Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Moving to a Surrey Town

104 replies

Samara26 · 21/01/2022 19:07

Which towns have more amenities ie gyms, chain shops, restaurants, cafes etc in order of preference out of:
Bagshot
Farnham
Farnborough
Aldershot
Camberley
Basingstoke

I'm in Reading and it's probably a bit big for me or just not what I imagined it to be - not very modern or car friendly. I'm not finding the traffic an issue, but you can't just park up near where you want to be

OP posts:
fablett · 09/02/2022 11:53

Of your list Farnham is the only one I would consider but agree traffic is awful and also it's a bit staid. But maybe you like that.

sofakingcool · 09/02/2022 12:41

@pickledonionmonster

You visited the six town from your original post? Wow what was your favourite ? Did you just do a drive-by or get out?

I live nearby to one of the six, I'm quite interested in views on Basingstoke.

Anything in particular you want to know about Basingstoke @pickledonionmonster ?
pickledonionmonster · 09/02/2022 12:56

@sofakingcool just wondered whether this might be better for once my children are at secondary. There is not much to do around where I am now and we are only in catchment for a ok but nothing special large comp ( so they say comp these days ? Not Surrey so no 11+ and no sixth forms) . What are the school like ?

Severntrent · 09/02/2022 12:59

I think Basingstoke might suit you. It feels a bit like those new towns that are designed for the car driver - although I think there are cycle routes etc. It is a chain shop/restaurant type place, there are lots of leisure facilities and although there are some rough areas, overall its not really rough anymore.
It's got an area within the shopping centre with lots of chain bars and restaurants that could suit you for a night out.
Lots of roundabouts and dual carriageway but the traffic flows.
Great train connections.

Severntrent · 09/02/2022 13:01

I dont know the other towns so well but they feel like they blur into each other. And the shopping tends to be retail parks.

ClaudiusTheGod · 09/02/2022 20:06

think Basingstoke might suit you. It feels a bit like those new towns that are designed for the car driver

That’s because it IS a new town designed for the car driver. It was a London overspill development. It was a bit grotty once but it’s far, far better these days and there is a lot to do. Also fast rail connections to London and the South Coast (weekends at the seaside?) and loads of new property. You can easily get to the M3 from either end of the town.

Samara26 · 09/02/2022 23:33

@pickledonionmonster

You visited the six town from your original post? Wow what was your favourite ? Did you just do a drive-by or get out?

I live nearby to one of the six, I'm quite interested in views on Basingstoke.

I had a good look round Didcot and it didn't have any soul. Farnborough and Aldershot were just a drive-through, but Farnborough looked a bit nicer landscape-wise but not too much there.. Camberley just looked so nice and I've been to the town Center before. Bagshot is very small but just close to other places. I'd prefer to stay in Reading if I could find a place! Found this town house in Shinham but it's auction so no survey and quick exchange www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/117697670

I'm still thinking about Basingstoke. I like the shopping and restaurants, still not sure there's really much to do in terms of a Saturday night out on the town lol. I don't think I'd be inclined to get a train to Reading lol. It's a 40 min drive to Reading which puts me off.
I'm also looking at Tilehurst but I think it can be hit and miss in terms of good and bad streets. Also really liked Calcot but not many houses come up there.

OP posts:
twodayistheday · 15/02/2022 15:22

What do you want to do on a Saturday night? A couple of bars, some chain restaurants then honestly most small high streets like Fleet have that. Cinema Aldershot & Farnborough. Price wise will be tricky in any of these areas for your wish list.

Icantgetalifeifmyheartsnotinit · 15/02/2022 15:32

I live in Farnborough and it's not grotty / a dump. It has nice bits and not so nice bits like most towns.

Town centre has ok shops, it's 10 mins into Fleet or Camberley on a bus both of which have better shops.

I'm in a "nicer" part of Farnborough mentioned above, and it's quiet with sone gorgeous walks and woodlands, but hasn't a huge amount of soul. No Indy coffee shops etc, but otherwise it has everything you might need.

A decent 3 bed terrace with a garden is £350k ish round here.

It's 35 mins on the train to Waterloo from Farnborough Main and 10 ish mins from North Camp into Guildford and super quick into Basingstoke / Winchester etc.

It's an hours drive to fab beaches (Bournemouth etc) which is a huge draw for me, having moved here from London.

30 mins drive into Reading which is good for IKEA / John Lewis etc.

There are good schools, several great soft plays and cafes / a few good pubs.

