Moving to the London commuter belt. Nice towns etc with green spaces?

[mamamummata]

Hello,
Moving the family to the London area! We are in the north and don't have a clue about where to look. We are going on a reconnaissance trip to view some areas/houses next week and would like some help narrowing our search area before we go as we need to find somewhere and move asap as DH has tried commuting for hours each day and it isn't working for any of us. We are quite excited about the move though but need to get the area right I think.

Btw if anybody has any tips on how to effectively move a family with small children half way across the country quickly to somewhere they've never been before please advise. Is temporary accommodation a real possibility?

Our main concerns are a reasonable commute (up to 1 hour door to door on a good day), and some outdoor pursuits and walks not too far away (lakes, resevoirs, woodlands, national trust, english heritage etc) as we currently live in a very rural area. Alternatively I'd be happy just to live somewhere that had a small town feel and some lovely green spaces with fantastic play equipment for the children. I don't think any of us would be happy in a true urban jungle so we've ruled out the flat in central london idea even if it saves on travel costs, it still seems a lot more expensive for perhaps not our ideal kind of life.

I'm really just concerned about quality of life for the children, green spaces and a range of nice places for child friendly days out not too far to drive to.

Any ideas?

The first question is where in London do you want to commute to?

Which tube is closest to his work?

Which tube line does he use on his long commute?

Where are you based now?

What is your budget for 3 bed house?

Sevenoaks but pricey. Tonbridge cheaper.

Berkhamsted meets your criteria, but it only works if you’re commuting into Euston. And it’s quite expensive.

And I suppose there aren't any job opportunities available anywhere else? At work {another big city abroad} we once spoke about why turning down any offer to go work in London, as people had done, and it all boiled down to - as you put it - the need for "...some outdoor pursuits and walks not too far away (lakes, reservoirs, woodlands, national trust, english heritage etc)". In my city I have all of it available within 15 minutes except English heritage (as the city is abroad).

Otherwise a map of commuter lines (train and tube) is a must when deciding. Pinpoint your husbands intended workplace on the map, and work from there. Any changing of lines, or walking longer distances, build up commuter time and should be avoided. Avoiding commuting over the city centre at all cost. Those are general rules that apply in any big cite (mine too).

OP, there are around 9 million people living in London, an area that stretches about 40 miles east to west, and about 30 north and south - you need to provide more info:
Where do you need to commute to?
What's your budget?
How many and what age are your children?
What are your school preferences (e.g. private, comp, selective?)

I'm sure there are others, but these would at least help narrow down your options.

I'd say to look in London too. We're in zone 5 so save thousands on commuting compared to the commuter belt + gets lots of different commuting options (direct trains to Victoria, London, Bridge, the City, St Pancras etc). However, there's countryside within walking distance and it's a 15-20 min drive to Surrey Hills and under 1h to the beach (DH is very outdoorsy). It's also great for families with top schools, tons of activities, stable community and super save. The icing on the cake being that houses are very affordable too.

If you're coming from the north, do you want to be able to get back there to see family and friends? If so (and more than once in a blue moon), I'd rule out Kent, Sussex and the further away bits of Surrey and Essex as they will be a long journey.

Saffron Walden, Bishops Stortford go in to Liverpool Street.
Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage go in to Kings Cross.
St Albans, Harpenden, Bedford go in to St Pancras.
Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Flitwick - can't remember whether they are Kings Cross or Euston.
I think you need to work which train station you want to go in to and then go along the Trainline.
There is a book called something like Commuterville that would be worth getting.

Sorry I only know Hertfordshire - just realised I don't know whether you want to be north or south London!

Dorking in Surrey? Direct trains to Waterloo and surrounded by lovely countryside (Box Hill etc)

Sorry for that lack of essential details!

His work is based very close to the city centre. He currently gets into Euston but I think Marylebone, St. Pancras etc aren't much further, he has one of these fold up bikes. Waterloo looks a bit further out but I suppose he could get the train then the tube? Or is that a nightmare commute? Probably best I take his stress levels into account too.

He was considering turning the offer down but it's letting him develop his career in a new direction and the salary would allow us to live around there although I don't imagine we will get a vast house for the money! To be fair though we spend more time outside at parks/work/school than we do indoors anyway.

We are going to rent initially, looking for a 3 bed. I think we could afford up to £2000 if we lived outside of the M25 allowing a few hundred each month for travel and a bit more on rent if the travel costs less. We are near Manchester now which can be as expensive as London in some places, especially near good schools, but even so London rents are eyebrow raising.

