Where's commutable to kings cross, affordable and good place to live?

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If you worked in Kings Cross but couldn't afford London prices, where would you go?

If we wait a couple of years I reckon we'll be able to look at places for about £250k.

But if we do it sooner it'd be more like £160k.

We'd need at least 3 beds, what do you reckon, does such a place exist? (either £160k or £250k)

Depends and how long would you like the commute to be, and whether you want to be in a city or a village!
Bedfordshire is affordable, but not all of it is nice - still there are choices there, many people on MN like Leighton Buzzard, prices towards 250, but cheaper or modern estates further from station.

'cheaper ON modern..'

kent is possible especially if you look at the medway towns and gravesend with the high speed trains taking 30 mins to kings cross. loads of small 3 beds for 160k.

Newark. Grantham.

Grantham has better schools.

Yes to Leighton Buzzard. Train to Euston in about 40 mins and then a 5 min walk (or could tube it) to KX.

Leighton Buzzard is a nice big village / small town. The Linslade side is considered nicer and is very close to the station. Good schools (middle school system). Waitrose, market, Pizza Express etc. but baaaaaaad clothes shopping. However, you've Milton Keynes one way and Warford the other.

Grantham is possible and affordable. I'd probably look to villages outside and drive to the station , but didn't have to factor in schools living there.

I did the commute for 18 months, it was tiring but I always thought it wold be doable long term if I didn't have to get on the tube. I worked in south Ken and it added a lot on to the trip.

You would just about get 3 beds at Hockliffe or Leighton Buzzard. Over £200k gives you a lot more choice. 4 beds would be impossible unless it is a wreck. Train fares cheaper than Grantham though.

Thanks for the replies :)

What are these places like to live in?

We love where we live, but DP's commute is currently horrendous (over 2 hours each way, every day). I'm exploring options ...

We'd be happy living in a village, town or city, as long as wherever it us is a nice place to live, e.g. with prett countryside if rural or vibrance, culture and diversity if the city. But not suburbs or somewhere souless with street after street of modern housing (sorry I hope that doesn't offend, it's just not for me!). By modern i guess i mean 1960s onwards.
We currently live on an ex council estate of 1920s semi detatched houses, overlooked by beautiful hills, in a growing town. I'd love a period property but accept sacrificing aesthetics for space if we have to.

Essential we live somewhere with a great school. DS lives his school here.

Loves not lives!

Grantham's too far I think. The train is 1:15. DP has a 15 minute walk from King's X, so unless we lived onto of the train station, we're still looking at the best part of 2 hours each way. Although it'd be am improvement on his current commute, it's not enough of an improvement to justify uprooting the family.

Anyone know anything about Leighton Buzzard? The fast train is only 33 minutes, that's more like it!

Herts? We live there and there are some lovely villages. Hitchin, Knebworth, Codicote. Train journey around 30 mins into Kings X. Property isn't cheap cheap but still cheaper than London.

Ok, reread your OP, prices may be too expensive here. You could get something in Stevenage new town on your budget but it's possibly the kind of place you're not keen on.

St Neots or Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire are quite nice, lots of development going on there. St Neots is 45 mins on the train, and easily bus-able to Cambridge, Peterborough and Bedford so lots of shopping opportunities. And £250k would go quite a long way, not like where I live now!

For your sort of budget, have you considered Leicester? You could get walkable to the station for that amount of money, even nearer the £160k mark. I doubt you'd get anything nearer to London for £160k which meets your needs.

Look on the Kings X to Peterborough Line. St. Neots, Biggleswade etc. I think you'll struggle to avoid 'modern' though on that budget and in that area.

I've been to St Neots twice, and found it modern and soulless. Am I doing it a disservice? Are there lovely bits I missed?

Not really, there are some nice villages about there.

But out of 'lovely', 'easy commute to Kings X' and '£160 - £250k for a 3 bed house' aren't really do-able - one of those has to give.

I'll write that again in English:

Not really, there are some nice villages around there though.

But 'lovely', 'easy commute to Kings X' and '£160 - £250k for a 3 bed house' aren't really do-able - one of those has to give.

Got to add great school to that list too!

So is it asking the impossible do you think?

I can sacrifice lovely for the house itself if the area is a nice place to be. Our current house itself isn't what you'd call "lovely", it's quite ugly on the outside actually. But it's near the edge of town, lovely countryside and about 10 minutes drive from the beach, so great stuff nearby. The town (if not our bit of it) is a holiday destination.

Sandy is cheaper than Biggleswade and only one stop further on the train.
No idea what it is like though.

Leicester's too far. It's an hour and a half train journey, that's what DP's doing now, but adding on travelling at either end it's over 2 hours and it's too much, it's not working for us.

I'm in Herts and that is quite quick to get into London, but v expensive, sadly.

A friend of mine has just moved to Northampton and loves it - an hour or so by train into Euston, would that be too far though, OP? Seems to be a reasonable amount on the market - eg this sort of thing? or this?

Look at towns/villages outside of cambridge. Your money will go far for a house and its 58 mins on train from cambridge straight to kings cross. Very easy commute!