Area north west of London

[Newusernamegeneric]

Hello, wondering if the good people of Mumsnet might be able to suggest an area to move to. My DH has recently lost his job due to covid and we are rapidly growing out of our one bed flat in Greenwich, having had a baby. We did want to move to Pinner or Northwood but on my salary only this isn’t possible.

Our max budget is £650. Would need a reasonable (1 hour?) commute to London and be max around 40 mins drive to family in Wembley.

I’ve looked at places like bushey but am not that much of a fan. Would prefer something more villagey. I love Berkhamsted but it’s very pricey.

We are looking for a minimum three bed with a garden. Thanks so much!

Why not try renting for a bit or even an Air BnB for a few weeks / weekends to get the feel for a place - you get a much better feel for a place at different times of the day / week than just a Saturday or Sunday scoot around which would be exhausting from Greenwich.

I live out Berkhamsted/Chesham way. Worth bearing in mind that the commute on the tube is way way cheaper than by train. Currently £26.50 return from where I am PLUS car park is £8 PLUS tube on other end. Tube is something like £16 plus I think £5 for Chesham car park. It's a big consideration if you are commuting

X

Have a look at Ruislip. Very close to pinner and Northwood but prices are better.

@Newusernamegeneric

Thanks all. Hitchin looks really nice. Does anyone know if it’s fairly multi cultural? We’re a mixed race / mixed cultural family and though some might disagree it’s important to me that my kids don’t grow up in a very homogenous town.

Yes, it is a vibrant multicultural town.

@MikeUniformMike

Hitchin isn't very multi-cultural. High Wycombe is.

I live somewhere multi-cultural and tend to notice if somewhere is mainly white.

More west than north west, Iver is nice and on the mainline to Paddington, but check the timetable for weekend trains.

Gerrards X and Beaconsfield probably expensive.

Burnham, west again, is on the mailine to Paddington .

Uxbridge.

Burnham and Iver are likely to be more a mix of white and asian than mixed race.

Hitchin isn't very multicultural

Yes it is - I should know, I live there.

www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/hertfordshire/E35001499__hitchin/

These are the stats for Hitchin. Slightly out of date, though.

Thank you all. A very good shout about renting before buying. I do also really like Chorleywood but it also seems out of budget?

I live in CW and grew up in CW - I have left inbetween though, I promise! There are cheaper roads within CW, have a look at the area around Hubbards Road and Capell Way which are ex-council stock. Also Whitelands Avenue and Quickley Lane have a variety of houses so could be worth a look.

In terms of schools, St Clement Danes is well regarded which tends to push prices up in CW, also girls occasionally get into Dr Challoners from CW (it's one of the nearest places to Little Chalfont that's not in Bucks), also Chesham Grammar more frequently (my friend's son has just started there and lives in CW). No chance for Dr Challoners boys though.

It's a nice place to live, I really like the Chiltern Line option as most Met Line trains are now all stations (other than a few quick ones at rush hour) and the Common is lovely. Negatives are congestion around the M25 roads and it's a bit boring, though lots of sports clubs etc.

What about the area near Cheddington station in Bucks? Much cheaper than Berkhamsted, fast train to Euston. Rural villages but excellent schools and communication links.

Hitchin isn’t very multi-cultural at all, very homogenous place.

Milton Keynes if you drive. It’s 35-40mins to Euston and approx 35mins to North London.

@GrumpyHoonMain

Milton Keynes if you drive. It’s 35-40mins to Euston and approx 35mins to North London.

The Euston time is by train and the North London time is by car.

It is multicultural but as a person of colour with a son, myself, I would stay away from the inner city areas. West MK with the old medieval villages (Loughton / Shenley / Willen etc) would get you some really nice houses and potentially admission into the Bucks / Aylesbury grammar schools too.

Drove through Eastcote the other day on the way to Pinner - it looks v green and leafy - nice woodlands, river walks and parks - low key, well kept houses etc - might be a bit cheaper than Pinner. I can’t really understand where Eastcote / Ruislip etc begin and end. You are near the A40 for a speedy drive to Wembley and there are lots of London underground stations in that area.

Here are some options that are 50min to both Marylebone and Wembley by train and by car, within your budget and with gardens.

I noticed a common trend in some of the areas that popped up - have you considered these areas already?

• Ealing (very close to Wembley, perhaps too close to family? )
• Barnet
• East Finchley

Also (to my surprise) there are a few options that showed up in Chiswick and Hampstead:

• www.searchsmartly.co/properties/11603263
• www.searchsmartly.co/properties/7847155
• www.searchsmartly.co/properties/7606249
• www.searchsmartly.co/properties/11388151

I’d recommend Ruislip too.

We're in Welwyn Garden City, moved out from north London ten years ago. My family is in Wembley and it's a 35-40 min drive, 25 mins direct to Kings Cross by train. Our three bed extended house has just gone on the market for £370, to give you an idea of price. I was worried about the move out of London, but love it here.

Also just to add, we're a mixed race family, both children are at a local school and it is very mixed, as our local children's extra curricular activities

With that budget, you can get a really good 3/4 bed house in high wycombe. Fast train gets you to marylebone in 30 minutes. Downley (hughenden boulevard, coates lane, terry road are pleasant roads and walkable to the station.) Or there are nice villages nearby too.

Parts of Ruislip are really nice. Always feels very safe and north Ruislip is pretty leafy and right on the edge of the countryside whilst being minutes from the M25.

Rickmansworth is nice. Although we visited one dead Sunday and it put me right off.

Pinner is nice and diverse (mainly south Asian / white). Although yes can be expensive. North Harrow would be worth a look. I wouldn’t massively recommend Northwood Hills or Rayners Lane even though they’re more affordable. NOT Oxhey. Northwood is nice but I think as expensive as Pinner.

I wouldn’t recommend High Wycombe unless it’s changed massively since my sister went to university there.

Some parts of Watford near the tube station could be worth a look.

@fussychica

Parts of Ruislip are really nice. Always feels very safe and north Ruislip is pretty leafy and right on the edge of the countryside whilst being minutes from the M25.

Yes Ruislip a good call. Or Eastcote.

@Newusernamegeneric

Thank you all. A very good shout about renting before buying. I do also really like Chorleywood but it also seems out of budget?

We looked at Chorleywood some years ago and it’s limited in the modest family home market within a walk from the station. Nice place though. Friends live there and good schools.

What about Woburn green?

Somewhere in the Buckingham to Milton Keynes area? Dsis lives in a village in that area & it’s both rural & easily accessible to London.

I've lived in Hitchin and in Wembley.

Hitchin is multicultural to an extent that being non-white certainly wouldn't make you stand out. There will be others on your street and in your child's class who are non-white. Quite a lot of people from the Indian subcontinent. Quite a lot of second generation families as well as first.

It's not multicultural like Wembley though. But then neither are Rickmansworth or Berkhampstead (though I'm not sure how these compare with Hitchin).

Hitchin is more than 40 minutes from Wembley, and much more at rush hour.