where to buy in Oxfordshire

[loulouUS]

We are living in the US and have kids at Uni in the UK (Herts and Loughborough) We haven't lived in the UK for 20 years. Since the Coronavirus I don't want to be so far from my kids so are thinking of relocating to somewhere within an hours drive of Heathrow as my husband will need to travel there once or twice a week. I have elderly mother in Derbyshire. Where do you recommend to live in Oxfordshire - have no idea what it is like to live there. Thanks

Why Oxfordshire? Anywhere on the M1 corridor would be far easier for travelling where you need to go. So North Bucks has access to Oxford and the M1 north of Towcester.

I like Thame. Bicester is now enormous but has lovely villages nearby. Banbury is huge too but again look at villages. Woodstock is great. Aynho or Deddington are also worth a look. Try Brackley in Northamptonshire and villages around Buckingham. Milton Keynes doesn’t float my boat but Stony Stratford is pleasant.

Anywhere in the Hambleden Valley. Lovely countryside with great access to the M40/M4 for Heathrow.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hambleden-valley-buckinghamshire-best-places-to-live-hr7mzw5l7

Henley of course but not great for Loughborough or Derbyshire. Marlow is great too but it’s just in Bucks. It will depend how deep your pockets are too!

Thanks for all of your replies I really appreciate it. We don't have a huge budget round the £450K mark. Henley looks lovely but sooo expensive which was why I was thinking Ocfordshire as it was pretty central. We used to live in Brighton a long time ago but don't want to go back - would rather go somewhere new.

Burford is lovely.

Hi there. I live a short distance away from Thame. Its a great little market town Great schools, near the M40, cool indie shops and restaurants. Near to the countryside and Haddenham Station for London and a short drive to Oxford. Love it

Or a bit cheaper, Carterton!

... About 2 hours from LHR though.

Agree, why oxfordshire? Towards Bucks would work, nearer the motorways. You don't want to be anywhere west of Oxford if you need to get to Heathrow a couple of times a week.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-89525417.html
3 bed in budget You can easily find something for 450k lots of people will take offers after the C word is over

Try Witney

If you’re looking for anywhere west of Oxford (so having to drive through Oxford to get onto the M40) you’ll have to be an early riser!!! Traffic is absolutely terrible!

Agree. Avoid anything that would mean traveling on the A40 really. Carterton/Witney/Burford etc would make for a very very long commute to Heathrow.

Sorry, I missed the Heathrow bit. In that case, look at Haddenham, Princes Risborough and around Aylesbury in Bucks and Thame and Chinnor might be ok too in Oxfordshire. Your money won’t go that far unless you buy in Aylesbury or go further north to Winslow and Buckingham. Aylesbury is around 50 plus minutes to Heathrow.

Yes you essentially want to be any of the towns close to the M40 for easy access to Heathrow. Generally the closer to London the prices go up. That's why Buckinghamshire tends to cost more. North Oxfordshire has lots of nice villages and the town of Banbury for all the amenities - new town centre leisure area is being built now !! Banbury borders with Northamptonshire and some of the villages/small towns on that side of the border are nice too.
Lovely countryside in that part of England.

Yes, I would suggest Bucks. High Wycombe is well-connected and largely unlovely, but is surrounded by some lovely villages and towns in Chilterns countryside. Look around Amersham and Chesham. It depends what you need for your £450k, of course!

Witney is a lovely market town with plenty of housing in your budget. We’re planning to move there next year.

It's either Oxfordshire, or somewhere within an hour's drive of Heathrow, you can't have both. There are some nice towns and villages along the M4 corridor, have you thought of the Newbury area?

You most certainly can live in south Oxfordshire and be within an hour of Heathrow. Chinnor and Thame definitely. Pretty villages are expensive. But going up to north Oxfordshire adds a lot of time to the journey. I know south Oxfordshire and mid and north Bucks really well. I know travel times. Bucks is only very expensive around the railway stations with quick access to London. If you looked around Aylesbury and Princes Risborough and Haddenham there are choices and it’s a bit cheaper. Aylesbury is only 50 mins from Heathrow. Chinnor and Thame are not much different.

I live in mid Bucks and I’m 35 mins from T5 with a reasonably good run on the M25.

Bubbles buddy not a chance of getting from Thame to Heathrow T1/2/3 in under an hour reliably at normal commuting times. Ask me how I know 😄, and I went by motorbike.

I live in a pretty village just outside of Abingdon, South Oxfordshire. Exactly an hour to get to Heathrow and it’s 35 minutes to London on the fast train from Didcot. You can definitely pick up a property for the £450k mark.

Agree with previous posts-Witney is also very nice.

Actually Bubbles, I was just speaking to a nephew who lives in Haddenham, and he says less than an hour. It must have improved since I did that slog! Apologies for doubting you ☺️

What's your budget? If you need Heathrow access try the Berks/Oxon border.

Goring on Thames?

I grew up in the next village. I'll be honest, the countryside isn't for me and I fled to Manchester for uni and then settled in London, but it's beautiful and good connections. Not cheap though

Well the M25 is the issue for accessing Heathrow. Totally depends when you are travelling but if not at peak times it’s certainly ok from Haddenham! I know it well!!