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! :)

It is. But it's quite nice itself, and the OP could at least afford something there - unlike Blackheath which is both surrounded by urban grit AND extortionate ;)

Honor Oak isn't too bad. New Cross is extremely urban and gritty (although much better since they stopped painting the inside of pubs black. Yes, New Cross Inn, I'm looking at you ).

I am in London OP and also know Harpenden pretty well, PM me if I can help at all.

Sorry we came across as snarky OP but IIRC on your last thread I posted several links to places in Blackheath (and the neighbouring SE13 postcode, which is admittedly a tad more "gritty") that were totally within your budget. Sure, there might be coucil flats one road along, but that's true of everywhere in London, including ultra-prime areas like Chelsea. That's why Londoners love the city - it's diverse and vibrant, innit?

Whitstable is cute AF. Full of Kippers though.

Kippers being xenophobic members of UKIP
They may be OK with Americans because of Farage getting on with Trump. But probably not worth the risk.

Empress how are we to rescue the OP from suburbia and convince her that Sarf London is totes the place to be? More farmers' markets than you can shake a stick at, and People Like Us.

If you want actual kippers you need to go to Scotland, obvs.

Beckenham might
Nope! Not cute.

Beckenham might

Nope! Not cute.

Not even the posh houses near the golf club?

There is NOTHING cute about golf clubs. Or quaint.

Empress how are we to rescue the OP from suburbia and convince her that Sarf London is totes the place to be?

I don't know Jilly

Maybe breakfast at the Mess, admiring the view of Central London from Hilly Fields, lunch at the London Particular & a wander along to Greenwich would do it?

Won't get one of those for the OP's budget. £1.3+, I drive past them and dream a lot.

Sarf London is totally where it's at.

There is NOTHING cute about golf clubs. Or quaint.

The golf club is in a big and rather nice park which was rumoured (back in the late 90s I think) to be harbouring a kangaroo. Although it was never proven.

Wendover or Great Missendon, Bucks. You'll love them.

Maybe breakfast at the Mess, admiring the view of Central London from Hilly Fields, lunch at the London Particular & a wander along to Greenwich would do it?

Or maybe pointing out that Chislehurst is where all the former East End gangsters retirered to enjoy a life of moneyed leisure in close proximity to golf clubs?

Srsly, OP, unless you've set your heart on a 4-bedroom house with a massive garden, you CAN afford somewhere lovely in SE London, with a much shorter commute, outstanding primary schools, etc. And it will be a great investment

Not even the posh houses near the golf club?

Nope. Soz :-)

That is nice but it ain't cute.

Bloody hell OP - come up north, we'll find you a mansion for that
Best of luck with the hunt-tell us when you decide where so we can all helpfully spend hours on rightmove with a legitimate reason.

Okay, kangaroos are cute. Not so sure about quaint.

That is nice but it ain't cute.

OK .

Sarf London is a wonderful place to be. Cute or otherwise.

Crystal Palace got mentioned on user's last thread. Is that an option?

I used to live in Kings Langley and whilst the train link was excellent it certainly wasn't cute or quaint plus getting into Watfird was a fucking nightmare and the M25 was always gridlocked.

I'm going to say Harpenden as its lovely and has fantastic schools.

Hobbit houses are cute

Ashtead village is cute. Dorking, although it is a town, it's still very cute in my opinion.

I think you'd really like Marlowe but it would prob take you an hour and a half to get to work door to door

*marlow no idea why I put an e

Problem is - cute village and commuter town dont go hand in hand.

Lost of people move to cute villages less than an hour from London like - Long Crendon, Brill, Aldbury, Felden, Kingshill.

Very 'chocolate box', but no train station in sight.

Usually if a train station has been placed in a village or town, the place explodes with new builds and the 'cuteness' gets taken away.

And if you do get cute and commutable together then your price range wouldn't be enough.