Berkhamsted/Tring/Kings Langley/Apsley/Boxmoor..

[MurderOfProse]

We're looking to move before January (renting if we can't sell by then) in order to hit the deadline for primary school admissions for DD. DH needs to commute into Kings Cross and is happy to walk up to 1.25 miles or so to the station. Possibly even cycle a way (along a safe route) for the right house.

After months of research, and a fair bit of drive-bys and occasional wanders on foot, I think we've pretty much settled on moving to one of the shortlisted places above as they tick the boxes over budget, distance etc.

Whether we temporarily rent or buy shortly, whichever location we choose in the next few months is likely to be "it" for the foreseeable as we'll be locked into schools then. We're ultimately hoping to purchase a home for the young DCs to ultimately leave as adults, so pretty long term.

We live in SE London and know little about the Hemel area and surrounds really, so please hit me with tales of good and bad of these shortlisted places! I've read some threads on here, but would love to hear more up to date stuff plus I'm sure there are newer people around too with opinions.

I'm mostly a SAHM for at least the next few years, so looking to make local parent friends hopefully. Am attachment-parenting-friendly, but not extremely so, and pretty open-minded and will happily make friends with just about anyone so long as they're not a twat or toxic! And as long as they don't expect me to be plastered in make-up just to answer the front door to the postie.

Decent state schools are important, but they don't have to be absolutely outstanding.

So..

I realise Berkhamsted is the most pricey by far, but is it worth the extra? DH doesn't mind the walk from Northchurch, but why is it so much cheaper - is it just the distance to the station, or is there more to it?

Is Tring dull and completely lacking in diversity? (something I've picked up from old threads) It looks nice from a drive-through, although houses for sale seem to be mostly estate houses. Obviously this is probably going to be a cycle-to-the-station place.

Are the schools any good in Kings Langley? Kings Langley itself looks nice, but the schools didn't seem that hot, I think the secondary school in particular from what I remember from my research a while back. This is the place I've looked into least.

When driving around Boxmoor, it looked very estatey. This is something we want to avoid, was I looking at the wrong bits? Which are the best primary schools here, as there are so many it will be important due to the admissions rules to be closest to the right one!

I walked around Apsley today with two young DCs, deliberately smiling at people if they made eye contact, and found that people were very unfriendly, which is a shame as it was top of my list otherwise - was the place just having a bad day? (People nearly always smile back here in my very deprived and diverse part of SE London!) There were also some really rude drivers. Have not tried the smiling thing in the other places yet.

Would love to hear honest opinions on these places in particular! Thank you

I think that a lot of people have excessive anxiety about secondary schools in Hemel. I know several people with children at Kings Langley school and they are happy with it. From looking at the league tables, if results are important to you then Tring would be your best option.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/education/school_tables/secondary/11/html/eng_maths_919.stm?compare=

The league tables show you where the good schools are in Hertfordshire. However ds had an open day at Cavendish School and absolutely hated it.

With four kids and your lowest budget I think you are better to look at Aspley and Nash Mills. You aren't going to get a four bed house in Boxmoor or Berkhamsted with a reasonable garden.

I think this house would be nice for growing family

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-31626037.html?premiumA=true

You have plenty of space and a decent garden.

This house is close to the centre of town and in catchment for Hemel School.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34075378.html?premiumA=true

This house is incredibly good value for money and its in Boxmoor as well.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-39038906.html?premiumA=true

That house in Vicarage Close is good value.

Agree that Cavendish isn't great, lot of teacher turnover and had difficulties with a head a few years ago. I know teachers who now don't work there

Surprised what you said about Kings Langley school though, I've never heard a good word about it, glad you have though

Yes, you are really going to struggle to find what you want for your budget in St Albans. It is WAAAAY more expensive than Hemel. Because it is way nicer, to be blunt. We didn't go with Boxmoor because we just found Hemel town centre just too grim.

Re school admissions: look really carefully at the exact postcodes of the places you are considering buying and which school(s) you'd get into. The Herts Council website is very useful: here. And then this doc shows you the results of admissions this year - so you can find out how far you'd've needed to live from a particular school this year to get in (look at rule 5 - "your nearest school" rule, with distance as a tie-breaker if more applicants than places, and rule 6 "not your nearest school, admissions done on distance".

