Considering a move to Amersham with young children and local activities

[KhakiZebra]

Hi mums! We are thinking of moving with our two sons (age 2 and 5) to Amersham. We are currently living in Epping but unfortunately the recent social unrest has made us reconsider where we’re bringing up our children (particularly as the secondary school options are poor / limited).

However – we have an active lifestyle with the children in the local area here which we really like and don’t want to lose – my sons attend a Friday night cricket club, swimming lessons, karate class and Saturday morning football, and my husband is part of a very sociable football team. There is also a regular cadence of local community events such as a donkey derby, a classic car show and Christmas carols on the green which we like to attend.

Anyone local to the area - could Amersham provide a similar lifestyle? We're keen for all of us to make friends locally, as we are hoping this will be a ‘forever home’ move. Thanks so much for reading!

You will be fine in Amersham.
You can do everything you already do.
It will be much easier if you drive because all of the areas around there are best accessed by car.

why Amersham?
seems a bit random from Epping.
Amersham is ok, quite run down though.
lots of empty shops on high street and has more than its fair share of anti social behaviour.
do you both drive?

Thanks for your reply - where would you recommend?

Amersham is great. I do believe there’s an element of difficulty getting places for football etc but it’s a while since we lived there. Downside could be the 11+ as people get very het up about it - however the non-selective school, The Amersham School, is pretty good.

One thing we found is that there are a lot of quite competitive people there (although plenty of really nice ones and I never had any problem although there was an element of competitive mums, if you know what I mean?.) My husband felt it more than me, he found his football team full of people who couldn’t play at a normal
time because they had to commute back from the City (and were very keen for you to know about it!) A lot of conversations about wealth and the value of each other’s houses, thinly veiled.

Also there’s a limited choice of places to eat and things to do, kind of like everywhere in the Home Counties. Gets a bit boring when you’ve lived there a few years, but ok because you’re in reach of London.

Anti-social behaviour in Amersham? That must have changed, although it’s a few years since we left. It was a bubble we felt, you saw no evidence of drug addiction or homelessness, burglaries did occur but were rare. It was well-heeled with educated people. I don’t think we knew of a family with 4+ children or any where eg the grandparents were fostering their grandchildren because of the parents’ drug habit. Barely any single parents even. Never saw an addict at the pharmacy or dr surgery. Quite nice really!

The High street in Amersham on the Hill is still pretty full and has lots of “nice” shops like M and S food with only a smattering of charity shops. The old town has more niche shops and chains with a large Tesco and Aldi. The sports centre was refurbished not so long ago and offers a range of activities and a park. It is certainly not as run down as many high streets within commuting distance and has a variety of schools, facilities and countryside with easy access into central London by tube. Feels leafy and suburban.

Have you had a look at Berkhamsted/villages?
Lovely town centre, trains into Euston. Rex cinema. Ashridge Forest. Nat History museum in Tring.

My son used to train in Karate & Kendo in Hemel. There’s the ski centre.