Dull as Dorking

[MemyselfandIrene2]

What a soul destroying town. Pretty on the outside dead on the inside unless you are 60+.
Had massive high hopes to move here as the property is gorgeous and amazingly cheap for the amount of house. Any other areas nearby you could recommend with more life??

Horsham is lovely. Good shops, decent property prices and a billion times more lively than Dorking.

I love this thread. Have lived in this area before and the comments are spot on!

I will check out Horsham. I just was scared to venture my search even further out.
I would ideally love to live closer to London. I enjoy green space and appreciate a view but that’s about it, I’m not overly bothered by rolling hill and that bollocks. My best friend shops in Guildford and acts like it’s ‘up the road’. It’s a fucking half hour drive (and the rest) up the road! Deluded Dorkingites

I live in Dorking (So called rough bit) and I have to agree it's pretty boring and I'm forever ferrying my teenager to more interesting areas with things to do. The town is dull and most of the shops are to expensive for me to shop in anyway. I do like all the countryside though.

Horsham is lovely it has so much more going on.

What do you want from a town? What sort of shops, pubs and clubs are ideal for you?

What’s your budget? Are you priced out of Surbiton/Kingston?

Come to East Grinstead. They're all religious nutters here, it's great.
(Not really, it's a depressing small town, with small town mentality).

Guildford is about as lively as it gets once you head out to that side of Surrey.

What about more Esher/Thames Ditton way? Bit busier of an evening, not far to go to Hampton or Kingston for a night out.

Guildford? Woking? Farnham?

Dorking has an excellent butchers. I miss it now I don’t go there for work any more.

Woking is a godforsaken hole. Some of the villages nearby are lovely though.

Why don't you say what it is you are looking for? What facilities do you want for your teenagers? Then perhaps people could suggest somewhere that fits your criteria.

Green spaces
Lively busy town with normal high street shops

Guildford

Just reading the home supplement and they have a list of the “cool” Home Counties towns.... Marlow, Henley, Guildford, Reigate, Haddenham, Sevenoaks, St Albans, Tunbridge Wells.

I’d also say have a look at Horsham.... it’s where a few of my friends have ended up and they all love the community and what’s going on.

Isn't the entire county of Surrey a bit "Dorking"?

I don’t know... I grew up in Guildford and most of the teenagers were smoking weed in parks and trying to get into pubs too...

"Isn't the entire county of Surrey a bit "Dorking"? "

Agreed. I live in Surrey. Couldn't afford to live in the "appendin parts near Lundun"

All the teenagers round here are board senseless.
If I had another million, I might move to Wimbledon. Actually. Probably not.

Surely all teenagers are bored - it’s part of the job description to find your parents’ life choices the epitome of dull pointlessness. If you bought a hip pad in Spitalfields they would probably commute to Dorking to try to get into pubs and smoke their weed.

If you bought a hip pad in Spitalfields they would probably commute to Dorking to try to get into pubs and smoke their weed.

Wimbledon is literally the place of dreams - ticks all the boxes. Shame I don’t have the cash.
Started looking at Sevenoaks and it looks beautiful however these pretty towns are the ones that ultimately suck your soul....

London boroughs might be the best option for me just a smaller house..

How old are your DC? Beware Sevenoaks and TW as Kent is 11+ territory

Epsom? It is much more London-y than it used to be.

What is your budget? I'll find you somewhere nicer than Surrey!

What’s your budget and house requirements? Do you need to commute into London?

Lolol at teens commuting from Spitalfields to smoke weed in Dorking