In my town you had to live very close to several of the local primaries in order to get in - under 400m.

If you want to know anything else about Herts admissions (in general terms anyway!) let me know!

I'm in Watford - have you thought of Bushey (if you prefer more rural) or Abbots Langley? Or Watford is very quick into Euston (20 mins), good primaries (Knutsford, Nascot Wood, Parkgate) and secondaries (Watford Boys and Girls grammars, Parmiters). This is a really interesting map which shows you what % of students at each state secondary went to Oxbridge and Russell Group universities, which gives you some indication of the type of school!

Cavendish isn't what it used to be. I went there and it was really excellent in those days. We had a brilliant head who left the same year I left, to go and work in some posh school in Geneva!

MurderOfProse - I live on the Manor Estate and it's actually a very friendly place - a good mix of young families and older people. Many families have several generations living here. I was a governor at Two Waters and it's excellent. My two went to Hemel School.

One word of caution to those who are obsessed with believing that league tables dictate how good a school is - some of the high placed schools will not allow pupils to stay on for the sixth form if they don't achieve good results at GCSE.

Friends' children who attended Longdean achieved straight As - the apparently poor league table results are due to the catchment area - a bright child will do well there.

Prices on the Manor Estate seem depressed at the moment because of the building on the surrounding fields. The S106 agreement for the new development will bring a new bridge over the railway and other road improvements which will supposedly help ease congestion in Apsley. The worst time seems to be at weekends.

Beware of the house in Boxmoor linked to above. We know exactly where this is and think there is something not quite right here as the price is incredibly low for the road. Outside, it looks pretty unmaintained-think soffits, fascias and guttering. It's also got a hefty loft conversion which could need some investigating on the planning and building regs.
On the plus side, it's very close to Southill Primary School although we didn't actually like the school at all and the road itself is a cul de sac too so only residents going past.

We're in Northchurch which is lovely. Houses are a bit cheaper than Berko purely because of distance but we walk to the town centre very happily. I can't comment on schools as DD is in private but the clubs/activities locally are fabulous. You will struggle to get a big garden with your budget - especially with the bedrooms you need. You might have to spend awhile house hunting to find your gem.
Investment wise I've bought and sold several times in Berko/Northchurch and even during the recession prices have stayed high.
Ashridge forest is simply gorgeous for walks. We often go to Hemel, Watford for big town centre shops. We find everything so accessible here. My DH moved from Bedford to live here and feels so lucky to be here!
It is MC white culture in Berko town centre, coffee culture, restaurant type town. It has a regular market on a Saturday. The town centre closes occasionally for events (we love Festival
Of Light at Christmas).
I'm very happy in this area, would always want to live nearby (we're hoping to move to a village locally soon).
Hope you find your location soon!

I echo what most people have said about Berkhamsted - it's a fabulous small town and to be honest I've often wondered why it's not even more expensive than it is. The surrounding countryside is stunning, whilst the canal runs right through the centre and provides an attractive focal point for walks, playgrounds, pubs etc. The hills can be a challenge for walking/driving, but they give the town its character.

The school situation is under pressure right now but they are taking steps to rectify things - the only (state) secondary school (Ashlyns) does not have a great reputation but these things are all relative (at least compared to some inner city London schools).

We lived near Boxmoor - it's an ok place with some character houses and a handful of local shops/restaurants (and the station is nearby), but it's surrounded by not-so-nice Hemel (a walk through the Marlowes will turn you right off). I wouldn't look at Apsley personally - traffic is abysmal and it always feels quite rough to me. There are some nice roads around Box Lane/Felden Lane but to be honest may be out of your budget.

I'd definitely choose Northchurch over Boxmoor/Apsley - much quieter and on the edge of the same lovely countryside as Berkhamsted.

You will undoubtedly get more for your money in Hemel, but I agree with Bretta - do spend a day in Hemel town centre before you make your decision. The reason I would prefer Tring or Berko is that they are small towns in themselves, whereas Boxmoor & Apsley are parts of Hemel, so you are much more likely to have to go into the town centre.

