Why does Didcot have such a bad rep? Thinking of moving there!

[tigwatigwa]

DH has a new job down in Harwell and we reckon Didcot would be the most connected place for us to live. Abingdon is our other choice but it lacks a train station. DH drives, I don't due to visual impairment. What's so awful about Didcot? I keep reading such uncomplimentary things about it.

It's just not very nice. There is a lot of very ugly housing stock and some rough estates. Abingdon is much prettier. Do schools matter?

I live in Didcot and it's very nice. Most areas you can easily walk for 10 minutes and then be in beautiful countryside. There are a few streets that have a bad reputation as in most towns. The train station makes it very well connected as does the A34. The town centre also has a lot more to offer than Abingdon. I think people just like to moan tbh.

Unless things have changed massively in the past 25 () years, Abbington has a pretty good bus service to Oxford, and the train station there.
If he's working at the massive Science park, people come from all over, tho if you go as far as Oxford, make sure you are near the ring road, and on the correct side of town, as the traffic sucks!

Didcot is not picturesque like the market towns nearby but it has lots to offer in terms of shops and amenities and transport. The villages surrounding it are also nice.

People also send their children to Didcot girls and St Birinus boys school from wantage/Abingdon/wallingford.

Abingdon is beautiful but is precinct is rubbish. It has a splash park and outdoor pool which are nice. It also flooded in the 2007 floods in some areas of South Abingdon, just to be mindful of.

So I would (and did) choose Didcot area over Abingdon

Lived in Abingdon (also a non-driver) and liked it for a lot of things, but regularly went to Didcot. Larger supermarket, the station (and replacement bus services when these apply) are not bad at all. Didcot also has a nice arts centre, often with a lot for younger kids and dance classes etc. Couldn't comment on the housing/areas outside the immediate centre though. The bus service from Abingdon is indeed v frequent but expensive now. Didcot also served by some of the same buses to Oxford.

Personally, I'd choose Didcot over Abingdon (and I live in Abingdon) . Didcot has a different atmosphere (some might say rougher) but is better than Abingdon for shopping, rail connections to London/Swindon/Bristol, A34 nearby. It's close to Harwell - whether Science Campus or village.

I like Abingdon - I've lived here on and off for most of my life and can't seem to stay away - but it's been in decline for the last 10+ years and has become like the arse end of nowhere. Didcot, on the other hand is thriving.

I lived in Harwell 20 years ago and visited recently.
Back then, Didcot was a dive, with high unemployment and all the pub and station graffiti telling you to leave; Abingdon was nice but car-dependent.

Didcot has improved massively, grown hugely, has much more going on now, and the employment from Harwell campus has really shaken it up. Some great parks. And the train service is excellent (to be fair there was engineering works when I was there).
No idea about Abingdon but imagine it's still pretty.

Nothing wrong with Didcot! I really like Wallingford personally but obv no train station

As others have said, it's very ugly and industrial compared to other towns in the county. But it's improved massively in the last ten years and now the power station towers have come down the surrounding area looks much prettier too. If you don't drive it's probably a better bet than Abingdon, depending on where you'll need to get to.

My brother lives in Didcot and loves it! He lives on a newer estate near a lovely park, lots of shops, pub etc.

It's not the prettiest and had a bad rep in the past (which can be hard for people to move in from). Abingdon is perhaps a bit more quaint in the town centre (abbey ruins, walk along river) etc but Didcot has more shops/restaurants, train links, cinema, theatre/arts centre, steam railway centre. We have friends there and they seem happy!

I'd probably research to avoid any 'bad' areas though.

Thanks for all your responses. Seems like Didcot is a fine place to live. There's not much on the internet about Didcot that's positive.

Didcot has a bad rep because reps are hard to get rid of. And possibly the people slagging it off haven’t been here for a while.

It has improved a lot in recent years. New estates have been built. Lots more shops and restaurants. A cinema and an arts centre that regularly gets big names. And certainly in terms of disability access I find it better than Abingdon but my needs are different to yours.

I grew up in Didcot, it's changed hugely, lots of investment and lots going on. The train links are great, and getting to Harwell easy, you could cycle if you wanted. Lots of lovely villages very close by, Hagbourne, Upton, Harwell, the Wittenhams. There are rougher areas like any town but Didcot really is thriving as a pp said. Didcot also has an old part with terrace houses, cottages. Abingdon is quaint with the river and abbey etc., but the precinct has got quite shabby and traffic getting in and out via A34/one way system can be a pain. I don't often post but Didcot is my home town and I still hold a lot of affection for it!

Didcot is absolutely fine.

It has a cinema, arts centre, big shops, restaurants and cafes (hopefully they’re still there after this) most things are walking distance. If you work in Harwell, you can reach it from Didcot by bike.

The countrywide round it is great, it has farm shops, great countryside.

It’s well connected, the schools are good and actually, it’s really friendly compared with other places I’ve lived.

