Where would you move to?

[duchessa]

Hi all,

Would love some expert MN advice!

We're hoping to move before the end of the year (renting initially). Thankfully we have a good budget.

Criteria: Within an hour(ish) of London for twice a week commutes into the City

• Excellent state primaries and secondaries (we know that we'll be on waitlists for 'in year admissions' but we're currently homeschooling and can continue to do so until spaces open up)
• Safe/low crime
• Beautiful/historic elements
• Close to nature but not 'dead' - a thriving high street with restaurants/farmer's markets etc
• Not dull commuterville - we've ruled places like Beaconsfield out as they seem to be lacking any real 'vibe' or community
• Not directly under a flight path
• Somewhere with a hint of a creative element would be ideal (I work in the arts and we're definitely not a 'stockbroker belt' family!)

Bath would be a dream but it's too far from work and family.

We liked the look of Farnham and Winchester, and someone suggested Tunbridge Wells (but we haven't had a chance to check it out yet). Would love thoughts on these places or suggestions for others!

@NettySays

Marlow, Berkhamsted, Cookham or Guildford.

Thank you! Love the look of Marlow, but slightly scared by the grammar system!

Very grateful for the responses so far. Nobody's giving any love to Farnham, which was our top choice... I'm slightly nervous now! Are we missing something about that lovely town?

Hi @duchessa if you like the look of Marlow but don't fancy the grammar system maybe look at Cookham? Its literally just down the road but happens to be just over the border in Berkshire. I don't know much about Farnham unfortunately! But I'm sure its lovely:)

You could always start a thread with ‘Farnham’ in the title and I’m sure people would come on to give it some love.

If that’s your favourite, what are you worried about/ what else are you trying to find?

@JoJoSM2

You could always start a thread with ‘Farnham’ in the title and I’m sure people would come on to give it some love.

If that’s your favourite, what are you worried about/ what else are you trying to find?

Very hard to find rentals in Farnham so we're trying to broaden our horizons (and searching from overseas so it's quite tricky.) We've visited Farnham only briefly and of course first impressions can be quite different to real life experience! Winchester is similarly thin on the ground with rentals, the agents are all saying that there's been a London exodus and the city folk are snapping everything up

We moved to Folkestone from overseas and think it ticks many of your boxes (especially the picturesque and artsy aspects) but my initial thought was it’s too far from the city (HS1 to Stratford or St Pancras in less than an hour though to get to Canary Wharf it is another 20mins or so), however Farnham has similar commute times I believe. Obviously everyone has a different wish list, and we looked all over to get as many of our ‘must haves’ when returning to the UK and couldn’t be happier with the lifestyle we have here...Plus money goes far further in Kent than in Surrey

Farnham is really very nice indeed. The best area of Farnham is the south side of the town near the station - but inevitably the most popular especially with commuters. Yes you are right there is a mass London exodus (including my sister) and rental properties are being snapped up really quickly with people listing their criteria as to why they should be selected to rent the property rather than the competiion - or so my sister tells me in the New Forest area.

Farnham is excellent for commuting, has lovely independent shops, restaurants and cafes, the most endearing department store caught in a time warp but still lovely, Waitrose and Sainsburys and other essential shops. It is very attractive with lots of little cobbled alleyways and nooks and cranies. Nice Farmers Market and seasonal Fairs etc. I think it has a lovely vibe and I go shopping there several times a year as I live in another local market town in Hampshire.

It's also close to excellent countryside. Personally I would avoid the northern side of Farnham and concentrate on the southern side or even Wreclesham. It does have traffic but I think it's all manageable though I don't negotiate it at rush hour. Having said that do we still have rush hour at the moment? But I cannot comment on the schools.

It ticks really a lot of your boxes for the commute, history, close to nature, charming, easy access to your family in SW London etc. etc. I'm not sure I would call it arty or creative though! Just plain solid charmingly very nice. It's not small and twee and neither is it large and sprawled out. But in Estate Agents speak there will be many who try and claim property is in Farnham when clearly it is not. Especially north of the town. You weren't wrong in liking it. I like it a lot.

As others have said it depends on your budget and perhaps location of family as commute time really does open up a wide range of areas... Bedford, Cambridge, Sevenoaks?