Moving to Bucks? Gerrards Cross or any other suggestion?

[Laidydaisy]

Hi all, expecting in June first baby boy and we would like to move out of Canary Wharf where we have been based for last 10 years due to work. We are looking for green, spacious, villagey place with good schools and easy commute to Canary wharf. I have been recommended Gerrards Cross but keen to check which part is nice to look specifically. Also keen to know any other area suggestion with easy commute to London. thanks for all in advance smile

Commute to Marylebone is easy but then you have to get across the city.
It's a nice area but very expensive.
You'd be much better looking at Eastern commuter towns

Gerrards Cross is very nice. Houses are expensive though to reflect that. The trains go into Marylebone. I'm not sure if that's a particularly easy commute to Canary Wharf. The Kent/Essex side of London may be better travel wise.

As PP say, the commute isn't that east to Canary Wharf - DH did it for 4 years, but it was a bit of a slog.

Thanks ladies! What areas would you suggest in Kent or Essex?

GX is one of the most expensive places in the country to live.
There isn't much choice for state schools but lots of choice for private. Bucks is a grammar area. (I'm not too convinced about the 'village' feel either.)

If you are happy for the expense, I'd consider Winchester, Hants (trains go into Waterloo if that is any good) which I think is much nicer than GX and has a good choice of schools, and is fully comp so no ridiculous 11+ angst either. More of a town than a village though.

If you want more of a villagey feel in Bucks then have a look at Chalfont St Giles, Chalfont St Peter, or Seer Green. They are all smaller and feel villagey but are still near railway stations for London.

Agree that GX isn't terribly 'villagey', it's a bit too big and sprawling to be a typical country village. The whole area including the Chalfonts etc is very pretty in parts but very expensive. The primary schools are mainly good but often full, so in-year admissions could be tricky. The grammars are excellent but the secondary moderns are....interesting. Some children thrive and have very happy parents but for others it's the complete opposite. The private schools mostly have very good reputations.

As others have said, it's an easy commute into Marylebone from GX but I wouldn't fancy the onward bit to Canary Wharf from there - it would be quite a slog.

Can you wait 18 months until Crossrail starts? Though there’s currently 2 trains an hour to Paddington, from Dec 2018, there will be 4-6 trains an hour and South Bucks stations such as Taplow/Burnham will run directly to the City. There’s also Twyford, Langley, Iver, Slough, West Drayton (the last two are definitely not villages, but also on Crossrail). Worth a trawl on Rightmove....

Is it such a schlep to Canary Wharf from Gerrards Cross? Once you get to Marylebone, it's a 5 minute walk to Baker Street, then 20 minutes on the Jubilee Line.

Agree with pp Gerrards Cross is nice enough but would prefer the Chalfonts for a villagey feel & Beaconsfield for a town.

If you come over to Amersham you can get the met line to Finchley rd then cross over the platform for the jubilee down to Canary Wharf - easy. Chesham Bois has a villagey feel.

Agree with PP look at places along Met line - Rickmansworth Chorleywood Amersham Chesham etc then it is Met line straight across platform at Finchley Road.