Chelsfield / Petts Wood move

[mmmbrownies]

Hello, I'm new to mn so I hope this is in the right category.

We are thinking of moving a little bit further out (currently New Eltham), and are considering Petts Wood and Chelsfield / South Orpington. Any locals here? They all seem to be nice areas with decent schools and some greenery. Has anyone used a day nursery in these areas? We looked at Elmstead Woods but there don't seem to be any nurseries!

We both need to commute to London, can you get a seat on the trains at Chelsfield / Petts Wood?

Thank you in advance!

There is a poster called Pettswoodparadise who is very knowledgeable about these areas. Maybe search for his/her posts and send a personal message?

Hello,

I grew up in the Chelsfield/Orpington area and am back living with my parents whilst trying to get on the property ladder myself.

It's a fantastic area, great train links (the fasts at peak time run to and from Chelsfield to London Bridge, Waterloo East, Charing Cross and Cannon Street (currently slow)) but Orpington has more options with trains running to Blackfriars and Victoria in the mornings.

The weekend trains have more options from Orpington too, so being able to access both stations is a plus.

I'm not sure about schools now, but there are a lot in the local area. Chelsfield is also close to the M25 so quick if you're heading away from London, and it's also quick to get out to the beautiful Kent countryside.

Orpington High Street is going through some regeneration with a new cinema and more resturants which is doing well, and then Bromley/ Sevenoaks or even Bluewater isn't far away if you want more shops and entertainment.

Hope that helps a little bit.

Sorry just seen this. You do get a seat at Petts Wood, just for the busy Cannon St trains that start at Sevenoaks- all the others start at Orpington and no problems with sears. Commuting is great.

There are various day nurseries but my knowledge is very old as DD is at secondary now and new places have popped up since then.

I love the convenience of the selection of shops and restaurants. Some will say the nightlife is boring but then who wants it on your doorstep? Bromley has some and trains run late from central London for theatre etc. There are lots of cafes - a popular one with families is Dolce Vita, also the one at the gym which has a soft play and crèche area. Good selection of parks with cricket clubs, tennis courts etc. Lovely family events like the May Fayre and Christmas lights.

The only slight negative is comprehensive secondary for girls. The boys tend to get popular (but not Ofsted outstanding) Ravenswoid. This year Darrick Wood came out further and a good number of children from Petts Wood got places. The primaries are amazing and Crofton gets large numbers into the grammars. You will find children in Petts Wood going to a huge range of state and independent secondary schools which may or may not be attractive to some.