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Moving to Liphook - Hannah (3rd Jun 2011 - 09:08:18) Hello everyone. It looks like my family and I will be relocating to Liphook from Fulham. Doing it for all the usual reasons, young family (nearly 2 year old toddler and 6 month old baby), more space, garden, schools blah blah. But I've got the fear, a little bit, about a more "rural" life. I am a city girl, born and bred. I'm sure the children will be fine, but I am wondering a little bit about me. I am a stay-at-home mum (for the moment, anyway). Please can you all tell me to pull myself together and give me lots of reasons why this will All Be Fine?? Also any info on nurseries/daycare would be welcome as I can't seem to find anything that isn't pre-school (ie two years upwards). My daughter started to go to nursery just before she turned one and it did her the world of good - I'd love for my son to do the same but that doesn't seem to be an option unless I drive him to haslemere every day - is that the case, and how practical is that (traffic etc)? And what about this tunnel - good thing or bad thing..? Thanks in advance, Hannah

Re: Moving to Liphook - Lesley (3rd Jun 2011 - 11:31:40) Welcome to Liphook Hannah. We may be rural but there is loads going on if you are prepared to join in. Annual Carnival, fetes, art society, horticultural society, am drams, cinema etc, etc. and we are near to Guildford for great clothes shopping, Portsmouth for Gunns Wharf outlet centre and the sea with all the historic stuff. Can not advise on child care as mine are now grown up but I am pretty sure there is some available in the village. Travel to Haslemere is only about 10mins As for the tunnel its a winner.

Re: Moving to Liphook - Cath (3rd Jun 2011 - 12:51:25) Welcome Hannah I also moved to the village to start a family, the village is full of us! You'll love Liphook - I promise you there is plenty to do and people are really welcoming. With regards to childcare for under 2's unless you want to go the childminder route there is nothing in Liphook unfortunately. There are a few good nurseries in Haslemere - a 10 minute drive away - I'll let parents who have kids there recommend the best ones. The Royal School at the round about on the a3 also offer childcare for younger ones. There is a fantastic range of things to do with little ones from Tiddlers on a Monday morning at Liphook Infants, Little Lambs on a Tuesday morning at the Church Centre and many more activities which I'm sure other Mum's will post up for you. Singing groups, tumbletots - you name it. If you would like to meet up for a coffee and meet your first friendly face, confirm back and I'll ask the editor if he would pass on my details. Cath (3 year old and 1.5 year old boys)

Re: Moving to Liphook - charlotte (3rd Jun 2011 - 13:17:29) Hi Hannah, Welcome. I live in Liphook and was searching for day care for my baby (he was one this week) and I'm fairly certain that Haslemere is the closest option. My baby went to Toad Hall (Haslemere) for a while on a flexi booking basis. They do various sessions half days, full days, school days. Prices ranged from approx. £35 for a half day to £60 for a full day. I use to drop him off for the 8am start and it would take about 15 mins to get there, but heading back in to Liphook took much longer as school traffic was getting on roads. It was a lovely place and he seemed to like going, but the journey back drove me insane so eventually I found a childminder instead. Hope that helps a little bit! We moved here a few years back when our first child was born, generally speaking it's a good place to live with everything you could need - except day care! There seem to be a few mother and toddler type groups. I don't go to any but was thinking I might give the Willows group a go - that happens on a Friday afternoon. Charlotte.

Re: Moving to Liphook - Charley (3rd Jun 2011 - 13:24:30) Hi Hannah, We relocated here just over a year ago and its the best mov we have ever made! It may be rural, but we are still not too far from other more built up areas. I have three children and my youngest who is 20 months goes to day care one day a week at Caring Daycare in Haslemere, it only takes about 10 minutes in the morning. Anyway if you want to get in touch ask the Editor for my email address and I'd be happy to answer any more of your questions! x

Re: Moving to Liphook - Clare (3rd Jun 2011 - 14:00:35) We're moving to Liphook too, hopefully in the summer, and have a nearly 2 year old little girl. She is currently at The Royal School which has a daycare (0-2yrs) and a nursery (3-4yrs) open 8-6pm with various sessions available and running 51 weeks a year. We love it and more importantly she loves it. At the moment we live in a city terrace with patio - at The Royal there are acres of outdoor space and whenever it is dry they use the whole grounds - a perfect antidote for those used to city living!

