Am I being delusional to think there is somewhere in the UK that ticks all the boxes?

[WhenSunnyGetsBlue]

Single mum, looking to move out of London but struggling to find anywhere. Is my list of requirements unrealistic?

• minimum of one bed (ideally two), not a flat share
• within 1h30m of London.
• Near to a train station (for commuting)
• within 40 mins walk of shops/supermarket/schools etc
• Good schools
• affordable (no more than £1200 pcm)

-ideal if there was some green space/nice walks nearby

I'm looking back when my first flat was £325pcm and silently weeping inside.

Ely could be an option? It crops up on lists of "best places to live" now and then and has a station with a direct line into Kings Cross (about 1hr20). It's a "city" but essentially a small market town with a Cathedral (which is beautiful).

Not a lot of shops but with the station you can be in central Cambridge for shopping in under 20 mins.

Example rental: 2 bedroom terraced house for rent in Brays Lane, ELY, Cambridgeshire, CB7

Burgess Hill has all this. It's not particularly glamorous (it was a culture shock when I moved here from Brighton!) but it's safe and cheap, 50 mins on the train to London and 7 mins on the fast train to Brighton. The town centre isn't great but there are supermarkets close by. The schools are all rated Good. The secondary Catholic school here is rated Outstanding. Failing that Haywards Heath which has a bit more going on but slightly more expensive for that reason.

If it's stratford you're commuting to then you want to look at towns on the East Anglia line that runs through Wickford and Rayleigh in Essex.

Stevenage. Not particularly pretty, though some of the surrounding villages are nice, but 20mins to finsbury park and not far from there to stratford. Housing still reasonable, schools reasonable.

I would say don't underestimate the misery of a long/difficult commute, having a friend who is currently living in commute hell after convincing herself that a long commute wasn't that big a deal because she could work on the train (she can't, most of the time she can't even get a seat)

Rather expensive area to live in - hardly anything in op price range - not a walk to the supermarket that would be martlesham heath - and pushing the commute time as it’s 120 to 130 just on the train to Stratford and a real pain if you miss the connection which will happen lots on that line

there are bad areas of Ipswich but there is also a lot of nice areas - by Christchurch park which is lovely ,or down by the marina , heading out along foxhall and Woodbridge roads would also be ok ( the hospital area isn’t far from open land/ golf course ) and 20 mins walk to sainsburies but would add to the commute time unless OP happy on a bike to the station ( 30 to 40 mins walk )

the trains take 1hr to 1 hr 20

Folkestone. I'd live there if i hadn't moved to Somerset.

Grantham and Newark are both on the fast train to London and cheap too!

Colchester:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159729647#/?channel=RESLET
20 minutes walk to station
5 minutes walk to Castle Park
10 minutes walk to a primary school ('good with outstanding features' per OFSTED). Aside from the grammars, there are good secondaries in town and a good Sixth Form college.
7 minutes walk to a small Sainsbury's; there are lots of shops 5 minutes walk from the station.

ETA, It's 40 mins by train to Stratford.

I'm not good with overground train timetables etc in London, as I live in Kent (fab, affordable?) but a family member has moved to Leighton Buzzard - apparently lots of amenities and safe

The market town of Diss in Norfolk is just under 1.5hrs by train from Stratford if that's not too far out?

There are a couple of 3-bed houses in Rightmove on the outskirts of the town within a 10-12 minute walk of the station. Country walks and parks. Short train/bus ride to larger towns/cities. Good local schools.

Just had a Quick Look at Rightmove, I live in west Bridgford, one of the top places to live in certainly the midlands, Kirsty and Phil always praise it lol! You can rent for that money, great schools and train to London is frequent and a short bus ride too - give it some thought but amazing g for sports (Trent bridge cricket, Forest Ground, water sports, ice rink/hockey etc too and a great culture, low crime ... don't need a car either

Have you looked at the far East end of the Elizabeth Line? My brother is paying £1100 a month for a one-bed near Romford.

Folkestone could work - lots of open spaces - beach, good school including grammar for secondary - look at west end areas nearer Folkestone Central/West nicer properties and area. High speed train to Stratford in under an hour

St Neots - commutable, fairly good high st, good schools?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159066152

Ely.

it’s a long commute if you are doing it every day though

You could get a 2bed terrace by the station, the highstreet and a park in Colchester for that budget https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/157718576?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=lettings&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_LET

Bristol Temple Meads Station is approximately an hour and a half from Paddington. Bath Spa Station is approximately an hour and 15 minutes.
I don't know what property you would get for your budget though...

One of the surrounding areas of Southampton that has a train station? Eastleigh? It’s also only a short hop on the train to Winchester.

How often do you need to commute?
Factor in that a commute of 1 hr is not always 1 hr.
A hot train journey home can be tiring.

I lived in Ware for a while, nice river walk, pubs, restaurants and a direct train to London.

Plenty of places on the Greater Anglia line between Stratford and Southend should match your wish list. Rayleigh, Wickford, Rochford, Southend

Folkestone. 50 minutes to Stratford on the fast train.

Being by the sea and near green spaces is nice for kids.

Many Londoners have moved to that town.

Has a decent amount of things to do and is quite arty.

I was going to say this as well, you could also rent a house for that monthly budget.

Another vote for Folkestone! Good train to Stratford and so family friendly. Look around Folkestone West train station for the family properties and parks. The beaches are great. I’d move there in a heartbeat