Hemel town centre, other than the Riverside bit, which is OK, is dire. Half the shops in the Marlowes are empty, and if you walk up towards the library it is just monumentally depressing.

Would something like this fit your criteria?

Most town centres are in a sadly similar position to Hemel. Last time I went to Watford, I was somewhat surprised to see how badly that had gone downhill.
Living in Hemel is okay, I just use the market towns nearby and Ashridge for most other things.

Good find Chresto! There are some gems squirrelled away in Berko so if you can go into rented then that puts you in a strong position when buying. You might need to move fast if you find a house you like!
Northchurch has just had a Tesco Express open in the last year along with a dinky little café. It does feel like a real community and I live down a cul-de-sac and know every neighbour well. There's a playground, football pitch and cricket ground with a dog walking field which has miniature donkeys in!
Come for a nose around.....

Berkhamsted would be my preference - for all the reasons already given. The only negatives are that you will get less house for your money and it is very middle class and fairly insular. The positives far outweigh the negatives though!

Tring is great but not particularly near to Tring Station so you would definitely need to cycle or drive to it, I think that is probably the only reason why the house prices are slightly lower than Berkhamsted.

Personally I would avoid Apsley and Boxmoor.

Have you considered Harpenden? Slightly cheaper than St Albans and quite similar to Berkhamsted in my opinion.

We left Berko about 15 years ago (commute was killing us...) - but that was pre DC. It is actually a really nice town, and much nicer anyway if you have children and get to know people than if you only met your neighbours about 5 times in 6 years which is what happens if you both commute! And hemel is WAY nicer now than it was then!

Best friend lives in Northchurch now and loves it!

God-daughter went to Greenway school (hmm, not impressed - they missed her dyslexia despite being asked every year and both parents being dyslexic), is now at Bridgewater (who picked it up immediately). Bridgewater is going to become a primary (5-11) instead of middle (9-13) when the schools change around.

The other point which is really important is to look at train routes. When we lived there all the trains stopped at Hemel, Berko and Tring, but not all at Apsley/Kings Langley etc - and the ones that do are a lot slower. Makes a big difference if you miss a train and then have to wait 30 mins more for one that stops at your stop, and takes 20 mins longer to do so!

I would love to live in Berko, but choose location v carefully. Tring great, real Market town, but station is a long way from the town and nurseries few and far between.

The line that serves all these places is less than reliable (so have back up plans if you are ever both in London) and you won't get a seat at rush hour.

Harpenden is lovely, but shares many of the problems other posters have mentioned about your short list

To be honest, though, any of these places have a lot going for them and there are far worse places to raise a family

Harp ended has the added bonus of being under the Luton Airport flight path. Take a look at Google as I believe Luton wants to expand and the locals were not happy last time it came up.

Harpenden that should read

Wow - I go out for the day and so many more comments - thank you all so much! This is beyond helpful!

I had spotted that house on Vicarage Road and was immediately suspicious as to the price too. I've been living on Rightmove over the last few months and have got very familiar with the houses in the various areas and this one really stuck out to me as probably having an issue.

We have been to Hemel town centre a couple of times. Yeah, it's not the loveliest town centre in the world (heh!) and I was pretty turned off by the Marlowes, and I did notice all the closed shops. But my standards have changed a lot over the last few years due to where we live right now - I am actually quite fond of slummy town centres with lots of cheap shops. So long as I can go somewhere else when I want something more upmarket I am not fussed. So it's not the dealbreaker it might be for some people.

If everywhere cost the same, we'd almost certainly go for Berkhamsted. But we know we'd have to take a hit on the size of the house. If we do go for it, chances are we'd almost definitely want to rent so we can dive in and get something the second it appears. And maybe go for a "in need of modernisation" house as we'd have time to do it up before moving in then.

I do a LOT of walking (understatement..) so part of the reason I'm so attracted to the area is the forests, walks along the canal etc. The closer we are to that, the happier I'll be - another reason for liking Northchurch in particular.

Have heard about the woes of the train line!! Good point about Apsley and Kings Langley not being so well served, and no fast train.

I looked into Harpenden and heard about the flightpath which did put me off a bit.