It's not as pretty or you it's own arse as Farnham, and if you want to dress head to toe in Joules and never be able to drive anywhere in town then Farnham is your best bet, but for good size houses and great towns super close by then Farnborough is great!!

Fuzzy303 · 15/02/2022 15:40

I work in Bagshot & there really isn't anything here except for takeaway's & a couple of charity shops

Blossomtoes · 15/02/2022 15:44

Camberley is like Aldershot without the army.

It’s got more Army than Aldershot now. Sandhurst is right in the middle.

twodayistheday · 15/02/2022 16:03

@Icantgetalifeifmyheartsnotinit which part is nicer ? Surely there's four sides to every town 😜. There's the bit going into Frimley / Frimley hospital or the other side goes towards Fleet. Or the Aldershot side or I don't know what's the otherside ? Woods ?

Recycledblonde · 15/02/2022 16:28

I live in Farnborough, to me it feels really safe, both myself and my adult daughter happily walk around after dark alone. There's a big development programme going through for the centre with a new leisure centre planned, parks etc and there are two gyms in the centre. We tend to get the bus into Camberley and the train into Woking for bars etc. Really good trains into London.
I used to work in emergency services in Reading so know a lot about areas after dark, so to speak. PM me if you want more in depth info about which areas to avoid.

Icantgetalifeifmyheartsnotinit · 15/02/2022 22:05

@twodayistheday Southwood.

Crikeyalmighty · 15/02/2022 22:27

From what you have said you might like Woking - it’s not the prettiest but it is a ‘drive’ kind of place and very good train link to London - and easy into Guildford which is much nicer (in my opinion) not sure what you mean about the not being able to park conveniently thing? Maybe if that’s what you want then just look which place has a lot of out of town retail parks- to be honest I think Reading is far better than other places you have mentioned but I may be missing something regards to housing

Samara26 · 16/02/2022 01:46

@Recycledblonde

I live in Farnborough, to me it feels really safe, both myself and my adult daughter happily walk around after dark alone. There's a big development programme going through for the centre with a new leisure centre planned, parks etc and there are two gyms in the centre. We tend to get the bus into Camberley and the train into Woking for bars etc. Really good trains into London. I used to work in emergency services in Reading so know a lot about areas after dark, so to speak. PM me if you want more in depth info about which areas to avoid.
Thanks I will! . I don't know how to PM u though??
OP posts:
Samara26 · 16/02/2022 01:48

@Icantgetalifeifmyheartsnotinit

I live in Farnborough and it's not grotty / a dump. It has nice bits and not so nice bits like most towns.

Town centre has ok shops, it's 10 mins into Fleet or Camberley on a bus both of which have better shops.

I'm in a "nicer" part of Farnborough mentioned above, and it's quiet with sone gorgeous walks and woodlands, but hasn't a huge amount of soul. No Indy coffee shops etc, but otherwise it has everything you might need.

A decent 3 bed terrace with a garden is £350k ish round here.

It's 35 mins on the train to Waterloo from Farnborough Main and 10 ish mins from North Camp into Guildford and super quick into Basingstoke / Winchester etc.

It's an hours drive to fab beaches (Bournemouth etc) which is a huge draw for me, having moved here from London.

30 mins drive into Reading which is good for IKEA / John Lewis etc.

There are good schools, several great soft plays and cafes / a few good pubs.

It's not as pretty or you it's own arse as Farnham, and if you want to dress head to toe in Joules and never be able to drive anywhere in town then Farnham is your best bet, but for good size houses and great towns super close by then Farnborough is great!!

It sounds pretty good tbh! I'm looking for a semi or end of terrace as I'm weary of noise in mid terraces. It's not always the case but it is a risk!
OP posts:
Samara26 · 16/02/2022 01:52

@Crikeyalmighty

From what you have said you might like Woking - it’s not the prettiest but it is a ‘drive’ kind of place and very good train link to London - and easy into Guildford which is much nicer (in my opinion) not sure what you mean about the not being able to park conveniently thing? Maybe if that’s what you want then just look which place has a lot of out of town retail parks- to be honest I think Reading is far better than other places you have mentioned but I may be missing something regards to housing
Woking would be one high on my list but unfortunately it's very expensive. Ideally I'm after a good size semi or end of terrace / or town house but id look at a duplex or flat as long as it was a good size and not in a huge block (noise issues).

Do h know Rossby/ Shinfield? There's a town house on auction. There for sale?

