Where to move? Commuter town SW of London

[Mama12345678]

We’d like to move for more space and good schools but are lacking inspiration beyond our immediate area in North Surrey because we just don’t know enough about other areas.

We have a budget of £700-750k and are looking for:

• commute to the city within 1hr 15
• catchment for good primary and secondary schools
• 3-4 bedrooms
• open plan kitchen diner, family area, living room (can do work to achieve this within budget)
• decent size garden
• parking (garage a bonus)

Can anyone suggest areas that might be suitable? Particularly interested in suggestions of areas with great schools. We’d rather stay this side of London for proximity to family and friends but I’m open to ideas as we just get so little for our money where we are.

My neck of the woods is just inside London but would fit the bill very nicely.

I’m in leafy South Sutton (it has a large town centre that’s more practical than pretty, lots of amenities and the countryside within walking distance). Cheam Village is 1 mile West (a nice village centre With a Waitrose and independent shops , huge park, a David Lloyd, lots of sports clubs etc). You could also try Carshalton Village/Beeches (pretty village centre, leisure centre, theatre, lovely pubs and cafes, walking distance to lavender fields and other green belt with footpaths and bridleways).

The stations are in zone 5 with trains to Victoria, London Bridge and the Thameslink (Blackfriars, City, St Pancras etc). If need be it’s a short bus/Uber ride from the Northern line.

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/schools-by-type?step=default&table=schools&region=319&la-name=sutton&geographic=la&for=primary

Schools are fab. Excellent primaries, 5 grammars for secondary with excellent non-selective options.

Thanks, I’ll have a look into the area.

Any other suggestions gratefully appreciated.

Hi, what sort of area would you like? Village-y or more built up? And 1hr 15 min to which station?

Open to the type of setting as long as the feel is nice - leafy town roads are as good as quieter villagey roads. Most important is balance of schools, space and commute. 1hr 15 max into Bank, ideally closer to an hour.

Sorry I can't suggest anywhere as I'm fairly central but I can see you want to ideally be no more than 1hr away from bank. Lots of places have a commute time that suggests they're only an hour away bu realistically with Southern, South Western and Thames Link, the claimed time doesn't reflect the actual time. I live 3 miles away from bank. My train leaves from London Bridge and takes 6 mins. Without fail it takes me the best part of 45mins to get home.

I'm in Tunbridge Wells so not the SW area you want - but I can get into Cannon Street in less than an hour, which is only a few minutes' walk to Bank.

SW of London you'll struggle with the commute time unless you move into South London as pp has suggested.

The quickest train line out of Waterloo is the Woking line, and I think only Woking has quick enough trains to hit your time limit, but you could also look at Esher and Weybridge (although you may already be in this area when you say North Surrey?)

In that case I'd suggest somewhere on a line to London Bridge or Cannon Street. London Bridge trains tend to go to south London and directly south of London, and Cannon Street trains towards Kent. If you'd like to stay near family in SW, London Bridge lines may be a better bet. I'd recommend:

• stations on the Epsom line: Carshalton, Sutton, Cheam, Ewell, Epsom
• stations on the Caterham/Tattenham Corner line: Purley, Kenley, Whyteleafe, Caterham, Woodmansterne (lovely)
• Coulsdon/Reedham/Chipstead

I only know schools in the Purley area - Riddlesdown Collegiate is outstanding and has quite a large catchment area.

There are fast trains to Waterloo from Surbiton and Woking, though I'm not sure how far your budget would go in Surbiton.

We moved from SW London (near New Malden) to South London (near Purley) and found that we got a lot more space for our money by looking in South London rather than SW London. Southern trains have a bad reputation, but my train is very rarely late and I've found Southern miles better than SW trains, which were a nightmare.

Bromley is also lovely and has quick transport to the city, if that's not too far from SW London . You'd be changing at Victoria but it's only 35 min from Bromley South station to Bank.

I like Guildford but you might struggle to do it in 1hr 15.

I really like the look of Surbiton and St Margaret's in Twickenham but I don't know that £750k would buy what you're looking for.

Here's an idea of what you can get for £750k in Kenley - www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-73102162.html

I like Guildford but you might struggle to do it in 1hr 15

Definitely, we live withing walking distance of Guildford's mainline station, and my wife's journey to her office in the city is rarely under 1hr 30m.

Riddlesdown Collegiate is outstanding and has quite a large catchment area.

