Relocating to Surrey

[KPaladino]

Hi,

I'm in the process of planning to move to Surrey from South East London. I'm looking to buy a house and get away from London but also not to feel so isolated that I can't easily travel back into Central or find a decent range of restaurants / shops relatively nearby.

Epsom seems a great place to live (good train lines and lots to offer for shops and restaurants), but I have also found reasonably priced houses in Bookham and West Ewell. What are these areas like? My main aim to to live in a nice neighbourhood but also avoid being too in the sticks!

Thanks!

Ewell village is very sweet. Epsom is ok but not in the Travelcard zones so commute is more expensive (unless you’re near Epsom Downs).

If you don’t want to feel like you’re out in je sticks, I’d consider Carshalton or Cheam. Or maybe even Sutton. They’re in zone 5 with a similar feel to Ewell or Epsom but from Carshalton or Sutton stations, you can get directly into Victoria, London Bridge, Blackfriars etc + at night catch a quick cab from the last tube stop. So feels a lot closer to central London. Equally, in the south of Carshalton there are farms with animals, lavender fields etc so you don’t feel like you’re in London either.

Epsom is lovely to live in. The countryside is nearby- I can be walking in open fields within 10 minutes. I can also be in central London in 50 minutes.

The centre could be better visually. I think it should look like Dorking/Guildford but suffers from bad planning. There are lots of shops and restaurants though.

To me, Sutton/Cheam are London, part of the urban sprawl which it sounds like you are trying to avoid!

I am actually moving on Tuesday after 20 very happy years in Epsom! I really think Epsom is the perfect best of both worlds location.

Movinghouse, I can also walk to open fields from Sutton - there are fields, sheep, horses, farm shops offering local produce, a community farm, lavender fields etc. And I find that housing stock is pretty similar to Epsom too. While Epsom town centre isn’t the greatest, Sutton High Street is a bit manky (bit does offer a good range of stuff) but it’s a lot more commutable so might be a good location for someone who’d like to get in and out of London easily.

I have lived in Epsom and now Stoneleigh and its a very nice area - where in London are you commuting to?

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice! Sorry for the v late response, I had no notifications ( I'm new on this). I'm commuting to Bank, I will need to take the Waterloo and City line from Waterloo.

Been visiting Surrey weekly ans I have to say I really like Ewell and Ashtead and considering one of those places. As I have time to search as it all depends on the sale of my flat, I have expanded my search to West Byfleet/Byfleet as they are just as lovely!

Walton on Thames is nice as well with a fast train in to Waterloo.

Yes I have heard lovely things about Walton, however it may be slightly too high on my budget.

I loved the canal system in this part of Surrey and West Byfleet or Byfleet and New Haw seemed to offer a good balance for scenery and price. Does anyone know much about these areas?

Sell your flat and rent somewhere for a few months in SW - then you know exactly where you want to live.

Yes, that is something I am considering as I don't want to rush this process. Also avoiding a chain is another benefit!