OP posts:
Samara26 · 16/02/2022 01:54

@Samara26

Which towns have more amenities ie gyms, chain shops, restaurants, cafes etc in order of preference out of: Bagshot Farnham Farnborough Aldershot Camberley Basingstoke

I'm in Reading and it's probably a bit big for me or just not what I imagined it to be - not very modern or car friendly. I'm not finding the traffic an issue, but you can't just park up near where you want to be

Does anyone know Shinfield/ Rossby?? I've heard it's ok and seems good access into Reading etc?

Seen an auction town house there that's tempting me

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/119755043

OP posts:
Samara26 · 16/02/2022 02:04

@VanillaAndOrange

I've been to all of them except Bagshot and I have lived in Farnborough.

Farnborough is dull as ditchwater. The whole time I was living there it didn't even have a cinema (I hear it has now), the shopping is boring, there is no cultural scene whatsoever, no nightlife. I think it suffers from being too close to London and the assumption that anyone who wants a bit of excitement will be willing to travel there (to be fair, it is only about an hour on the train). The main reason we moved away was increased activity on the airfield which meant the air always stank of aviation fuel. On the plus side there are a few nice green areas along the Blackwater River which means you don't have to walk that far to get out in the countryside.

Farnham is pretty and kind of villagey in character, with one of those very wide old market streets. I like it aesthetically, but I wouldn't have been happy there in the long term as I do prefer more of a city vibe (this may not be an issue for you).

Aldershot is best known as an army town but the town centre isn't bad (or wasn't when I lived in the area) and it felt a bit more "alive" to me than Farnborough.

Camberley is like Aldershot without the army.

Basingstoke would be my pick, mainly because it's bigger, but as I said, I am a city girl at heart.

If you like small places I'd suggest also having a look at Fleet. I always rather liked it visually, it has fairly interesting shops for its size, a lovely nature reserve at Fleet Pond, and it isn't much further away from London than Farnborough by train (next stop along on the direct line).

I also liked Woking (where I used to work) but it might be the sort of bigger place you are trying to get away from.

Hey. Does Farnborough still have a lot of jet fuel in the air? I moved away from Crawley because of that..

I'm not looking for a small village type place, I just find Reading a bit claustrophobic like everyone is living on top of each other but that's probably because it's an old town with old housing stock. I'm only really seeing houses in tilehurst within my budget and there's a lot of competition and they are mostly around 80 years old and need a lot of updates :(

Farnham is definitely not my cup of tea, and traffic sounds horrendous!

Is Shinfield/ Rossby any good?

OP posts:
Samara26 · 16/02/2022 02:20

@rebeccachoc

In the last ten years I've lived in Basingstoke (Hampshire not Surrey as per your OP in case you need to know), Bracknell, Guildford and Camberley so I'm quite good to answer this I think.

Top of my list would be Basingstoke (as long as you like roundabouts as its nicknamed Donut city!). Its very large so lots of different parts of it, so somewhere will suit your budget. There are lots of places to eat, there's a great entertainment park as someone else mentioned with stuff like ice skating to indoor sky diving. Especially there's a great swimming pool and gym with loads of various exercise classes. I understand why people say it's a bit rough, there are areas that aren't so nice and there are shall we say a few characters you'll run into in town, but generally it's OK. Also as someone else said you are only a short drive to lots of lovely villages, lots of historic interest not far away and there are lots of green spaces actually in Basingstoke too, that was my favourite part. The town has a great choice of shops in a big shopping centre can't think of the name right now, I've lived in too many places to keep track! Traffic is about average to bad, depending which way you go.

Guildford would be second on my list. Again it's a bigger place so a choice of places to live but not as many as Basingstoke. It is fairly pricey here though. There is the spectrum leisure centre where you can do ice skating, bowling, swimming gym etc. The town is basically on 2 steep parallel roads that you can cut through between and a small shopping centre. Don't go if you don't like hills or have any mobility issues. There are a fair few of the usual chain places in town but it seems to be more shop closures than opening lately. Traffic is pretty average on your usual rush hour but doesn't take long to get anywhere.

Camberley would be third on my list. There a variety of housing and areas. They seem to be spending money lately in the town, a new leisure centre has opened up which had the usual gym and pool but also got great indoor climbing walls. They've also built a load of new flats and 2 more places have been knocked down so we'll see what is being built there next. The shops are a variety of chains and independent although there are some empty shops which looks sad. There is a place called the atrium which is bowling, cinema and about 8 restaurants.

And in no particular order I wouldn't recommend...

