Help! Walthamstow- what’s it like?

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We are expecting our first child in early January and are looking to move from Islington to an area where we can get more for our money! My DP and I have been exploring options of moving to cute commuter towns like Berkhamsted or Amersham but lately I have been reconsidering. As background, I have been a city inhabitant (not just London) for almost 12 years now and I’m struggling with the concept of becoming a new parent and changing our lifestyle so drastically by moving to a quiet, insular town in the countryside (I hear this about Berkhamsted??). I am leaning towards finding a happy middle ground between city and suburbs and have zeroed in on Walthamstow, though from visiting once it seems to feel more “city”. Realtor websites and articles say it’s attracting young families but some older threads on here are saying the neighbourhood can sometimes be seedy or run down. I think there are some nice streets, but the high street has a way to go from what I saw.

Our budget is around £550k for 2-3 beds and we are specifically looking for something that needs work. The perk of Walthamstow also seems to be there are a lot of Victorian homes with decent space, which I love for renovating. Those types of houses are out of our price range in Berkhamsted and Amersham.

Threads on Walthamstow that I have found are a little older, and I’d expect an up and coming area moves fast, so maybe some of the more negative comments from even 2 years ago about Walthamstow have changed?

My questions- how seedy is Walthamstow now? What are the better areas of the neighbourhood? Are there any good “middle ground” neighbourhoods or towns you would recommend for someone who is used to living in a city? I am not from the UK originally so all my knowledge is based on what my friends say and the internet.

Our plan is to find a place we can live for 5 years and then probably move somewhere more suburban in prep for the teenage years. So, my requirements for this phase of life are a neighbourhood that has a good toddler/primary school community and schools with a town center. We are also concentrated on North London or Hertfordshire as my husband commutes to Suffolk once a week (we work from home or in London otherwise so main line links are necessary if we are in Hertfordshire).

After staying in our garden-less flat for the past 3 months, I have been especially interested in moving to the country. But I fear once everything starts opening in London again, I will regret not being close to theatres, museums, wine bars, networking things, etc. But do new mums even need those things?? Do I need to just say bye to city life and hello to pram walks in the countryside?? Help! I’m a confused, nauseous pregnant lady!! Or where can I find £4mill so I can just get a big house in Islington and stay put?? 😂

Thanks for the help in advance!

We're in Walthamstow (Lloyd Park area) and expecting our first baby shortly before you. It's a lovely area, lots of young families (feels like there are babies everywhere sometimes!) and a nice community. We've come to appreciate it even more in lockdown for the sense of community and all the green spaces. It's lovely to cycle around, and you can easily get to Epping Forest for some walking. The bit around Walthamstow Central and the high street isn't the prettiest, but it's practical and bustling. Lots of new places opening, plenty of nice pubs and places to eat out once things are back to normal (I hope!). And I agree about transport, the tube and overground are great. You can also get to Hampstead Heath quickly on the overground from Blackhorse Road via Gospel Oak, which is a bonus.

We're in Leyton and love it. I'm from the area so know Walthamstow and Leytonstone well too, and they all have bits that are a bit dodgy and bits that are lovely. Just the way it is in London.
Would definitely recommend looking in Leyton as the "nicer" bits are cheaper than their equivalents in Walthamstow and Leytonstone. And the Francis Road Facebook group would have you believe the area is overrun by crime and gangs. I've lived in east London for 35 years and I feel perfectly safe here. Everyone is friendly, neighbours are awesome, shops nearby are great.

@lotsofpots indeed. I didn't want to say as someone in a 'seedier' end (as OP specifically asked about avoiding seediness!) but I am glad to have got a lot more space for my money and not to have taken on the biggest possible mortgage i could have got. And it's only a 10 minute walk to the nicest parts!

I can't think of anywhere that's properly "seedy". Maryland by the station is probably the nearest properly "seedy" area. But it's not really that near, and in any case is getting £££ spent on it for Crossrail. There is a very noticeable difference between the Newham and Waltham Forest stretches of Leytonstone High Road.

If I had £550k to spend in Bishops Stortford, this is very handy for the station, although less so for town:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-92815490.html

This is handy for town and the station:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-93154451.html

Another good location, though I think this is very overpriced:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-89889575.html

And you don’t get many houses like this on the market but I’ve seen the 3 bed ones go for within your budget.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-90001184.html

Just thought I would add in. We live in walthamstow and have been here nearly 10 years about a 5 min walk from Blackhorse Road station and it's a great area to live. Transport links are fantastic with the Victoria line and the London Overground (which has a lift to access the overground and takes you to Hampstead heath in less than 15 mins)

You have walthamstow wetlands on your doorstep which is beautiful. The area around Blackhorse lane is under constant development with new coffee shops and breweries popping up all the time. Lloyd park is a 10 min walk away.

There is a so many baby and toddler groups and activities in the area and pretty much all the primary schools are good. Secondary a bit more limiting but Willowfields seems to be doing well.

I've walked home from the tube late at night and never felt unsafe but that's not to say that there aren't dangers. It's London and there are gangs/muggings/assaults. Amongst the new breweries and coffee shops there is still a million chicken shops. As far as London goes we like it here