Where to live between London and Cambridge

[bootswind]

Hi wise Mumsnetters

Looking for location ideas where one of us can commute to London (North) and the other can commute to Cambridge.

Budget up to £500k for a house.

Decent restaurant choice a must!

@carseatnightmare

So am definitely biased here, but we're looking to upsize this year and will be putting our three double bedroom Victorian terrace on the market in a couple of months- will likely be on for around 450 ish so you can definitely afford something similar! (If not our actual house 😂) ours is a v short walk to the station, also walk into town and good schools. So for you it's definitely worth looking into Hitchin from the sounds of it. We love to hear having moved from London a few years back.

The only thing I would say is there aren't many houses on the market in Hitchin at the moment. Spoke to an estate agent earlier this week who said there are about half the usual number- but that they're getting a lot more valuation bookings through now. So don't be disheartened if you look now and don't see much choice- should be more stock from the spring.

Do PM me- your house sounds perfect for what we need!

The hermitage is nice. And Redcoats Farmhouse (10 minute drive).

@bootswind

Anyone recommending Hitchin- do recommend some restaurants there please I didn't see many when I visited other than pizza express!

The Hermitage, Los Reyes or Bar Azita for Mediterranean/Tapas, Lussmans. Loads of coffee shops and cafes, Chia next to the church is really popular for vegan food.

There are some excellent pubs for food: The Victoria, The Highlander, The Albert, The Radcliffe Arms, Kite at the Red Hart. And loads of really nice pubs serving food in surrounding villages like Ickleford, Pirton and Gosmore.

Also loads of great Indian restaurants, Japanese, Thai, Chinese. And a monthly streetfood event. The type of house you're going for is likely to be near the town centre and the station so you would have excellent access.

Hitchin is now on the Thameslink line so has direct trains to Brighton and London stations like Farringdon, Elephant and Castle and Blackfriars as well as Kings Cross/St Pancras and Finsbury Park. And in the other direction to Cambridge or Peterborough.

The town has changed a lot in the last decade. Young families moving out from London have given it a much trendier image, like a slightly cheaper St Albans.

Kazoku is the best Japanese food I've had anywhere else in the UK.

Little monkey is fab Thai food.

Cantina carnitas for amazing Mexican

Los reyes for tapas (but a couple of other good tapas options too), and loads of great pub menus.

And of course the infamous chicken George with its queues down the street

Wow, there a lot of restaurants that I must have missed in town in Hitchin. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Is Hitchin also good for greenery and walks? Any recommendations?
I presume Letchworth, being a garden city is good for the above.

Hitchin is surrounded by countryside so many many walking options going out to the villages and from Hitchin to Letchworth.

I live in a village 6 miles away and there's a lovely cross country footpath/bridleway to Hitchin. There's also the Oughtonhead Common nature reserve, and the Hitchin HOOP which is a route round the whole town.

Letchworth is also bordered by lots of countryside (not on the A1M side). It has the 13 mile Greenway which goes round the town and goes down as far as Hitchin at one point.