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Original poster

advice on moving to North London / Hertfordshire

113 replies

imaginaryfriend · 31/07/2006 09:53

Dp's got a new job so we have to move from S London to N London / Hertfordshire. We don't have a big budget at all, will be looking for rented places and only have one dd who's due to start Reception next year. Any ideas of somewhere nice with a good primary school but not too pricey? Dp fancies Barnet but I think it might be slightly beyond us ...

TIA!

OP posts:
mustrunmore · 01/08/2006 17:39

Whetstone is nice, because I'm here And you can get the bus to Trent Park easily.

Lio · 01/08/2006 20:07

Yep have lived in Whetstone too but really expensive. Not lived in Borehamwood but was a regular visitor as they have a Lidl

misdee · 01/08/2006 20:11

whats your budget for rental?

VeniVidiVickiQV · 01/08/2006 20:24

Barnet is lovely. Underhill way (Dollis Valley estate) is not great though. But everywhere else is. There is also East Barnet, New Barnet and Southgate (although definitely some areas of Southgate are a no go). Schools in Barnet are pretty good - above national average generally iirc.

FGS dont move to Enfield......(where I live) nowhere near as nice as Barnet. Although it does have easy access to M25, A10, A406, and many mainline stations.

Potters Bar/South Mimms is just a bit further on from Barnet. Its mostly very nice, (becoming more expensive nowadays though), close to M25, has a mainline train station and buses that head into London.

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 01/08/2006 21:08

Where the heck is Whetstone? I haven't heard that name yet. I'll be googling immediately.

Does anyone have any experience of Hitchin?

misdee, we're looking at £800 a month tops. We can cope with a 2-bed flat which is what we're in now but ideally a 3rd bedroom would make us VERY happy! We don't do the kind of work that is ever going to make pots of money so we're not expecting the world, just somewhere with enough space, a friendly safe environment and really importantly a nice primary school. Where we are now we fought really hard to get dd into the nursery of the ONLY reasonable school around here but she won't get into Reception there and I won't send her to any of our other schools. They are SO bad...

OP posts:
mustrunmore · 01/08/2006 21:22

Lio.. Whetstone isn't expensive, else we wouldn't be here Mind you, we were very lucky getting a bargain house because it was so shabby and stank of dog. That's not a reflectionn on the area though!
The only down side is that, as a non driver, we only have Waitrose and M+S without needing to get a bus or a longer walk. Sainsbuys is a 20 min walk, Tesco is 40.

donnie · 01/08/2006 21:24

mustrunmore where are you ? I am also in whetstone!

mustrunmore · 01/08/2006 21:29

ooo, hello! Why haven't we crossed paths before? Or, do I know you in RL?[ blush]
We are at the top end of Russell Lane, just off. Where are you?

VeniVidiVickiQV · 01/08/2006 21:34

oooooh i know where you are mustrun!!!!

mustrunmore · 01/08/2006 21:38

Do you now??!

donnie · 01/08/2006 22:08

lyonsdown - ish!!

might know you in RL!

mustrunmore · 01/08/2006 22:13

Or dear, my cover might be blown then! Do you go to 'my' toddler groups then? Thats the only way I'd know you!

donnie · 01/08/2006 22:20

don't worry! I go to NO toddler groups at all. I used to , when dd1 was younger but I haven't been near one for 2 years so never fear!

jenkel · 01/08/2006 22:24

I dont live in Hitchin, but am close. Hitchin has a lovely oldy worldy town centre, think its quite expensive, some very nice areas to live and some not so nice, but not sure of the not so nice areas to live. Old Stevenage is nice and has a good primary school (Letchmore Road School). On a direct train line into Kings Cross (stopping at Faringdon first), around £300 for a train ticket into London which includes all the tubes and has a train typically every 20 mins or thereabouts. Stevenage has a lovely big park, lots of open space, shopping centre isnt the best, Old Stevenage has a bit more charm. Would imagine the Stevenage has a big selection of rental properties but not sure on prices.

