Need your insight to decide between Reading or Paddington?

[USA2UK]

I do telecommuting but my partner has offices in Reading and Paddington and frequently travel to keep Heathrow commute as another consideration in our house hunt. Which areas are best for his commute? We are looking for safe, nice towns with easy access to tube, lively and walkable downtowns. Our collective maximum rental budget is 4,000 pounds per month. Its just two of us, both in our late forties so schools aren't a consideration and space is not the deciding factor, a posh flat in a lively area would work as well as a small country house in a lovely village.

Anywhere on gwr line. I live in ealing and love it, 12 minutes to town on train and direct trains to Heathrow and reading-a no brainer.

Ealing's location is practical. Is it tranquil rural or hip urban? On paper it sounds neither, more like a busy suburb with urban cons without urban pros. I'm wishing to find something like Mayfair or Cotswald but affordable enough to fit our budget.

Just answered your other thread. Comparing Paddington and reading is like comparing apples with pairs, as is comparing Mayfair (blurgh no thanks) with the Cotswolds! Do you want city or town?

As a pp said I like Ealing. Gets you into town really quickly and out to reading swiftly. Good transport links, nice restaurants and bars/pubs, parks (which host beer, jazz, blues and comedy festivals in the summer) and decent shops. Sports stuff too including golf and cricket clubs, gyms, social clubs

I'd go for north Ealing/pitshanger lane great high street) areas. Alternatively, Ealing Village (art deco development) where you get a pool and tennis court

What are the urban pros you're referring to?

You aren't going to get anywhere Cotswolds-esque that's commutable for you. It's flipping miles away and could not be less urban

Reading is a bit grim - i think you need to get at least 2 hours away from London before any city starts to really have the breathing room to thrive rather than being mainly dormitory. With your budget I would definitely rather go for Ealing.

Thanks for your insight mums. I'm up for urban or country, just don't want to end up in generic suburbs. If its between Ealing and Paddington, what's different and what's similar? Some people recommended Oxford and Windsor, would those make sense? Please pardon my ignorance, i'm not familiar with UK, even my brief touristy visit is a distant memory now.

Little Venice is a very short walk to Paddington Station along the canal and is a beautiful part of central London. Paddington itself is pretty grubby and noisy.

How about Swiss Cottage?

Paddington is central London and Ealing is just ten minutes away . I'd say reading is 'generic suburbs' - chain shops, (poor) chain restaurants. Ealing - especially the parts I've recommended - are not like that . Unless you stay in the centre of town you're unlikely to be able to walk anywhere. Conversely you can do everything on foot in Ealing. Paddington would mean you can travel round central London a bit quicker, but only by about ten minutes. I wouldn't want to live there.

You'll get a much nicer home for your money in Ealing (although by most people's standards it's still very expensive but you have a healthy budget)

I'd say Oxford is that much further out but you'd need to look at the commute. It's a pretty town, easier to get to the Cotswolds from! But not as convenient for both Paddington and reading. I wouldn't go for Oxford.

Windsor is nice but lots of airplane noise. Nice town centre and you can walk down the river. No direct train though I don't think - you need to change at Slough. But workable

Get an airbnb for a month and visit all the places.

Why Swiss cottage? You'd have to travel via two tube lines to get to Paddington to then travel to reading

You really need to come and look around.

Oxford is very polluted! Second to London I believe. Nice enough but a bit rough in places due to the huge population of students and £1 a pint bars!

Don’t know Windsor but looked pretty on the tv during H&Ms wedding!

I live in central Reading and commute daily. It's ok but if I could afford central London, there's no way I'd chosen Reading.

I don't know where you are in the US but London is big. It's not like new York which for eg is tiny in comparison .

www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/15631287.Air_pollution__two_new_Oxford_groups_to_join_the_fight/

The London borough of Ealing and Manhatten are the same size for example.

Swiss Cottage is a big road which is very busy. Belsize Park is next to it and lovely, but you’d have to change trains. If you like walking, Primrose Hill by the park is a very pleasant walk along the picturesque canal to Paddington but about a mile.

I really would choose London with that budget. Especially if you don’t have kids and don’t have to worry about schools etc. - there is so much to enjoy.

I’m sorry I think you need to actually visit the places you are considering. I lived in West Ealing for 2 years and hated every second of being within the M25. The second I got out of London I felt so much happier. I live in a village just outside of Reading now, chosen for its proximity to a station with good rail links to Paddington (my husband worked near there) and easy M4 access to Heathrow (where I work.) The poster saying you can’t get anywhere that doesn’t feel like a dormitory within 2 hrs of London has probably not been to anywhere nice outside of London before - the M25 divides people into Londoners and not-Londoners. Windsor is lovely and has a much more relaxed feel about it, as does Oxford. They both have an identity in their own right but have easy access to both Reading and Paddington. Windsor would be better transport-wise though. Both are busy well-known tourist places though and there are other towns that are less well known but also nice. Marlow, Henley, Pangbourne, Newbury are all on the railway lines into Reading/Paddington and nice. They are not going to feel like the Cotswolds, because they are in the Chilterns and Wessex Downs, but they have plenty going on in them, Henley has a particularly busy social calendar.

It’s very much dependent on whether you want to live in London or anywhere but London. I can’t tell you that - you’d have to have a look for yourself. But if I were you I would initially look at renting in Windsor between the 2 offices until you get a feel for where you prefer. Avoid Slough!

Not that our schools aren’t great, but they are often very oversubscribed!

I wouldn’t be living in central Reading either, but that’s just me!

If you are both working long hours in fairly senior roles and don't have kids go for somewhere on that GWR route as a pp said. I absolutely would not be looking at moving to North London to spend your time on a busy hot tube (or two! And maybe a bus!) when you could just hop on a train out of London really easily. Spend £2k on rent and the rest of the money on long weekends in the Cotswolds that you like

Ok maybe £3k 😆

We'll have only 4 weeks worth of corporate housing so i'm trying to do some homework online and educate myself for dealing with realtors. In my area, realtors are usually very pushy and often not knowledgeable enough about all towns they claim to be expert of.

If its a consensus that Reading and Paddington shouldn't be on top of the list and Oxford or Windsor aren't commute friendly then other than Ealing, what other choices do we have?

Realtors (estate agents) are equally awful here sadly.

I want to enjoy lively life of a nice area in central London but not sure if i would enjoy a small apartment and hustling crowds on daily basis.