Re: Moving to Liphook - Hannah (3rd Jun 2011 - 15:23:56) Thank you so much everyone! We haven't moved yet - in fact we will be house hunting this weekend which I am very excited about. As soon as we find The House (you know, the one you walk into and instantly fall in love with) though, i would love to meet up with some of you. I will keep in touch via this board and in all probability witter on a bit about the trials and tribulations of moving, try to get a "virtual" feel for the place and see if I can fathom out what all the hoo-haa about the parish council is all about... Ooooooh, I'm going to be a country wife! Should i buy some wellies? Do I need a trug? Can I bake cakes for a cake stall at a fete? I feel a self-reinvention coming on (feel free to tell me if I am being horribly cliched, the nearest I ever got to rural living was growing chives in an old tin bathtub outside the back door in our fully paved London back yard...)

Re: Moving to Liphook - Jacqui (3rd Jun 2011 - 15:52:52) Hi, I run Little Green Frogs on a Wednesday in the church centre in liphook. If you would like to come along and try us out I will give you a free session. I start at 9.30-10.30 and 10-45 to 11.45. Jacqui

Re: Moving to Liphook - Charley (3rd Jun 2011 - 15:54:42) Hi again Hannah, You aren't a friend of Emma and Simon are you? I just remember seeing something on Simon's facebook about a friend moving here? Anyway I'm their neighbour!

Re: Moving to Liphook - Hannah (3rd Jun 2011 - 17:01:29) Charley - yes! Popping in for a coffee with Simon on Sunday morning before I start seeing houses as a matter of fact. He and I are work colleagues (except due to having the two babies so close together I haven't actually been in the office for over two years now...) Don't believe anything he tells you about me. ;)

Re: Moving to Liphook - Paul Ellis (3rd Jun 2011 - 17:23:23) Hello Hannah My wife and I, plus one 18 month old son, moved from central London in 1964 when Liphook was VERY rural and still a fairly small village. We, too, were a bit dubious at first but soon came to love it here. Much more to get involvrd in than there was in London. Beautiful countryside and only 20 minutes drive to Portsmouth if you want to pop onto a ferry for France. Now our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren live here or very near.

Re: Moving to Liphook - Vicki (3rd Jun 2011 - 20:49:02) Hi Hannah, As everyone has said, this is a fantastic place to bring up a young family but for nurseries Haslemere really is the only option. Like Charley, my daughter is at Caring Daycare and absolutely loves it, she'll be 1 later this month and has been there since she was 6 months old. It only takes 10 minutes and with the tunnel opening it'll only be a couple of minutes up the a3. That said, all the Haslemere nurseries seem to come with very good reviews. There is loads to do with children in the village including (hopefully) the brand new park! As other's have said, I'm always up for a cuppa and chat when you arrive. I really hope your house hunt goes well this weekend and you find that dream house. Good luck!!

Re: Moving to Liphook - Emily (4th Jun 2011 - 00:02:47) Hello :) I don't know much about it, but there is The Willows Nursery School which is next to the rec in Liphook, and the Royal School's nursery is lovely for them, I went to the royal so I know that it is really good :) hope you'll love liphook when you move here it is amazing!

