Good (affordable) towns near London?

[UnsureHmm]

Apologies, posting for traffic.

I am looking to move out of London over the next couple of years as I cannot afford to buy in london.

I am also not sure of the surrounding areas as I am from up north originally. Unfortunately, I need to be near London for mine and my partners work.

Which towns/areas are good for families with kids, with good schools etc.

I lived in Buckinghamshire for years growing up. Went to Chesham Grammar (or Chesham High School as it was known then), excellent area for education and commuting into London. Amersham, the Chalfonts, and Watford are all good areas to live and commute, with good Grammar and high schools, but I think now they are pretty expensive for housing- even a 3 bedroom terraced property in Chesham would be probably be nearly 400k.

Yes, High Wycombe is awful. I used to frequently go there to the cinema and shopping and it was ok but we're talking 20 odd years ago. It's definitely not the same now apparently, quite rough.

Orpington / Bromley/ Sidcup

There's a lot on the market at the moment. There's plenty of nice bits, but it's not at all fashionable which keeps the prices down. Brilliant transport links.

Tonbridge. Just under 40 mins to London Bridge. Train also goes a few stops on to Waterloo East/Charing Cross. Good schools (more so the grammars but some good comps too). £400k will get you a smallish 3-bed house near the station.

Do you have to go into London every day OP? If not, I'd suggest somewhere like Ashford in Kent. Tonbridge might be worth a look as well but I don't know if you can get a house for your budget there.

I see a pp has suggested Fleet, I think you might struggle with that budget although it's not impossible. Schools are good in Fleet. Basingstoke gets a bad press but might be worth some research and has fast links to London. You could probably come under budget in Farnborough or Aldershot but would need to choose area carefully to get the better schools.

I also see someone has asked about Slough, it wouldn't be my choice but it made me think of Bracknell/Martins Heron area, might be worth researching.

Redhill might be worth a look as well although I don't know about house prices.

Wow. They've gone up even more than I really realised in Chesham. Blimey...

I've thought of somewhere else near Fleet - Ash Vale - comes under Guildford borough and is on not-fast line to London. Prices are lower there than in Fleet and there is a lot of housebuilding going on. Could be worth a look as well. However, I don't know what Ash Manor school is like.

What is rough about High Wycombe? The people? Will someone please be honest about why they dont like High Wycombe.

What about Wycombe Abbey School for Girls or Wycombe High School for girls? Dont want 4 As for your DDs? Go somewhere else.

Here's an example in Ash Vale: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/130375421#/?channel=RES_BUY

Aah. You have got Dss. How about Royal Grammar School? Not so academic, John Hampden?

22 mins train to London.

High Wycombe in itself isn't that bad per se but it certainly doesn't have the charm or desirable value of living in the other property areas in Buckinghamshire. Amersham and Chesham are better, higher property prices definitely, but also have excellent grammar and private schools with easy access to the tube station. You would be better living there to be honest, if you could afford it.

Crayford, Dartford , Bexleyheath etc

I wouldn't live in Wycombe.

The areas have Kent/ Bexley grammar schools.
The only issue is if your dc doesn’t get into the grammar school. With the exception of the girls Catholic school in Bexleyheath many of the non grammars are not very good in these areas

Well, if you say so. I'm not that snobby and I don't think where I live now (Norwich) ie the first place to look for the naice middle class crime-free area to live. But I would be inclined to believe my friend who is a police officer and works/lives in Wycombe that it's rough and awful. She hates it there.

Some of these areas can be quite pricey .

High Wycombe, gateway to the Chilterns. 5 Miles from the Thames at Marlow. Green fields. Excellent sports clubs. A beautiful Museum and gardens. Outdoor Swimming Pool. Excellent connections to London. Top Schools. Shopping Centre.

People slag the place off, but won't actually say what they dont like about High Wycombe.

To be fair, I'd live in Wycombe any day over where I could have been brought up in the East End with the family connection to the crime team Kray brothers. Makes the likes of Wycombe look almost idyllic!

I'm not the worlds biggest fan of Reading but it has a lot going for it. Affordable housing, Good shopping, good connections, easy for London, easy to go west, east, north or south

Something like this OP and well within budget- I would go for Reading over grim places like Hemel or grim bits of Kent etc

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86075394#/?channel=RES_BUY

Have a look at Camberley and surrounds like Bagshot and Frimley. 400k would just about get a 3 bed terraced house or even a semi that needs work - you'd be driving to one of the local good stations to the fast line like Brookwood as they're all on a slow line which keeps prices OK ish. Decent schools. Go slightly further south of Camberley to Sandhurst / Yateley you'd be driving to Farnborough. - IMHO this whole area is high on the price / decent place to live chart though of course there are roads / estates to avoid. it's generally a decent area with good amenities. DM if you want more specifics

You'd be able to achieve all that (house with garden) in Luton or Dunstable.

Personally I'd give Luton a swerve, and don't hold out any dreams of meandering around the shops in Dunstable, but on the whole it's a nice town to live in. And good commuter links.

Reading is a good option

Stevenage. 25 mins fast train to Finsbury Park or King's Cross. Houses well within your budget.