Where to live in Hertfordshire?

[Busymummy50]

Within reasonable distance to London, where in Hertfordshire is nice to live for families?

I'm looking for a villagey area where there are also other children around. A good local primary and secondary school and a few shops and perhaps a swimming pool or cycle routes (something for the older kids). Like it to be quite quiet but also feel very safe. Any where like this exist??

Bushey.
I don't think anywhere close to London feels very safe. At all.

Bushey doesn't seem very villagey to me, but I don't live there. There are plenty of more rural villages but in most cases they won't have a secondary school and then it is always a drama trying to get your dc into one when the main criterion is distance. I think to get all the things you want you probably want to look at a town rather than a village, e.g. Harpenden or Hitchen

I think you should try searching this local forum.
Lots of people ask exactly the same question so worth having a trawl through and see what has already been said. Then you have a more specific question.

Example:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/local_hertfordshire/2982157-Where-to-live-in-Hertfodshire

What about somewhere like royston? Or flitwick? Or knebworth ? Depends how near to London you mean

Harpenden! It has good schools and a leisure centre with a gym and swimming pool. While technically a small town, the older people still refer to it as the village. It is very safe. A dormitory town for London with a high proportion of graduate professionals. A fast line into London, and you are more likely to get a seat on a train in the mornings, than if you live in St Albans, next stop on the line. Close to the M1 and M25, if you need to travel to see family, especially in the North. There is a cycle route on the Nicky Line. Not much to do for older children, but they can catch a train or bus to Luton, which has Cineworld cinemas, 10 pin bowling and night clubs. St Albans just down the road has more restaurants, one cinema and night clubs. There is a leisure complex at Hemel Hempstead with a Cineworld and restaurants.

As others have said, if you want a village, it won't have a swimming pool or secondary school.

Tring! It's gorgeous and I loved living there.

I agree with pp, if you live in a village, there is a risk of being allocated a sink school 2 bus rides away, because the main criterion for secondary schools is distance - the nearer you live to a good school, the more chance of getting in! It's an ongoing saga in the villages round Harpenden - they are building a new secondary school, but this has been going on for 20 years, I know of!

Hitchin.

Fab town, fantastic schools, swimming pool (open air one too), half an hour on the train into London. Has a real small town feel. Very arty, not up itself. TONS of independent shops but also big Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Asda near town centre. Lots of great restaurants too from Japanese to Turkish to Jamaican to Mexican - the town centre is heaving with buzzy places to go, have a look at Tripadvisor.

There are villages very close and you will still get into the secondary schools (I have friends who live in St Ippolyts, Preston, Offley, Codicote, Whitwell, Pirton and Great Wymondley - all villages and all children at Hitchin secondary schools. Most of those villages have great primary schools too.)

I love it here. And so do my children. It's a lovely, laid back place to live.

Berkhamsted or, as pp said, Tring.

Hitchin is great but extremely busy; it's very popular and competition for houses near the 'right' schools is insane. £££££!

Knebworth is nice and has a good villagey feel, close to open countryside etc. Nice properties too. Great schools.

Letchworth has a good community feel to it and better amenities, like indie cinema and theatre and cheaper than Harpenden or Hitchin. Lots of beautiful and very distinctive properties and good schools. The town can be a bit bleak although it's better than a few years back.

Royston - a longer commute than any of the above I believe. Friendly little town.

Look at East Herts - Hertford , Ware, Buntingford - trains from Stevenage to Kings Cross - 30 minutes.
trains from Hertford, Ware to Liverpool Street slightly longer I think 4O min.
Lots of lovely villages. Schools all good no rubbish schools.
Also house prices a lot lower than Harpenden and St Albans.
North Herts Hitchin , Baldock and Letchworth not so nice.
Ashwell very twee village.

Sawbridgeworth is village (not tiny mind!) and has everything you list.