Where to live commutable to North London and Cambridge?

[sophiebecky]

Looking for somewhere that is commutable to both North London and Cambridge.
Budget of 500k. Need a house rather than a flat.
Looking for an area with a good selection of restaurants nearby and greenery/nice walks.

Saffron Walden is too far. Nearly 2 hours from my family by public transport. And over an hour by car, even if I did pick up driving again.

Ah ok. So it’s the KX line then.

Royston?

Without a car I think you are limited to Hitchin Hertford and possibly Bedford?

Personally I’d try and live in Cambridge or on the outskirts. For 2 days a week commute to London and possibly kids I’d base there. It’s such a great city.

St Albans is tricky by train to Cambridge tho you can get a train at Hatfield. Hatfield has some nice areas but it is still an hour to cambridge on the train.

Bedford and Hatfield you’d prob get a small house for 500 but I think very unlikely in St Albans unless right on the outskirts not near the station

My situation is identical to yours OP - one of us working in Cambridge, the other London.

We made the move to Hitchin about a year ago, renting to start off with while we got a feel for the place, and then we bought a small terrace near the station.

In terms of restaurants, there are more than enough for us (and just when I think we've exhausted all the options I discover a new place!). Most of the restaurants are concentrated on the high street and its side roads but there are also a good number of country pubs in neighbouring villages which are still in walking distance. Also going to London, Cambridge or St Albans for a meal is also super easy so you're not just limited to Hitchin.

Very happy with Hitchin so far!

@RedHot22

Royston?

Too small I think. I'm a London girl originally! Would need a little bit more life - shops, restaurants etc.

Is the Enfield commute essentially to visit family? So not at rush hour? I'm from Cambridge with family in Enfield and it's a really easy drive. If this is a long term solution to a long term problem, is there a chance you could learn to drive? If so, Cambridge is your friend.

My family live in the Borough of Enfield but near a tube station so as long as I can get to Kings Cross that is fine.

Kings Cross line trains all go through Finsbury Park station so you could pick up the Piccadilly/Victoria line there if that's the tube you want.

After reading all of your posts OP I would also say Cambridge. It’s an easy commute for 2 days and a beautiful city.

Hitchin maybe worth a look though

@RedHot22

After reading all of your posts OP I would also say Cambridge. It’s an easy commute for 2 days and a beautiful city.

Hitchin maybe worth a look though

The issue with Cambridge is that my family wouldn't be able to help with childcare/help in an emergency as it's too far from home.

@myrtleberry

My family live in the Borough of Enfield but near a tube station so as long as I can get to Kings Cross that is fine.

Kings Cross line trains all go through Finsbury Park station so you could pick up the Piccadilly/Victoria line there if that's the tube you want.

Also, the Cambridge/Bishops Stortford to Liverpool Street goes through Tottenham Hale where you can pick up the Victoria line.

@sophiebecky

I think there needs to be some compromise.
You don’t drive, you need easy access to London and Cambridge, restaurants etc on a limited budget but also want family nearby in an emergency.

I’ve name changed for this just because of the massive location giveaway and not wanting to link to my normal username.

I am very familiar with the Herts towns and live in Hitchin. Hitchin is a FANTASTIC town. I’ve lived here for about ten years. It has possibly too many restaurants if anything and a decent night time economy but also lots of good shops with a lot of well used independents. There’s always stuff to do and in the future it’s a great place to bring up kids. The countryside is on your doorstep and London and Cambridge are both so quick on the train. I generally drive to Cambridge and drive to the end of a tube line if I want to go into London because it’s cheaper to do so. The schools are all good for future reference if that’s required. There’s a community feel here. All the areas are nice bar a couple (Westmill and Sunnyside) that I would avoid.

