Does this place exist?

[babymakesfive]

Hi! We're back to the UK after a number of years overseas, and frantically trying to find the place to move to!

Criteria:

• Picturesque/charming/very pretty town or large village
• Great public schools (DC will be joining in September so will need more than one good option as they will surely be waitlisted). DC in primary now but good secondary options a bonus
• With a buzzing high street or near a city that has lots to do
• Within reasonable commuting distance from London (the City) for a 2 or 3x a week journey in
• Safe
• Friendly and welcoming locals!
• Nature nearby for hikes etc

We've looked at St Albans and Winchester, would love other suggestions. Thank you in advance!

You need to go back to Farnham. The town centre is very picturesque and Georgian. Schools are excellent.

have you looked at essex.
there are some charming villages/small towns, decorative buildings with pargetting etc
and good connections to the city.

there are some good schools too, in essex.

Shenfield or Ingatestone in Essex
Berkhamsted
Amersham

Redbourn

I’m not taking into account your hour-from-Richmond request (sorry!) as don’t really know the options but...

As PP have said, definitely look at Harpenden: schools generally very good at primary and secondary, quick commute into London, plenty of pubs and restaurants and lots of green space - though it possibly falls into your “cafes by a busy road” category.

Has anyone suggested Hitchin? I’ve never been but friends love it and I’ve seen it raved about on Mumsnet.

Cambridge worth a visit - if you’re near the station it’s a quickish commute into Kings X.

Shame your OH isn’t keen on the Oxford commute! I think there’s a 50 min commute from the newish Oxford Parkway station to Marylebone if that helps?!

Some other suggestions:
Bishops Stortford
Berkhamsted / Tring (though Tring station is a solid walk/bike/bus ride from town)

I was going to add Canterbury to the mix but the train times to London May be too great.

Newbury?

Radlett. Thameslink into the City and nice high street

Just in case you missed my first post

HITCHIN

It has an amazing cobbled high street full of independent cafes, is really nice, great state schools, and half an hour from Kings Cross/25 mins to Finsbury Park

What more could you want!

There are many lovely places like that within 1-1.5 hours from London.

As you have already discovered, the issue will be with school places as the best schools will be full or, if you are lucky, you may find space for one school age child but not the other.
What do you actually mean by 'good' schools? Do you mean Ofsted outstanding/ good or something else?
Realistically, I think you will need to decide where you would like to live, find a house, and the council will need to find the two older children school places if you can't stretch to private education. It depends on your luck as to where the places are. Find a house in the catchment for a good school if you can and the younger child should be able to get a place which would then bump the older two further up the waiting list. It's a big challenging moving to another area with several school age children but that is the reality unless you are very lucky or looking somewhere much less well connected.

The second thing that isn't clear is where your DH's office is. Surely that will make a big difference to his commute. It sounds as if your georgraphical preference is South of London but if his office is in the North that wouldn't be practical. Presumably your work doesn't need to be taken into account?

Good luck with your search!

Goring on Thames
Pangbourne

I grew up in Harpenden and loved it. When to school there and the schools are very good- lots of countryside space with the common and lots to do. I was horsey so we rode, had horses and I remember it as being very very safe.

Thanks so much to everyone for the suggestions! We did a bit more driving around yesterday, verdicts on the places we saw below:

Reigate: Really cute, gorgeous nature nearby, seemed safe and peaceful... BUT the town centre was completely dead at 4pm on a Sunday. No cafes or restaurants open, no shoppers... I was really surprised as weekends are usually when those places are ‘buzzy’! Might be too quiet for us 😕

Cobham - pretty surroundings but didn’t wow

Kingston - way too busy, lacking the charm factor. The riverside area was nice.

We haven’t made it to Hitchin yet.

I guess in our ideal world there would be somewhere like St Albans on the other side of London so it wouldn’t be such a trek to see my Richmond based family?! Or a beautiful larger village with some amenities that’s within a few minutes drive of a decent sized town for shopping etc? Still searching for this 🦄!

Radlett

I’m afraid that nowhere is going to be “buzzy” at the moment, and Sunday 4pm is usually quiet as the shops close at 4 or 5.

British high streets are in decline.

Have you thought about Esher? That’s as buzzy as you might get, it’s expensive but in your budget.

I feel like what you are describing is Winchester tbh, may be worth revisiting. Or Guildford? Also like to suggest Newbury again.

I’m not sure anywhere in the UK is buzzy though. Let alone in a pandemic 😅 I thought we all liked to sit at home on a Sunday afternoon and eat copious amounts of roast beef.

Wadhurst is a large village in East Sussex, close to Tunbridge Wells for larger town. Whole area is an AONB. Excellent schools, and has its own mainline station to Charing Cross/L Bridge.

House prices are astronomical though!

😂 the old Sunday roasts! Will definitely look at Winchester again, I’m just concerned with how oversubscribed the schools are there.
St Albans was buzzing when we went last week! As was Winchester town centre. It was great to see!

What about Horsham?

Maidenhead, Bray or Cookham

Henley

I’m another one who is not a fan of St Albans.
It’s so so busy, always. If you try to drive through it on a Saturday it takes an age.

If your looking at Richmond being easy to get to, look up the m3 and m4. I think marlow or Henley might tick the boxes. Fleet is also a good one, but I’m not sure if that gives you your London links.

Do you want to buy one day? If so I would also factor this in. Don't get everyone settled in an area where you can afford to rent but not buy a house.