Where to live North London??? Advice please!

[Lou240913]

DH and I are moving back to London in the next month after living in the country for a year and a half, and I'm having real trouble finding somewhere nice to live, and deciding where we should move to...

Our first DD/DS is due end of September so I am looking for somewhere with a village community, yummy mummy vibe.

DH will be working Oxford Circus/Tottenham Court Road area. I work around the Watford area so good links to the M1 and easy commutes for both of us are essential. I've never lived in North London before and am finding this new move slightly daunting, especially when there is a little one to think of!

Finchley could be OK and seems to tick all the boxes but we're wanting to broaden our options and look at other areas. Our budget is £1200 rental pcm for a 2 bed place with outside space (as on top of everything else we have a kitty to think of too! ).

With all that in mind, does anyone have any ideas about where might be good areas to consider?

Thanks!

I think you're going to have to go further out with that budget... Pretty much anywhere on the Northern Line seems to be over £400/wk.

North East or North West? On the cheaper end, Walthamstow village is meant to be villagey at a decent price.

Crouch End is the absolute ultimate in villagey/yummy mummy north London and really great stuff to do if you have a baby but I don't know about rental prices round here, only sales, which aren't cheap. Palmers Green has a nice park and is meant to be nice for kids

Piccadilly line is more reliable than Northern line. Southgate is easy to reach M25 or North circ/M1 from, nice parks, OK shopping centre, and easy for Oxford circus.

You'd probably get a two bed in Walthamstow for that budget, most likely a flat, possibly a ground floor Warner flat for a garden. Crouch End, Muswell Hill eyc will be way out out your price range.

I rent a three bed house in Walthamstow for £1400 pcm. Hth

Do you know about the Rightmove rental search engine Lou. You should get a good feel for prices if you put all the places you've though of in there.
(Places with garden in Crouch End=£450/wk, I'm afraid).

Look at queens park kensal rise for yummy mummy. But might be pushing the budget . Baker loo line and zone two So saves on travel...

Totally agree with what Aunty Sib said about Southgate - it's just under half an hour to Oxford Circus on the Piccadilly/Victoria lines which is pretty much my commute and I find them reliable..most of the time. For your drive, depending where you pick, the M25 could be ten/fifteen mins away. Enfield Borough as a whole isn't very chi-chi..... parts are frankly chavvy but there are yummy mummy pockets esp round Winchmore Hill. The borough does have plenty of parks, some with summer bandstand concerts. The local Maternity unit at Chase Farm is closing in late Autumn but that shouldn't affect you! By the way out of sheer nosiness/idleness I took a look on RightMove and spotted a two bed end of terrace for 250pw which looked quite good. (not mine by the way!)
I would say take a look out here - it's archetypal suburbia with good transport links - the overground is also quite efficient.
Happy hunting!

Queens Park will be too expensive for you I think (roughly 1,500pcm for 1 bed no garden), but agree with cestlavielife you could try looking at kensal green/rise. Great train links to watford as well as to oxford circus....

What's a "yummy mummy vibe"?

How about this in Barnet: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-38101849.html This is up towards the top of High Barnet but is on the main road.

Barnet is ideal for both you and your husband's commute.

Or this one: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-41081975.html - not as pretty on the outside but is in High Barnet itself and easy walking distance to the shops.

West Hampstead might work, not sure on rental prices, but it has everything else that you are after.

Kensal Rise is nice (but expensive). Kentish Town is one of the cheapest options in the area you want.

Kentish Town cheap ! There are two bedroom flats renting for over £750 a week there. Not cheap.

yep another for kensal green - transport sounds ideal for you and it gets cheaper towards willesden/harlesden but you can still walk from there to queens park, chamberlayne rd and you are closer to roundwood park, willesden rec. Very friendly area with loads of kids and mums. We've been here a year, previously Chalk Farm/Kentish Town, which is absolutely lovely and also heaps of baby/mummy stuff, great transport but agree with last poster, not cheap! (we used to pay £1900 for 2bed maisonette no outside space)

I can not recommend Southgate/Palmers Green enough. Be careful though with Palmers Green, the part around Broomfield Park/close to Southgate is very nice. Take the train from Palmers Green to Finsbury Park (15 minutes) and change to the Victoria line or even better take the train to Highbury&Islington and you just need to change platforms to get to the Victoria Line. Few stops an you are at Oxford Circus.

In Southgate is an excellent state primary school. St.Monica

My friends live in Southgate and love it. Another option is Winchmore Hill.