mustrunmore · 01/08/2006 22:39

Donnie; am looking forward to the day I never have to go! Can I be nosey and ask what school your kid(s) go to? Have only been offered one nursery place; it sems a really nice school, but you never know! If it turns out that I dont like it, we have no second options at the mo! We applied for 6, and got 3 no's, a no that turned int ouor yes, and 2 not heard yet.

granarybeck · 01/08/2006 22:46

Imaginaryfriend, we only sent a day looking round hitchin, really nice shopping/town centre, lots of shops for the size of the town. Secondary schools are good, but one isn't so it seemed tricky about which area to live in to avoid it or which primary to go to. We looked at a nice primary called Whitehill. I agree with what Jenkelsaid that some parts of the town seemed really nice whereas some seemed a bit run down. Like I say, though we were only having a quick look round so hard to say. Seemed to get much more for your money in surrounding villages, but we wanted to be nearer to town/station as that is a longer commute to london than the other thameslink line.

Is Whetstone commutable to london??

VeniVidiVickiQV · 01/08/2006 23:38

ooh and i know where donnie is too!

Dont go to toddler groups. I live in Enfield now, but used to live in Woodside Park and go to school in Whetstone.

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 01/08/2006 23:40

Hi granary, when is your move planned for by the way? We're aiming for November all being well!

I've spent the evening googling everywhere and anywhere. I like the look of Hitchin but can't get a proper feel for the prices. There seem to be quite a few very good primary schools.

Whetstone I've discovered is just South of Barnet and would be ideal location-wise for us but I think is beyond our budget. I'll keep it on the hope-for-a-miracle list however ... I also discovered Oakwood looks quite nice. Barnet, Whetstone, Oakwood we're looking at £750 a month for a very small 2-bed flat I think which would mean downsizing in space which can be done but I dread it. We need more space not less!!

OP posts:
southeastastra · 01/08/2006 23:46

the house prices are silly around n london, i'll have a look in the local papers for somewhere imagineryfriend if you want

VeniVidiVickiQV · 02/08/2006 00:32

Oooh oakwood is lovely.

On the picadilly line too.

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 02/08/2006 09:25

southeastastra that would be very kind of you. We're renting, ideally 3 bedrooms flat or house. Budget is £800 a month max. We're hoping aren't we?

OP posts:
southeastastra · 02/08/2006 10:27

if you cat me or give me your email addy, i can send you our local property section which covers finchley, mill hill & lots of surrounding areas, there are a quite a few in your budget.

granarybeck · 02/08/2006 13:19

hi imaginaryfirend, when we looked at hitchin there was a big variety in prices but this seemed to be because a lot of the cheaper ones were in an area that was less desirable and not in catchment area for better schools.

Our move is planned for as soon as we sell our house! Or we are thinking of moving at halfterm (first week november) and renting somewhere tiny till we can buy. So like you am sending all my time googling and on rightmove looking at different areas. I know what you mean about down sizing. Houses are so much cheaper up here that we are going to go from having loads of space and extra rooms to just about fitting in somewhere!

I had searched for whetstone on multimap but must have found the wrong one as it was near leicester! I think we might have a look round there and mill hill next time we come down as so far we have only really been looking just outside m25, more into hertfordshire. Its so hard to pick a place as I really do not want to move areas again so its got to be right. I just wish I could win the lottery!

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 02/08/2006 22:23

southeastastra, could you email me at impfig @ yahoo.co.uk ? I'll try to CAT you too.

granarybeck, you're in SUCH a better position than we are though, at least you have some money to invest in a property and you'll be sure to make some money as London prices seem to shoot up all the time. Whetstone and Oakwood look really nice from what I've managed to research and I've visited WGC in the past and thought it was pretty nice although dp wasn't keen. I love Barnet but I don't think we can afford it. Wouldn't it be strange if we both moved to a similar area at the same time?!

OP posts:
ComeOVeneer · 02/08/2006 22:26

I am in Woodside Park (close to Totteridge and Whetstone) and work in Hertford if I can be of any assistance at all.

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