moving from nw to herts is this a good idea?

[Undecided1985]

we are based in the ne but have always had a desire to live closet to london we never managed it in our 20's) as professionals though i myself lived in oxfordshire for a while and have had otheer connections to london

we are bored of the nw nw though obviously we 100% acknowledge its a great part of the world with great cities etc the area we live in is posh but rural and children wld be v unlikely to stay here as adults and we just dont fancy any of the closer cities again just because we have both lived or worked in these cities over the years and have an inkling for a change

we have looked at various commuter belt towns and have decided its hertfordshire for us

we have 3 primary aged kids all well settled where we are

DH work is not nw based but he does WFH for 3 days per wk he could likely find more work in SE my job is not location dependant

we dont have v close family ties in nw though some family are here

i am torn between thinking just go for it and between thinking why are we even considering making the opposite move than everyone normally does (eg most seem to move north from se not the other way around)

we can afford to. buy upto £900k

are we mad to even consider it?

3/4 bed homes in Hitchin are being snatched up within hours of going on the market right now. What sort of thing would you be looking for OP?

AbstractHeart

Thanks for asking😄 Actually we where slightly favouring Hertford as we think all Hitchin schools hugely oversubscribed and unlikely to gain in year places etc. we have done some research via Herts CC over the course of a year on in year places and found really none or very few in Hitchin itself.
Yes we are aware it is a very hot market and probably same in Hertford too. We might have to rent prior to buying.

Looking 4 bed detached .

My 85yo dad gets the train to London every week from Hitchin (outside of lockdown obvs), no problem with proximity at all. It does seem to have a lot of retirement housing and also attracts young hip types moving out of London.

It's true there is very little to buy in Hitchin at the moment though.

My family moved from the NW to the South some years ago (for work) - 40 mins train from London, 20 mins to train station also thinking they'd take advantage of proximity to London. It never really happened much, it was still an hour away. They're glad they moved, and have a lovely life there, but it could be anywhere if you see what I mean.

AnnPerkins - thanks for that - yes i think trains look faster and more frequent from Hitchin than from Hertford

Africa2go - thats interesting -and why we have discounted anywhere over 1 hr from london - also where you school age when they moved ans if so was it hard moving

Hertford has two train stations which can come in handy. I lived there (renting) for years but when it came to buy we came to Letchworth (next to Hitchin, bit cheaper, there will be school places but not at the best schools) as you could get so much more for your money. Same train line into London as hitchin.

InescapableDeath
thats interesting - do you think if money hadnt been an issue you would have stayed in hertford or do you just prefer letchworth

Are you looking at primary or secondary transfer? I'm familiar with Hertford if you want to ask me anything. There is a new town centre wharf shopping g area being built at the moment which will be great. Its a very friendly town with a massive green open parkland in the middle. Theatre is being redeveloped to include cinema screens but was already very good, new leisure centre on its way too. Traffic is a problem though.
Like all towns, there are not so great places but nowhere is really bad, just not as nice. I can give you lots of info if you PM me.

I forgot to add, if you want to get into London for evening or weekend leisure, it's easy to drive to Cockfosters and just use the Picadilly Line. Commuting is best done on the mainline stations - either one.

£750k will get you a decent 4 bed in Hertford, if you are happy with the newer (last 30years) houses towards the east side. In Bengeo and around County Hall the prices are higher so will push your budget.

The theatre is closing very soon for a major refurb, plan look good.

Both the single sex schools (Ware/Hertford) and the mixed school in Hertford are great, if you need primary you may need to think about where to buy.

Ware is also great as is Stanstead Abbotts (and they both have stations).

When DH commuted he would drive to Broxbourne as there is a fast service of around 20 minutes into Tottenham Hale/Liverpool Street which is great for the city. Can also go on the same line from Hertford East, but it takes ages to get to Broxbourne. Hertford North has a good service into London and there used to be some fast (not stopping at every station) trains but I haven't travelled from there in years. Both stations are within the Transport for London travel scheme so you can tap your card and go, no need for tickets.

Would you be interested in living on a underground line? Maybe have a look along the met line, Moor Park (££££) rickmansworth and Chesham (Bucks). Or how about Northwood, Pinner, Ruislip, which are all Middlesex.

Hohofortherobbers

Thanks for that - yes we looked at Rickmansworth but preferred Hertford & Hitchin we could explore middlesex but it is hard when we are so far away but all up for consideration so thanks for the ideas

Onthegrid - we would need primary places yes Hertford is shaping up to be impressive with development of the park, theatre & shopping centre - awful as it may sound we only came to Hertford quite late on as we had been focusing on Hitchin and got a bit disheartened by house prices and school places - we where surprised by how nice Hertford is and that not more of a fuss isnt made about it tbh.

