Commute to KingsX - areas to look please?!

[KingsX]

Considering a move to London/just outside London as DH is being asked about moving to a job by Kings Cross station.

HELP! No idea where to start looking. I'd prefer him to not have more than a half hour commute. I think I'd rather live south so we can get to Brighton and the south coast more easily, but not really set on that.
Any pointers please? Thank you.

Streatham? Denmark Hill? Depends on your budget. Look at train lines into St Pancras too, adjoined to Kings X. Northwards the line from St Albans has some nice places. Radlett etc. www.nationalrail.co.uk/static/documents/content/Thameslink_route_map.pdf

Kingsx is totally the wrong side to live south unless you get on the hell that is the northern line in rush hour so I would avoid that all costs.

You need to look out towards Peterbrough / cambridgeshire OR somewhere south where you can get the high speed into kings cross - medway towns for half hour commute. Its about 6.5k a year though.

you can easily get to Kings X from the south via thames link lines, which go to Brighton , Sutton and Sevenoaks from st Pancras.

Thank you for your replies!

Two kids 7 and 3.
We like swimming especially in waterparks. Theme parks, cycling. And ideally somewhere with good sports classes for the kids. I don't care about shopping or nightlife.
I'd like somewhere with lots of choice for clubs and activities for the kids - gym, trampolining, athletics etc.
City vs town don't mind, but I'd rather have a nice home with a decent outside space than be squashed in somewhere.
DH concerned about pollution.

What is a medway town? Does it mean an area in Kent?

I really fancy being more south, but close enough to London so DH doesn't have a massive commute. Somewhere inbetween Kings Cross and Brighton?

I would suggest somewhere south on the Victoria line- so quick into kings cross and one of the more reliable tube lines

Thanks - Brixton doesn't look that far out so will still be £££?

Are there other tube lines to actively avoid?

Any bus routes that I should be aware of, instead of tube? Or is that crazy?

Anywhere on the Thameslink line

there are plenty of towns that are accessible by direct train South of London, Almost too many to think of! If you don't want to live in an urban setting where you are less likely to have much space (unless you have deep pockets), then your DH needs to factor in door to door commuting, will he walk, cycle or drive to the station? If you choose one of London Boroughs, then you'll probably have access to plenty of variable sports facilities, there are also plenty in Kent, surrey and sussex, but you'll have to travel more to get to them. If you are not familiar with the area, I'd strongly advise you rent for a while before committing to buying. If you are looking for selective education for your children (secondary modern, grammar school), then you need to factor that in?

There are 100s of bus route in London! However a 1/2 hour commute by bus is pretty pointless in the rush hour, easier to walk or cycle.

Thameslink is great suggestion, I hadn't noticed that when looking on the tube map, thanks.

Yes, am considering door to door from train station too, hard to know where to start though!

Had planned on renting first (even though the prices are making me cry!) but want to get an idea of house prices to buy as if it is all a bit £££££ and the commute is unreasonable we just won't bother at all.

Unless you live in London itself you aren't going to get anywhere south of Kings Cross that is a 30 minute commute. Which is more important to you?

As the poster above has said, there's lots of Hertfordshire that's very nice and a 30 minute train ride from Kings Cross. The Bedford Luton line goes into St Pancras and then goes through London to Brighton. Not sure how far a 30 minute travel time restriction would get you on that line, possibly as far north as Luton.

Letchworth and Hitchin are both nice towns and much more reasonable in terms of house prices. Both have plenty of houses within walking distance of the station to keep door to door commuting times short.

What do you think is the minimum commute to KX if living south but out of London, and can you name some towns/areas please?
I am not set on being south but we do have some friends that way. (I can't ask them for area advice at the moment as I don't want to tell anyone we might move).

Harrow, Wembley and Watford are all direct to Euston and Kings X is one tube stop or a very short walk

St Albans is also direct to St Pancras

The high speed line through Kent into St Pancras is the only route I'm familiar with (St Pancras is literally right next to KGX so make sure you consider trains to there as well).

Thanks everyone! A LOT to look through!

DH works in KingsX but also wanted to be south to be close to hills for mountain biking and close to the coast, too.

We settled on Sutton (and Carshalton is next door and fab) and you might like it too. The commute wouldn't be 30mins (but not sure whose is in London...). There is a direct Thameslink, though, and DH always gets a seat so can get some work done/read a book etc.

The area is fantastic for children with some of the best schools in the country and it also have one of the lowest crime rates in London. And it's a very family-orientated area in general.
The air is clean and there's a lot of greenery. There is even some open countryside right in the south of Sutton and Carshalton with some lovely lavender fields. It's also a short drive to the Surrey Hills and on a good day you can get down to the coast in 50mins.
As it's Zone 5 in London, commuting costs are cheap and it's easy to make good use of the central London attractions too.
It's also one of the cheapest places to live in the capital so the rents/house prices are relatively accessible.

Another area that might be worth your consideration is West Folkestone, Sandgate and Hythe. One of DH's colleagues commutes daily for West Folkestone station on a fast, direct train. The area is great and right on the coast but the commuting costs for the fast trains are very high.

Oh, and another colleague lives around Haywards Heath - I think the commute is less good but it's also close to Brighton if that's where you'd like to be.

If you look up the Thameslink line, see thee is a stop at St Pancras International which is literally just across the road from Kings Cross main station. Follow the coloured lines to see which service goes where. Some nice areas - Brown line - anywhere between Beckenham Hill and Bickley. Blue line - East Croydon and Purley. Pink line - Surrey, carshalton as someone else mentioned and the Orange line anywhere between Wimbledon and Sutton. I expect many will be within a 30min journey for you but if you look up Trainline and i.e type in St Pancras to xxx it will tell you how long the journey is.

going North, St Albans is nice too.

Surrey London Borders/Sutton is up to an hour (either a Waterloo then Victoria line at Vauxhall) or (London Victoria then VIctoria Line) or one of the Thameslink lines

I live near JoJoSM2 but to the east near Worcester Park

I agrre with Jojo. Sutton or Folkestone if you can let go of the 30 min commute. Folfstone is Nice and much cheaper than Brighton and high speed train to St Pancras takes 60 mins.

Brixton in South London is less than half an hour from Kings cross on the Victoria line. ..