Waddesdon

[purlin]

Apologies if this is the wrong board.

Are there any members who live in Waddesdon Buckinghamshire who could give me an insight into the locality and amenities available there eg. shopping, local transport links, hospitals.
Thank you.

[ggrocott]

Nearest hospital is Stoke Mandeville, in Aylesbury.  There are a few very local shops, but Aylesbury or Bicester are the nearest largish shopping centres, many people go to MK or Oxford to shop.  There are a couple of pubs, a fish and chip shop and a rather nice cafe. The surrounding area has several farm shops.  Public transport is not good and expensive if you don't have a bus pass, it may improve once the East/West railway is up and running, and the traffic is pretty awful whenever Waddeson Manor has a big event.  There are also the joys of HS2 to think about!

Gill

[purlin]

Thank you Gill, i have viewed the area on 'Street View' and was impressed by the Elizabethan style manors along the High St.  However, the lack of local shops surprised me and I wondered how people managed.  I note there are some new housing developments close to Waddeson and then a much larger development towards Aylebury. Surely shops etc must be a part of any developments?

Thank you for the information on the East/West rail link and HS2 I hadn't considered those. 

I am a car driver, my wife is not though and she requires hospital out patients treatment, therefore, I need to think long term for her needs.

It sounds as though more thought and research is necessary.

Regards

[ggrocott]

Lots of new developments around Aylesbury, which frequently cause complete traffic chaos!  Most people drive to a superstore or use online delivery services for big grocery shops.   It waits to be seen what Covid does to the remaining shops in Aylesbury.  Bicester is expanding rapidly along with the traffic along the A41 which goes through Waddeson.   Most of the developments around Aylesbury include a small local 'convenience' shop - Sainsbury or Tesco local, and most of the villages have a farm shop/village shop of some sort, many of them very good.  Waddesdon has a dentist, medical centre and a very good vet, plus a tyre centre, it is a lovely village but .......................  HS2 is a VERY big consideration if you are looking anywhere in the area,  East/West railway is causing problems at the moment but will at least be beneficial in the future (we hope)!  Many local also find themselves using medical facilities at High Wycombe, (for scans etc) and in Oxford (heart and some other forms of surgery).  I don't live in Waddesdon, but I know it fairly well and have friends who live there.

[purlin]

I was somewhat hesitant to use Rootschat for this type of query.  I am now very glad I did, local knowledge proves to be invaluable.  I have read up on HS2 and its impact as well as East/West rail.  I feel you are probably quite correct in your assumptions.  A pity though, as you say a lovely village, I'm sure under normal circumstances we should have enjoyed our retirement there.

We shall look further afield, maybe the Banbury area with its Horton Hospital, not as attractive but maybe more practical. Thank you again.

[ggrocott]

No problem.  If you use facebook at all it is also useful to look at some of the local facebook groups, most villages have them nowadays it seems.  Of course one advantage of Waddesdon is that I believe locals get free access to the grounds of Waddesdon Manor.  In any case there are lots of lovely walks, including one route linking Waddesdon with Aylesbury financed by HS2 - who have also apparently funded some improvements up at Wendover Woods.   If you are a railway buff there is also the local Quainton Railway Centre and plenty of other opportunities for volunteering at things like National Trust properties, the Green Dragon Eco Farm and BBOWT sites; so plenty to do.  Most of the villages also have a good selection of community events, in better days Waddesdon has a very active Community Choir.  Winslow, not far from Waddesdon, has better facilities and will be very connected in terms of public transport once the East/West Railway is complete, it is a fairly easy drive from there to Buckingham and Milton Keynes.

[purlin]

Waddesdon  does sound idyllic Gill, I don't use facebook these days but yes, maybe if there is local information to be gained I should reignite my membership.  Winslow and Buckingham also look interesting so, maybe I will concentrate my searches around there. 

Presently we are based in the East Midlands, our family are in Northampton and Berkshire so we are looking to relocate somewhere in-between the two.  Its a downsizing operation with due regard to all involved for future care requirements etc. 

Its difficult, so many issues to be taken into consideration but I am indebted to you for your input.
 
 Thank you again