Outer London/Surrey - London or Surrey, best of both?

[Yoozanaim]

Hi
Further to my other posts regarding relocating (so thank you again those who contributed there) I am weighing up my options - 'proper' Surrey (Guildford/Godalming/Oxted etc), or Surrey/Greater London borders.
DH will be commuting in to London so I am factoring in commute times and costs, but also finding the right area for us to raise our children. I had my heart set on a pretty Surrey village but am a bit put off by some previous comments about how isolating that could be for independent teens, so am rethinking that, as well as a tedious commute into London.

So I have started looking at the Greater London area which is London-ish but also Surrey. I'd love some input please into the following areas - primarily - how nice they are, do they feel proper Surrey or more like London (or a good combination of both/neither/or what), do any have a pretty high street and a nice village green, do they have a nice community vibe, are they safe? Anything I need to know (apart from schooling.)?

• Tadworth
• Caterham
• Cheam
• Kenley
• Old Coulsdon
• Warlingham
• Chaldon
• Banstead

(I am not closed to any other similar areas - have listed these as I have identified affordable properties that fit our requirements there.)
Thank you in advance.

We’ve moved out from one of the areas above to leafy village outside godalming. We’re on a bus and train line so they can easily get themselves around when they’re older...

For me- I’d discount Tadworth. Banstead is nice and has a pretty high street with a few nice independent cafes etc, and lovely green spaces, but depends what you’re looking for really and your reasons for moving. There’s a wave of burglaries/break ins sweeping nearby Worcester Park at the moment and I know people are moving away because of it.

And despite living in Surrey for ten years I’m not sure what proper Surrey feels like 😂

Relocating for work.

Thank you for your input. I see Surrey as being more countryside and village fetes , compared to London being more city-ish - so that's mainly what I am asking - do the towns I mention feel like a built up city and very much part of London, or do they feel out of London, and still manage a nice community vibe with a pretty villagey high street?

If you live in those places, do you feel like you live IN London or are you Surrey?!

I'm seeing some gorgeous properties around Godalming - just feels a tiny bit too much of a commute - for DH daily but I also like the idea of taking the kids in to London fairly easily and it not feeling like a massive deal. Just trying to get the balance.

There's nothing in Chaldon.
Parts of Warlingham are nice, although much of it is not particularly close to the train station.
Caterham has very different parts - the Valley and the Hill. Different characters. The train station is in the Valley.

New Malden?

Have you thought about Claygate? Has a lovely villagey feel but the commute is pretty reasonable (about half an hour into london). Sadly too expensive for us so we are in Epsom.

Carshalton? It has good links to the city and surrounding towns, good community feel, lovely park with the ponds and some lovely houses, especially in Carshalton Beeches.

Yy Caterham sort of split in two with the hill & valley, Warlingham is a bit more ‘country’ the bit where the shops/pubs are is nice & some really nice houses, Banstead is a similar vibe to Warlingham the other areas I’m not really familiar with.

Old Coulsdon and Kenley are urban , no real high st or green space although you don't have to go far to find it (Happy Valley for example). All you mention have nice and not quite so nice areas.

I'm looking at all the areas you are all mentioning, but not found anything within budget that gives us a big enough property/garden - I thought Epsom was expensive, MuddyElephant?!

I lived in godalming. It’s nice and Waterloo v accessible, but the 2.4 kids and a dog, daddy going up to the city and mummy at home got a bit oppressive for me. DH was a SAHD at the time and people genuinely thought that was remarkable!

Do any of the places I mentioned feel pretty/have a pretty high street?

I think I was on your other thread. I think you will have to compromise house for area. Those areas are affordable, but IMO neither London vibe or country vibe. South west London, Kingston or Twickenham postcodes, will probably be more what you're looking for, but detached will be out of reach. Go visit!

Banstead has a high street with independent shops, leafy roads and green spaces with surrounding countryside. The station is a little way from the town centre, across A217 in a residential area.

