Buying near High Wycombe - where to set up our young family?

[curiousparent2]

I am new to posting on mumsnet, so here goes..

DH and I plan to sell our Clapham flat and buy near High Wycombe. Basically, to get for the same price a decent sized place with garden that is more suitiable for kids but still in commuting distance to London for us both.

I've followed a few mumsnet posts on areas of High Wycombe and gather the centre is to be avoided and the surrounding sub-urbs and villages to the north are recommended locations. I'm not sure about the West. We have one DS aged 21 mo who is currently in a nannyshare and hope for a couple more DCs in the coming few years. We want to set up in a house where we'll stay for a while, so good for primary and secondary schools.

Recommendations for good areas in catchment of good schools? We have a reasonable budget (due to silly London escalation of prices)

And - for childcare of younger kids, do others around High Wycombe use/recommend nurseries or are nannies/nanny-shares the norm for working parents?

Many thanks in advance!

[curiousparent2]

cestlavielife indeed these are good questions! I have flexible working luckily and we have family not too far away. We currently have a nanny 11 hours a day and would consider continuing that, and after-school clubs in the future. But this is why we don't want to be too far from a reliable train!

[ShoeWhore]

Do you have reasons for wanting to be out west OP? It's just that your commute might be much quicker if you looked at areas on the train lines into Liverpool St/Kings X?

[ShoeWhore]

Good point cestlavie We're not sure we can have both of us commuting into London for that very reason - if the train line goes up the spout the dcs would be stranded.

[PerhapsNot]

Oh blimey, Bloomsbury and Liverpool Street are not that convenient to commute to from High Wycombe. Russel Square is not too bad but Liverpool street is about 1:20, if you add a twenty minute drive to High Wycombe Station plus time to park and whatever the walking time from Liverpool tube to your DHs workplace then that's a long commute

Marlow would be even longer.

Are you sure you are ok with that type of commute? My DH has an hour commute with no changes and finds it a bit much really. He doesn't work from home and works long hours which doesn't help.

Have you had a look at places that are on the line that goes into Kings Cross such as Hatfield, Stevenage etc. I have no idea about that area but it might make for an easier commute.

If you buy a house in the nice posh bit of high Wycombe then you could get a good house, live very close to the station and be in a generally nice area of the world. High Wycombe is ok, it has a theatre, a John Lewis and great sports facilities. I have had a browse through Rightmove and you get a lot of house for your money there.

[cestlavielife]

are the family near HW/near where you thinking to buy?

are they family that you can call on to pick up a child if needed?

that is the reality of working parents - it is all fine when everything works but inevitably (and the more dc you have the more chance of being needed! ) something will happen that entails having to rush home and/or get someone else on board.

bear in mind that after school clubs /holiday clubs usually end at six or sometimes five thirty pm. (check this out) so you may still need an au pair/nanny when they older - factor this into your space (think of getting a spare room /garage conversion with ensuite for live in au pair?)

I also agree that Marylebone to l'pool street/Bloomsbury not the easiest - once you add on a third step to your commute it makes it that bit longer... a mainline train station then easy walk/v short bus would be ok I think....

[PerhapsNot]

£715,000 It's not the most beautiful of houses but it's big and within spitting distance of High Wycombe Station. You could walk to town. You would have to spend some money on it but it could be nice.

[BarmeeMarmee]

Prestwood/Gt Missenden are great for families. Good school, lots to do in the area and within a short drive to the tube from Amersham if you don't want to commute into Marylebone

[OhNoYouExpedidnt]

You need to be careful of the catchment areas around High Wycombe. Nice houses don't necessarily have nice catchment schools!

Flackwell is a 15 minute drive to Beaconsfield station which is further up the line that HW.

[OhNoYouExpedidnt]

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-28975272.html

[curiousparent2]

Thanks for all the help. We have put in an offer on a house near to RGS, so close to the station but also to the green hills and hopefully good schools. Would be interested to hear any recommendations for nurseries or childminders near here. We shall look at Bambino's. Thanks again!

[KatherineandSimon]

If you look slightly towards the west Wycombe side of big Wycombe you can find some good catchment areas plus you're still quite close to the station for quick access into London and you're closer to the lovely scenery of the villages that surround high Wycombe. High Wycombe itself is actually becoming a really nice place to live too now so it might actually be worth a relook at places that are more central. I think as it's becoming more and more popular as a commuter belt area the centre is becoming more gentrified. Good luck!

