Where would you prefer - Hampstead/Highgate, Kentish Town/Tufnell Park, Richmond/Barnes, Clapham/Wandsworth,Queens Park

[solomonrulesok]

Third post today - getting a bit of inspiration and opinion from ye old mumsnetters thank you!
Thinking of returning back to London. Out of these areas where would you prefer? I do know them all but can't decide where would suit me best at this point in my life - Hampstead/Highgate, Kentish Town/Tufnell Park, Clapham/Wandsworth, Barnes/Richmond. I'm a liberal leftie. Husband is a bit more right wing. Like all these places as have a proper centre, safe, good for kids, green space nearby, not too deathly suburby. Obviously know they are all v expensive and probably actually can't afford any of them, but thinking long term and DH hopefully will make significantly more in 5 years time. Anyway be good to get a conversation on where'd you go for and why! Oh, state primaries needed. Might change things a bit! Thank you x

In year admissions for state primaries or ordinary admission?

Ordinary admission if get skates on

I'd go for North London - somewhere near Hampstead Heath I think. Probably kentish town/tufnell park rather than Hampstead or Highgate

Depends what you are like - Richmond always seems full of rugby loving types to me and clapham a bit similar. But N London a bit more lefty.

I only know about south London! Wandsworth has low council tax, mixed types of housing if you're not rolling in it quite yet and the schools are generally decent. Lots of green space and nice places nearby. Look for somewhere near a train station well served by SW trains and you'll be minutes from the tube/Waterloo. There are bits of Wandsworth that are still up-and-coming and there's a newish shopping area with chain restaurants and high street shops. It's not very exciting, to be honest with you, but it's pleasant and the people are generally lovely and slightly more down to earth than in more expensive bits of London. Barnes and Richmond are more expensive and I don't think they're as good transport-wise but really nice. I don't know about Clapham but my impression is that it's noisier and more expensive than Wandsworth.

Thanks. I like around Wandsworth Common and also up towards Wandsworth Town though around Abbeville Road is nice too.

I think Tufnell Park/Dartmouth Park would probably be my favourite at the moment - is it good with kids?

For me, it'd be the north london options. And a preference to Hampstead /Highgate or Kentish Town.

Clapham is full of the "rugby" people who went to my uni. They're pretty conservative and work in insurance / finance. Not that there's anything wrong with that at all, but not the liberal lefty thing you describe.

OP I think that area is lovely for kids.

(I'm a bit biased )

Either Clapham/Wandsworth or Barnes/Richmond. If you could afford Richmond or Wandsworth I'd 100% go there. Leafy, spacious, bustling, amazing for families and outdoors, great shops/restaurants and schools.

I'd avoid Barnes & Richmond because of plane noise (or potential for).

I don't think the plane noise is that noticeable when you're in Richmond/Barnes, though - I've been to the Wetlands Centre where there isn't any traffic noise and you'd think the planes would be hugely disruptive but they weren't.

Have you looked at the Earlsfield end of Wandsworth, OP? Much less in the way of rugby types but very friendly, good schools, green spaces, good transport. Or Balham?

Op you have mistakenly excluded dulwich/Herne hill from your list. We are very lefty, your budget will buy an awesome house, great state schools, super easy commute to most of zone 1, parks. Don't know North London at all but it is meant to be nice if you like that kind of thing I suppose. Clapham I think is too busy busy but I do like Wandsworth.