**Living in Hertfordshire - London Commuters**

[BringMeTheCoffee]

Hello Mumsnet community!

I'm looking for advice on "affordable" and recommended areas to live in Hertfordshire.

Recently married (no children yet!) - moved down South for work. DH works in Royston, and I regularly commute into central London. Most of our family live in the Midlands or North London - so we're looking for somewhere with good travel links.

Is St Albans worth the hype? (Smaller house, but more going on?)

Any recommendations for Welwyn Garden City? (Looks like we could get more for our money?)

Hitchin is lovely - currently renting here. But are the house prices worth it considering we don't have school age children?

First time buyers - budget around £430k

Appreciate the help! x

I live in St Albans and I love it - but it's by no means affordable. Our neighbours small 2 bed terrace went for well over half a million recently. You'll get more on the outskirts - but even so, a house on your budget is unlikely. You might get a flat. What are you after?

Have you looked at Bedfordshire?

East Herts is lovely. Try Ware and Hertford down the A10 from Royston. Hertford has trains to Liverpool St and Kings Cross. Two stations. Very good schools.

You will get a 3 bed house in Welwyn Garden City for that budget. Its close to lovely woodland and country side and you can get into King's X in just over 20 mins. However, I find the town centre quite dull. Lots of chain restaurants, not many small independent shops. John Lewis is a plus point, and there is a great little cinema. I believe the West Side is the better side of town to live on, some of the areas on the other side suffer from some anti social behaviour. Have a look at Hertford.

If you are looking as far as St Albans then do consider Milton Keynes. It is only a 35 min train commute from Euston and depending on the area 430 could buy you a very nice three/four bed with room to extend and a double garage.

Harpenden is nice, only about 2 miles from St. Albans and slightly cheaper, similar commute. Friends have just bought a 3 bed semi for £465k in a nice cul de sac. Good pubs, shops and green areas (commons?).

If your DH works in Royston then St Albans is a long drive every day; I used to do it and it is actually what made me change jobs. It wasn’t unfeasible; but why not be nearer? I think Hitchin is as nice as St Albans and not so expensive (I live in Snorbans)

Bishops Stortford or Saffron Walden might work (the former is better for a regular commute to London). Depends where you’re travelling to in the Midlands but easy access to the M11 and Peterborough is about an hour away via the A14.

You could also try smaller places on that train line like Elsenham and Newport.

This is quite a good article: www.london2country.com/where-to-live/hertfordshire

Example: INTO EUSTON

Tring 38 mins,
Berkhamstead 30 mins,
Hemel Hempstead 26 mins,
Apsley 29 mins

Thanks for the advice and links! I was thinking something closer to the M1 would be good, as our families are largely in Coventry/Derby?

@GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal Ideally looking for a house - Covid has got me itching for my own garden space.

@pontiouspilates This was my worry with WGC, it doesn't seem to have much life and character!

@joyjester Bedforshire is definitely a possibility, although I've been warned off Luton...even the outskirts which is a shame as the house prices seem enticing! Can you recommend any areas with good rail links?

The A10 corridor would be good, easy for Royston, and rail links to Liverpool Street. Broxbourne and Hertford are more expensive but Hoddesdon, Stanstead Abbott's, Ware, possibly Wormley (have to use broxbourne as no station of its own) are ok. S. Abbott's is more village-y but lovely. Ware has really come on in recent years, nice bars and restaurants and giving Hertford a run for its money. (Was always the place to go for a local night out..... Sloppy Joes anyone 🤦🏼‍♀️)
Further north on the A10 is Standon and Puckeridge, so closer to Royston, but you'd have to drive to one of the above towns for rail link to London. There's huge amounts of developments in that area currently.

A PP mentioned Bishops Stortford which is a good shout also, friends husband drives to Royston for work every day (Johnson Matthey) and again good commute to London. Further away from M1/A1M though.

My cousin lives in Milton Keynes and loves it. Ware is extremely pretty, and I agree Hitchin is lovely but I think it's still pretty pricy.

Royston itself is decent. In Bedfordshire, look at Biggleswade.

Bishops Stortford or Great Dunmow will get your more for your budget than St Albans as mentioned. I think they are nice towns, Stortford a lot larger or there are some pretty villages around both that might be worth a look

WGC has some rougher areas, especially around Woodhall and Howlands. The best area is "west of the railway line", that's where the best schools are (Templewood and Applecroft primaries and Monkswalk secondary), but you will find that house prices very much reflect this. If your budget is linited, I would aim for Knightsbridge. There are many pretty walks around WGC and the infrastructure is excellent.

St Albans is lovely, I have family who live there. It is easily commutable into London. Lots to do in and around St. Albans. Easy access to M1. It is about a 2 hour drive to Derby.
It is very expensive area to live though, houses also go very quickly.

Letchworth is another place worth considering, again good transport links to London.

St Albans is probably the nicest, but extremely expensive. You won't get much for your budget.

I am in Broxbourne which is really nice and commute either way is easy.

I am in a reasonable sized 3 bed house with garden, a drive and a garage for £360,000

Have you thought about Letchworth? Cheaper houses than Hitchin, not quite as nice but quite a good niceness-to-price ratio. Lots of garden space with the houses.

Ware or Hertford would suit you - straight down the a10 to Royston one way and to London the other. Trains into London (obviously via North London) pretty good too.

@BringMeTheCoffee

Thanks for the advice and links! I was thinking something closer to the M1 would be good, as our families are largely in Coventry/Derby?

@GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal Ideally looking for a house - Covid has got me itching for my own garden space.

@pontiouspilates This was my worry with WGC, it doesn't seem to have much life and character!

@joyjester Bedforshire is definitely a possibility, although I've been warned off Luton...even the outskirts which is a shame as the house prices seem enticing! Can you recommend any areas with good rail links?

Milton Keynes would probably hit all those spots. Most of the west side is also within the catchment of the Buckingham Grammar schools.

Would you consider a village? We live in a village a few miles from Royston and love it. You could get a decent 3 bed house in some villages near Royston for that sort of price and you could commute to London from there.

St Albans is expensive

No don't look at Luton but anything from the other side of Dunstable into the villages and over towards Tring/Leighton buzzard and out to MK is really lovely

Thanks for all the recommendations, I will definitely look into Ware/Hertford!

DH's daily commute from Milton Keynes to Royston seems a little far, but I do like the idea of being closer to the M1.

There seems to be a lot of new developments around Houghton Regis? Is there much there?

Also Flitwick has a direct train into London?

WGC is not as dull as people say! Me and my husband moved here from North London nearly two years ago. We live in a very nice corner of the "dodgy" east side that is only a 20min walk to the station. We wanted a big garden and parking, which ruled out a lot of places we viewed in Hertford. Before lockdown I was commuting to London every day and found the trains quick and reliable (compared to a few friends/colleagues on the St.Albans/Hertford lines). It may not be the most happening place restaurant/pub/culture-wise but it's got great links to London, Hertford, St Albans and even Cambridge for days and nights out. And house-wise you get a lot more for your money in WGC than in Hertford, let alone Hitchin, Harpenden or St.Albans. I would avoid Howlands and Peartree but other areas seem fine. People tend to prefer the west side (AL8) to AL7 but the prices are much higher. Welwyn village and Digswell are lovely too but a bit pricey. Most of Hatfield seems quite rough and run-down, as do Luton and Stevenage.

Yes there is a number of new developments off the new junction of the M1 that goes to the A5.

HR is ok. Affordable. It depends what u want from where u live?

Yes flitwick is direct to london st Pancras