Where in the UK meets this criteria?

[indigox]

Currently in Edinburgh. Need to be closer to London for bfs job. I've only ever lived in the north west of England and Edinburgh so really have no idea about the south, and there's only so much Google can tell you

Looking for something that meets this criteria:

• 2 hours max from London via train - but this train journey cant be extortionately expensive (difficult I know), ideally no more than £250 a month for 2 days in the office weekly (ruled out way too many i shortlisted myself)
• Close to a main airport (30-45mins car journey)
• Large 3 bedroom house with garden for £1600 pcm or less
• A town/city that actually has something to do during evenings/weekends and cafes/bars/restaurants, I don't want travelling into London to be the only way we can do stuff especially if its reaching our max 2hr desired commute.
• Good secondary schools (DS needs extra support)
• Near countryside but not "rural", I don't want to have to drive everywhere for a basic shop trip and so on

Then all the generic safe, low crime rate etc.
We have family in the north west so ideally an easy rail connection there but this isn't a big deal as we can always just connect via London.

Some places I'd looked at and thought may be suitable were Swindon, Newmarket and Royal Lemington Spa but other than them meeting the commute, and rental prices I don't know much about these places and train prices are SO high 😖.

Orpington - fast reliable affordable commute and some cracking rentals. easy to get Gatwick or City. Close enough to coast and countryside

Horsham/ Crawley - growing residential commute and although Thameslink can be rubbish. I've done it for 5 years and muddle through. New homes being built mean that some pockets around here are coming to market or rent. Pricey train though there is a commuter loop commonly used led the Camden Road shuffle

Croydon - Good place to start and find your London feet and decide where works best.

Cheltenham
Cirencester
Milton Keynes
Northampton villages
North Nottingham villages
Stamford
Lincolnshire wolds

For anyone suggesting Manchester/Stockport etc, a day return to London Euston getting in before 930 costs in the region of £300 per DAY, there will be some deals going but not going to bring it anywhere near the budget figure looked for and rental prices not cheap enough to make it worth it (prob around £1400 for what she needs). East Midlands might be worth looking at but realistically for two days a week it needs to be south somewhere

Orpington - fast reliable affordable commute and some cracking rentals

Won't get a 3 bed with garden for £1600 pcm.

Leighton buzzard in Bedfordshire is worth looking at. 30 mins into London, near Luton airport, nice market town but close to Aylesbury and Milton Keynes for better night life. You'd save on commuting costs so could put a bit more into the rental budget.

York. Train prices will be more though. Leeds is worth considering too, same case with train tickets, but it’s possible to find cheaper house.

Lewes, East Sussex, a lovely place. Wish we moved there when we relocated.

Warwick

Your commuting budget is way too small vs your commuting time limit so it's a bit of a red herring. You'd be better off bundling the rent and commute cost together, you could commute further out at a higher cost but your rent would be cheaper.

I've lived and worked in a few of the places mentioned but a lot of them don't have an awful lot to do.

The one that ticks every box is Birmingham dependant on your area.

Leicester is out - train tickets are extortionate on that line. The only way round it is to live near Narborough again and change at Nuneaton onto the cheaper Birmingham line.

Peterborough is boring, so would Market Harborough be for kids and its not near an airport, Cambridge is too touristy and expensive, Coventry is not great.

So on balance, its back to Birmingham as your front runner.

Leicester train to London around 70 mins

@NetballHoop your boyfriend needs to get realistic about costs!

Where is your BF living at the moment and how old is your DS?

Ditch the garden and live in a flat in London.

Try looking around the Reading area, good schools, good transport links and lots to do

Twyford might be a good shout too but less to todo! .. easy 1 stop into Reading.

Your boyfriend is needing to be in London 2 days a week, how long have you been together? is he going to be in your future plans forever? Just seems a huge upheaval . My husband and I live in Scotland and he got the train to London on a Sunday and came back on a Friday for years whilst I looked after the kids and they went to school here. Better quality of life for the children was our main concern, being apart was tough,tho, as we'd been together for 15 years at that point.

You are probably aware, but the secondary system has different age transitions in England than in Scotland.

Chelmsford is about 35 mins into Liverpool Street and probably in the driving distance you want to stansted. Here’s a 3 bed rental for about your budget. Peak time returns are £33 so slightly above budget for 8 per month (esp with tube on top) No idea about schools though.

you can’t be 2h from London and make 8 peak time return trips a month for £250

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133591739#/map?channel=RES_LET

Or do you mean Heathrow/Gatwick by main airport? Going into Victoria means tube to Tower Hill would be ok (is his work
South of the river?)

Barnet is not in the west or south of London...

If you work in Tower Bridge (I.e east London) then look to Essex. If you work in London Bridge area (south London) then look in South London. It will make a big difference to your commute.

South London relies on the overground and trains.

East London relies on district, circle, central, Elizabeth line etc.

Both have very different connections. The further from London you live the easiest/direct commute in you'll need. You don't want to travel 2hrs from Birmingham to then spend another hour getting across the tube network from Kings Cross etc.

@AintNobodyHateMeBetter , pp got Barnet and Barnes mixed up.

Doncaster? I don't know what it's like to live there though.

I worked in Doncaster, I definitely wouldn't recommend living there.