Re: Moving to Liphook - Vicki Mac (4th Jun 2011 - 11:09:56) We moved here ten years ago with two young children from Hounslow! It was the best move ever! The kids have loved the schools are will soon both be in Bohunt. I was a townie too but Guildford, Portsmouth,Haslemere and Petersfield are all easy drives and you can reach the sea in less than an hour! Ignore the Parish Council nonsense, it rumbles on and on. Unless you have an urgent need to get into local politics my advice is just come and enjoy the countryside! V

Re: Moving to Liphook - Lesley (4th Jun 2011 - 14:19:26) Yes please to baking cakes. 1st October is the scouts Autumn Fete at the Millennium centre and there will be a cake stall. When you are moving if you have any crockery that you want to throw out could the scouts have it for the smash the crockery stall. We would also be grateful for any bric a brac, toys, books or things to go on the tombola or bottle stall. Hope you find a house soon. PS if you want to dump anything to get it out of your way then I am happy to store things. And yes you will defiantly need wellies.

Re: Moving to Liphook - Dee (4th Jun 2011 - 15:33:01) Good luck with your house hunting . there is also a day nursery near Petersfield, Pooh Corner at Sheet Excellent staff .

Re: Moving to Liphook - Hannah (4th Jun 2011 - 16:21:40) Hi Lesley, When you say "bottle stall" - do you mean booze? I work for a drinks company and have a stack of stuff I would like to get shot of, would be very happy for you to take it off my hands! Hopefully we will be in the area by then... Although not sure if it's enough time for me to produce a decent (ie edible by anyone other than immediate family) cake even if I start now. As for crockery you can certainly have anything that gets chipped in the move, though we did just have a big clear out. I've got some horrible ornaments you could smash too (either on the stall or just for fun) if you like?! I am going to be VERY good at village life, aren't I? Do my wellies need to be green? (I wouldn't want to get it wrong ;))

Re: Moving to Liphook - Hannah (4th Jun 2011 - 18:57:55) Seeing two houses tomorrow, one in Liphook, one in Haslemere. SO EXCITED!!!

Re: Moving to Liphook - Paul Robinson (4th Jun 2011 - 20:45:18) Dear Hannah, Works for a drinks companay eh . . . Forget Haslemere, Liphook is the place for you! Whatever you do, do not fall for the soft blandishments of a reprobate called Finchie (see elsewhere on this site) He is only after the contents of your drinks cabinet to replenish his own. Welcome to Liphook Paul Robinson

Re: Moving to Liphook - Karen F (4th Jun 2011 - 21:42:26) Erm Hannah, any spare bottles could be chucked my way. I am the Chairperson of Liphook Carnival Committee and we are holding a Fun Day on 3rd July. Sure we could use the bottles on a tombola! Happy house hunting! And if you are looking to make friends and join in with local events, look no further than the Carnival Committee, we are always looking for new recruits!! Hope to meet you soon! Karen

Re: Moving to Liphook - Lesley (5th Jun 2011 - 10:19:34) Hey, I asked first for those bottles. Keep your hands off Carnival Committee! Bottles of booze would be wonderful and any other bottles as well. All ornaments and crockery also very welcome, in short the scouts will take anything. Funky wellies are definitely allowed. Hope you liked the Liphook house.

Re: Moving to Liphook - liz (6th Jun 2011 - 09:03:22) Hi Hannah If you decide green or flowery wellies are a must then Haslemere is for you. If you don't care about the colour - then welcome to Liphook!

Re: Moving to Liphook - Jenny (7th Jun 2011 - 12:11:27) Hi Hannah, Liphook has been part of our lives for 39 years, we have brought up three children and now have four grandchildren. Not only is Liphook friendly, with loads going on, but it is in relatively rural countryside, but you are only down the road from the SEA! West Wittering, Bosham, Itchenor, Bognor and for shopping and fun -- Chichester. So you have the best of everything at your finger tips. My youngest grandaughter goes to the Royal School Nursery, it is lovely. I prefer flowery wellies personally! Welcome to LIphook

