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Original poster

Where to live in Hertfodshire?

34 replies

Rezie · 17/07/2017 19:17

Hi guys,

I'm not a mum but I need some help. Tried to google different advice on Hertfordshire and they all brought me to this site so I decided to write here.

I got accepted to study in the University of Hertfordshire and me and and my boyfriend are planning on moving somewhere near. I'm just not sure which town would be the best. We visited the campus and drove around Hatfield and I have to say I wasn't too impressed and would rather live somewhere else. That has been my only visit to Herts and I don't have an opportunity to visit before moving.

I'm looking for a place that has something going on. Not a party central but some nice restaurants and pubs, green areas to go running, good connection to Hatfield and friendly atmosphere. I've been looking into St Albans but I've never been there. Any suggestions?

OP posts:
cookielove · 17/07/2017 19:27

St.Albans is great but is very expensive, when my husband was at uni there we lived in London Colney which is just down the road! Hatfield is pretty scummy 😮

cookielove · 17/07/2017 19:35

Sorry that is quite harsh on Hatfield, i am sure there are some lovely areas!

MumsOnCrack · 17/07/2017 19:39

St.Albans and Berkhamsted are very expensive. Tring is lovely with lots of nice shops and national trust land. It's still pretty pricy but not as bad as other places and on a mainline railway line.

Synecdoche · 17/07/2017 19:42

Royston is a great town - very friendly, great access to heathland and footpaths/bridleways for running, a few nice restaurants and everything you'd need really. Oh, and there are A LOT of pubs! Good luck with your house hunting.

GinGeum · 17/07/2017 20:03

How far are you willing to commute to uni? And what sort of budget are you thinking?

Hertford is great for bars, but it is expensive. Hitchin is also lovely but a nightmare for parking and again, expensive! Some nice restaurants there though.

Royston is okay but is a trek to Hatfield, and it is a very small town with lots of gossiping (IME)

I live in a village between Stevenage and Hitchin, so I don't know the Welwyn area and that sort of area very well.

Squeegle · 17/07/2017 20:04

I think Royston or Tring are a bit too far really. You would be better in St Albans if you can afford it, or maybe Hertford otherwise. Hitchin is ok but you would have to commute from there, so depends on your budget really.

Original poster
Rezie · 17/07/2017 20:11

Thank you! Some of these places were new to me so I will look into them. London Colney I've heard of since Arsenal was the first thing pointed to me after telling my boyfriend I got accepted :D

Honestly in my opinion everywhere in Herts seems quite expensive. As mentioned St Albans is quite expensive but some of the rentals I checked it seemed to be around 100 pounds more for one bedroom flat than Hatfield.

But I will definately check out your suggestions. Just wish that I would be able to visit all of them :)

OP posts:
GinGeum · 17/07/2017 20:17

Hertfordshire is generally fairly expensive! I came here from Wales, and almost choked on my tea at the cost of rent when I first moved Grin

dontcallmethatyoucunt · 17/07/2017 20:19

Hatfield is very mixed. If you look at the new developments behind the campus building, it gets referred to as 'East St Albans'. Is it fuck, but it's not quite like the rest of Hatfield.

St Albans has hot spots and also rough areas, but a nicer town centre. Be prepared to pay if you're near the station. You can cycle to Hatfield on the Alban way, but it's not so nice in Winter as it's dark and secluded.

ASDismynormality · 17/07/2017 20:20

Welwyn Garden City is next to Hatfield and much nicer if you stick to the West Side or Panshanger. Probably a bit cheaper than St Albans.

Original poster
Rezie · 17/07/2017 20:21

We were thinking that we could pay around £800/month. One bedroom would be ideal. Less would be better but that seems to be the realistic price. Or what do you think? We have previously lived in NHS dormitory, out of the country or in our own house so our understanding of the prices are a bit limited currently.

I will be using public transportation to get to school and I would prefere the commute to be under 40 minutes. Prefereably not too many changes. My partner works in Luton and central London. So driving Luton and public transportation to London.

As you can see this whole thing was a bit extempore due to various reasons concerning work and application processes and we are not as prepared as we would like to be.

OP posts:
ASDismynormality · 17/07/2017 20:27

Found this flat on rightmove. In WGC town centre so transport to Hatfield and London www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-67533218.html

MissCherryCakeyBun · 17/07/2017 21:03

Hatfield is very much a case of what you see is what you get.....you will very very rarely find someone local who lives there by choice. I have lived in this part of Hertfordshire for 48 years and lived in WGC Hatfield and now Harpenden. THE BIGGEST ISSUE FOR YOU WILL BE PUBLIC TRANSPORT. I can't stress this enough, the uni is a very very long walk from the station so you will have to use busses and they are not brilliantly reliable, don't run that late and only run up to around 7pm especially when you are talking about villages.
For villages on the train line where you get a bus from Hatfield station I can recommend Knebworth ( my daughter rents there) as it's only a few stops on the train and the majority of rentals are close to the station. I have no personal experience of Welham Green but it's a village on the train line one stop from Hatfield and there is a footpath/cyclepath between there and the road where the uni park and ride is so you can then park bike there and hop on the bus 5 minutes to uni?
Many people are down on the east side of WGC as it's where the vast majority of the social housing and rental properties are. However the vast Currently disused Nabisco factory that's between the east side and the town centre has just got planning permission for housing shops museum cinema etc so the area will get a lot more desirable.
I lived on the East side (peartree/woodhall as the areas are called) for 20 years. If you want to know about specific roads areas etc let me know just PM if you like
Ps Congratulations on the course too, it's a lovely university

MissCherryCakeyBun · 17/07/2017 21:07

Ps the flats above the shops are a bit of a no go tbh as many are used to house people the council "has" to house. I was in the council Homless hostel 25+ years ago and know that those they can't place in the hostel are often housed in these flats.

