are interested in the history of St Neots, visit the local museum to find out more about the town from its prehistoric origins to modern day.

Where is St Neots?

St Neots is located in the Huntingdonshire District to the west of affluent Cambridgeshire.

It has become the largest and fastest-growing town in the county, aside from Peterborough.

In an enviable position, straddling the River Great Ouse the town consists of four main suburbs.

Eaton Ford and Eaton Socon to the West of the river and St Neots itself and Eynesbury to the East.

It lies about 18 miles west of Cambridge, 29 miles from Peterborough, 30 miles from Luton, and about 50 miles north of London.

Travel Connections when Living in St Neots

Getting around this region is so simple. Transport connections are one of the town’s major assets, either by road or rail.

St Neots has its own railway station. Operated by Thameslink, services run direct into St Pancras station in 55 minutes.

Services to Peterborough are super quick, a journey by train of only 25 minutes. Cambridge is just a little further at 36 minutes.

The town is close to the intersection of the A1 road (north-south) and the A421 / A428 roads.

By road, you can get to all the major towns in the area including Bedford, Letchworth Garden City and Peterborough in well under 40 minutes.

St Neots is served by the Stagecoach 905. The service which operates between Bedford Bus Station and Cambridge Parkside on a typically half-hourly basis

The bonus to having such great connections is that you escape and be out enjoying the ambience of the surrounding rural areas of the town in no time at all.

Council Services for St Neots

When you first move to a new area, you will need to attend to a number of important issues.

Schools for your children will be one of the first, followed by registering with your county Council.

St Neots falls under the services of the Huntingdonshire District Council. From here you can set up an account for paying your Council Tax.

Once registered you can view your current balance, the amount of your next payment, report changes and apply for reductions at your own pace and in your own time.

Via the council website, you can apply for school admissions, and find out when your bins will be collected and where your local waste and recycling centre can be found.

However, not only is your district council’s website going to be packed with useful information but make time to check out your town council too.

St Neots Town Council is very active and works hard to improve services for its local residents.

The Town Council can help in all manner of ways. Community support groups, where the nearest play areas and open spaces are located, and bus services for the town.

Health Care Facilities When Living in St Neots

Next on the list is to get yourself registered as soon as possible with a local GP surgery.  This is vital if you have children or require prescription medication on a regular basis.

There are numerous NHS doctors’ surgeries to choose from in the town. Which one you need to register with will depend on where you settle.

You can find the closest GP to you by visiting the Yell.com website.

Hinchingbrooke Hospital sits 10 miles from the town and is the nearest main NHS general hospital for the area.

To find out where exactly the hospital is located, and its contact numbers visit the hospital website link above.

Shopping Facilities in St Neots

While it may not be necessary to have a string of popular shops right on your doorstep it is good to know that shopping in St Neots pretty much covers all requirements.

Several large national chains such as Argos and Boots are based in the town. Plus a large number of independent eclectic shops and two regular markets.

For your grocery shop, Waitrose has a store in the heart of the town, complemented by a Tesco and a Lidl.

St Neots Market Square is one of the largest and most ancient of its kind in the country, dating back to the 12th century.

A market has been held in the square every Thursday since its foundation.

The town centre is always a bustling place to be on market day which is Thursday from 9.00am – 4.00pm.

Everyone comes out to buy from the range of stalls on offer, including fresh produce, clothing, and homewares.

Not as ancient as the Thursday market, the local Saturday Craft Market has been in operation since 2002.

Local producers sell a wide range of products from organic meat, salad and veg to handmade items such as cards, soaps and textiles.

Education Provision for St Neots

Education is the main concern when you are on the move with children.

Another positive reason for living in St Neots is that it has some very good schools catering for all ages.

From nursery to secondary schools the education standards are high. Ofsted has rated all but one school within a two-mile radius as being “good” or “outstanding”.

Popular state choices for younger children include the Priory Junior School, Middlefield’s Primary Academy and Eynesbury CofE C Primary School.

The local secondary school is Riverside Meadows Academy.

