Coming back from the USA - where should we live?

[babymakesfive]

Hello all,
We're looking to move back to the UK from the States in August. We have family in SW London but we'd like to move somewhere outside of London, but within a reasonable commute (DH will need to be in London 2 or 3 times a week).
Ideally we would love a very picturesque town/village with some shops/restaurants/pubs with friendly locals and lots of green space for the kids!
I have a preschooler and two older kids, ages 7 and 10, so good state schools are a must, too (I know that getting them in at this point might be a challenge!)
Friends have suggested Farnham and Tonbridge Wells but we would love any other suggestions. Thanks so much in advance!

[Cuttinginfine]

What’s your budget OP?

[KingofDinobots]

Where is your DH commuting to?

[StuntNun]

Check out the villages moving outward from Leatherhead in Surrey: Fetcham, Bookham, Horsley, Effingham etc. Easy train rides into London, village atmospheres, good schools. House prices are high though.

[babymakesfive]

Sorry if I missed out some info! DH would be commuting to Bank 2 or 3 times a week and I would probably want to get to Richmond once every couple of weeks to see family/friends (unless they come to us!) We have a pretty decent budget, up to 4k/month for a rental house. We've had a challenging few months in the USA and the kids really need somewhere to decompress... life in a picturesque English town/village would be a new adventure for them and would hopefully help reframe what has been a pretty awful year so far xx

[KingofDinobots]

I’d look at the areas with direct trains to waterloo, as then your DH can get waterloo and city line into Bank.

Lots of those are roughly south west of London so easy to get to Richmond as well.

You can use //www.commutefrom.com to find stations that connect to waterloo within maximum time limits.

[babymakesfive]

Thanks for the suggestions, //www.commutefrom.com is really handy! DH says he's OK with a longer commute if the town/village ticks all the other boxes for our family so we would love some suggestions of places to look at. We've been out of the UK for 15 years and always lived in London before that so we are really out of the loop!