Buzzy places to live within hour commute London

[800msprint]

Ideally with some culture, different independent restaurants and cafes, plus nice countryside on doorstep or something to do nature wise like a river, coast, big park or woodland nearby....
And also somewhere that isn’t overly tory/brexit. 😬 I don’t mind which way people lean but I would also like to be living somewhere where there are other people who have similar values to me too. I’m unsure at the moment what size place I’m after. I love cities but I also see the appeal of smaller places for ease. But I do like animosity and obviously you get more choice of stuff to do in bigger places. Kid-friendly. Schools are important but we can go private if state options not great/full. Basically somewhere with access to nature for when kids young but then also enough for them to do when teens too. Thanks!

[CremantCharlie]

Cheam Village is perfectly pleasant suburbia but it is not buzzy, nor does it have lots to do culturally. It has a few shops, a Costa and a Neros, a couple of cafes (not your artisan sort), no cinema, a small Waitrose and Sainsbury. A few hairdressers and beauty salon. Boots, WH Smith (tiny branches). Good rail links to London Victoria. It does have a famous dance studio.....

[JoJoSM2]

Cheam Village is perfectly pleasant suburbia but it is not buzzy

Not buzzy in itself but being in London it’s easy to access culture and buzziness while living in the house OP wants, very kid-friendly and lots of greenery.

[gingerbreadfox]

Chelmsford (Essex), 35 minutes to London Liverpool Street.

[FangsForTheMemory]

I lived in London for decades and some of the places being recommended as buzzy are making me raise my eyebrows. Brighton would fit your bill though, very lively. I LIKE Folkestone a lot. Also St Albans. Most small towns in the home counties are a bit Hyacinth Bucket IYSWIM.

[Lemonsyellow]

Berkhamstead is completely the wrong vibe. It’s very wealthy.

Why don’t you stay in London? Lots to buy in your budget. Have you looked at Hanwell, West London, on the canal? Brockley in south London? Crystal Palace?

[happylittlevegemites]

How big does it need to be? This is a lovely 20 min cycle along Grantchester Meadows into town.

Bear in mind that Cambridge homes often go for over the asking price. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/85503892

[happylittlevegemites]

This would be cool, parking is a nightmare in Kite, though.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/94517675

[Guymere]

What’s wrong with some people being well off? It’s the same in many towns in the SE. It’s often why there are festivals and lovely things to do and well preserved countryside.

However it doesn’t mean everyone is wealthy. Far from it. Also, enjoying a town requires a certain amount of spare cash. Whether it’s London, Berko or Cheltenham. You won’t be going to any of the local delights if you are struggling for money.

[happylittlevegemites]

NOT buzzy, but there’s a nice pub and the bike party gets you into town in 15 mins, really nice route.

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

[Guymere]

If you live in London it’s obviously difficult to understand how living somewhere else can have “life”. It’s not the same but all towns have character. Some are more gritty than others but many of the towns would meet the ops requirements.

[chatwoo]

@Catycity

Oxford or Didcot Parkway

at Didcot being a buzzy place to be

[happylittlevegemites]

Close to the station, the “right” end of Mill Road (if that’s important) and that part of town has a slightly more alternative but very buzzy vibe.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/73902885

[1940s]

Wanstead

[unbe1ievable]

How many people dissing Berko actually live there ?

[unbe1ievable]

Sorry posted too soon. I would say very different here to say Harpenden, Beaconsfield. No it's not St Albans but there are loads of kids activities and quite a mix of people when you dig under the surface. Not many BAME people sadly but incredible countryside on the doorstep in all directions, indie cafes and shops and an amazing indie cinema. Farmers Markets, restaurants, Central London 30 mins away, Sure it's a bit dead now but that's covid. My DD went to an illegal rave here (nothing to be proud of but you want buzz ). If you must know, I met a dealer in the Groucho Club who "knows" one of the pubs on the canal. Not implying that's what you want! I avoid Waitrose car park which is where all the hyacinth buckets tend to congregate and yes there are some yummy mummy types but not everyone wears Biden.

[Happyhippy99]

Have you looked at Ripley in Surrey? It’s a large village with good pubs/cafes/restaurants & easy access to both loads of countryside & Guildford. The village has a great community feel with a monthly farmers market, Christmas fair (not this year sadly) annual bonfire & even the annual Ripley Rocks in the summer.
Very mixed population with a community spirit.

