Need to move out of London..thinking of Hemel Hempstead..any advice out there?

[meera2014]

Hi Mumsnetters!

We are looking to buy a first family home this summer. London is WAY too expensive and we don't want to settle for a flat if we can move further out to get a decent sized family home with lots of space.

My family live in NW London so after checking out google maps, we're thinking of Hemel Hempstead approx 35 mins drive from my parents. Specifically we're checking out 4+ bedroom properties in Apsley that seems to tick our boxes and meet our budget.

Does anyone have any feedback on the area? Are there many things to do for young families? Whats the local town centre like? Are there any mummy cafes? Are the schools good? What are the parks like?

We're moving out of SW London and will miss the tight community of mums here. It's just too expensive to live here with nursery fees and property prices etc.

Are there any other areas you would suggest close to NW London?

Thank you for reading this post. I don't know why I feel nervous about moving out of London, have lived here my whole life so it's a big change for me!

HH is ok though not the nicest place in Herts. What is your budget?

Hi it's up to £600k, 4 bed minimum

Apsley is nice but there's not a lot there. What about looking towards Berkhamstead?

St Albans is doable on that budget and much nicer IMHO.

Do you need a train line into London for work? If so stick to the St albans line or Potters Bar line. What are your 'boxes'?

Hemel Hempstead does give very good value for money, but it is not beautiful. The town centre is ugly as its a bit of a 1950s eyesore.

In terms of activites there is more to do in Hemel Hempstead than Harpenden, Berkhamstead or St Albans. For example there is an excellent sports centre, swimming pools, a gymnastics club, a ski slope, a rock climbing centre, cinema and Dacorum music school. The cost of living (ie. nursery fees, hobbies) is far lower in Hemel Hempstead than St Albans, Berkhamstead or Harpenden. The children's centres in Hemel Hempstead are much better funded than the poshier towns because Hemel Hempstead has quite a lot of social deprivation. Hemel Hempstead has plenty of parks and open spaces, but so do the other towns listed.

Prehaps a draw back to hemel is the schools. There are a lot of childen on free school meals even at schools like the Hemel Hempstead school which is supposely the poshiest school in the area. A large social housing estate is being built on the old post office site so in a couple of years time there will be no middle class schools in Hemel unless you catch catholism. (Local catholic schools are all outstanding and you need to be ultra catholic to stand a chance.)

A lot depends on what your priorities are. I like Hemel Hempstead, but its not everyone's cup of tea. I think it is quite easy to make friends in Hemel as there are lots of young families.

I would definitely consider Tring which is a bit further along the A41 but it is a bit cheaper than Berkhamsted. I believe the schools are good. If you can consider Buckinghamshire, (the Eastern edge of the county is only a short distance from the A41) you could look at popular places such as Chesham Bois, Amersham and Ley Hill. Good schools if you live in the right roads! Cafe culture in Amersham. Lovely countryside and plenty to do. The villages around HH are very pleasant but personally I would not live in HH. Tring, Berkhamsted and Amersham are much nicer.

I been looking at house prices on rightmove and its a bit of a shock.

In hemel its still fairly easy to get a 4 bed detached with a decent garden near the station. I think you will be struggling to get a 4 bed detached house in easy walking distance of the station in either st albans, harpenden or berkhamstead.

If you don't mind semi detached then this house is promising.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-29182920.html

Do you have boys or girls. Verulum is a lovely boys secondary school.

I've lived in Apsley for 11 years and I really like it here. Lovely atmosphere, feels really safe yet not boring.

You get a lot more for your money in Hemel, and Apsley or Boxmoor are the nicer parts. We have friends in Tring, St Albans and Harpenden and we don't feel envious of them at all.

We still go into St Albans and Berkhamsted for the 'nicer' shops, restaurants etc. but as a PP said, for day-to-day living Hemel is much more 'livable' with better amenities (sports, cinema etc), everyday shops, children's activities etc.

Not sure if you need a train line into London, but having done both the Hemel (London Midland) line and the St Albans (FCC) line for several years each, there is no contest. The Hemel trains are more reliable, cleaner and much more civilised. From Apsley there are trains every half hour and they take 25 mins to Euston.

To the PP who said 'Apsley is nice but there's not a lot there', we don't feel like we're missing anything (other than posh shops, as mentioned above): Apsley has Sainsburys, retail park (Argos, B&Q etc.), canalside walks, fab takeaways, high street with dry cleaners, hairdressers, newsagent etc., a lovely pub (the Paper Mill), railway station, bus routes, 20 min walk into town.

If you want any opinions on particular areas/streets I'm happy to help!

In all fairness there are one or two cafes near the canal in Aspley, but Hemel is not really a yummy mummy type of place. If you want a middle class enclave then Hemel is probably not the town for you. (I have lived in Hemel for nearly 13 years and I love it.) Hemel has good links and its easy to get to the picturesque places with nice restaurants and pubs.

I think the OP has to decide what her priorities are. It is hard to get a large detached house for under 600K with everything. I am sceptical that its worth killing yourself financially to get a "good state school". (within reason!)

I feel that Hemel property is very over priced at the moment. I think it would be well worth making a slightly cheeky offer on the higher priced properties if you really want hemel. From a financial investment point of view I feel st ablans is a better bet at the moment. I just looked at St albans on right move.