Hertford has gone very downhill in previous years. The town is terrible. Hardly any shops now and it’s expensive to rent and buy. There’s pubs and restaurants but nothing that really stands out as being decent. I have strong family links to Hertford and spend a fair amount of time there. A lot of back handers in the local council has seen the town go to the dogs. The castle is nice but there is a lot of drug use within its grounds. None of the estates are very nice anymore, even Bengeo, which is an estate rather than the village that locals will tell you, isn’t particularly desirable anymore. Traffic is a huge issue in Hertford as it’s the through route to a lot of places. The decent schools are hugely oversubscribed. The train lines both ways are slow.

I would avoid Hatfield.

Welwyn Garden City is nice and has a decent town. It’s quite spread out though and I can’t comment on public transport.

Royston is ok, just a bit boring for not a lot to do.

Letchworth Garden City/Baldock are both quite nice but not as much on offer as Hitchin.

I’m not as familiar with Bishops Stortford so I wouldn’t want to comment.

Overall I think Hitchin is your best option. I might be biased because I live here because of what is here and because I can’t buy I rent and I stretch myself financially in order to do so.

[quote RedHot22]@sophiebecky

I think there needs to be some compromise.
You don’t drive, you need easy access to London and Cambridge, restaurants etc on a limited budget but also want family nearby in an emergency.[/quote]
Hitchin or Bishops Stortford sound like good compromises from what everyone has said

Cambridge is very family friendly and would have babysitter and nurseries.

Bishops Stortford used to be lovely but it’s been overdeveloped and it’s grim now.

@sophiebecky I am not a hitchinite but when I was considering home counties (a bit of a silly endeavour as DH is a die hard Londoner), I asked on the hitchin FB group whether it was ok living without a car as neither of us drive. The consensus was that while yes it's possible, it wouldn't be a full hitchin experience as there are a lot of places you need a car like the local attraction, the hitchin lavender fields. And it would be a pity to move there and not enjoy it..I think that's one of the reasons why I stayed in London, coupled with commuting costs for 2!

We bought a flat in London instead!

Perhaps if you are looking to the future Stortford has several really excellent secondary schools. Primaries are also good. It's sought after for those reasons.
It's also really close to Stansted airport but with very little aircraft noise. (The flight paths go over the villages instead!)

[quote onlychildhamster]@sophiebecky I am not a hitchinite but when I was considering home counties (a bit of a silly endeavour as DH is a die hard Londoner), I asked on the hitchin FB group whether it was ok living without a car as neither of us drive. The consensus was that while yes it's possible, it wouldn't be a full hitchin experience as there are a lot of places you need a car like the local attraction, the hitchin lavender fields. And it would be a pity to move there and not enjoy it..I think that's one of the reasons why I stayed in London, coupled with commuting costs for 2!

We bought a flat in London instead![/quote]
I do agree with this, although wonder whether this would be the case for all the towns mentioned on this thread (possibly with exception of Cambridge)? None will have London level public transport.

@thereinmadnesslies

Bishops Stortford used to be lovely but it’s been overdeveloped and it’s grim now.

I agree - I'd avoid Bishop's Stortford.

[quote RedHot22]@sophiebecky

I think there needs to be some compromise.
You don’t drive, you need easy access to London and Cambridge, restaurants etc on a limited budget but also want family nearby in an emergency.[/quote]
I agree. Something's got to give.

If you want to be near family in Enfield and your DP wants to be near Cambridge for work, living halfway doesn't give either of you what you want. Will you both be happy with that compromise?

I can understand wanting to be near family when you have kids. But realistically if he's commuting 3+ days a week that's far from ideal, it'll be tiring for him and he'll have less time with you and the child(ren).

Perhaps rent for 6 months to a year and see how it goes?

Why is Bishops Stortford one to avoid?

@sophiebecky

Why is Bishops Stortford one to avoid?

It was a small market town where thousands of new homes have been built without any improvements to the infrastructure. So the town is constantly gridlocked, no public transport, poorly performing overwhelmed GPs, and nothing to do, eg only one sports centre. One of the new developments appears to have a massive drugs issue and the town seems increasingly aggressive.