Dorking, Reigate, Epsom or Leatherhead?

[PST7777]

Which of these four smart Surrey towns do you think is the prettiest on they eye and the most quaint to live in?

Plus, can you tell me a little about what you know what it's like to live in any of these four towns?

Thanks!

[20wkbaby]

Can't tell you about Epsom or Leatherhead but I have experience of Reigate and Dorking.

Both nice towns in my opinion. Reigate seems to be a little ahead of Dorking in terms of 'gentrification' although there isn't much in it. House prices vaguely comparable.

Thoughts about Reigate:

Lovely park - although madly busy especially in good weather/ school holidays
Nice shops - although not a huge amount of 'useful' shops except for supermarkets
Pretty town centre, lots of cafes, bars, restaurants - main road so quite noisy though
Good schools if you live in the right areas but total nightmare if not
Lots of young mums and child focused activities
Good transport links to London

Thoughts about Dorking:

Nice shops - small shopping centre and good High Street, on balance better than Reigate
Pretty town centre although on a busy road again
No real experience of schools
I imagine it also has a lot of parents with young children but they don't seem to be as ubiquitous as in Reigate
Swimming pool in town
Good transport links to London
Some activities for little ones but in my experience not as many
Some recreation areas but not as well used as Reigate? You may think this is an advantage!

[titchy]

Leatherhead is not a smart Surrey town - it's hideous! Quite nice places nearby, and parts of Leatherhead are very nice - but the town centre is dreadful. Epsom is pretty much the same tbh, but at least there are more shops in Epsom!

Don't know Reigate but Dorking is lovely! Lots of villages outlying, the advatntage of this being catchment areas (yes I know they do't exist as such but you know what I mean!) for schools are quite wide.

[PST7777]

I have to agree, I found Dorking to be the prettiest of the four, followed by Reigate. The other two don't even compare.

[noddyholder]

My parents lived in oxshott for years which is near dorking. It is pretty but dull. My sister lives in epsom and loves it It isn't pretty though

[LIZS]

Agree LH and Epsom not particularly pretty, nor is Reigate apart from High Street and certains roads. Dorking probably a better balance of quaint, pretty and good facilities (Leisure centre and theatre).

[Oblomov]

I work in Leatherhead. No one I know who lives there would describe it as the affluent , top 1 of your list. Definitely not.

[LaGuerta]

I agree with the consensus so far. Dorking would be my top choice. Epsom being inside the M25 tends to merge into outer London sprawl. Your other options are more like discrete towns in their own right. I used to work round there and house hunted in Dorking and Leatherhead but settled on Guildford which I love - is that an option that would suit you? It's bigger than the others, has some very attractive parts, has better shopping, good transport into London, and good schools.

[PatriciaHolm]

Are you writing some sort of article?

[narmada]

I think you're a journo looking for quotes..... Tell me I have a suspicious mind and I'll bugger off, but you sound suspiciously like you might be writing the 'let's move to' column in The Guardian or similar

[PST7777]

....and I think you're seiously paranoid narmada.

[whippet]

PST7777 - your posting history suggests that you are 'seriously interested' in this topic - prettiest in SE, best accents etc

Come clean if you're writinga book/article... and we'll signpost you to the media requests section (fee payable...)

[narmada]

But you've posted about 5 threads recently about different places in the south east - kent, surrey, all over the place. All phrased in the same way. And also about schools all over the place (under your previous name, before you namechanged).

[PST7777]

See, now I know you're nuts. I never changed my name. I'm relatively new to mumsnet. Keep away from me; I don't like consorting with lunatics.

[narmada]

Well yes, I think I was possibly wrong about the namechange thing - I was a leetle misled by the mumsnet search when looking up your past posts; for some reason the search turned up a post by someone with a different username. I just presumed that was your past name.

Sorry to disappoint, not a lunatic. And I will leave you to your quest for information about the entire south east as it's time for me to pour myself a nice glass of . Do the same. It'll do you good .

[Oblomov]

PST has posted before on Surrey threads. She made me rite laff, the last one she was on. on no, my mistake, that was an 'accent' thread, re surrey.
Why is it being suggested that she is a journo ?

[BecauseImWorthIt]

He/she is a delightful new poster, who is trying to find the 'right' kind of school for her daughter in the 'right' kind of area where people speak with the 'right' kind of accent.

He/she has a particularly lovely tone of voice when people question or criticise his/her posts.

[naturalbaby]

i used to live in leatherhead...memories. i'd go for dorking for prettiness factor but there's more going on in epsom.

[sixtiesqueen]

I am stunned that somebody would go looking for a place with a nice accent. Personally I'd be asking what the people are actually like. All very well having a posh accent but beauty is more than phoneme deep, love!

I have a friend who lives in Surrey - it is undoubtedly pretty, but then I've lived in Berkshire and Hampshire and they are equally nice. My friend considered moving to Manchester but her husband (who is actually lovely) went for a ride on the tram system and decided he couldn't see himself commuting to work with 'any of those people.' Coming to something when you have to hand select the quality of person who might sit next to you on a tram. I expect his commute is three times as long as it might have been in Manchester but at least he's sitting next to a 'better' class of person!

See - this is why I don't live in Surrey.

[naturalbaby]

aint nuffink posh about my accent!