Didcot Parkway - any plus points apart from its strategic position?

[allaflutter]

Apart from the good quick rail links to London and other cities, is it really as dull as people say on MN?

I have another thread about relatively inexpensive areas that may be on the up, but still compiling a list (Bedford, etc) as not a lot on the market in those.

What is Didcot like for:
green spaces
shops and places to eat/cafes
crime levels
connections to the Midlands, rather than just the west

One issue is, it seems to be all modern houses - are there period areas, and how far from the station? Is any nice area within walking distance or easy bus/taxi to station?

thanks!

[StewedFruit]

People are so snobby about Didcot and it's so unjustified. Having lived in several places in oxfordshire, didcot is top of the list because it gives you quick access to lovely surrounding towns and walkable-to countryside. Schools are outstanding (DGS) or good. Think I am going to move back! (Sorry old thread).

[fluffyhamster1]

I live in Didcot. If you have the money to live in one of the surrounding villages then they are much nicer - and have good private schools. But if you are not in such a league then Didcot has greatly improved in recent years. The new shopping centre is about to double. The power station is being partly demolished and replaced with housing and more businesses. It is one of the fastest growing areas for job creation in the country - with the space centre, science park, etc. You don't live in the town because it is pretty but because you can get to Oxford museums in under 15 minutes door-to-door, London in 45 minutes, Bath in 45 minutest, etc. Great walks nearby as well, the Thames is a 20 minute cycle ride away.

[WineNot]

Only just checked back on this thread!

District Centres are little groups of shops/businesses etc, in the middle of most of the suburbs, I.e. usually one district centre per suburb. Obviously some are closer to the station than others!

The one nearest to me has a Tesco, pub, vet, oesteopath (randomly!) church, takeaway, estate agent and hairdresser.

Ignore the landscape from the train window... Hideous!

Where to look depends on what you're looking for :). Avoid the estates that begin with a 'P'

Villages like Wanborough, Wroughton and Wootton Bassett are nice and have more independent/interesting shops.

West Swindon = lots of greenery and Lydiard Park (lovely)

North Swindon = newer estates... Quite built up in Redhouse, Oakhurst and Taw Hill which I'm not a fan of. Haydon Wick/Haydon End, Groundwell, St Andrews Ridge all North Swindon and nice.

You're never more than 15 mins away from the M4 in Swindon either. Transport links are brilliant!

Check it out...

[allaflutter]

interesting, liquid! I was wondering about the line to Newbury, strangely these places aer hardly ever mentioned on Mn or generally, so I kind of assumed they aern't great. Please tell me more - are there mainly new builds there or not, green spaces/parks, shops?
Goring is v.expensive - hear about that a lot! Pangbourne out sadly, as an unpleasant ex lives there.

[liquidstate]

Everywhere easily commutable is expensive. All the lovely old houses are expensive.

I work in Oxford and commute from a village outside Reading which is on a branch line between reading and Newbury. I travel around Didcot etc a lot. I love Wallingford, Thame and Wantage but they don't have a train station. Goring/Streatley, Pangbourne, Cholsey are nice and have stations. Chosley probably less pricier than the others but more new build houses. A new development is being built at the moment called Cholsey Meadows which I drive past a lot and actually looks nice (and I really don't like new build 'estates').

Maybe worth a look?

Alterntively look at West Berkshire where I am. Mortimer, Thatcham etc are all on the branch line between Newbury and Reading with easy access to the M4, M3 and A34 (for Oxford, Didcot and Abingdon).

[allaflutter]

Wine, so what are these district centres specifically? are they close to the station at all? I keep going past it on the train but am put off by office blocks all around, and it does have a bad rep but I would g and look if I knew where to look.

[WineNot]

Swindon is bloody great and has an awful reputation. Suits me and DH just fine... House prices are far lower than the surrounding areas. The town centre is pretty hideous but there are district centres all over the place meaning you rarely have to go into town.

1 hr from London, 45 mins from Bristol/Reading/Cheltenham. On the doorstep of some spectacular countryside and the Cotswolds. Midlands is easy to get to via road or rail.

Some crap areas (what town doesn't have?) but I recommend taking a look.

Good luck!

[allaflutter]

thanks sarah! I ve written it off and still never went to look, but maybe I should, What aer the shops like? can yo ulist supermarkets, and is there ANY nice-ish street of small shops (i.e. bakers, deli, coffee) - if so, which one so I can look on Google street view.

[sarahrellyboo]

I think it's a great town.
I have lived here all my life. There is no issue with crime...with crime rates being drastically lower than national averages.
The parks are well kept and plentiful. There is a swimming pool, cinema and lots of countryside within walking distance.
This town was not created because of the power station...so those who say that clearly don't know the history of it.
The train station is good and generally runs well, it quick links to everywhere and there are good bus links too.
The family centres around this town are good...there are 3...there is always something on during the week for kids to do and events organised around the town on weekend quite frequently.

[Abra1d]

Thame is a lovely town--bustling, nice shops.

[vess]

Lots of people live in Thame and commute to London. It takes about 45 min on the train, but you need to get to the station which is about 2 miles away from the town. There is a regular bus service which most people prefer, because it costs £6 to park at the station for a day.
Thame is about 15 - 20 min away by car from Oxford (not in rush hour) and probably a bit longer by bus, like 30 min maybe.
I think Bicester is the next stop after Haddenham on the Chiltern line.

[JazzAnnNonMouse]

Oops not Victoria - sorry! I used to get that train once a week when I was a teen too...baby brain!

