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Original poster

Moving to Woking

61 replies

movingadvice · 14/03/2021 20:18

We are considering a move to Woking from SW London later this year (me, DH and DS 2). Would be great to hear from anyone who lives in Woking or has moved from London. It's perfect from a travel perspective for us to see family and friends / work etc - so I'm set on the area. Any advice welcome!!

OP posts:
wearyofwigan · 14/03/2021 22:08

We moved from London 4 years ago.

Of course it isn't London. It can't be. But we've settled and it suits our needs. We're in Horsell which has a lovely community feel even though we're only 15 mins walk from the station. Really good schools and fairly multicultural for Surrey which was important to us.

There's a brand new cinema, theatre that gets lots of the West end shows, Woking Park is great for kids and woodland like horsell Common is good too. The canal is nice to walk/cycle along and amenities like the library are good.

Happy for you to message me for more info.

TheDogsMother · 14/03/2021 22:08

I lived in Guildford and it was always the standing joke about Woking .... good train service. How about Guildford, Godalming or Haslemere ?

Original poster
movingadvice · 14/03/2021 22:12

Thanks so much all. This is really helpful. 30 mins from Clapham really is our max, so Woking seems the one. I live in Colliers Wood at the mo which most people sneer at but it's got some good walks and a great community vibe. We make the most of where we live. 15 mins from the station sounds ideal, I am a little terrified of the tripods on Horsell common though Grin

OP posts:
FaceyRomford · 14/03/2021 22:14

Don't. I worked in the town but did not live there (thankfully). It had nothing to recommend it that I could see and my colleagues who lived there all seemed to hate it. The best anyone could say about it was the train service to London was excellent.

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 14/03/2021 22:21

Brookwood maybe. Some of the trains that stop at Brookwood, go on to Woking and then Waterloo. I think housing is a bit cheaper there; it certainly used to be..

Talipesmum · 14/03/2021 22:37

Ah really, it’s a pretty good place to be! Obviously it’s not a pretty or historic town, but it’s vastly improved over the last 10 years we’ve been living here (left sw London to move from flat to house, needed good trains schools and affordable house!)

We are in Horsell which is v nice and has great community and village atmosphere, but with the massive advantage of being able to walk to the town centre and trains v quickly. (I’m not a village person and quite like being walkable to a town). The town centre is no beauty, but it’s highly practical and has everything you need day to day - for pretty Xmas shopping etc or more varied / pricey inspiration I just drive to Guildford.
Excellent facilities - great leisure centre, cinema, theatre, art gallery. Loads of lovely walks nearby - we’ve found lots more over lockdown, and I am so much more fond of the place now than I was even a year ago, due to getting to know all the little local places to walk (rather than always heading off to see family etc or doing kids activities).
Loads of clubs etc for kids.

There’s lots of development in the town centre which everyone grumbles about, but frankly it’s a giant improvement on 10 years ago when it was totally awful, absolutely no restaurants at all in the town centre, then bit by bit it’s just got lots more choice. It’s not much compared to Richmond / twickenham choices we used to have - but for round here, it’s v good now. Great pubs, lots of lovely countryside. Schools where we are are great.
And it’s definitely much much nicer than Feltham! Come over and have a look.

RandomMess · 14/03/2021 22:41

I agree @Talipesmum we moved away 7 years ago but go back fairly frequently to visit family and friends it's improved over that time. Horsell is nice but if you need to live in the centre some of the new apartments look like a good option.

Original poster
movingadvice · 14/03/2021 22:45

Really, thanks so much all. It's all really helpful!!

OP posts:
MrsFionaCharming · 14/03/2021 22:54

It may not have the most soul, but it is a lovely place for kids. Amazing leisure centre, cinema, bowling alley, laser quest, Horsell common for den building, some really good playgrounds etc.

Freddiefox · 14/03/2021 23:18

There are nicer areas than Woking, can have a look at Staines, it has nice parts, and great transport links, or chertsey, ottershaw, addlestone.

RandomMess · 14/03/2021 23:28

Woking is great for Clapham Junction, plenty of trains every hour from super quick as it's the first stop to slightly slower.

Addlestone, Chertsey, Egham all take too long unfortunately.

Not sure if Staines is more expensive?

bubble111 · 15/03/2021 07:56

It's really not "bad" at all. There's lots going on and it's nice enough. I think it's always compared to nicer surrounding areas (eg Guildford) and gets a reputation as it's poorer cousin, but honestly it's fine and has everything you might need. And it's easy enough to drive to Guildford/ surrounding villages/ countryside.