I'm already a sahm (actually we home ed and it suits us all very well at this stage) so I really feel very well-suited to that lifestyle choice, and won't be getting a dog ever, so I'm not going to be a 2.4+dog cliche :grin

Hi again, titchy, and thank you again! We will of course visit, and rent first, but I'd really like to have a bit of a feeling first and narrow things down if possible - but yes, nothing will beat seeing for ourselves.
Yes, Kingston and Twickenham a bit over budget for a detached place, and I can't compromise on the detached thing, so something else will have to give.

Thanks again, LIZS - I'll pay a bit of extra focus to Banstead for a start.

Which station does your DH need to commute into? That's an important starting point.
What about Reigate, Dorking, Oxted? My inlaws live in that part of Surrey and they are all pretty towns.

The train from Banstead is a shocker - I’d rule it out on that basis, long and infrequent which means a drive to a better station and parking costs.

Have you looked at Ewell Village? It’s zone 6, 30 mins to Waterloo or Victoria/London Bridge (it has two stations, Ewell East and Ewell West). Good schools - Ewell Grove and Wallace Fields are the catchments to look out for, v.good all boys secondary but a bit hit and miss for the v.good girls secondary.

It doesn’t feel like London, but it does feel suburban living around here.

We moved to Epsom which is definitely a town, not particularly pretty but good enough. Excellent transport links, just outside of zone 6 which is marginally annoying. If you live the Epsom Downs side of Epsom - known as the college area - you’ve got lovely houses and you’re so close to loads of green space. Only a 5/10 min drive and you’re in proper countryside.

Ashtead is that bit further along again (one stop on from Epsom) and might be worth looking at. Cheam Village too.

What’s your budget?

We live in one of the places listed. Tbh I don't love it.

It's ok but I don't feel like I fit. It's very conservative and Leave voting. If I only read the local newsletter and Facebook group I wouldn't like it at all. But I've met some really nice people here (all inner London refugees). There are some good schools, lots of greenery and now they have sorted out the trains a bit the commute isn't too bad. It's a reasonable compromise area but I don't feel like this is "me". But we've got our daughter into a good school, so we will probably stick with it for a while.

Banstead is a bit crap for trains - single line no service on Sundays when I was a teen.

I found it frustrating that friends could just jump on a bus and I couldn't.

Carshalton is nice. It's a bit further into greater London maybe than the others. It has a 'village' centre with ponds and a lovely park. Primary Schools are good. Commuting easy.

Reigate seems a nice town but no idea on house prices.

Reigate is more expensive than many of the suburbs. Tadworth also has a slow train service. However you can easily drive from those places to another station for a faster commute. Coulsdon is on 2 lines and is within zone 6, for example.

Ok so I grew up in Kingswood which is part of Tadworth. Train line is very slow and painful coming out of London and I had to be driven everywhere for going out etc. Used to go out in Kingston or Croydon.

So I know Banstead which for me is just a bit boring and the train line is crap for commuting.

Epsom has improved since I was younger but I don't particularly like it.

I live in a town now (one that has been mentioned) and I can't see that I will ever want to leave and go back to living in an area which is mainly just housing.

You need to decide what you want.

fluffy - Waterloo.

I have looked at Dorking/Oxted and there are houses there I LOVE. But the commute distance and costs have me looking at zone six areas as well - and trying to see if I can find a Dorking/Oxted vibe a little nearer London. I am weighing up various factors, not set on any area yet (other than south of London, most likely Surrey but open to West Sussex and Kent, but Surrey seems good for Waterloo, plus other reasons to focus first on Surrey or the London/Surrey border).

Lemonade, yes, looked at Ewell, think I didn't see anything within budget (650ish - depending on how much commuting costs). I absolutely need detached, and 650k doesn't often get us that!).

Ah euro, you sound very like me (not Tory, and a remainer) but we have been compromising for many years and I have never felt settled - I want to feel settled and for this to be It, the place we raise the kids to adulthood and not move again. Current home is a big compromise and it is crushing. I can do some compromise of course, but not as it is.

What's your budget/requirements?

Look at Whyteleafe (between Caterham and Caterham. 2 stations 3 minutes walk apart, one on the East Grinstead line (Upper Warlingham) and one on the Caterham line.

Oodles of green space, cheaper than Warlingham.