Looking to jump on this thread as it's likely I have a job offer in Kidlington (waiting on confirmation of location). Considering Didcot (good schools and train station) but worried about my commute to Kidlington. What's the drive like? I know traffic can be horrendous in places getting into Oxford, but not sure about this journey. I would need to be in the office 2 days a week. Thanks.

It’s fine, and still improving. Yes, Abingdon is more upmarket but the traffic and parking are a nightmare.

@Kabuk1 The A34 from Didcot towards Kidlington can be very congested and slow at peak times, and if there’s an accident you can get very badly delayed. For 2 days a week it would be tolerable I think. Congrats on the job offer!

@Kabuk1

Looking to jump on this thread as it's likely I have a job offer in Kidlington (waiting on confirmation of location). Considering Didcot (good schools and train station) but worried about my commute to Kidlington. What's the drive like? I know traffic can be horrendous in places getting into Oxford, but not sure about this journey. I would need to be in the office 2 days a week. Thanks.

A34 at peak times will he utterly miserable, looks straightforward but the queue has commuters needing to get off at every single slip road from Abingdon to Bicester. Seriously recommend rethinking!

I moved to Didcot 6 weeks ago and so far so good. My house is on an estate but there's lots of greenery around so a great place for walking etc. Not a massive shopping centre but pretty much has everything you might want and a few independent shops.
As a non-driver good transport links were a prime consideration. I can easily get to Reading and Oxford, great train and bus service and can just about get to work....unless the bus breaks down !!!
Wallingford is nice enough...nearest station is Cholsey, and bus connections aren't bad, its a small town though with a Waitrose, Lidl and a few independent shops and I've heard the river walk is quite nice. Cant comment much on Abingdon as only went a few days ago for the 1st time.

@Kabuk1 until very recently I lived in Wantage and drove up the A34 to kidlington most days. The good news is that in the morning, you’d be going in the right direction to avoid the worst of the tailbacks between Oxford and Abingdon. The bad news is that getting on to the A34 in the first place from Didcot always looked horrendous - I was usually just scooting off the first exit at the Milton roundabout and feeling sorry for all the poor sods stuck on it. There are frequent delays and accidents too. My journey usually took about 50-60 minutes IF all was moving normally. @tigwatigwa, good luck with your move! Didcot has much to recommend it and doesn’t deserve a bad rep IMO. I had to rely on local buses for years and the service is good but again traffic means they are slow and very often held up.

@Kabuk1 don't do it, if the job is north of Oxford, look to move that way. Didcot up to Kidlington can leave you sobbing and banging your head on the steering wheel.

Thanks @FictionalCharacter @Lilybeanbag @LassoOfTruth - That's what I was worried about. If I was heading into Oxford itself, then I would just do the train. I guess I could cycle on either end, but it's still 55-65 minute journey (longer depending on where I was living in Didcot).

Does anyone have any suggestions as good places to commute from. It's looking like Bicester is the best option with connection to London and some affordable 3 bed houses for rent.

@LassoOfTruth - We really liked Wantage when we stayed with a friend there pre-covid. Lovely parks for kids, a market and lots of nice walks on your doorstep. My wife will need to get to London a 2-4 times a month and doesn't drive, so not sure we could make that work + the drive to Kidlington.

I so wish Oxford would create a busway like Cambridge. It would sure speed up commute times (and add non-traffic cycling) and would probably be cheaper to set up than more train stations. Oxford is not an easy place to get into, which is a shame because there are quite a few lovely place outside of it.

@Kabuk1 have you looked in Kidlington itself? The train from Oxford Parkway goes direct to Marylebone and it has pretty much everything you'd need. Summertown and Woodstock are very close as is Oxford. Chipping Norton might be worth a look if you'd like somewhere prettier?

@Lilybeanbag - Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, considering that area and others around Oxford Parkway station, but it's hard to find a 3 bed in our price range to rent. We are aiming for £1350/mo. We can probably get £1250-1300/mo for our London flat, which would cover our mortgage, but then we'll still have the agent fees for managing the place. We are aiming for total outgoings for our new place + agent fees to be around £1500-1600/mo.

I'm a career changer (teacher to software engineer) and this is a 2 year apprenticeship. Salary is relatively good, but we don't know how we'll like living in or around Oxford, so we are keeping our flat in London and renting it out. If I like the company, I could always try to get a transfer to the London office. Or if I leave in 2 years, then Cambridge or London. We were leaning towards a move to Cambridge because it's more accessible, but this opportunity came up and I couldn't pass it up. The location of London or Oxford was 50/50.

I've been looking for rental properties - 3 bed with a garden (need an office space at home). We'll both be working from home at least 3 days a week even after offices open, and we can't continue with a 2 bed like we are now. If we were buying, there is more in our budget, but we don't want to commit until we are sure. This is why we were looking at Didcot and Bicester. I'd happily cycle too if the route was little to no traffic and within 30 minutes.

Thanks again for all the help.