Horsell is nice but can be pricier compared to other parts. Easy to get to the station from there though. Beware that some areas classed as 'Woking' will take some time to get into the centre to add to your journey time. Also note that whilst most trains stop at Clapham, not all do in height of rush hour.

Nurseries generally good from my experience and that of friends. Expect to pay around £80 per day. More expensive than some areas.

bubble111 · 15/03/2021 07:57

What's your budget?

Original poster
movingadvice · 15/03/2021 08:04

Budget up to 365k.

OP posts:
Ilovechoc12 · 15/03/2021 11:27

It’s just practical. Big houses big gardens.
Good for trains, motorways, airports.
Loads of good independent prep schools....
drive easily around
Go for miles on Horsell common on a bike etc ...
I avoid the town centre it’s a dump maybe in a few years it might be nice

bubble111 · 15/03/2021 11:30

@movingadvice do you hope to be near the station? Horsell is the nicer area nearest to the station but likely to be quite a bit above budget. You should be ok in some other areas slightly further out if happy to cycle to station or use the bus.

What size property are you looking for?

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 15/03/2021 11:45

[quote bubble111]@movingadvice do you hope to be near the station? Horsell is the nicer area nearest to the station but likely to be quite a bit above budget. You should be ok in some other areas slightly further out if happy to cycle to station or use the bus.

What size property are you looking for? [/quote]
That’s why Brookwood is a better option. It’s on the Woking to Waterloo line and housing is cheaper. Horsell is expensive and the nicer villages like Bisley, West End and Lightwater, don’t have good transport links. Housing is probably more expensive too.

There’s Sheerwater, but I would t really recommend it, unless it’s changed a lot in the last ten years.

Sandsnake · 15/03/2021 11:53

I agree with Brookwood being a good option but it’s not particularly cheap. I don’t know if it used to be but people seem to have cottoned on to the good train links and proximity to local countryside and prices are pretty high. Three bed semis on the main road are around the 500k mark - OP would struggle to get any more than a two bed with her budget.

bubble111 · 15/03/2021 12:47

Agree many 3 bed semi's are priced around £500k mark. Would otherwise be ideal for the train.

Houses in budget would likely require a long walk/ bus/ car journey to station. There's bits of Old Woking which might just about be in budget and walkable to the station.

CongealedCrags · 15/03/2021 19:48

woking.gov.uk/news/woking-powers-top-uk-vitality-index-2021

Best place to live Grin

Original poster
movingadvice · 16/03/2021 08:42

We've found lots of houses in budget, 15-20 min walk to the station which would be perfect. The cost of travel is huge which is a bit of a put off, though. Similarly council tax is nearly double what I pay and we're in an expensive borough!!

OP posts:
mindutopia · 16/03/2021 09:56

No real experience of Woking, though had friends who used to live there when younger and they all definitely moved away as soon as they could afford to.

But if your motivation is to be within easy train distance of Clapham Junction for childcare, is that going to be a lasting need or just now when your children are small? I commute through Woking into Waterloo (in normal times) and I'm not sure I'd be wanting to take small children on that train at peak times. It's very busy and often unpleasant at that time of day. I'm assuming that you'll have children starting school in a few short years and then that childcare arrangement won't work as your children will be in school near your house.

FrayedBentos · 16/03/2021 10:01

If you like Paul Weller great.

Otherwise Woking is a toilet. Compared to Aldershot and Knaphill though, Woking is like the Hollywood Hills.

IndecentCakes · 16/03/2021 10:11

Gosh, not Aldershot, either. Brookwood has a massive cemetery right next to the station (very interesting history if that's your thing, though). In your position, I would consider Surbiton, though I've lived in Richmond and Wimbledon which are nice, as is East Molesey/Hampton Court area.

Dollywilde · 16/03/2021 10:13

I grew up in Guildford, but we moved to one of the villages on the outskirts of Woking when I was a teenager, my parents still live there. The village my parents are in is gorgeous, and Woking’s nice enough I guess, I think it suffers from being near Guildford as Guildford is so gorgeous Grin I wouldn’t say it was a rubbish place to be a teenager, it felt a bit ‘boring suburbia’ but as I now have DC of my own I can see the appeal of that!

DH and I now live in Leatherhead, trains aren’t quite as fast but we have the countryside on our doorstep, we can get back to friends in SW London easily and it’s a bit more affordable than Guildford - although we are hoping to make the move there one day when we can afford a more expensive house!