Re: Moving to Liphook - Hannah (8th Jun 2011 - 09:14:02) So...I will be back in Liphook this Friday for a second viewing. Saw the house and village for the first time on a drizzly Sunday afternoon, there was no-one around and the village seemed deserted. Reassure me it's not always like that?! Sainsburys seemed quite packed, though... Some questions: Where do you go for odd bits of local shopping, eg loaf of bread and pint of milk - do I have to schlep all the way to Sainsbos for that? What's the farm shop at Applegarth like? What are the local pubs like? Anywhere to eat in the village that isn't a pub or a curry place? On the plus side, very excited that my husband can play polo at Hindhead, he used to play before we had the children and then "two under two" kind of put a stop on that. We were members at Cowdray several years ago (again, pre children) and will be so much closer in Liphook than we are in London. LESLEY - since I will be down on Friday I could drop some bottles/books/other (including a brand new, never used, deep fat fryer still in its box) if you want for the scouts? I shall NOT be making cakes now since it is becoming clear the more I read this site that you are the Liphook Queen Of Home Baking and i am not about to try to topple you from what looks like a well deserved position. Anyway, I would fail and that would be embarrassing. If you do want anything for the scouts though, can you get my email from the editor (not sure how that works?) and drop me a line. And if anyone else is around on Friday and would like a coffee in number 26 (i think?) and give me the low down on village life, then I'm buying. Hannah PS very distressed to see that the infamous Finchie has failed so far to turn up on this thread despite all the mentions of free booze. Do I have to be a proper villager first??

Re: Moving to Liphook - helen (8th Jun 2011 - 10:03:49) Hi I find the Applegarth shop expensive. There are a lot of local producers around, and also some ways to find local food =there is a producers fair on Sunday at Milland Village Hall, this is the East Hampshire Self Sufficiency group, 11-3 Honey, cakes etc for sale plus demonstrations. Blackmoor Apple Shop is good too. Depending on where your house is the small co-op is open on the Headley Road for bread and milk. People I believe around here have milk deliveries. There is also the Passfield shop, where is the house you are viewing I can give you more info.?

Re: Moving to Liphook - Lesley (8th Jun 2011 - 10:13:32) Thanks Hannah, will contact the editor and email with my address etc. I will be good to meet you, looking forward to it.

Re: Moving to Liphook - liz (8th Jun 2011 - 10:15:33) Nowhere looks good in the drizzle, the village is normally very pretty and it is (thankfully) very quiet on Sundays.There is an excellent bakers in Station Road and you can also buy bread, milk and other essentials from the Co-op in the Headley Road. Not sure about Applegarth as I haven't been there for years but it does have a good reputation. There a number of farm shops and farmers markets in the area. A bit limited on non-pub eating places but don't rule out the Gurkha as the food is excellent and quite different from the 'run of the mill' curry house. Plenty of opportunities to play and watch polo, plus this is a wonderful area generally for riding and walking.

Re: Moving to Liphook - Sharon (8th Jun 2011 - 12:04:48) There's also the Golden Boat Chinese, the chinese takeaway, and of course Whiteley's which has the indoor play area! Come along to Piglets Playtime (aka Liphook Parent and Toddler Group) to meet other mums & dads, at the Church Centre Friday mornings 10am-12pm. We'll give you all the info you need about life in the village. We're running throughout the school holidays as well!

Re: Moving to Liphook - Hannah (8th Jun 2011 - 12:21:29) Hi Sharon, Where is the church centre? I won't have the babies with me (a rare day off - thank you, daddydaycare) but might pop in to say hello if that's ok? This is street view of The Church Centre maps.google.co.uk/.... It is in 'The Firs', which is off the Portsmouth Road.

Re: Moving to Liphook - Hannah (8th Jun 2011 - 13:42:36) Thank you Mr Editor! Wow, once you scratch the surface Liphook kind of comes alive doesn't it?

Re: Moving to Liphook - Sharon (9th Jun 2011 - 10:48:15) It would be great to see you, yes please do come along - and Charley may well be there too!

