Tell me about Weybridge, Esher and Epsom

[HangryChip]

We're hoping to move from London to Surrey and I've narrowed down Weybridge, Esher and Epsom. Broadly I've listed these in order of priciness for a 3 bed semi-d within a decent secondary school catchment, when i browse Rightmove.

I'm sure I'm not the first to do this... can I get some general view of peoples' experiences and/or thoughts between these?

Also, if you moved for secondary schools while DC were in primary - at what age did / would you move?

We don't have any family here so not tied to anywhere, but more familiar with SW London. We need to commute to London (although one of us face likely redundancy so maybe not both) and these areas seem to all take a little over an hour to travel in. We are outdoorsy (i say we, it's mainly me forcing everyone along to bike, hike, walk, camp). Thanks!

Weybridge and Esher are expensive. Epsom slightly less so. What is your budget?

This part of London is general lovely and green and good for outdoor activities.

Walton on Thames between Weybridge and Esher might be slightly cheaper and better train (fast line does not stop at Esher).

nice part of the world but traffic was horrendous when I left 8 years ago and it has only got worse.

also no chance of parking at stations so you need to be in walking or cycling distance. And you'd better price up the train ticket too!

Yes traffic is bad particularly Esher town centre in rush hours. Best to avoid if you can.

If you walk to train station then it is a bit of a distance from town centre this is true both for Esher and Weybridge and that may limit the choices.

Lovely places. Considered Surrey, rather than London. Good rail links with Weybridge into the city. I have a soft spot for Weybridge. Expensive though.

Esher is a bit of a hike to the train station, a nightmare on race days and the high street woeful! The surrounding areas are lovely, but I don't actually like Esher. If you're planning to commute I would recommend being on the fast train link.

Also SW trains have a nasty habit of changing the stops on the trains - skipping Esher!

Esher is so busy and I’m not sure about the schools. If your outside people consider moving further out towards Guildford or Dorking. Surrey Hills, is truly beautiful. Bookham, Effingham and the Horsleys. Great schools, and beautiful countryside and trains into London.

Weybridge is ok. I find it disjointed, good schools though. Commute time good. Traffic is horrendous

I don’t think Esher is really worth the high price tag to be honest and the station is a long walk from the town centre. That said you would be at Waterloo in about 25 minutes, maybe less.

I like Weybridge personally but it again isn’t cheap.

You could also look at Woking (Horsell is nice and the walk to the train isn’t too bad) and Guildford. Maybe West Byfleet?

Depending on the commute you’d be comfortable with you could also consider Hampshire. More for your money and great schools.

as an aside, I was told that when the railway was built in this area the locals didn't want nasty smelly steam trains too close to the town. So Esher, Cobham, Walton and Weybridge all have their stations away from the centre.

What do you want if you are outdoorsy? I don't know Epsom but know Esher and Weybridge. Traffic is poor. You will probably get parked at stations depending on time of day, it's not impossible like pp said. Both commuter towns so plenty of outdoor stuff close by, but you really need to drive to get to proper outdoors. This is what I find frustrating compared to when I was in zone two - I actually had more long walks on the doorstep with the river, parks and commons.

Thanks all! I will check out Woking and Walton on Thames

I like walking and biking (mountain not road). At the moment we drive out between 10-40minutes to do these stuff and figured it's nice to live near a green belt. I'd still expect to drive there though

@mencken I did price up train for two with some inflation for 20 years and wow! You are right. I could buy a small flat for that! My friend moved to Guildford and while it's lovely the whole parking/hourly train phaff is really expensive and inconvenient if you have to go in London.

places like Dorking and surrounding villages and Hampshire are lovely and a dream but probably not the commute. Leave that for when the kids move out!

Definitely factor in train times. Distance doesn't equal time because Woking has the quickest trains from the area. Walton and Weybridge next and as pp said, Esher tends to be a bit slower with stopping trains.

I don't know secondary schools in Woking. The one in Weybridge seems to be well regarded. The one in Walton has recently been rebuilt and renamed and I think is on the up, but I hear mixed reports, with some preferring to send their children to Shepperton instead. I think the Esher one is decent too.

The traffic is Weybridge would put me off living there. It's practically gridlock at rush hour.

Epsom has beautiful countryside surrounding it.

Have you considered Reigate?