moving to CT, best areas to live for mtb from doorstep

[rpedro]

Manenberg !!! Nice and central for both Northern and Southern suburbs routes. Or come to Bellville and CY.

[quade]

Wow thanks for such a warm welcome!

And thank you all for your input, there is a boat load of options for me from the sounds of the replies

I've looked into everyone's recommendations!
 

I guess I need to explain a bit more about my situation

I work in IT, staff are in India, so im very fortunate to be able to have free reign on where I move, good internet is the only thing I need for work

 

I will ideally get a house with a separate building that I can convert to an office and work from there to be near kids... but internet MUST be good....at least 5Mbit and unlimited (not sure how things are down there for internet and how this affects an area to choose)

 

Nairobbery isn't the safest of places to live, so we would ideally like somewhere which is a bit safer, we currently live in one of the safest areas but car jacking, killings, and robberies are still rife, and getting worse by the year

Most of my South African Friends think CT is much safer though, but we would still like to avoid any problem areas

We currently live in a green area, and would like something similar, but has to be close to shops, restaurants and general life, but not a concrete jungle.

Regarding schooling, I heard schooling is pretty awesome in SA, so not too bothered about that.

We aren't so bothered about private school, certainly at this age!

 

We were considering settling in Nairobi, but this place is friggin expensive to live, and rents have gone up 25% each year in the last 3 years... its a nice place, but the scales are starting to tip now.

So to answer DUBBER's question, we are looking at cape town to settle and buy a house.

We have 2 boys (1 and 3 years old)
The 3 year old has additional needs which is one of the main reasons we are moving (mountain biking, weather and wine are also on that list!)

 

Here in Nairobi, there isn't much to do with such young kids, so i'm looking for stuff like soft play, pubs/coffee shops with playgrounds, and a bit of variety.

We currently have to drive 20 mins to find anything decent to do, so it doesn't necessarily need to be on our door step

 

We also would like a community of friends, in the same 30-40 age group and life stage
I was looking at somerset west, but someone told me its where you go to retire?!?

My budget for a house will be a max of 30,000 rand, but i'd rather not pay that much unless I had too.

It would need to be a 4 bed with a separate guest house/office

15,000R would be an ideal budget as I need to save for a house to buy

 

Based on this, and your feedback, it sounds like the Northern suburbs or Stellenbosch are a good fit?

Constantia seems pricey??? how about Newlands? (google says it rains a lot there though, i hate rain!)

Does Durbanville fit with my above needs too?
 

...oh and I would like a garden big enough to be able to throw a ball and not hit next door.

We currently live on 5 acres with 5 houses, quarter of an acre would be more than enough for the kids to run around though

 

I've waffled a lot, here is shortlist

- Unlimited internet of 5mbit or above

- near people of same life stage as us

- safe-ish area

- close-ish to shops, restaurants and life but also has a bit of green and space

- budget of 15-30k for a 4 bed with decent plot of land

- near young kid friendly stuff

- nice weather

- obviously near some good trails

 

 

I'm not sure if the above changes anyones recommendations?

From my google maps research:
Stellenbosch has some huge hills to the right of it and seems quite green
Durbanville looks nice and green but busy enough to have lots going on
Constantia looks nice a green.... but not keen if it rains lots! (and crazy rental costs)

Not sure if any other fit the bill.

 

Any more advice would be very appreciated based on the above to create my shortlist

Thanks!

[Beefy]

Grabouw... Do it...

[J∆kk∆ls]

Welcome thehub and welcome to Cape Town.

 

Firstly if you are going to work from home I would recommend you get a  UPS  for your computer. South Africa is currently going through a power crisis! 

 

Durbanville is a great recommendation for your needs. Kid friendly, Value for money property (Spacious) and legendary MTB trails.

 

Otherwise I would also look into Wellington. I don't know of any schooling options in that area though.

 

Best of luck and happy hunting!

[quade]

Thanks Jakkels

Most of my friends here are from SA, they all tell me about the power crisis!
Its not unusual to go a whole day without power here, and its not uncommon for it to go out for 3-4 days
I have back up battery inverters and a generator.... looks like i'll need that in SA too!