Re: Moving to Liphook - Finchie (9th Jun 2011 - 16:36:47) Free Booze !!! Welcome to Liphook Hannah :-) Once you're here though, don't tell anyone else how good Liphook is, or else everyone will want to move here ! Keep it our litlle secret ! BTW, the coffee shop (26) is one of Finchess' favorite coffee haunt, as well as Applegarth Farm in Grayshot. Cheers, Finchie

Re: Moving to Liphook - Emma (10th Jun 2011 - 11:17:26) Hello, what a great thread. Well I'll just jump right on the bandwagon then - I am moving to Liphook TOO! Well, we're sort of moved in but still back and forth. Its a long story. Anyway, I have 3 kids who are all starting at Amesbury in September (age 3, 6 and almost 9) and I'm looking for fun stuff for them to do in August. Are there any summer camps at any of the local schools? Most of the koosa kids type things I find are 3 yrs+ which leaves one of them out. Would love some ideas pretty please. For what age group is the parent's morning at the church centre on Fridays? And for the record, I can't bake for toffee but I'm going online to order my wellies now. ;-)

Re: Moving to Liphook - Clare (10th Jun 2011 - 13:58:32) Re summer activities try ACTion camps, they've just got a new website and hold their daycamps at The Royal School in Hindhead. I think they take from Y1 upwards

Re: Moving to Liphook - Sharon (10th Jun 2011 - 16:14:07) Hi, welcome to Liphook as well! The friday morning toddler group is mainly aimed at 0 - 4, but during the holidays the older siblings come along as well. There may well be extra Little Green Frog holiday sessions or Tiddlers holiday sessions arranged - and I'm sure those will be advertised. But tere is a council run scheme called RAPP that visits various places in the area and runs sessions for different age groups. Check out their website www.getactivenow.org.uk. There are also quite a few events organised at Alice Holt and Queen Elizabeth Country Park - there may be some websites, but they have leaflets in the visitor centres with lots of details. I'm starting to think of ideas for the holidays too!

Re: Moving to Liphook - Cath (10th Jun 2011 - 20:58:27) Hannah the only other piece of advice I have for you is if you are not heading to private schools but looking at the local schools -( they are excellent by the way). They are so excellent in fact that they are pretty full. Make sure you check that your child would have a place at the school. Two of my friends have moved to the Haslemere and had to go private because they weren't able to get in to the closest school but were going to have to travel some distance. I know Liphook is very popular too. I don't want to put you off and it may not be an issue for you - but something worth looking into before you move.

Re: Moving to Liphook - Hannah (11th Jun 2011 - 09:17:00) Ladies and gentlemen of Liphook, I salute you. I spent more or less the whole day in the village yesterday. Firstly, picked up some sausage rolls and pasties at the bakers, then some wine and beer from the shop opposite where a very lovely young girl helped me find the beer most local to Liphook and made some very good recommendations. That shop is fabulous! Then I popped in at the mums and toddlers group and had a quick cuppa with Sharon and Charley who told me all about the other local groups and halls in the village. Then I did a second viewing on The House. Then I had lunch and a think at the Royal Anchor. Deep fried is deep fried, but I had a very acceptable scampi and chips and read the Liphook Herald. Then I drove up to the Deer Hut, phoned my husband and discussed the house. Then I went to Lesley's, met the chickens, admired her cakes-in-progress, had another cup of tea and dropped off some bits for the scouts. Then I went to the estate agents and made an offer on The House. He offered me a cup of tea too. Unheard of!! Then I went to the Green Dragon to see what beer they had on the instructions of my husband (as obviously this is the criteria that makes or breaks our move...) and, bless her, the landlady wrote them all down for me. Then I drove out of the village a bit to find the co-op mentioned above, carried on driving, got horribly lost and did a series of spectacular 93 point turns in small lanes while the parking sensors beeped furiously.