Farnham I worked in for years so know the town well and as others say its quite stuck up. The town is more about expensive boutiques than chain places, I nearly fainted when they opened a poundland. The houses are pricey unless you go to a village a couple of miles away. Traffic is awful through town and going past it in rush hour. There's a very expensive gym and swimming pool in town but not too much else in the way of entertainment. A few pubs in town but nowt special.

Bracknell a good variety of reasonably new housing and at fair prices. Their is a retail park with a few of the big name shops like Currys and a cinema there. The town has been redone recently so lookin good and a few chains and some nice independents, a good variety anyway. I can't think of gyms off the top of my head I apologise, I didn't live there for long and it was years back. I don't like the traffic its horrific to get across Bracknell in rush hour once took me 2 hours and its only about 3 miles. There are some nice green areas in and just out of Bracknell but not too much exciting to do for an adult.

Farnborough is cheaper to live in, but not a huge place so not much variety in areas. The town is not overly big, not many chain places at all maybe a couple of pubs in town that's about it. There's a cinema and I think a gym near the cinema but not anything else in the way of leisure. Traffic is pretty OK even during rush hour. This is like a mini Aldershot as there's a large Ghurka based population (I love the Ghurkas by the way so no disrespectful meant).

Aldershot finally. The housing is cheap and they are doing a lot of new house building currently. But the town is just dismal. A lot of the shops are empty and it's mainly cheap shops, like independent non branded household goods stores. There is a cinema and bingo and a few places to eat. I can't think of gyms here either as I'm not a gym person and I must admit I don't go here more than twice a year. Traffic as I remember is pretty standard for rush hour, not overly bothersome.

So here endeth the lesson on Surrey towns Grin hope it helps.

Thanks this is a great summary. Especially as u seem to have lived in a lot of places! I'm surprised u chose Basingstoke.. it's easy to drive around and things are well laid out but I didn't realise there was that much to do? I think it lacks much of a bar scene ? The shops are good and I saw the retail park there earlier but it was really just the skydive bowling and skating, I didn't see the leisure Center. The whole place seems quiet and Winchester or Reading seem a long way to go for a night out? I'm not really a train type girl lol.. too lazy! I drive everywhere! (Hardly drink)
OP posts:
Samara26 · 16/02/2022 02:25

@gingerhills

Reigate is lovely Dorking is worth a look Woking is notoriously ugly but lively - lots going on - gorgeous art gallery, a theatre, cinema etc. Esher is very expensive but also worth a look.
You are probably right but none of these places have 'buzz' except perhaps Woking which is too expensive.

Reigate is a small family town are although nice, very dull

Dorking is very village like and definitely no buzz.

Did I mention I was single?!?!:))))

OP posts:
Samara26 · 16/02/2022 02:29

@twodayistheday

What do you want to do on a Saturday night? A couple of bars, some chain restaurants then honestly most small high streets like Fleet have that. Cinema Aldershot & Farnborough. Price wise will be tricky in any of these areas for your wish list.
Probably looking for something a bit more lively than just a couple of bars.. crawley had that and I got very bored of it! 30 min drive to go somewhere else got a big tired after a while and that's one of the reasons I'm moving...
OP posts:
RupertOscar1999 · 16/02/2022 02:42

These are just my opinions!!
Bagshot - I've only been there a few times so I can't judge it too much
Aldershot - is like a dead town!! Very run down
Farnborough - its kinda like Aldershot but has a nice shopping centre. (Kings mead) Has a few cafe's, gyms etc
Camberely - every time I go there I have struggles with the parking
Farnham - isn't 'modern' but has cafes, gyms, schools etc all within walking distance.
Out of all six I would choose Farnham. Possibly round the town or Wreccelsham.
How about trying Alton, Grayshot, Haslemere, Havant

Samara26 · 16/02/2022 02:46

@RupertOscar1999

These are just my opinions!! Bagshot - I've only been there a few times so I can't judge it too much Aldershot - is like a dead town!! Very run down Farnborough - its kinda like Aldershot but has a nice shopping centre. (Kings mead) Has a few cafe's, gyms etc Camberely - every time I go there I have struggles with the parking Farnham - isn't 'modern' but has cafes, gyms, schools etc all within walking distance. Out of all six I would choose Farnham. Possibly round the town or Wreccelsham. How about trying Alton, Grayshot, Haslemere, Havant
Thank you. The post has evolved a little now.. not considering Farnham anymore. Looking a bit of buzz close by so Alton and the other places u suggested won't have that unfortunately:)
OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread