Moving to hampshire

[Bibideb]

Hi, I'm new here! We are moving to be nearer family and looking at Winchester, but it's so pricey. Can anyone advise about chandlers ford, Romsey and surrounding villages please. Our budget is around 450k and would like to have a house with garden and parking. Also need quick access to a decent leisure centre. Any help would be appreciated.

What do you mean by "advise about"? Romsey isn't particularly close to Winchester. Chandlers Ford is. Both are really nice places to live I'm sure.

As for your requirements, you can go on Right Move and choose Chandlers Ford + 2 miles or Romsey + 2 miles (for example) and see exactly what sort of property you could buy for £450,000.

Chandlers Ford is lovely. The Meon Valley is. Loads of countryside and country pubs. Have you considered Arlesford or Alton? No train service but buses run between. The benefit of CF is that you’re closer to the coast.

Chandlers Ford is rather dull. There really isn’t a centre, and you won’t get much for your money there.

Romsey is a nice market town, but again properties are expensive. North Baddesley is generally cheaper, but there really isn’t anything there.

If you are looking for proximity to a large leisure centre you could consider Eastleigh, but this is a town not a village. Decent rail links though.

How many bedrooms are you looking for?

We are looking for 2-3 bedrooms. Trying to get a feel for the area really. Any thought on the villages like kings worthy or colden common etc? Don't mind up to 10mins to leisure centre so chandlers ford seemed good for getting to the Eastleigh one and about same to get to Winchester. But suspect traffic getting into Winchester might be tricky? Visiting this weekend. Thank you for your replies btw x

Have you looked at Bishops Waltham? It's a really lovely town. I had to Google and there is no leisure centre but there is a swimming pool.

Petersfield? That does have a large and very nice leisure centre which was refurbished a few years ago.

Traffic going into Winchester can be heavy but generally the one way system is pretty good at keeping it moving.

I don't know the 2 villages you mentioned well enough to comment on them.

Enjoy your visit! It is a beautiful part of the world to live in.

Romsey is lovely.
It does have a leisure centre, but...

Do you care about schools, theatre, access to London, access to sea?

Don't think there's actually much in Colden Common and Kingsworthy is very expensive. What about Botley - a lovely large village, there's a leisure centre just a couple of miles away in Hedge End. Also it's on a direct train line to Paddington.

Colden Common is nice, as is Twyford, Fair Oak and not far from the new Places Leisure Centre in Winchester. I'd give Eastleigh a miss, it's a bit grotty. Bishops Waltham is also lovely, as is Botley but further from any Leisure centres.

The new Places Leisure Centre is very easy to get to from Twyford/Golden Common/Fair Oak/Botley direction - you'd simply join the M3 at Twyford and come off at the very next junction at St Catherine's Hill and you're pretty much there. We're in Botley and it takes me about 30 mins to get to Places Leisure. It would be around 10 mins from Twyford/Colden Common.

Thanks everyone it's so helpful! We can't really go further south to some of the lovely towns that have been mentioned as we have family further up the m3 and trying to keep a bit closer to them. We don't need schools or access to London though.

Alton fits your bill re leisure centre OP and you may be able to get a house for your budget there. Plus it's got a good main road all the way to winchester