Where are the nice places to live within 30 mins train from london?

[QPootle]

Okay, so we're part of the can't afford a house in London for the family brigade. Went to see St Albans at the weekend, which seemed very nice. Woulnd't know which are the nice/nasty bits etc... also any other suggestions would be gratefully recieved.

I live in South East London and I would say that if you are thinking of still visiting your family and friends if they are from up north, I would recommend living north of the M25, or north of London. It is a pain in the arse coming round the motorway on a Sunday evening or when ever and will add another hour to your journey.

I used to live in the Epsom district (West Ewell)& the Council used to make a great thing about being an Independent/Residents Association council. However, I don't remember there ever being a Tory candidate standing while we were living there.....

I lived in Epsom years ago and found it really dull - if you want to live in Surrey, Guildford is the best town imo. However, I think the commute into London is quicker from places like St Albans.....

lots of bits of hertfordshire are really nice. Expensive commute though and crowded trains but we love it here

QPootle, Harpenden is on same trainline as St Albans so just 5 mins longer. The big advantage of Harpenden is that you nearly always get a seat on train whereas at St Albans most people seem to have to stand. The majority of houses in Harpenden are walkable or definitely cyclable to station. We are on the edgish of town but takes 15-20 mins to walk to station. Been to St Albans today though and that is lovely too though!

Reigate is very nice, 45 mins on train into london bridge.

Hmmm - Kensington really isn't the best place to commute to from anywhere is it?! Still if you think 20-30 mins from Kings Cross, plus bus/tube from there is ok, then lots of Hertfordshire places could be contenders.

If you like the hustle and bustle of London, then St Albans may well be the best place for you, although £500k may still not buy you all that you would like. Property in good parts of the county, esp those with good commuter links, is expensive.

I would personally prefer Harpenden to StA, but I'm not really a big city girl, so that probably doesn't count for much! Harpenden does have a good atmosphere though, with lots of places to eat out, some nice shops (though not the big stores of StA) and the largest soft play centre in Herts to keep the kids happy!

You could also look a little further north, although we'd be talking villages here, which would take you to Luton Airport Parkway as your rail station (the one after Harpenden). The frequent trains from there take around 32 mins to Kings X, but there are also some Midland Mainline trains which stop here, and these will get you to London in 25 mins.

If you chose to go for Hitchin, your money would buy a lot more in property terms, but the journey is just over half an hour to London. Hitchin is a very family oriented market town, with cobbled streets, a mix of small independent shops and better known stores (Waterstones, Starbucks etc), but none of the big department stores.

thanks!
i start NCT antental classes this week so hopefully i will meet people and find out about stuff going on then!

granarybeck probably knows more about this than I do but I have some friends who moved to Harpenden and had to pay for private schooling as the schools were so oversubscribed that they couldn't get a place.

I'm from St Albans BTW. I only have preschoolers at the moment but there are some great primary schools including Maple and St Peters, to name a couple.

Not sure what your house requirements are but you should be able to get something nice like this

madeindevon I thought you might be interested in this:

St Albans & District NCT Bumps and Babies
Date: Every Friday afternoon (term time only)
Time: 2pm?3:30pm
Venue: The St. Albans Childrens Centre, Church Crescent, St. Albans
This baby group is open to all parents with babies under 18 months.
Contact: For more information contact Catherine (01727 836707) or Geraldine (01727 836707

thank you!

Fantastic Ladies thank you. Feel like given all the commuter advice I'll try and have a look this weekend at harpenden and Hitchin Have a friend in Hitchin too so that would be great. Can't sleep partic thanks for detail and Granary Beck and Fuscia0703 . You've both spurred me on from earlier posters to go and see. Would love advice from you about districs in St Albans that are walkable, bikeable to the station or that are nice. I know there'sa conservation area, but what's it called and are ther other ares that are as/nearly as nice that are the quivalent of St albans Zone 2!

South London advice to date so far makes me feel I'm right that the commute isn't as quick for some reason.

St Albans conservation area is largely "behind" the main shopping street (St Peters Street/ Chequer Street), which is West I think, and runs roughly between Bluehouse Hill, Fishpool Street and some areas around/ off Folly Lane/ Catherine Street. Also in the other direction from St Peters Street I think all of the houses on/ off London Road and Victoria Streets are in the conservation area. Sorry, I'm not sure exactly, but it gives you the idea (-the Council or an estate agent should be able to tell you exactly). Within those areas most houses are small and often terraced. You wouldn't get as much for your money as a bit further out. HTH

Bromley is great, only 20-25 minutes on the train into Victoria or Blackfriars. Lots of trains too so they don't get too crammed.

We moved out here recently, it's very suburban, but we still feel like we're in London, just about! It's got good schools, shops, parks, etc, and very quick to get out into the countryside.

Weybridge??????

Bromley sounds good. Hasn't thought about Weybridge, thought it was milionaire's row etc. Will consider it now.

GreatGM - Thanks for the detailed info, so useful I cna't tell you. Can I ask you what's nice that's outside conservation area then? And is it still walkeable to the train station etc.

Suspect you can manage something in Weybridge - although it is a bit rarified - depends what you like - certainly Walton/Weybridge borders...

I did only post Weybridge after reading your budget. After Weybridge the next stop for fast service to waterloo is Woking. All depends whether you want to walk or Drive to the station. Tis St Georges private estate that bumps up the average price IYSWIM, I however will never afford to live there....will stay in lowly Addlestone.......

Kingston upon Thames is perfect for commuters with children. Loads of green spaces, lively but beautiful riverside, great schools, great shopping, 30 mins to Waterloo, less to Surrey countryside. Houses getting pricey but Victorian houses with garden still affordable. Would get 3 bed detached for £500,000 in best bits of town close to best schools.
Spent most of my life in Herts and wouldn't recommend the new towns at all.

I have lived in St Albans for 21 years. DD and DS went to Killigrew, and I was a governor there for 10 years. I was also a governor of Cunningham Hill and Aboyne Lodge and Dame Alice Owen's.

Ds went to St Columba's and DD to St Albans High School.

I used to run NCT groups for bumps and under ones. the little ones I look after go to Muriel Green, Abbey JMI and Ladybirds.

Princess Mel, I know Chiswell Green well, and my close friend loives on the corner of Tippendell Lane, she has a minded child at Killigrew nursery too.

I would be happy to give you any info you need.

QPootle - we really liked Fleetville (area round Hatfield Road near Clarence Pk but it is very expensive. We are in Bernards Heath which is not quite so expensive but nice ..probably about 20 minutes walk to station but you could bike it easily. Think the north ish side is better so far as secondary transfer is concerned (but will find out next year!). One point worth mentioning, a number of St Albans primaries with current 1 form entry have been asked to take a 2nd form for either 2007 or 2008 because Herts CC have completely messed up their numbers! If you want any more info let me know.

Hi QPootle!

Outside of the conservation area, but still within biking distance of the station (especially as it is fairly flat) I would recommend looking at the Highfield Park area. It is largely a new development with lovely houses with gardens and very family-friendly. There are often houses for sale. Also the area around the hospital is nice and still not too far from the station for biking. Good Luck!