Cute Commuter Villages Near London? Please Help?

[user1481480706]

Hi! I've just moved to London with my husband (I'm 27 and he is 32). We are renting at the moment, but are looking to buy a house in the coming months. We've visited a few places, and have been disheartened by how expensive everything is! Our budget is 600,000-700,000 as we are looking to buy a house and gut the interior (and make it nice and modern inside)! We recently visited Blackheath Village and Walthamstow Village and loved both, but they're so tiny, quite expensive and bordered by some gritty urban bits.

We are SO overwhelmed by all the areas around London, but ultimately, we would love to find a quaint commuter village near London (60 minutes or less commute to London Holborn where I work). I really, really need suggestions on where to live! We would love a village that:
*Has a quaint high street with lots of independent/trendy shops
*Has plenty of young families and young professionals
*Has good transport links/fast trains into the city
*Will suit a budget of 600,000-700,000
*Ideally has some green space and potentially farmer markets on weekends

Thanks so much for your help! :)

Hitchin is lovely

Hitchin
Radlett
St Albans
Berkhamsted

Do you mean 60 minutes total commute door to door? Rather than 60 mins on the actual train?

Hi, thanks for answering. :) I mean 60 minutes door to door.

Twyford?

Amersham

Thames Ditton

Radlett and St Albans would be 60 mins door to door to Holborn, as long as you lived within about 10- 15 mins of the station (walking/ driving plus parking or cycling). Think Hitchin and Berkhamsted would be slightly longer but worth considering.

I live in Berkhamsted and my office is on High Holborn. I get the 7.59am train every morning (there are always seats) and arrive for a 9am start.

I am a HUGE Berko fan for the reasons you describe...it's a thriving little town with lots of pubs, cafes and restaurants, as well as independent clothing/boutiquey shops. (And Waitrose. And a castle!) There's a bustling market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and several nice green spaces. The Grand Union canal runs right through and it's very easy to get out into the Chilterns or areas such as Ashridge if you need big countryside.

Your budget would get you a good sized house with garden, but there's not much for sale at the moment. How about this? www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-62894759.html

Epping, Essex - plenty of properties for your budget and on the central line to take you direct to Holborn. Epping is attractive and quaint too.

I'm a bit confused: were you referring to Walthamstow and Blackheath as "commuter villages" and looking for something similar but more affordable? Or do you want to move to an actual village outside of London?

Ruislip
Ickenham
Eastcote
Pinner

Are you the same user who started a thread about this before?

Yes she is Empress

Berkhampstead, St. Albans, tring? None of these are villages but lovely.

Blackheath and Walthamstow are traditional commuter villages aren't they? I pretty suburban. I don't know Walthamstow but blackheath is very over rated

OP, I think you need to decide between a traditional London commuter 'village', like Blackheath (where you will struggle on your budget), or look outside the M25 towards a genuine village/small town that's on a mainline train link to town.
There are loads of the latter, maybe too many to investigate fully within your deadline. Perhaps take it a county at a time? If you take Kent, for example, there are 10s of small towns within a 45 minute journey to London Bridge, Waterloo east, , St Pancras, Cannon St & Blackfriars stations, giving you a easy 15 minute walk to Holborn.

We moved from St Albans last year, I lived there for over 15 years and it's not a great place anymore, sadly and I really did love it there. I have a DD who is 8 and a DS on the way, we moved to North Herts to a tiny village outside Hitchin and I couldn't be happier.

Hitchin is lovely and comfortably in your price range. Lovely market, the town centre is beautiful, loads of independent shops and eateries, and great schools. Also surrounded by country, highly recommend

You had loads of good suggestions on your last thread. Just read that?

Thanks wow, I thought she must be.

I lurk in the gritty urban darkness that borders Blackheath.

Gerard's Cross area. About 25min into Marylebone

Another vote for Epping. Surrounded by countryside include the forest, lovely high street and very convenient for Holborn as it's right at the end of the Central Line meaning you'll always get a seat in the morning. Commuting on the tube will generally be significantly cheaper than a season ticket on the trains

I'm in Leytonstone, in the bit that could be termed a "village" I guess (although village to me means a church, a pub, maybe a post office and about 100 very gossipy villager all stuck out in the middle of nowhere ).

I love Leytonstone and it's within your budget but one of the reasons I think it's so great is that it is so socially diverse. If you're looking for predominantly young professional families it might not suit you.

Another vote for Epping.

Or maybe Chiselhurst.

I'm sure i answered a post just like this before!

Wendover, Bucks

Here's a link to your old (identical) thread in case you've lost it...
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/2801847-Cute-Areas-in-or-Near-London