 

So Durbanville looks pretty good
Is security ok there too?

 

Whats the biking like in the nearby Tygerberg nature reserve and what type of

distance can you do there? 20km loops or bigger?

[Wally39]

Hey Quade

 

Pretty much anywhere will fulfil most of your needs. Speaking from my experience Somerset West/ Stellenbosch are good options. When you say your son has additional needs, how severe? My son has CP and there are some  top specialists in the area, physios, docs and the like.

 

That's my 2 cents, best you do a pre-move visit and bring your bike.

[quade]

Thanks Wally

 

He has Autism, but luckily my wife is a special education teacher so has been managing it for now, but that can't happen forever, so it about finding the right people for therapy as we plan for the future

We want him to go to a mainstream school if possible as its the social stuff he struggles with

 

A friend of mine has just moved to CT as her son has CP...same reasons for the move, and she raves about it!

 

We came to CT about 10 years ago for interviews... never worked out, but always said we'd try again as we loved it. (we were actually looking at moving to SSW then)

 
I have a biz trip planned soon, but don't want to bring the bike....always paranoid about them cracking my carbon frame!, but can bring the rest of my kit

I'm guessing its easy enough to hire a bike for the day!?

 

The weather is shocking at the moment, so maybe a good time to see it at its worst!
 

My wife wants to know which is the best area for security

Somerset West, Stellenbosch or Durbanville ?

or are they all about the same?

[NicoBoshoff]

Hi All

Our next stop is western cape after being in Nairobi for a fair whack of time

I love that i can hit the trails from my door step.

I'm looking for a good place to live to do the same thing, and must be family friendly for a young family and have good internet.... thats all I need.

 

Any recommendations

I was thinking of Constantia, seems pretty nice and looks to have some good hills near by

I would also like to ride with other guys from the door step

 

Growing up in Wales, I'm well into my technical stuff, (up and down)...I get a little bored of jeep track stuff which is big in kenya

 

Thanks for any advice

Come live in Paarl.  Trails all within 5km of town centre and awesome place to raise kids.

 

And we have the interwebz.

[PhilipV]

I live in Somerset West, it has a big retirement village component, but it also has some of the best primary schools in the western Cape. Stellenbosch has the best high schools with paarl a close second.

Trials in stellies are best, with Durbanville in 2nd place, Somerset West 3rd.

Durbanville is very Afrikaans, but the English side has grown lately. Don't know how much of an issue that is for you. Stellies is growing at a huge rate, but the road infrastructure is clogged up.

 

I've lived in Somerset West, Stellenbosch, Durbanville and Cape Town. I now live in Somerset West, but will happily be able to live in Stellenbosch as well. Somerset West is cheaper to rent and buy, and has less traffic issues. And my business is based here.

 

My suggestion is thus:

1) Somerset West

2) Stellenbosch

3) Durbanville

[No Hare]

My money will be on stellenbosch.

 

Simonsberg conservancy

Dirtopia trail Center

Gpsot

Paarl DH down the road

Jonkers

Welvanpas nearby

Then over Sir lowrys pass are some more trails

what else did I miss?

Good cycle shops

[Ratty]

Thanks Wally

 

He has Autism, but luckily my wife is a special education teacher so has been managing it for now, but that can't happen forever, so it about finding the right people for therapy as we plan for the future

We want him to go to a mainstream school if possible as its the social stuff he struggles with

 

A friend of mine has just moved to CT as her son has CP...same reasons for the move, and she raves about it!

 

We came to CT about 10 years ago for interviews... never worked out, but always said we'd try again as we loved it. (we were actually looking at moving to SSW then)

 

I have a biz trip planned soon, but don't want to bring the bike....always paranoid about them cracking my carbon frame!, but can bring the rest of my kit

I'm guessing its easy enough to hire a bike for the day!?

 

The weather is shocking at the moment, so maybe a good time to see it at its worst!

 

My wife wants to know which is the best area for security

Somerset West, Stellenbosch or Durbanville ?

or are they all about the same?

 

There is a very good primary school for kids with Autism in Parklands (Tableview).  It helps them transition to main stream schools later when they are more able to cope.  Classes are kept nice and small and kids gets to socialise with other kids like them so don't feel so different.  Tableview is just down the road from Durbanville. 