Our place isn't on the market yet, but we're hopefully no more than a month away from that. Hoping it will sell quite quickly (other houses in the area seem to) but all the same am trying hard not to fall for any places I see right now. After all, if they're good, they won't be there in a month's time!

I'm not too fussed by league tables, but would like the DCs to go to a school that at least gets the average. DH went to a rubbish school that was shut down in the end as it was so rubbish, and I went to a slightly above average comprehensive and we have both done very well in our careers (well, back when I had one..!) so I know it's all about the individual child really. Just so long as they're not being held back by poor education or a disruptive class.

Wigeon - thanks so much for the school links! I'd done a bit of research into school admissions so I knew about the whole distance thing, regardless of catchment. Part of our problem is going to be DD1, who is just starting year 1 - she'll need an in-year admission. Which will be problematic, ugh.

Fortyplus - thank you for that, great to hear from a resident! I'm glad my initial impression over friendliness was wrong, I hoped it would be. Will the improvements fix the issues pulling out onto the London Road? I heard that the bridge etc will be sorted out which is something!

Again, thank you to everybody who has replied - hopefully this thread will prove useful for others in the future too as I'm certain we can't be the only people to consider these areas..

I like you, murder! I was going to write that I find Hemel shops ok. Big TK and Primark and even an H & M. What more could you want all in one place? Where I live there are all of these within easy reach, but miles apart from each other. Westfield has no TK!!!!

MurderOfProse - thanks. Road layout will change - Orchard Street will become right turn only onto London Road. Featherbed Lane will take all 'up the hill' traffic plus left turn only onto London Road. And Storey Street will be blocked off which should ease congestion at the Durrants Hill Road/London Road junction.

There's also a totally new 'swan neck' junction planned to improve access from King Edward Street onto Featherbed Lane.

Wish they'd not been so silly with the traffic lights on the bridge on Durrants though, that makes the traffic far worse.

I'm surprised that some are dissing the train service - I've used it every day for 3+ years (from both Hemel and Berko) and find that 95% of the time it is perfectly reliable, and indeed dare I say quite pleasant as commutes go (certainly compared to my experience of lines to the south or west of London).

The good thing is that the trains are using the West Coast Main Line meaning they can travel fast - pretty amazing that you can get from Euston to Hemel in 24mins on some evening trains. If you've ever used Southeastern services out of London Bridge then you will know how tortuously slow they can be.

You just need to learn which are the best carriages to use (towards back better in the morning), which trains have the nicer modern carriages (most of them these days), which have trains have 12 as opposed to 4/8 carriages, and which are generally more crowded (because they've begun further up the line, or are ending further upt the line eg. Northampton, Crewe).

Just to give you a bit of solidarity MurderofProse as we too are thinking along exactly the same lines as you and have been out to Berkhamsted and Tring on reccys. We live in Ally Pally in North London and my children are mixed race so have similar concerns to you about leaving the city, but I grew up beside beech woods and I love the Chilterns so there is a huge pull. Also one of my sons is very sporty and just wants a trampoline in the garden and a dog. We live in a flat at the moment and don't have any outside space. It's just hard to make the final leap as for all the traffic, creaking infrastructure and unbelievably oversubscribed primary schools (disastrously in our case) around here - its familiar, friendly and a bit bonkers at times which I like. We've seen a couple of houses - one right in Berkhamsted that had a tiny garden and another that was was very overpriced as an in-fill house i.e built on the garden of a big Edwardian house. Neither were right as a garden is important for us, but our boys are going to be teenagers very soon so will need a station and shops I think. (Spotted a brilliant milkshake and icecream shop in Berkhamsted).

My concern is that one son is about to go into Year 5 and would hopefully go to Bridgewater Middle School but it sounds as if all that is to change to primary/secondary system?

Let me know how you get on.

If your DD is going to need an in-year admission, you might need to start from the point of which schools would actually be able to take her, rather than finding the perfect house and discovering that the local school doesn't have a place. Which might be quite a risk in Herts.

Harpenden: very nice, but very pricey. I think about the same as St Albans.

I'm sure you'll be able to find somewhere lovely though - looks like most votes on this thread are for Berkhamsted!