At the time we would've probably stayed in Hertford if we could, but I've grown to really like Letchworth and I've made good connections here. I personally wouldn't go back to Hertford now.

I don't mind that Letchworth has less 'nightlife' than Hitchin (I don't need nightlife!), we have parks and cafes and loads of good events are put on here over the summer for families. However it doesn't have good secondaries (I do have kids who are primary age but it's too late for us!) which will probably be a factor for you.

Hertford is lovely if you can afford it - I liked the park and the theatre, lovely thai restaurant (my favourite!), walking along the canal. The shops are a bit rubbish but then they are everywhere. I'd be on Rightmove comparing a few places and see what you think!

Some children from Letchworth get places at Hitchin secondaries. I don’t know how easy it is but a friend’s daughter got a place at the girls school.

My son’s going to Hitchin boys! But it’s a lottery for Hitchin Boys/Girls if you live in Letchworth (literally a number assigned on application) so a bit risky. Think my daughter will likely have to go to Highfield when the time comes (hopefully will have improved by then).

It’s quite a while since my D.C. were in primary, however I know there has been a lot of growth and places are quite tight.
My friend really rates Simon Balle all through school and I know plenty of teens that did well in their secondary school, but that is mixed and you prefer single sex schools?

@Undecided1985

Hohofortherobbers

Thanks for that - yes we looked at Rickmansworth but preferred Hertford & Hitchin we could explore middlesex but it is hard when we are so far away but all up for consideration so thanks for the ideas

Onthegrid - we would need primary places yes Hertford is shaping up to be impressive with development of the park, theatre & shopping centre - awful as it may sound we only came to Hertford quite late on as we had been focusing on Hitchin and got a bit disheartened by house prices and school places - we where surprised by how nice Hertford is and that not more of a fuss isnt made about it tbh.

Don't worry, Hertford is considered very nice locally and has a good reputation. Obviously not famous in the NW then 😆

sorry i didnt mean any offence😄 or to imply that Hertford was unheard of by anyone at all - just that in herts often people mention hitchin st albans harpenden and berkhamstead - got to say we really like hertford yes not so familiar in the NW!😄😄

Don't worry I was only teasing. 😁 Hertford is definitely considered a desirable place to live and is having a lot of investment to make it even better. Let me know if you want any specific information 🙂

@sluj

Don't worry I was only teasing. 😁 Hertford is definitely considered a desirable place to live and is having a lot of investment to make it even better. Let me know if you want any specific information 🙂

Apart from someone earlier in this thread said "Hertford used to be a great town, pretty good shops and great in the evening, but it has become a bit 'meh' in recent years"

Well it's all subjective obviously but Hertford has a lot going for it and the vast majority of people in local towns would agree. There is a reason its more expensive.

New theatre with cinema about to start
New leisure centre about to start
New children's adventure playground nearly finished on Hartham Common
Despite covid, new Tapas restaurant, artisan pizza restaurant and gastro pub joining the wide selection of bars and restaurants already there.
New wharf shopping centre under construction with Riverside dining
Lots of independent shops
Huge common and meads in the middle
5 rivers
Two train stations
Thriving night economy
Excellent schools
Etc, etc

What's not to like?

Just a word of warning, the excellent mixed school in Hertford is Simon Balle, not Sele (sorry if anyone has DC at Sele). Hertford is generally fairly expensive but you will find you get a lot more for your money in the Sele Farm area but that is not where the good schools are.

Sele School has good Ofsted and our dc love it. Why run down a school that is absolutely fine? Isn't it enough to say where the outstanding schools are and leave it at that? OP, we moved to Hertfordshire from up north and love it, most people are really nice here.

@sluj

Well it's all subjective obviously but Hertford has a lot going for it and the vast majority of people in local towns would agree. There is a reason its more expensive.

New theatre with cinema about to start
New leisure centre about to start
New children's adventure playground nearly finished on Hartham Common
Despite covid, new Tapas restaurant, artisan pizza restaurant and gastro pub joining the wide selection of bars and restaurants already there.
New wharf shopping centre under construction with Riverside dining
Lots of independent shops
Huge common and meads in the middle
5 rivers
Two train stations
Thriving night economy
Excellent schools
Etc, etc

What's not to like?

But your Waitrose has closed down!

Haha, we were all gutted about the Waitrose but we do have an M and S foodstore, Tesco, Sainsbury and Aldi. Who knows what the new wharf Riverside shops will have too.
There are actually some lovely towns in Hertfordshire and a great place to settle down with children. I lived in the West Midlands, Lancashire and London before we came here. We came from London primarily for the schooling but actually our whole quality of life has improved since we moved to Herts from London nearly 20 years ago.