Squeegle · 17/07/2017 21:40

I think you will get a nice 1 bed in St Albans for that. Get it on the east side and there are lots of buses in the Hatfield road, or you can go by bike on the Alban way. Your partner will be on the good train line to Luton. Sorted Smile

MumsOnCrack · 17/07/2017 23:02

We are in a 2 bed house for £950 so I'm sure you could do that in Tring. Good bus service to the station too and a very high quality of life. It's lovely here.

Original poster
Rezie · 18/07/2017 15:01

Thank you everyone fro your advice. Checked out the towns and villages you suggested. Tring looked lovely but it's a bit too long of a commute with bus/train. But will definately do a day trip. Some others were quite nice but a bit of a long way.

I will check out St Albans, Hemel, WGC more closely now. The smaller villages seemed to take quite long with the busses or that they are not too frequent. So might be better to stick with the bigger towns. Also the travel card prices add up quite a bit.

Also thank you for the cycling path information. Happy to cycle the non-wintery months. I cycle to work now and I do enjoy it. I'm always a bit worried when having to cycle on the roads since in the UK the roads are Super narrow so this is a solution :)

OP posts:
Gothbaby · 19/07/2017 11:50

I went to the University of Hertfordshire and it was just much much easier just to live in Hatfield even if it isnt the most glamorous place to live! Public transport can be a bit of a nightmare in Hertfordshire but if you want something easy then either get a place on the train lines like Welwyn Garden City , Potters Bar etc. And st Albans is very easy to get to too but there are some nice areas in Hatfield which you could get a pretty nice flat for your price range xxxx

Photomummy16 · 20/07/2017 05:17

Welwyn garden city is a no-brainer for Hatfield. Easy transport links, a train to London if you want it. Wherever you live you're a walk away from John Lewis Wink
Lots going on, and although it seems a bit 'municipal' when you first visit, and everyone cuts their lawn perfectly on a Sunday in synchronisation Grin , it is very friendly and welcoming.

Lalaletchworth · 20/07/2017 05:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Rezie · 20/07/2017 06:52

Thanks for your input!

I've been checking the rent prices between WGC, St Albans and Hatfield. There is no massive difference. The checking the houses for sale then the differences come.

I don't have anything against Hatfield since I have only been there once. I'm sure there are lovely areas but the ones I saw did not give me a "i want to live here" vibe. It is still an option but not necessarily the favourite one. Especially since it's not that much cheaper than other places.

Anyways I do know I want to live in a town/city that has a quick/good/frequent public transportation since I will won't be driving. Safe cycle to school is a plus. That's why I'm so far interested in WGC, St Albans and Hatfield. I know school doesnt last too long but I do want the enjoy the place I live as well so that's why I'm not picking a place randomly.

I currently live in a city if 200 000 people and I have a super cheap rent controlled one bedroom flat in city centre that costs £450/month so these prices in Herts hurt a lot :D

OP posts:
Photomummy16 · 20/07/2017 07:17

There aren't lovely places in Hatfield I'm afraid Wink apart from Old Hatfield, but even then you'd be in a lovely home surrounded by the rest of hatfield!!! Occasionally, houses come up for rental on the estate of Hatfield House if you like a more cottage lifestyle.

MairzyDoats · 20/07/2017 22:03

I have a lovely 2 bed house in wgc for £800 a month, but I have to say that if I didn't have kids and wanted a bit more of a social / cultural life I'd definitely pick St Albans! Much more stuff going in, WGC is great for families but St Albans has more shops, restaurants, bars.... Welwyn is just a bit too suburban!

Decorhate · 21/07/2017 06:10

There is actually a nice part of Hatfield - the Ellenbrook area. It's right across from the De Havilland campus. I think the older properties are mainly houses but there are probably apartments in the newer section. Basically it's the area west of the A1, south of the St Albans Rd. It's cheaper to buy there than St Albans, don't know about rent.

Original poster
Rezie · 15/08/2017 10:46

We have been seriously looking for flats now. Damn the letting agency extra fees are insane in some places. I personally can't go to the area to look at the flats but my boyfriend will go see some. We found some small decent priced ones in St Albans. Now a new problem is that there is a very nice big 2 bedroom house that is cheapish in Hatfield. Unfortunately I don't have time to visit Hatfield before I move to change my mind about the place. Is Hatfield nicer than I recall based on my one visit? I know you can't give me a straight answer but will I be miserable there or is actually ok? I'm not British but I've lived in UK before for shorter periods of time so I would also like to get the UK experience before moving abroad again. For this reason I'm not tempted to go for the "it's only a year so does it really matter" way of thinking

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