Youngest is 2 and the oldest is 7. We are keen on good primaries, but haven't thought too much about secondaries yet, we would be prepared to move catchment in a few years if necessary when we know more about dd's ability and needs etc. I have heard there are grammers in some areas? It appears we would need a back up plan though if she didn't get in.

JoJoSM2 - that sounds interesting, so it is possible to be close to London and close to nature? Whereabouts are you based approximately?

We would probably rather avoid the far south east area, i.e Kent because as GU24Mum said, travelling back up north occasionally could be a pain, but anywhere from Hertfordshire down to surrey I would have thought possible for us.

I will look into these areas mentioned! Thanks

At the moment I usually drop the oldest child at school then take the youngest to a nearby nature reserve and feed the ducks and the wild birds etc and walk the dog, so I guess I'm trying to approximate that a bit, be it rural or urban nature!

Look at a website called something like 'commute from' in which you input your final destination and it will suggest potential train area connections. Hertfordshire looks ideal if you have to travel up North every now and again with lovely countryside, snow dome and lots of other sporting opportunities and some lovely small towns. Personally, I'd prefer East Sussex as you have the South Downs, the sea and lots of lovely villages plus Brighton!

Sorry, cross posted -just seen your not convenient for the SE.

The good thing about EUSTON is that with the high speed trains you have a great choice of where you want to live

Just follow the line out WATFORD, KINGS LANGLEY, HEMEL, BERKO, TRING that is about 40 mins to TRING

Or on fast Birmingham train - Leighton buzzard, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Wolverhampton, Northampton - which is just under an hour

On Manchester line - Milton Keynes is 30 mins

Loads of choice

TRING is a little town/large village that I think answers quite a few options

Look in buckinghamshire - choice of chiltern line and met line. Look around beaconsfield and amersham. Train line will take you into Marylebone. Bucks have grammar schools. Give us an idea of what your budget might be for buying as this would dictate the areas to look into as well.

Flitwick is on the same line as St Albans, Bedford etc. It's a very small town with not much to recommend it except for the station in the centre from which you can travel direct to St Pancras, Blackfriars and even right down to Brighton. It does have loads of lovely countryside and villages around. It's in Central Beds so 3tier education system (lower/middle/upper schools). Ampthill is next door and much nicer, has a lovely park. You could walk/cycle to Flitwick station from there.

Bedford has a big river and a really nice park in the centre. There are some lovely rural villages, and it has more than its fair share of country parks etc nearby. I like the Victorian streets in the Castle area near the centre and there's been some regeneration recently, but some other parts are still quite grotty. It has some very good independent schools.

Hitchin is naice. The fast train is 30 mins from Kings X/St Pancras and has some lovely villages and countryside around but not brilliant for parks. The decent schools are quite oversubscribed.

Milton Keynes goes into Euston and has direct trains to Manchester. It is a new city with lots of amenities and purpose-built parks and leisure stuff. It has retained some nice, villagey parts though, and the Grand Union Canal runs through it. Some of the surrounding rural parts of Beds, Bucks and Northants are very pretty.

Hope that helps. Good luck with your move.

I would go where MrsPatmore suggests though Would be lovely to live near the South Downs and the sea.

In terms of being on he edge of London, we're in SM2 (which is South Sutton). I reckon you'd also like Carshalton which is next door.
DH would get a direct train from Sutton or Carshalton to X Cross/St Pancras (that's where my DH commutes to ;)) Admitedly, the train isn't the fastest so a quick train from eg Bedfordshire would be quicker but you get a seat and chill out/start on emails. I probably wouldn't recommend changing to the tube if can be avoided as rush hour in London is impossible, incl temporary station closures when people have piled up on platforms to dangerous levels.
I've linked a house below that would be convenient for DH to get to the station from. It's also very close to an ecology centre, ponds with ducks etc + fields with sheep and horses, lavender fields and small farms + farm shops are 1 mile away. And lots of lovely nature (like Surrey Hills) a short drive away (15-20mins).

As your 7yo will be a mid-year admission, it'd be a good area for schools - the LA is number 3 in England for attainment in primaries so it's relatively easy to get a space in a fantastic school as there are many of them. It's also a grammar area (5 locally) but there are many very good comps too (LA at n1 for attainment at GCSE in England).

2k is a good budget for renting a house. The one below is very well located if not the most exciting but under budget.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-63736714.html

And here's an example what you'd get if the budget was higher on account of cheaper commuting.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-70914359.html