Ofsted rated the school as “good” giving high praise to the quality of teaching. To read the full Ofsted report for the school, simply click HERE

Samuel Pepys School is a special, state-funded junior and senior school for boys and girls catering for a range of disabilities. An Ofsted “outstanding” school, providing specialist education for 120 children and young people  aged 3 to 19.

The SchoolGuide.co.uk website is a good place to start your search for the best schools in the area.

Property Market in St Neots

Having a commute of under an hour into London has resulted in a great deal of interest in St Neots over the past few years.

St Neots offers buyers much more value for money and more choice when compared to London.

There are over 200 homes for sale at the moment with prices catering to those new to the housing market and to more financially established buyers.

The average cost to purchase a one-bedroom flat in the town is £168,992. Compare this to London’s average of £537,256 and you can see just why St Neots is under the spotlight.

Detached family homes are also bargains compared to the city and sell for an average of £517,895. In London, it is impossible to buy a three-bedroom home anywhere near this price.

For more information about homes on the market in St Neots visit Zoopla.

Clubs and Societies in St Neots

No matter what your age or interests, a great way to start making new contacts and friends is by signing up for one of the many clubs and societies available in St Neots.

You can join anything from the local cricket club to the district’s popular angling society.

Choosing which one to join may pose a problem as there are so many. Click HERE to find out if there is one that is of particular interest to you.

Children are not left out either. There is plenty of entertainment clubs for them too. For a list of children’s clubs visit the Club Hub.

Green Areas Surrounding St Neots

Adding to the town’s general attraction, aside from good schools and positive property statistics, is the fact that it offers plenty of beautiful green areas, ideal for a peaceful rural lifestyle.

Dotted around the town’s local neighbourhoods are a number of small children’s parks and play areas.

Additionally, you have easy access to some larger green areas too.

Paxton Pits Nature Reserve is a great place to spend time. It provides residents with a rich mosaic of wildlife habitats covering 78 hectares of lakes, riverside, meadow, reedbed, scrub and woodland.

Riverside Park is great any time of the year but particularly so in summer. Consisting of 72 acres of land, located along the banks of the Great River Ouse, it is perfect for feeding the ducks, walking, jogging or enjoying a picnic.

Head to the outskirts of Bedford and you will find several lovely leafy spaces such as Mowsbury Park, Bedford Park and Priory Country Park.

One thing is for sure, you will have absolutely no problem discovering a wealth of green rural spaces to fill your recreational time living in St Neots.

Walking and Cycling Routes in St Neots

There is no better way of enjoying the big outdoors that either going for a long cycle ride or a leisurely walk amid nature.

The Ouse Valley Way is ideal if you really want to get to know the area.

An official walking route, which runs beside the river Ouse, guiding you through a number of towns, open green space and 250 acres of stunning parklands.

Part of the journey encompasses Fen Drayton Lakes and the delightful Paxton Pits nature reserve near St Neots.

If you prefer to explore on two wheels, there are as many as 20 routes to choose from. You can literally cycle for miles. Or if you have little ones, you can just dip in and out of each route.

For more information on each route, how long it takes and where it takes you visit the Komoot cycle planner website.

Other Attractions Near St Neots

The St Neots region is not just known for its rural countryside activities. There is all sorts of other interesting things to do here too.

Haughton Mill
St Neots Museum
The Shuttleworth Collection
Cineworld St Neots
Grafham Water
St Neots Golf Club

Ready to Move to St Neots?

St Neots is crammed with charming aspects and complemented by convenience.

The easy travel links, good schools and lots to do boxes all receive big ticks in St Neots.

Once you have decided that you are going to buy a home in St Neots, the next step is to arrange for the removal of your belongings. At Lund Conlon we can help you make that move.

Having been in the removal industry and operating in and around Bedfordshire for so long, we have accumulated experience and knowledge of the local area like no other removal company.

We can provide you with a reliable, honest, removal from door to door, and at a reasonable price.

To book a home or virtual survey contact our local office today.

Our comprehensive no obligation quotation is free of charge so you have nothing to lose, just give us a call.