Moving to Surrey. But, Where to?

[denisehr]

Hi everyone. 👋
1st time posting so bear with me.
We live currently in SW London. We want more space. We have 2 dogs and one 7 year old. A good sized garden is a must 👌. 4 bed ideally. We don't drive but in the process of getting license (we drive, We just dont have UK driving license).
We don't know much of Surrey as we are not from UK but have spent 12 years in London.
We need good connection to London as hubs works in Central London.
We visited Surbiton and liked it . Looking around Walton on Thames, Weybridge,Thames Ditton. Budget is 1.1k . Private schools only so we don't need to be in any catchment areas.
We don't want to feel isolated, we are quite social and my kid loves to do extra curricular activities. So close to rests. Pubs, shops will be gladly appreciated.

Thanks so much. Anything you can recommend to this lost soul? Any areas I should have in mind. A estate agent you were happy with? 😊

Did you mean 1.1m?

The areas that you have already identified are lovely. If looking out a bit further you could consider West Byfleet (fast train into London) and the surrounding villages e.g. Pyrford and Ripley (but ideally you would need a car for these) and then out towards Guildford.

Lololol yes 1.1M . I really wish it was K . We are not keen on villages or small ish places as We are city people. We like quiet but not so much! I want to be able to have things to go. Will check West Byfleet as it keeps coming out in zoopla etc. Thank you . Do you live around those areas?

I live in Byfleet, next village to West Byfleet, then there’s Walton on Thames, Esher and then Surbiton, so all on the main train line to London Waterloo. If you are wanting private schools, there are quite a lot around here, but may need a car to get to. West Byfleet has a few restaurants, 2 pubs, a Waitrose and a few shops, but not much else. Weybridge is a bit more livelier, has lots of restaurants, pubs, bars and more shops. You should get something nice for your budget.

Guildford is a very nice town with lots of good private schools. It is further from London than the areas you mentioned, but nicer in my opinion.

Ripley in Surrey is a fabulous village. Lovely high street and community feel with farmers markets, annual firework display, Christmas fair and lots more. There is an excellent prep school in the village. Highly recommended.

I second Esher.

The other advantage of Guildford is regular fast trains into London. Its a lovely area.

I’m in Surbiton - been here 13 years now and love it. So many community things have popped up in recent years, we’ve seen off Starbucks and have lots of cafes, restaurants, etc. Transport links are obviously great.

For your budget I’d look around the main roads in Berrylands that are closest to the Surbiton side - Alexandra Rd/Avenue South/Kings Drive sort of area.

I live in Guildford and both myself and my DH work in London. He drives (he does nightshifts) I take the train to Waterloo, the fast train takes only 35mins when SWR is agreeable. We moved to Guildford from North London 4 years ago and couldn't be happier. Lovely area, you got everything you might wish in a town plus lovely parks, and great private schools as well. Honestly it's a little gem. The only down side is that like most of Surrey, it's quite expensive!

Your budget will get you a 4 bed with a good garden in Walton. There is a bit more going on in Esher and Weybridge but they are very easy to get to from Walton, they all very close together. Cobham is lovely but I think the train takes longer.

For me, one of the benefits of being in the Walton area, rather than further out, is that it’s a fairly quick and relatively inexpensive taxi home from London if you have an evening / night out or if there are issues with the trains after work.

Thanks everyone. Researching now all your recommendations. I need to puck school too. Which is probably for another post lol.