Thame is more expensive, it's a town rather than a village but it doesn't have as many shops as Bicester.
Thame does still have a nice family atmosphere/community and good schools though if you want those.

Yes the train station isn't actually in Thame... It's a short drive/bus away but not ideal for daily commute IMO - fine for a few days though.

Bicester is great for shops and good priced housing for the area, the trains are ok and the buses to Oxford are regular. It does feel a little soulless though. I always think Bicester village looks like a toy town! If you have teens this is where they're likely to get a job.

[Relaxedandhappyperson]

Thame is much nicer than Didcot but the station is a drive away 2 or 3 miles); can't walk there unless you live in Haddenham which is just a dormitory village.

[allaflutter]

thanks, Jazz and ruby - yes, I thought Victoria would be strange, Marylebone is fine for me. How long is the journey from Thame? Is the station not in thame though but in Haddenham - how far from residential Thame? is thame a proper town or more of a village?

I'm nore interested in Derby in Mids, not B'ham (never really go there) , but useful to know about cheltenham link from Swindon, turkey. I am already vaguely considering Swindon, but it's after Bedfor on list as it's still over an hour commute (train plus getting to Old town which is not a walking distance) and I still haven't actually been there.

Mini, thanks fr giving me more food for thought. Bicester sounds good but too far, I think - 1.15 plus time from station (unless period houses are very close to it), and indeed quick link to Oxford would be a major bonus - but if it's about to close, not great. You sound quite lukewarm about Thame. more expensive, tiny?

[rubyflipper]

Trains from Haddenham and Thames terminate at Marylebone, not Victoria, by the way.

[JazzAnnNonMouse]

Thame is very pretty but with all the shops you'd need if you didn't have a car- has a bus to Oxford/Aylesbury every 30 mins.

It's the haddenham and Thame railway links that will interest you most though as it has regular trains to London Victoria and Birmingham.

[turkeyboots]

Swindon is 15mins away on the train and is nicer than its reputation - which keeps house prices low! Has cafes and green spaces and loads of community festivals. Didcot is all estate agents and charity shops IME.

Alos there is train to Cheltenham which picks up the West Coast line, so can go north withouth having to go through London.

[alienbanana]

I don't think closing the power station will have a huge effect tbh. Its only the coal one that's going, not the whole thing and there are huge business parks, AEA technology, and lots more huge companies very close by that employ thousands of people. Of course it will have a bit of an impact now, but not in the long term.

Even if people do struggle to find work in didcot itself the transport links are so good its easy enough to commute.


I can't see house prices shooting up - they're building thousands of new houses so there isn't going to be the same demand as in previous years.

My Mum said yesterday she's worried it'll get like Swindon - now there's a worrying thought!

[Abra1d]

Allaflutter, don't know Bedford, sorry.

Bicester is OK but there are plans for very large housing estates to the south of the town (the M40/Bicester Village side). It can already be very busy traffic-wise, in the town.

[Relaxedandhappyperson]

Didcot is OK. Not a shit-hole at all, though not very exciting either.

Lots of new housing, ok shops and easy to get out of.

Don't bother living nearby and thinking of driving to the station to commute: the roads in the area are hideously busy.

Not sure the power station actually employed that many at the end, and Milton Park/Harwell are part of a big Gov't science/regeneration area getting plenty of investment so there should be plenty of jobs around.

[rubyflipper]

Stick to the south side of Banbury for period housing and leafier streets. Otherwise it's mostly new-builds (which aren't my cup of tea)

[MiniPenguinMaker]

I'm glad it was helpful!

Abingdon: yes, I generally find it takes 30 minutes on the bus in to Oxford. Buses start quite early (5.30 I think?) and run until around midnight. If you then add 1 hour to get to either London or Birmingham, it does seem quite far from the beaten track - to me anyway.

Bicester: there are some gorgeous period houses here! Don't rule it out - go and have a visit. And, to my mind, the period properties there are a steal. The centre of town is the older bit. There's a regular bus service in to Oxford and that takes c. 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. Trains to London run from Bicester North and take 45 minutes - 1 hour 15 min. Trains to Oxford run from Bicester town and take just over 20 minutes but this line is likely to close for a couple of years while they upgrade it.

I think Bicester might actually be quite interesting to you. It is kind of like Didcot in terms of convenience for London, but it's also got great rail links to Birmingham, so good for Midlands too. Bicester Village for designer shopping. Some nice restaurants and lovely village pubs nearby. Worth a look?

Thame: closer to London, but further from Midlands and less well connected to Oxford. Quite pretty, period property etc.

[allaflutter]

thanks Mini - a very useful post! I assume from this that it takes more than 20min by bus from Ab to Oxford? Didcot - as Jazz says, it may even get worse after the plant closure - do they have any plans regarding use of the plant site? Logically it should be a very popular town, is it the housing stock that's awful? I mean all these villages around would benefit from good shopping etc in Didcot - where do they go shopping/eating out, if D is awful? I'd kick myself if it does go up in price hugely - but this will happen if it gets funded for high streets and gets done up by someone who cares.
I thought Bicester was one new housing development/estate (even though probably all clean).
How is Thame ideal, Jazz, can you describe it please? and how long to London?
Banbury - is it also very modern re housing? is it on rail?

[prissyenglisharriviste]

Banbury?

[MiniPenguinMaker]

Yes, Bicester has a direction connection both to London Marylebone (c. 45 minutes to an hour) and to Birmingham. House prices are cheap compared to Oxford and it's pretty nice. Might be a good option!