It’s a sought after part selective school but it also operates a feeder school system so your child needs to be in the right primary. The same applies to some of the sought after Surrey schools like Hinchley Wood or Weydon so best check admission policies before committing to a property.

Thanks, lots of areas to check out. I should have said I’m currently on the outskirts of Weybridge, where money doesn’t stretch very far.

If you’re moving from Weybridge, then I reckon Epsom could be a good fit. It’s a bit bigger and tattier than Weybridge. However, you’d get the house you want on budget. Roseberry and Glyn are top girls’ and boys’ comps with a straightforward admission policy: you live close by, you get a place.
The trains are slower but there are 3 different lines (Waterloo, London Bridge and the Thameslink).

Epsom sounds like what you are looking for. There are two sides of Epsom, the 'tatty' side is nearer to the town centre. The nicer side is the College area. Houses around Epsom Common are nice too.

The town centre could be better but there are still some useful shops.

It’s a sought after part selective school but it also operates a feeder school system so your child needs to be in the right primary.

Riddlesdown have recently/are currently (?) consulting on stopping both the selective entrance element as well as their feeder school system. I haven't heard the outcome yet. If it is adopted, I don't know what impact it will have on their catchment (or their results).

Lots of places have a commute time that suggests they're only an hour away bu realistically with Southern, South Western and Thames Link, the claimed time doesn't reflect the actual time.

@kirinm I totally agree with this, having lived in various bits and always researching commutes. Add South eastern! It's my daily gripe as I moved 'out' to zone 5 and find I take a good part of 1h 20 min door to desk (even if I could get to a london museum in 45 minutes on a weekend) u might have to get on trains early to get a seat, deal with the angry crowds on tube transfer and slow moving/unreliable trains, drive for school runs (especially in suburbs if you need to live nearer a station or drive to one to commute). When both parents work, logistically its tricky. Or, time wise, it's marginally different to living further out in home counties (except u throw money down transport)

I have some similar requirements to OP so interested in various suggestions too, although id id personally prefer to live in zone 2/3 if I could. I found more childcare options previously, for example, other mums nanny shares or au pairs, when these are less common further away, where more commonly one parent stops work or is PT or locally based

Sorry for rambling. OP I think u get a bit more bang for buck on SE vs SW london?

Wallington to London Bridge is under 30 minutes, so anywhere within reach of Wallington station would be a good bet. The grammar schools are excellent but highly selective.

We’re in zone 5 and DH gets a direct train, gets a seat and loves his commute.

Anyone in the city can catch the LB train and walk over the river. Pretty straightforward. It’s also very easy to find houses close to stations.

Sounds like some posters have been unlucky with their rubbish commutes.

Borough of Sutton is pretty nice and fits the bill

3 bedroomed house in Merton Park

Not too far from South Wimbledon/Morden tube stations - on the Northern Line, which will get you into Bank in about 35-40 minutes. Morden is the end of the line so you'll always get a seat in the morning.

Good schools and close to great amenities.

Agree that Epsom and surrounds could work - Ashtead, leatherhead (a bit further and I'm not as sure about schools), stoneleigh, Ewell etc. For that money in parts of Epsom you won't necessarily get a lot though but there are parts that are cheaper. Schools are excellent and trains straight to Waterloo.

It depends on the ages/number of kids and activities you like to do, where your office is located and if you want state or private schools. Guildford has a lovely town centre, loads of restaurants, great schools - Pewley, Holy Trinity, County etc. It's 35mins into Waterloo so you can be in the City (Can Wharf, Bank etc within the hour). Esteemed private schools here as well - Royal Grammar School (highly selective), with Aldro, Charterhouse a bit further out.. The trade off is most houses are Victorian semis with small gardens and no off street parking unless you go to further out (thus increasing your commute). Recommend looking at the Onslow Village area for your budget.
Woking could be good - look at Horsell, leafy with excellent primary. Not sure on senior school though.
Farnham/Wrecclesham - has the no. 1 senior state school in country and South Farnham also one of the best primaries in the country. Edgeborough and Frensham Heights private schools nearby too. If you have a dog, Alice Holt forest and Frensham ponds are great areas. Trains run direct to Waterloo. A word of warning though, the market is fierce in the catchment area of these schools and can get very expensive but you should be able to get a decent 3 bed in your budget.
Recommend having a drive around, look at some of the schools and see what you suits your family and lifestyle the best. Good luck!

One word of warning about Epsom though is that I believe it is just outside of zone 6 for trains, which may have a bearing on commuting costs.