This must be a distressed buyer to be priced so low. I suppose it would be difficult to get a mortgage to cover this as they have a tenant who may have rights.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-29911014.html

If you could give the tenant notice then this house would really tick all your boxes.

I lived in Hemel for a couple of years (the worst of my life). I would really not recommend it, it is a seriously grim town. However if you are keen then Old Town is actually okay, Apsley is okay too especially the bit going away from the high street on the opposite side to Hemel but you are still near a very grim town.
Kings Langley, Berkhamsted and Tring are all much nicer and on the same train line.

Have you thought of Bedford? Slightly further but great train line to St Pancras (37 mins). For £600k you could get a cracker of a house here. There is definitely a mummy cafe culture but it is not poncey. Loads of parks and sports for kids. Lovely indie restaurants and theatre. Lots of people on Mumsnet slate it but it is worth a look on Zoopla.

Hi, I've just seen all your replies! I'm new to mumsnet and kept wondering why I hadn't received any emails to notify me of replies to my thread.

Thank you for all your help. I'm digesting this and will come back to you shortly with the info.

There are loads of lovely places and villages around Hemel - if you don't want/need to be in Hemel.

Ashridge Estate - lovely for walks, nice cafe.
Villages - Potten End, Nettleden, Frithsden, Great Gaddesden, St Margrets, Little Gaddesden, Aldbury, Ivinghoe, Pitstone, Bourne End.

I don't know why people are so down on Hemel. I used to live in St Albans and although it has 'nice shops' I wouldn't move back there. Overpriced, busy, town centre looking a bit sad lately. Although I do recommend The Waffle House.

Berkhamsted is lovely. Independent shops, not too big/busy. Northchurch/Dudswell end a bit cheaper. Tring's good too.

Personally I would look further afield than Hemel. If you like the idea of living in a big town, then perhaps Watford would be worth a look. There are some nice residential areas and lots of very good sought after schools, a really good shopping centre (incl John Lewis) and I think a new cinema complex is planned for the town centre. Also a lovely park and a decent theatre. There are also lots of small towns and villages in the surrounding SW Herts area which I feel are nicer than Hemel. Good schools would be my driving force, as well as decent transport links into London.

Forgot to say that Chesham is also quite a big town which may be within budget. Amersham is nice but I think it's a bit pricier. Both those towns are near to Hemel.

The amenities in Hemel are really good and if you really want a big house then you're going to get a bigger one in Boxmoor (Hemel) than Berkhamsted.

Even though the amenities in Hemel are great I would still live in a slightly smaller house in Berko but I suspect I'm at a slightly different life stage than you and Hemel was brilliant when I had a young family.

Yes, the town centre is ugly but there's tkmaxx and Debenhams plus a large Primark if that's your thing and about 10 pound shops which are bloody brilliant.

Also it got a new Aldi in November and my shopping budget halved. And they're building a second one in Boxmoor.

Their are some good Indian restaurants and other nice ones in the Old town where I live but Berko is better if you want naice pubs/ask pizza/lovely coffee shops.

The primary schools in Boxmoor are great and if you're not going private then the Hemel Hempstead School is fine for secondary.

If you are going private then live in Berko and use the Collegiate - it's a brilliant school and the largest employer in the town. You could still live in a bigger house at that end of Boxmoor/Felden and drive to the collegiate every day - or the children could easily get the train and walk up to the school (10 mins)

Good evening everyone! Hope you all had fab long weekends! So, we ended up visiting Maidenhead today...saw a house that ticks our boxes! We are most likely going to put an offer in this week...

The house that we actually saw a while back in HH is now off the market. So we decided to widen our search.

I don't know Maidenhead that well but from what we've been told...there's lots of green, money is being pumped into improving the town centre, there are good schools there with a private school nearby, parks and riverside walks, close links into london by car and train, it has a local shopping centre etc..also windsor is a 15min drive away.

Maidenhead is also 40mins drive from NW london (grandparents) which works for us.

if anyone knows Maidenhead please do tell! Thanks x

Maidenhead = crossrail! Will have fantastic new link into London. Nicer than Hemel H in my view. Marlow just up the road and Henley pretty close (nicer than Windsor in many ways). Our friends used to live there and were happy. They had to move for jobs. Lots of good restaurants and plenty going on. I don't know much about schools but a huge array of independent schools at Ascot and Windsor.

Hi..these posts are old and i guess things at hemel have changed. I want to move so i can have a family home. I work as well. What should i do? HH seems to tick most boxes but from these posts i am confused. X

try Chesham or Amersham in Bucks - only 20 mins from Hemel and much nicer.

hi I am thinking of moving to HH or Apsley (two water school looks amazing) we come from Kensal rise very urban but can't afford a house… we have family around milton keynes area and work from home or meetings in london - looks ilke good transport from HH into london…but we would like to move to area with open minded parents, neighbours… our family is multi cultural…any suggestions on areas? xs

Have lived in Hemel for 18 months, it is total shit , however some of the people are decent enough.

I lived in HH after moving out of NW London, it was ok but I’m glad I don’t live there anymore.
Agree with pp about Chesham look there.