Moving to Guildford

[zoesaurus]

Hi everyone! I am currently living in Wimbledon with my two sons and by DH. We all want to move somewhere greener and outside of london. We have previously looked at places like Cobham and Esher but have now started thinking about Guildford. DH needs a good commute to London Waterloo for work (thinking 40-50 mins max) and there needs to be good primary and secondary schools nearby. Please let me know if Guildford is a nice and safe place to live. I'm open to other places too.

Thank you,
Zoe x

Godalming is lovely - just 8 mins further on the same train to Waterloo. Smaller than Guildford.

I think Wimbledon is not that different to Guildford. There are good primaries and secondaries here. We looked at Godalming too but found it difficult to find a house that was short walking distance to a station and in a catchment for a good school, we found this in Guildford. It is still a town so fairly big and lively but there are quieter areas close to the high street in various directions. I think if you are looking for more rural you may have a longer commute (less frequent trains, longer journeys etc).

Depends on your budget, Guildford is pretty, good shopping, close to lovely countryside but expensive. The schools, both primary & secondary are of a very good quality.

And commute to London is 35minutes I think.

If you're after somewhere greener it might be worth looking at some of the villages surrounding Guildford. Pirbright is lovely, walking distance to Brookwood station which is on a fast train line through Woking into Waterloo. About 35/40mins. 15 min drive into Guildford. Worpelsdon is worth a look too, local station lots of lovely country walks etc. Not too sure on schools but Pirbright has an excellent Primary.

We've just moved from wimbledon to guildford and love it. The shopping is great, a lot greener, so many great country walks close by and it feels really safe. Little one isn't at school yet but the schools where a big factor in deciding on Guildford and the area. I also commute into Waterloo and it's fine. The fast trains are 35 mins.

Im thinking of moving to Guildford area too, but prefer more rural with access to towns. Closer to Godalming or Farnham?? Which do you all think is the better option?

Also anyone sent their kids to Aldro or Cranleigh Prep? Any tips?

My husband went to Cranleigh all the way through (boarding from 8) and loved it! The facilities are exceptional (especially at the senior school) and there is a really caring, inclusive atmosphere. It's on our list for when we get to that stage.

Hi all, I'm considering moving to guildford as well. I'm a single mom with a eight year old currently living in Glasgow:(. I need to get in touch just for some info. I would prefer the city with easy access to London. Please feel free to comment n also recommend a good school for my girl. Thanks a lot.

Guildford is very safe. Expensive. People usually try to live South of the A3, unless Catholic. Almost all Guildford schools are quite good, one is having a few issues (a consortium took over and the head left, leading to general unhappyness). Get Surrey is a good site to get some general idea.

As with all the SE there is increasing pressure on school places. Lots do have over 30 in a class for KS2.

We moved from SW London a year ago, and looked at both Guildford and Godalming. We found that Guildford itself is great for transport and shopping, theatre etc, but that some of the areas within walking distance of the station have the same downsides as London, i.e. Small gardens, limited parking, houses close together. In Godalming there aren't that many areas you can walk to the station from. So we decided that if we had to drive to the station anyway that we might as well drive ten mins as three mins. This opened up lots of villages, Shamley Green, Hascombe, Milford, etc. You get a bigger house and a more villagey / rural feel for the same money.

We both commute to Central London and it's a very easy commute; lots of trains, and the fast trains to Guildford are excellent , of busy.

I'm afraid I can't really advise on schools as our DCs aren't at that stage yet, but I understand that there are plenty of good schools around.

Guildford is very pretty, if Catholic and attending church often, Merrow is the place to be. I would avoid the Park Barn area, as that does not have a good reputation

Holly has it spot on with Guildford and Godalming. We have a place in central Guildford which we went for as we needed an in-year place at a school and therefore needed a few chances to get a place we wanted as we were waiting for kids to vacate. We are completely delighted with the school we got. My DH trains to London and he is finding although the trains are say as little as 37 mins, door to door, it is more like 1hr20mins even though we are 3 mins to walk to one station and 10 minutes to another. He tubes about 4 stops at the other end. Plus there is both an autumn and a winter train schedule which reduces your options, plus the inevitable delays. We were not aware of that before moving. I like the hustle of being in the centre and the closeness to the shops, plus the fact that I can walk to everything I need to with the toddler as I stay at home. I didn't want to lose that element from London.

It is hard to circle the (A) school, (B) train accessibility (C) size of house / budget requirements. TBH the actual house was probably last on our list and we have bought a project which we probably wouldn't have otherwise.

HI, my boyfriend will be moving to Surrey in October for a Phd in Economics at the University of Surrey. He'll be living there for the next 4 years, I will only be joining him next year when I'm done with my masters. I'd like to know if you could give me any tips? We are apartment hunting at the moment, some of the professors he has spoken to advised him to find a place off campus, away from undergraduates since it's a completely different environment for a Phd student. He'll be receiving a stipend of around £17,000 pa so he would try to balance things with that budget. We are not from the UK so we have no knowledge of how things work there, so I'm asking if you guys could help me out with some key info, Thanks

The downside of Guildford is the traffic - going anywhere in rush hour is a nightmare. There are A3 queues most days. Also happens at weekends

We are not considering getting a car right away. We'll use the train to get around

Guildford is pretty spread out. The Uni campus is away from the centre, 15 minute walk uphill or a bus ride from the station. Property around that area seems pretty mixed and studenty. You might find your money goes further on accommodation if he is prepared to go a few stations up the line and travel in. What are your plans?

Are you planning to work or will you be on campus during working hours too? Assuming you won't be, your OH can either walk or hop on the bus from Guildford Station. The student accommodation is between the station and the Uni (and some the other side of the uni but probably not a top choice location...) or you could choose a slightly cheaper area and come in on the train. Woking and then the train?

I've found some decent 1 bedroom flats (unfurnished) in Guildford ranging from £700 to £900, is that expensive for the area? He'd need to be of walking distance from the University since he'd be attending classes and meeting with professors at different times so I don't think taking the train wouldnt be an option.

**would be an option

But just in case what areas should I look ? It would have to be 1 train stop away max from the Uni

Hi, My DH and I will make a move from London to Guildford as well in the next couple months. We don't have kid as yet, but do plan to have kid in the near future (hence the move). Can I please have some recommendation for butchers, deli, fruit & veg etc. things to do on the weekend such as nice walk (we love to be able to drive out and explore the surrounding area). Thanks

Guildford and villages around are well served with farmers markets and the like but like most places there are fewer independent shops than there used to be. Guildford does have a waitrose and an Aldi though. Black Barn Butchers at Secretts in Milford is excellent although IMHO their veg is nothing special and overpriced.

Thanks PurpleWithRed , I have marked the Black Barn Butchers in my place to go to. With the farmer markets, do they sell to public also?