Sorry to bring up thread groundhog day but family friendly places in N London with access to the City?

[PinkMartini]

Have a budget iro of £650k and would like a house (can be a terrace) with 3 beds and a little garden.

Need to be able to get to the City for work.
Have lived North for 13 year so afraid am totally prejudiced against S london but would love to have mind changed.

South West (Wimbledon, Earlsfield etc all just so crowded when we've visited friends/looked at houses.

Is this even doable?

Please help London MNers

My sister just moved to Crouch End - seems really nice and family friendly...

Easiest access to the City imo is from the Thameslink service - much faster to live in Hertfordshire and get the train in than go on the tube... You would probably get a 4 bed detached for your money even in the expensive towns, with the benefit of good state schools, etc

Barnes, Barnes, come to Barnes! Houses in that price exist, if you like not having too much house to clean (wink) but there is lots of open space and the primary schools are good.

Thameslink - many of my colleagues are on that line. I think it's more expensive than Grapefruitmoon suggests. The reason we stayed in London is that if your usual means of transport home is up the spout, there's always another way of getting back to the DCs more or less on time. You'd lose that with Thameslink.

Putney is nice, used to work there

good links to city

barnes is hideously noisy and v pricey considering the travel traumas.

how about finsbury park?

overland trains (direct to city) plus 2 tube lines. you'd definitely get a terraced house for 650 in N4/N5, prices are dropping as we speak

I have friends who live in Stoke Newington and love it (with kids etc).... could easily get a terraced house up there with your budget (I think?!).
Barnes V expensive these days, and under the flight path (and crucially, not north london !)

Would you get what you are after in Queens Park or Brondesbury I wonder? More NW London I guess, but easy to get into town, feels a bit more central somehow (but I am a W Londoner, so my centre of town is a bit skewed...)

Further to batters comment (PM did say she was love to have her mind changed about S London), I think Herne Hill would be doable. See eg www2.vebra.com/HarveyWheeler/SALES/DETAILS/002A0002878.pdf (sold but indicative, and you have the advantage of a choice of Herne Hill (thameslink/blackfriars/victoria) or North Dulwich (London Bridge) - depends where in the City you need to get to really)

When to visit my friend in Herne Hill last week it was really great as she said "It's nappy valley here" the park is absolutely massive. She said her lovely 2 bed garden flat would be about £325k to buy though (needs nothing doing and is full of lovely original features)

come south! Herne Hill and East Dulwich are lovely. I want to live there where I grow up.

convinced yet, PM?

I second Stoke Newington, we lived there for a while with a child and we loved it.

It's very family friendly and it's a nice area. OH used to commute into the city and it's an easy bus or train ride to Liverpool street.

Move to Haringey! (well, certain parts of it).

Hornsey BR to Moorgate in approx. 20 minutes or Turnpike Lane tube to Kings Cross in 10 (the Piccadilly line is pretty good ime). You could get a 4 bed place for that price here (not Crouch End though).

Wanstead!!!
www.propertyfinder.com/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=o&id=502257442
I know this is sold, but you could afford something realy nice - opposite the green. V Nice neighbours. CentralLine direct to Liverpool St in about 25 mins.
Could you get in the car and have a drive around? Nothing is going to give you an idea on paper - you have to see it for yourself.

Oh, and I know it's not North London, but it's North East and you get a hell of a lot more for your money here. Consider it!

As the OP hasn't been back is there any point in giving further advice?