Moving on from Ripley - areas?

[Emergencykitten]

Hi everyone,

Just hoping for some advice please regarding areas to move to. We currently rent in Ripley, which we absolutely love, but houses rarely come available and when they do they tend to be out of our price range. Having made the initial move out from our lovely SW London 2 years ago, it is frustrating to be looking at new areas again. But hey ho!

We like Ripley because of its good amenities (shops/ restaurants / coffee shops / parks) within walking distance and the nice 'feel' to it, plus it's an easy drive to West Byfleet for my husband and I to commute into Waterloo. We now have a baby so we need to add schools and nurseries /childminders into the mix.

Any local advice on any of these places would be incredibly welcome, as these are the places I think we can afford (Ripley, Cobham, Claygate and Weybridge are our preferred areas but sadly the pennies won't stretch that far).

Pyrford - like the feel of the place but the nearest coffee shops / restaurants etc are in West Byfleet which wouldn't necessarily be walkable, but the primary school is very good.

Walton on Thames - has the amenities we like but I'm not sure the parts of Walton we could afford to live really have that safe / nice feel to them (around Garden Rd / Cottimore Lane area).

New Haw - seems pleasant, with good schools but I can't figure out why it's so much cheaper than everywhere else. Are lots of the houses ex-LA?

Woking - really not keen on the town centre but I know that areas like St John's and Westfield are nice. But then the station is potentially a pain to get to from those areas and parking at £150 a month is not an option for us!

Guildford - getting to the station for our commute is potentially an issue as I know that one way system can be a nightmare in rush hour
Ottershaw
West Byfleet

As you can see there are almost too many options and I am driving myself a little bit crazy trying to decide what our best move is. I'm really feeling the pressure that we make the right decision for our family as we're hoping this move would see us settled in one house for the next 10-15 years.

Thanks in advance for any local advice and sorry for the long post.
x

Hi - I don't have in depth knowledge of some of the areas you mention but didn't want you to receive no reply !

I'd agree re Ripley and tbh the state school situation isn't great if you live there however alot can change if your child is newborn. We moved from SW London and I wanted to be able to walk into a decent sized village/town however 5 years on I can honestly say this doesn't bother me. I am a taxi mum now anyway ! Being able to walk to school is a bonus however... Your money will not go as far obviously in the bigger locations.

We looked at Pyrford/W Byfleet but discounted it because of secondary schools - but all this could change in 10 years time !

I would think about what is most important to you - short commute and bigger town and poss less space, or more village community type poss longer commute but more space.

I have friends in Chobham, I think that also has a nice 'feel' to it ! Or to throw another one in the mix - Bookham?

Good luck - there's a good website called commutefrom or smth like that that gives you commute times.

Guildford - consider London Rd station, there is also one nursery which is very convenient. But whynot look for within walking distance of the station?
Traffic is not that bad in the mornings until after 8 am, can be worse in the evenings, if something has gone wrong with the A3.

Thanks for your replies to my waffley (sp?!) post. I guess I just want reassurance that the areas I'm considering are nice and that we will fit in there.
New Haw especially seems to fit the bill as the schools seem to be good (primary and Fullbrook for secondary), have I got that right? As you point out though Holidaysrcoming, a lot can change in ten years re secondary school. The pricing is so good though (for that area of Surrey!) that I think there must be something that I'm missing!

I'd also really like to know (without offending anyone) which areas of Walton to avoid!

Thanks for your help.

Why not move to West Byfleet itself if that is where you are currently commuting from? Much nicer housing generally than New Haw which has fewer desirable parts. There are lots of parts of West Byfleet from which you can walk to the station so you could save the parking money and put it towards the mortgage. Several good primary school options and in catchment for Fulbrook if that is where you are thinking for secondary. My husband and I were in a similar dilemma over West Byfleet and New Haw although about 20 years ago. Our feeling about New Haw is that it is cheaper because it doesn't have the train station but it feels a bit "windy city" if that makes sense - long main street with a variety of average shops, versus West Byfleet which is certainly not the most chi chi place but does have Waitrose and lots of nice restaurants, hair and beauty places, soft play type places, coffee shops and several independent shops (gifts, butcher, clothing etc)

Thanks Petalmum for your advice. We are also considering West Byfleet. We've finally narrowed it down to Pyford, West Byfleet, Ottershaw or Walton on Thames. The problem we have is that there are NO houses on the market in the first of those three areas and not much in WOT. We have to move in the next two months. Eek!!!

Eek indeed. Do you feel happy sharing how much your budget for buying is and what your requirements for a house, in terms of bedrooms, garden etc?

Looking for a minimum of 3 beds and ideally a big garden, with room to extend in the future. Budget is £400k which I realise isn't a huge amount. If anyone knows of someone looking to sell in these areas please PM me!

Horsell in Woking has a nice village feel, and some parts are walking distance to Woking station. Very good state schools there too, esp the village school.

Be careful re schools in Ottershaw (secondary)

You should be able to find something in Onslow Village in Guildford, I would have thought, for £400k or thereabouts. Most of it is within a 20 min walk of the mainline station and within in the catchment area for Guildford County, which is a good state secondary.

Hi @Emergencykitten, I am just wondering what happened with your housing dilemma. Where did you end up moving to? We currently rent in Teddington and cannot afford to buy around here, and have seen a place in New Haw we like...but know nothing about the area other than it seems to be much cheaper than anywhere else... does anyone know the area?

Not Ripley in Derbyshire then...