Talk to me about Witney and Abingdon if you please.

[neenewps]

We are currently living just outside of Wallingford. We would love to buy in Wallingford/Benson/Cholsey but there is currently very little on the market in our price range.

We therefore have decided that maybe we could look further out at perhaps Abingdon or Witney or the surrounding villages but don't really know anything about either of them.

Would love to know areas to avoid in both of them and also recommendations of the good areas.

DH needs to commute to Cowley right now but office is moving to Heyford Hill very soon.

Thanks in advance.

My brother lives in Eynsham and it is very nice there. Good primary and secondary schools, buses to Oxford, nice shops, good community spirit.

I hear the MP's a bit of a twit.

The commute from Witney is a nightmare (though many people do it because Witney is nice and a lot cheaper than Ox & around). Which is why it is so bad. Witney has really improved in the last few years: great shops, a Lakeland recently opened...

Abingdon is actually closer to Oxford than Wallingford is. Not that that makes the traffic any better. Shopping is not so good, and strangely nor is access to other places.

Have you thought about Didcot? Not posh but much better transport links than any of the others, and you get more for your money there.

Theres that big new development in Didcot by the A34, so maybe some deals to be had (and part exchange), but I guess the schools will be even more pressured

I'm planning to move to the witney/eynsham area for the good secondary schools. for your DH the commute would not be much fun but I think that may be the same whichever side of Oxford you are on

I agree with Auntie. Witney town centre is much nicer than Abingdon, houses are cheaper and the countryside around it is pretty. But commuting to Oxford is a nightmare - the A40 is an awful road and there always seems to be roadworks and accidents.

Abingdon's town centre is set to improve with the Old Goal development and the changes to the grim precinct but who knows how long that will take and whethere it will make much difference to the quality of shops. It's much easier to Oxford and out to London from there. But houses there seem very over-priced IMO.

We didn't particularly want to live on one of the big estates in Abingdon and we eventually ended up buying in Oxford because we got more for our money than in Abingdon

I live in Abingdon and commute to Cowley for work (20 mins car, just under 30 by bike). Improvements to the Heyford Hill roundabout have shortened car times greatly.
My step children live in Witney - so know that too, Witney is nice but commute is total nightmare - sometimes over an hour - and because you'll be trying to get to Cowley, probably even worse?
For what it's worth - I really like Abingdon, was in East Ox before moving here and I'm continually amazed that it takes less time to Oxford centre from here than actually within the city boundary.

Sorry for the delay in replying.

Thank you so much for the replies. We have been to Witney and really like it but the commute for my DH still concerns me.

Which areas of Abingdon are worth looking at? Someone told us to look at North Abingdon but just wondering if there is a particular road(s) or estate we should look at.

Many thanks again.

It's much easier to get out to Oxford from North Abingdon. The bridge from South Abingdon is a nightmare in the mornings.

What's your budget and what do you need? That will narrow down where you'll want to look. Generally, the large estates are cheaper, some are nicer than others but all the schools are pretty good.

If you want period, you'll be pretty limited by areas, prices and whats available on the market. Otherwise think about how close you want to be to town or A34 and that should help narrow things down.

Have a drive around and you'll soon get a feel for the areas and what they have to offer.

I would say certain parts of town are appear really over-priced. It's almost a little bubble in itself with certain roads/schools being talked up within the community which, along with very little coming onto the market, increases their values.

Thanks threeisthemagicnumber..

We are able to look at property up to 230k and would like to 'try' and get a 3 bed for that! In Witney we can! My DS is 7 months old so not worrying too much about schools although if we happened to be in a catchment area for a good school then thats a bonus. I have to be able to get into Oxford easily or Didcot for the train to London for when I go back to work.

We love period properties but fear that they will be a drain on finances right now so will probably need to look at newer builds.

Property absolutely MUST have a dining area and a garden!

Bicester? Good access to both, (some) cheap properties, being hugely developed at the mo and improved etc
Not biased at all, of course

If you don't need to worry about school and you're prepared to compromise on period you'll easily get a 3 (maybe even a 4) bed on one North Abingdon estates. Very easy to get into Oxford on the Bus or by road from there - not so much for Didcot as the exit to the A34 only goes North out of Abingdon.

If parking is not too much of an issue look at Spring Road/Edward Street/Ock Street. You'll probably get a 2 bed victorian terrace with a little garden. Albert Park and town will be on your doorstep and it's a really lovely area. Easy to get onto the A34 for either Didcot or Oxford.

It will, eventually, come down to what's most importyant to you when it comes to space vs character and proximity to town.

Although Bicester is also a good shout serotonin and you would get much more for your money.

Good luck!

North Abingdon so much easier to get out of than the south ? so north of the centre is where to look. For your budget, there?s some modern places in Peachcroft, which is an estate, but generally OK and has some of its own shops. The centre of Abingdon is due for a revamp but the older bits are already lovely and Abbey Meadows and the facilities near the river are fantastic for small children. As far as I?m aware, all the schools in North Abingdon are very good.
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32829757.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-21601617.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-29524588.html
You definitely get more for your money in Witney but the commute is honestly a complete nightmare ? over an hour each way. North Abingdon to Cowley, I do every morning and is 15mins in the car.
Buses from Abingdon to Ox train station every 5-7mins. You may also like to get the train from Radley which is only 1.5 miles max from Peachcroft.

I grew up in Abingdon, just off the edge of Peachcroft. There are lots of areas off Oxford Road that are nice to live in and will give you easy access to the A34.

Re schools, beware thinking 'oh dc is only small so not important' - we did that when we bought our first house. Lo and behold, we were still living there last year with DD coming up to 3 and suddenly realised that the catchment primary school was beyond rubbish'! We were lucky enough to find a house in a better catchment in time for the school application round, and it's a bigger house too so all ended well for us. But it would really have been better all round to find a house we didn't feel we had to move from when our first child reached school age! I know several people who mistimed things/were unlucky and didn't manage to sell in time.

Re location - personally I reckon you could do better than Abingdon as the centre precinct is a bit of a dump and the estates round the edge are totally characterless imo. Witney a much better bet.