Thinking of moving to Hillingdon

[Mamamem]

Hi, I'm a 30 year old Asian mum of two. 7yo and 4yo. I currently live up north near Manchester and I'm thinking of moving to Hillingdon. I would like to ask what the area is like. Is it safe/ friendly? I don't know anyone in the area? Thank you

Hi, I would say it's reasonably nice. It depends which area you are considering. Ruislip and Eastcote are nice areas as are Ickenham, Long Lane area of Hillingdon etc but there are other areas which are not so nice e.g. Hayes.

Hi Mamamen,

Hillingdon is great (I am biased though, I work for the council!). I did however also grow up here. I grew up in Ickenham and had family in Ruislip and Eastcote. When I was 18 I lived in Harlington for a bit, too.

It's a great London borough that has the best of both worlds. You have great transport links with the M4 and M40 motorways, train stations, the tube and decent bus links. You also get the mix of urban and rural. Different parts of the borough are different in their mix of urban and rural but there are lots of parks and green spaces everywhere. You're close enough to London to work in the capital but close enough to the edge that you can go the countryside really easily.

I have just noticed that this thread is from July so I won't go on much more...! But for the benefit of anyone else reading this, Hayes is really on the up at the moment. A massive development has just been given outline approval which will see loads of new homes built near the train station. The council has been working to improve the town centre for a while, working with shop keepers. Hayes has a great history with the Old Vinyl Factory and EMI were based there years ago.

Some info about the new development here: www.hillingdon.gov.uk/article/26104/A-great-night-for-Hayes-as-major-planning-application-approved

they are going to be doing some redevelopment in south ruislip too aren't they? not sure exactly what??

as others mentioned eastcote and ruislip are nice,pinner too although technically thats in harrow. i think uxbridge is a good area too,its quite convenient lot of things near by. hospital, shops, lots of bus routes etc

Morning all!

Only just found the local chat but and soooo relieved! My husband is changing jobs which means moving from Bristol to Uxbridge. We're totally clueless on areas so after any pearls of wisdom you can offer!

We have a 3 year old and another due in May, and a dog. I've got to get DD down for schools later this year, so that is going to be a factor but more immediately I need somewhere with good toddler activities. We're pretty spoiled for choice in Bristol and and the thought of starting again terrifies me, so toddler groups etc will be a lifesaver.

I've looked on Netmums and the local listings are thin to say the least: thought the wise Mumsnetters might know better!

Many thanks xx

Hi OrdinarySoup! Don't worry about finding things to do in Uxbridge and the rest of Hillingdon. There are loads. Check out our toddler group listings for groups in your area.

Also - why don't you join us for a meet-up after half term in Ruislip? I have a four-year old and two older ones who'll be at school. No dog yet, still resisting on that front.
On Fridays - we try to do a round-up of things to do with toddlers over the weekend in Hillingdon and post it on FB and Twitter for mums in the area.
Good luck with the move. When are you moving?

Hi toffee crunch - thanks for the post. It's so daunting! Silly really as I know we'll settle in fine. I think DH will be needed at the beginning of April, but when we move may depend on how long it takes to sell up in Bristol. So not much time! When / where do you meet up? Sounds like a great chance to pick people's brains and get a feel for the area - thank you!

We're planning to meet-up the first Friday after half term at The Coffee Mill at the Windmill Studios in Ruislip - see the thread about meet-ups above for times etc.
This local site has only been around for a few months, but it's growing fast and it's a great time to join us.
We'll post the meet-ups on Facebook and Twitter too, so follow us on there too for info. (FB link at top of page and Twitter on right side)