Re: Moving to Liphook - Hannah (11th Jun 2011 - 09:22:50) (oops, what happened there?) Then I drove out to the farm shop at Applegarth (got lost again) and stocked up on all sorts of things which we shall be sampling for lunch today and the lady there was lovely too and looked after all my bits while I nipped to the loo (all those cups of tea!) And then I drove home in some fairly horrendous Friday night traffic. Liphookians, you're lovely. From the shop staff who really love their jobs right down to the little girl who, as I paced up and down round the back of The House checking out the toddler escaping potential of the fencing, stopped to ask me if I was lost or needed any help (she can only have been about ten years old), you made me feel so welcome. We may be lucky and get The House, we may not. We've put all our eggs in one basket and made the very best offer we can afford, so fingers crossed. But regardless of that, you should feel very proud of your village - it has a real heartbeat.

Re: Moving to Liphook - Sudha Rai (13th Jun 2011 - 10:42:09) Hello Hannah and Clare, I feel so envious that you are both moving to Liphook..you will definitely enjoy it here..just the fact that you have chosen it proves that it is one of the best places to live in the country. I thought that I would tell you that as an Army wife of many years I had to move houses very frequently.With little kids it was not easy but it was always the hard work put in by yourself and the welcome and support that was given to me by the locals (wherever you go to)that made the posting so memorable and we left with happy memories every time. You will have no trouble receiving the warm welcome and support here in Liphook.

Re: Moving to Liphook - Hannah (14th Jun 2011 - 19:11:35) Hello again everyone, We have just heard this evening that our offer has been accepted! We should be in liphook by the end of the summer and definitely in time for the carnival. I am basically beside myself with excitement. HELLO NEW NEIGHBOURS. Hannah

Re: Moving to Liphook - Paul Robinson (14th Jun 2011 - 20:16:40) Congratulations and welcome to Liphook. If you can spare time from throwing stuff in boxes then give Mr 'Hannah' a Father's Day treat and drag him down to the 'Deer's Hut' this Sunday to view a spectacular array of old cars and other classic vehicles. There will be four different bitters on offer including Sharpe's 'Doombar' 'Nuff said Paul Robinson

Re: Moving to Liphook - Emma (17th Jun 2011 - 14:08:51) Dear Hannah, thats fantastic news! I look forward to meeting you as a fellow newbie. And thanks for all the school holidays ideas! Emma

Re: Moving to Liphook - Hannah (17th Jun 2011 - 19:20:53) Hi Emma, Maybe the editor could help us swap email addresses? I have a just-about-to-turn 2 year old and 7 month old. The toddler is going to miss next door's just-turned-4 year old immensely - she completely idolises her and follows her everywhere given half a chance. That's going to be the most gut wrenching part of the move for me. Maybe your three year old could fill the vacancy...? Hannah

Re: Moving to Liphook - Mary W (2nd Jul 2011 - 13:28:05) Hi Hannah! Have been reading all about you, sounds as if you are going the right way about it to settle in in the best village in the world! I have grandchildren, but wish I'd known about this place when we were young. There is plenty for older people here as well, so you don't need to think about moving anywhere else later. My favourite farm shop is Durleigh Marsh, on the way to Midhurst from Petersfield. A whole month of freshly picked asparagus in the Spring, tons of pick your own fruit and veg all year, thick untreated cream to die for, home made cakes - wonderful! And the Co-op in the Headley Road just off the square is open every day of the week until 10 pm - they are terrific. Let us know how things go...

Re: Moving to Liphook - Hannah (15th Jul 2011 - 17:39:54) Well, after a nightmare six weeks during which time our chain has fallen apart at both ends, in the last 48 hours everything has turned around and we seem to be back on track! We won't be in Liphook in time for the summer show as we had hoped (although Lesley is very kindly going to take my daughter's entry for the seaside collage competition along for us, thank you Lesley) but we should be there in time for the Carnival. Please keep your fingers crossed for us that nothing goes wrong now as our pathetic two-and-a-half bedroom London terrace is an absolute nightmare now we have a full on free range "terrible two" (she celebrated her birthday last week) and the baby is rolling everywhere... (thankfully not yet crawling)! Hannah

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