Moving to Weybridge

[Bewler]

Evening all,
I'm hoping for a bit of relocation advice. We live in Wandsworth and are considering a move to Surrey. DH works near Liverpool Street and so we need to have good transport links (30 mins or so) into London (ideally london bridge but waterloo is ok). We have a DD in reception and a 2 year old DS and would like to send them to good state primaries but would consider private for secondary. I am a SAHM and have loved being part of my local community. I would like to move somewhere friendly, with good parks, shops and schools (primary) hopefully within walking distance. My mum is giving me the hard sell on Epsom (somewhere she knows well and can imagine herself moving to). We looked at houses in Weybridge a couple of years ago which at the time were over our budget but a change in circumstances means they may now be within reach. I really liked the look of Weybridge and Id love to get the inside scoop from any local residents. I know it has a reputation for being yummy mummy stomping ground but so do parts of wandsworth and the vibe can change vastly within half a mile (ie wandsworth common v earlsfield).
So please share your thoughts with me. Thank you

haven't lived there but know people who did. Lovely town, lots of pretty spots. Traffic from hell so if you are commuting, station must be walking distance.

Thank you! Good to know.
Does anyone else have any tips? Interested in Epsom too...

I live in Epsom & we've been really happy. Fabulous schools, for primary, secondary & private too. Loads to do in the area with little ones (mine are 5 and 3) and lots of activities on offer. 30 minutes into Waterloo & it's about to become part of Zone 6.
Ashtead is also worth considering - only one stop further down and a great little community.
I've spent a fair bit of time in Weybridge, also a lovely part of the world, but friends always seem to come towards us when we're looking for fun days out.

ZebraCath thank you!
May I ask what your thoughts are on local schools? are catchment areas very tight?

We've just moved into Weybridge, but used to live down the road near Walton (having moved out from Earlsfield!) It's lovely - nice river/canal walks, enough shops and restaurants to feel self sufficient, but easy access for Guildford or Kingston. My kids are older, so I have less of a sense of the yummy mummy scene, but can imagine its pretty active!
Where were you planning for primary schools? The most sought after are Oatlands and Cleves - but the Oatlands catchment is tiny so you'd need to choose carefully..

I think it depends which school you are looking at. Several of them had outstanding Ofsteds and I would be happy for my DC attend any of them, except perhaps one. Wallace Fields and Cuddington are very popular and you need to live close by. Southfield Park is great, they have a fixed catchment area but it stretches pretty far (so living close to it won't necessarily help you there). My DS is at West Ewell Infants which we love and we are almost a mile away.
There is a lot of demand for places around Epsom, I guess you'll need to phone the schools to check available spaces before deciding on the house. Let me know if you'd like any more details

That's so helpful ZebraCath!
Can I ask if anyone from your household commutes to London bridge and if so how likely it is that one would get a seat on a train from Epsom at 7.30/8am? Thank you

I've commuted into Waterloo/London Bridge for years and probably had to stand only a dozen or so times. I get on at Ewell West (one station closer in & already in Zone 6)and people stand from the next station - you'll quickly work out the best carriages to get a seat
2 trains an hour start at Epsom itself (7:22 & 7:50 I think)so those are pretty good bets for a seat

ZebraCath you're a legend! Thank you! Can I ask where you think in Epsom I might find my dream house (a 4/5 bedroom house in a quiet but attractive residential area within 10-15 mins walk of epsom station, near a good state primary school and ideally a park or green space). Any pointers where to start looking?

I can imagine getting school places could be difficult, demand has outstripped supply in recent years!

A lot of Weybridge commuters go from Walton on Thames station, as Oatlands is nearer to Walton station than Weybridge. Its 30 minutes to Waterloo, 4 trains an hour.