[KatherineandSimon]

High Wycombe itself has great schools, good shopping, a nice park. The train is really quick and reliable into London. I moved from south London too and I'd never look back. I can actually get into zone 1 quicker form HW than I could from zone 3 of London!

[2019mum]

Hi,

We're thinking of moving to High Wycombe (we have a 9 month old DD and want another baby soon) and saw a lovely new development and a home we love in Daws Hill Lane, however we haven't heard great things about HW centre.

Does anyone have any advice about moving to this area with a young family?

Thanks so much!

[PooWillyBumBum]

Hi @2019mum

We live in High Wycombe. DH comes from Marlow and much prefers it (which is a good thing as we'd be in a tiny terrace up there!). I lived here as a kid and teenager, moved into London for a few years then came back.

Pros about HW:
Good schools, but you need to be in the right catchment so look around before you buy. There are schools Ofsted rated 'good' which locals avoid for a variety of reasons. Downley is probably the best area for primary state schools.

Town has everything you could need. I think the centre is miles better than it was 10 years ago. Has all the usual identikit high street stuff (Next, M&S, Pret, Starbucks) but also some cool independent places popping up (amazing vegan food truck, a WWII themed cafe, a local brewery bar...etc). It depends where you're coming from but I used to live in Bloomsbury in London and actually prefer Wycombe.

I feel really safe here - but I live on an exceptional street. It really can vary street to street. Where we currently are we have neighbourhood watch, street parties, a book club, and I love my neighbours. There's a road two streets away that I wouldn't live on if you paid me. There are loads of lovely streets but it's hard to tell which is which unless you speak to a local. For instance there are some horrid streets in Bowerdean/Totteridge and then some lovely ones a stones throw away like Rectory Avenue and Pretoria Road.

Beautiful parks - The Rye and Hughenden park are beautifully maintained. Easy access to the Chilterns and surrounding countryside.

Cons:
I do worry about green space - for instance, the Abbey Barn development (not far from Daws Hill) was completely gutting for local people. They're building on what used to be a beautiful bit of land and the powers that be seem set on letting developers destroy every bit of green belt and SSSI there is.

Centre isn't as nice as some of the villages, or smaller towns like Marlow, but IMO that comes hand in hand with having a larger town. Both sets of our parents live in Marlow and come to Wycombe to shop as their Waitrose and Sainsburys are miniscule and their high street is better for lunch/gift shopping than getting what you need.

Traffic is a nightmare. Most days I leave the house by 7 so I'm OK, but it does get absolutely gridlocked at peak time so I imagine a nightmare for people who drive kids to school or work in the centre of Wycombe.

We are happy here but only live here as DH won't ever drive due to eyesight issues so need to be near station with access to London and midlands. If this were not the case we would be in Flackwell Heath, Downley, or further afield in Tylers Green, Great Missenden. If you're looking at the houses I think you are, I think you can also get a much better street/area/house for your money if you're willing to buy an older house and not a new build.

[PooWillyBumBum]

PS. if you're considering private for your DD, mine has just finished at Godstowe and I can't sing it's praises enough.

[PooWillyBumBum]

Oh another disadvantage is the non-grammar schools aren't great (to put it mildly). Most parents with the means move to Great Marlow catchment if it doesn't look likely their DC will pass the 11+.

[Yellowbutterfly1]

I agree with what PooWillBumBum says.
Although the bit about secondary schools not quite so much. Great Marlow is quite a good school but there are others secondary schools such as St Michaels which is equally as good but often ignored as it is a Catholic school.
More parents are trying to get a place in Cressex secondary school now which was not heard of even just a few years ago.
The new development that you have looked at in Daws Hill Lane has caused a lot more traffic in the area which is not a good thing and it’s the further destroying of more countryside for housing near it it is only going to make things 100% worse.
The town centre is much the same as most, ok bits and not so ok bits.
Also remember that there is no proper A&E in Wycombe and only a birthing centre so a lot of people have to use Wrexham Park in Slough or Stoke Mandaville in Aylesbury.