To think there is nowhere within commutable distance to London that I want to live?

[Teacherprebaby]

Any advice greatly appreciated; if you commute to London, where do you live and what is it like? I have seen some less than desirable areas and don't want to make a mistake. I'm sure there are fabulous places, I just don't know them.

Must be within commuting distance to London Bridge/Victoria.

I commute from Kent, takes 40 minutes in a morning

@Teacherprebaby I have a friend that works in London one week in four and she lives in a beautiful town outside Belfast. You'll need more details...

You're only meant to think this inside your head, not type it out for people to see.

I love that accent. Find it a real turn on

France? The Eurostar issues today aren't an everyday occurrence.

It really depends what an acceptable commute is to you as an individual.

Well what are your non-negotiables OP? You make a sweeping statement that there is nowhere that you'd want to live, but then don't list the things that you want and ask others to recommend nice places!

Cambridge.

Epsom excellent for commuting

Without more details this is a pointless thread.

West Sussex direct to Victoria. You could be beside the seaside!

You can get the direct train from Peterborough to London Bridge. There are some nice villages near Peterborough and it is cheaper than the SE.

What on earth is an estuary accent? I've lived in London and the SE for half my life (originally from oop north) and have no idea.

What do you mean by desirable OP?

What do you want, rural, semi-rural, market town, suburb with cafe culture, Zone 4? What else do you need - schools? Which area of London do you need to commute to?

Estuary English is how my dm referred to the accents on East Enders.

Before you start looking for homes, I'd book a room in the proposed location for a week in term time, and see what the commute is REALLY like. People say my home town is "great for commuting to London" because the service only takes about an hour to Waterloo. They always forget to factor in:

• getting to the station in the morning and home again at night (esp. in Winter when its cold, dark and there are not may people around)
• getting from to and from work once you arrive at Waterloo.
• it's standing-room only from that station during the morning peak, and some of those standing are unfortunate enough to have got on next to the on-board loos, where they will have to remain for an hour.
• An annual season ticket (without tube included) is well over three grand, and you might be better off long-term putting most of that towards a slightly higher mortgage and living closer to work.

Swindon?!?! The OP said somewhere they'd LIKE to live.

I see!!! Thank you. I'm sure there must be some people who speak like that in the SE, but it's a bit like thinking everyone up north has a Liverpudlian accent 😂

They mean Essex. We should know our place - we’re all just scum.
Notice no-one has mentioned Essex as we are victim to lazy stereotyping. But I live just outside the Oyster card cutoff zone. Have woods at the end of my road and surrounded by countryside generally. A high street full of independent shops, but still only a 20/25 min drive to either Lakeside/Bluewater. 20 mins commute by to Stratford where the rest of the tfl network opens up to us (including 10 mins on DLR to City Airport) Short drive from end of Elizabeth Line to get to LHR. Alternatively 20 min on train to Southend. Good schools surround us. I do def have an Estuary accent though. Sorry.

I think Lewes is the perfect compromise, its an hour from london victoria and near enough to the sea

The vital piece of info missing from you OP is where it is you want to live. Until you tell us it then there's no point in anybody answering your question really is there?

Also budget and how long a commute they can bear. I once met someone who commuted to central London at least 4 days a week from Doncaster, but I'd be surprised if MN would consider Doncaster an acceptable place to live, and not just because it's not really well located for a daily commute to London. It took about 90 mins or so but the season ticket was about £10k pa.

What’s your budget op?

Yep Essex is an utter hole and no one should live here. We’re all fake tan types with awful accents.

Or it’s really convenient, with lovely countryside, forest and beaches as well as some excellent schools.

And being from the West Country with a farmers accent I had to laugh that a pp suggested Bristol yet had issues with accents…

Epsom is lovely, especially round the College area, the Downs and the Common. It's the best of both worlds- easy access to both London and countryside.

I go up twice a month from Weston Super Mare and it's fine in my experience. Usually, that is unless the wires come down or something.