 

Like others have said, Stellenbosch, Somerset West (there is even a 3.2km loop in a park in the middle of town with jumps and other fun stuff to play on) and Durbanville are great for families and mtbing. 

 

One thing in Cape Town is if you are looking at Private schools, you need to get your kids names down now already.  in some areas, the schools have long waiting lists.  We tried one school when my son was 18 months and they were already full for when he would start.

 

Personally, I wouldn't look at Southern Suburbs.  Only really technical option is Tokai, but it gets really busy and its quite far to travel to other trails and its overpriced.

[Wally39]

Thanks Wally

 

He has Autism, but luckily my wife is a special education teacher so has been managing it for now, but that can't happen forever, so it about finding the right people for therapy as we plan for the future

We want him to go to a mainstream school if possible as its the social stuff he struggles with

 

A friend of mine has just moved to CT as her son has CP...same reasons for the move, and she raves about it!

 

We came to CT about 10 years ago for interviews... never worked out, but always said we'd try again as we loved it. (we were actually looking at moving to SSW then)

 

I have a biz trip planned soon, but don't want to bring the bike....always paranoid about them cracking my carbon frame!, but can bring the rest of my kit

I'm guessing its easy enough to hire a bike for the day!? There are a few shops where you can hire bikes

 

The weather is shocking at the moment, so maybe a good time to see it at its worst!

 

My wife wants to know which is the best area for security

Somerset West, Stellenbosch or Durbanville ?

or are they all about the same?

As for security, it's hard to say. I've lived here for 5 years and not had any issues. One negative for Somerset West is the N2 towards town. There have been a few instances of late and it can get nasty. So far I would say security in Somerset is good.

 

Maybe some of the guys from the other spots can give their views.

[madbradd]

Something nobody had mentioned yet is space. From your description I assume you in a suburb similar to Karen (although the crime threw me a bit there, but I've only been here a few weeks)?

 

Anyway, I'm not in a position to comment on all areas since I'm from joburg but there are a number where your house probably going to be significantly smaller than what you're used to.

 

Perhaps a few property/house sizes will help out a bit too.

[Dubber]

 

 

My wife wants to know which is the best area for security

Somerset West, Stellenbosch or Durbanville ?

or are they all about the same?

I can't comment too much on Stellies and SSW in terms of accommodation etc - but I can recommend the trails in the area - all good.

 

Northern Suburbs is my hood - so can give you lots of feedback ;-)

 

Safety:  Probably as safe as any other area in Cape Town.  However, even within each suburb there are good areas and not so good area's.  So you'll need to ask around a bit when looking.  But I would imagine a lot better than where you are currently.

 

Internet:  Most areas you'll get up to a theoretical 4MB line.  Some area's are getting SDSL (20 MB) and Fiber to the Home - so again, need to ask around.

 

Schools:  Some really good ones - but as Ratty mentioned, you need to get onto a list ASAP.  Which schools you can apply to depends on what area you live in - so a bit of chicken and egg.

 

Shops: 3 or 4 big shopping centers all within 15 minutes driving (less if no traffic).  Local shopping centers normally within walking distance (but nobody walks ;-)  

 

Peer Groups:  Durbanville / North Suburbs has the whole spectrum of ages.  But if you live in the catchment area for a good primary school, you will find that a large portion of the suburb is made of of younger familys'  (30 to 40 year old parents with kids in the 6 to 10 age group).

 

Tygerberg Trails:  Awesome!  Generally around 10 to 20 km per trail.  But you can link them all together to make up an 80 km ride...

 

Good luck with you decisions.  

[BarryH]

Welcome Quade

 

Northern suburbs is great, on bike and into great single track.

Have a look at Loevenstein/ Welgemoed. It is close to all the access roads and Telkom recently installed optic fibre, so your internet issues should be fine. Houses are within your  requirements, leafy with +/- 1300 m2 size plots. Also great schools in the area.

[venom1]

I vote Protea Heights Brackenfell in the Northern Subs.

Then again I might just be bias as I currently stay there. :-)