Information about living in Caddington village

So you want to move to Caddington?

There is a lot of village information on the previous page, but this page is intended to give more detail which is even more boring to those that might be looking here.

Note that I am not complaining about any of the smells, noises, etc.! I knew what to expect when I moved into my current house. This is provided as information for possible newcomers.

Accessibility

Caddington is one of the larger villages in Bedfordshire. You should already have seen from the map references that it lies between (but south of) Luton and Dunstable. It is still separated from both towns by narrow, unlit roads which are subject to the national speed limit. At least the road from Luton has a surfaced footpath for the whole length (about a mile)!

It is worth knowing that the village has rush hour queues on Manor Road, Chaul End Road and Dunstable Road on most weekday mornings from soon after 8am to about 9am. The queues are worst when the weather is bad or the M1 has problems, and have been known to reach the doctors' surgery in Manor Road and the edge of the village on Chaul End Road!

Caddington is approximately two miles from the Luton & Dunstable Hospital. This is designated as a sort of "disaster response" facility for the M1 and the airport, so it's unlikely to be closed.

Elevation

Caddington is about 170m (that's 570ft in English!) above sea level making it one of the higher villages in Bedfordshire. It is therefore a little cooler than Dunstable and most of Luton, so there is more likely to be snow accumulation than in the lower areas nearby. It often has clearer roads when the lower areas have fog. Some houses can see as far as St Albans to the south (just, and then probably only in winter), but only houses in Chaul End are likely to have a good view over Luton.

Flooding

Despite the altitude, flooding cannot be dismissed as a problem. The recent downpours (2000 and 2002) have resulted in:

A puddle near the village signpost that could have been mistaken for a village pond.
Floods on every road in and out of the village.
A lake on Elm Avenue.
Flooded gardens in various roads.

Aley Green often floods.

The Winchfield development had water problems before building was complete, particularly down the south-west (Folly Lane) side. It is alleged that there was sewage rising from the manhole on plot 15. The recent soakaway installed in the back garden of plot 15 was completely covered in water, and it had to be pumped out into the sewers when the level in that had gone down. The soakaway has had a hole drilled through the underlying clay. Whether this cures the problem or not (and for how long) will be interesting to see.

Politics

Caddington had a habit of electing independents to the Parish and District Councils. They tend to be part of the Residents Association. It is a fact that some of the members are Labour supporters and some are Conservative supporters, but since they are elected on independent tickets they are insulated from party politics to some degree and (hopefully) do what they think is best for the village. Following the recent political tinkering by the Labour Government, the Residents Association decided not to contest the latest District Council elections.

Noise

The village lies in a direct line with the end of the runway at Luton Airport, which is about four miles away. When the wind is from the east, all the landing aircraft glide in over the village. They still have their engines running and they tend to increase the engine power slightly as they extend the wing flaps for landing, so there will be some noise! When the wind is westerly or very light, the aircraft take off towards the village. Most of them turn left to avoid us (and the resulting complaints) but some of the quieter ones seem to be allowed to fly right over (on reduced throttles?).

More noise can depend on where you are in relation to the village church. The bells ring most Sunday mornings (not before 9am!), at most Saturday weddings (times vary), on (Wednesday or Thursday) practice nights (7.30 to 9pm) and on other rare occasions.

Noise from hedge trimmers, lawnmowers and strimmers are expected in most places these days, but for people near the allotments the machinery can include JCBs (diggers) and rotavators.

There is also the chance of localised noise due to pets & wildlife. For example, dogs, cats, budgies and chickens. I have even heard cockerels, although I believe that they are not as close as they sound! The chickens sometimes pretend to be cockerels for a time! Noisy wildlife includes hedgehogs (particularly at mating time), foxes and deer. Owls can be heard on rare occasions.

The final noise source is the traffic! When the roads are clear there will often be someone with a loud car or motorbike who wants to show how fast they can go. On some nights there may be races around the village streets (with the attendant tyre noises). When the roads are busy there will be queuing traffic in both Manor Road and Chaul End Road as drivers try to join the Dunstable and Luton roads. When there is no wind or masking noises, the M1 can be heard (a mile away).

Smells

Caddington lies in the middle of agricultural land. At least once a year, some of the farmers tend to spray muck over their fields to increase the yield. Some allotment owners also use manure. The fowl mentioned above can yield a degree of odour which varies with the weather conditions. If you can't stand the smell...

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