[Guymere]

You belong to the Groucho Club. That’s probably why people think Berko is full of rich people who are not like them. Actually it’s not!

[unbe1ievable]

I'm not a member, no

[WombatChocolate]

When I think ‘buzzy’ I think of an arts scene....practising artists with studios and viewings, local theatres and art house cinemas. There are often gritty, perhaps a bit rough areas of town which might be associated with drugs.
Places with this stuff tend to be university cities or sometimes coastal towns.
It’s not all mainstream and chains and yummy married mummies, but has a bigger range and alternatives in terms of lifestyle, activities, careers etc. In my mind it really isn’t usually found in the very middle class and affluent places mentioned.

Or does Op mean ‘buzzy’ in terms of nice middle class towns that are commutable to London with expensive house prices, but which have lots of cafes (mix of chains and independents usually) along with some expensive shops which are probably chains, and lots going on for children in terms of paid-for sports coaching, park runs, clubs and activities....probably a healthy tutoring industry too and some successful independent schools? In my mind these aren’t what I call buzzy, but busy and affluent. They’re the kid of place where if you’ve broken away from the mainstream in terms of career or lifestyle, you might not be able to afford to live there, or just might feel a bit uncomfortable or out of place, as people all seem a bit similar and even if not prejudiced against alternative lifestyles/careers, certainly not in-tune with getting out of the rat race.

So it depends really - is it about naice places with lots going on, or more of an alternative buzz?

[NoCureForLove]

Cheam? Buzzy?? Rezlly?

[daisy86]

If I had your budget OP I would move to Brighton like a shot.

[unbe1ievable]

Good point @WombatChocolate

Hastings? Margate?

[WombatChocolate]

And in terms of living somewhere buzzy, it’s really about being able to walk to the places you want to go to. It’s definitely not about being on a new build estate 2 miles out of town where you need the car for everything. It’s about being able to be spontaneous and nip to a cafe or to shop daily rather than weekly, in local independent shops where you get to know the shop owners. It’s about flyers on lamp posts and stuck on windows advertising local events and live music and the fact there are some people around who are not like you at all and possibly make you feel a bit uncomfortable.

For lots of people, I think the time when they have their own children is the time they least want these kind of buzzy places. They work for students and 20s and then they work again when children have flown the nest. Of course some people bring their kids up in these places and Spend their lives in them, but it doesn’t tend to be people who also rate at the top of their list of wants in a place, Rugby tots, park run, a good gym, an HMC school and an M and S Simoly Food our Little Waitrose.

[Fizbosshoes]

@WombatChocolate

When I think ‘buzzy’ I think of an arts scene....practising artists with studios and viewings, local theatres and art house cinemas. There are often gritty, perhaps a bit rough areas of town which might be associated with drugs.
Places with this stuff tend to be university cities or sometimes coastal towns.
It’s not all mainstream and chains and yummy married mummies, but has a bigger range and alternatives in terms of lifestyle, activities, careers etc. In my mind it really isn’t usually found in the very middle class and affluent places mentioned.

Or does Op mean ‘buzzy’ in terms of nice middle class towns that are commutable to London with expensive house prices, but which have lots of cafes (mix of chains and independents usually) along with some expensive shops which are probably chains, and lots going on for children in terms of paid-for sports coaching, park runs, clubs and activities....probably a healthy tutoring industry too and some successful independent schools? In my mind these aren’t what I call buzzy, but busy and affluent. They’re the kid of place where if you’ve broken away from the mainstream in terms of career or lifestyle, you might not be able to afford to live there, or just might feel a bit uncomfortable or out of place, as people all seem a bit similar and even if not prejudiced against alternative lifestyles/careers, certainly not in-tune with getting out of the rat race.

So it depends really - is it about naice places with lots going on, or more of an alternative buzz?

I was thinking similar. To my mind buzzy includes a more diverse population than some of the towns mentioned.

[JoJoSM2]

Cheam? Buzzy?? Rezlly?

The way the OP defines it, it sounds spots on, actually

Loads to do for kids, there’s a ParkRun, British Military Fitness and lots of other classes in the park, tons of interesting classes to do at Sutton College (15-20min walk away), a weekly crafts and antique market (? I’ve never been).
Not buzzy is a nightclub or studenty sort of way.