Oxford - village feel - where to move?

[CoastalWave]

After recommendations for Oxford for my brother.

Work is in Oxford, previously lived in Thame so knows area quite well. However, happier to move further out for his budge which is £350k.

Would like an older property/character/village/church.

All i'm finding on Rightmove are new builds or 70'shouses!

Where should I focus my search?

No, he said to look in Oxford. He's happy to drive 1.5 hours. He's barely in the office :)

But if nearer his office is cheaper....

I'm helping as he's obviously working in the day - I work evenings. So I have time in the day to ring round and shortlist places to potentially look at.

No I believe he intends to drive?

Ok thank you, will have a look at those and suggest anything suitable I can find.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/127302923#/?channel=RES_BUY

how about something like this?

Yes, I saw this one :) something like this for sure ...Only reason I didn't save this one was because I was unsure of the parking situation but could definitely shortlist and ring up about.

Thank you!!

Wallingford is a nice town. On the Thames, nice market town, bus service to both Oxford and Reading, short drive to Didcot for the train to London and Bristol.

I believe it even has a Waitrose

Maybe Bampton?? I wouldn't go there myself as I hate the idea of village living, but at least there's something in budget and it IS a village?
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/127848224#/?channel=RES_BUY

Bampton really would be 1h30 to Slough on a morning. I did almost that exact journey the other day and it was 1h40 due to slow traffic on the M40

Something like this maybe? Good for M4

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/127994177#/?channel=RES_BUY

Or this

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/127410371

But why Oxford? Outside of London it's one of the most expensive areas in the country to live.

Wallingford has a very naice Waitrose and a very naice Lidl, to cover all bases. Bampton is nice; it has a nice garden centre, art gallery and a visiting fish and chip van, but it's 1hr 10 min from me and I'm north of Reading (regular trip for me), so add another hour min to Windsor.

The A34 (linking Oxford to the M4) has been a nightmare for the last few weeks. Trust me a commute of Oxford to Windsor will be horrid. He needs to be south and east of Reading and into Berkshire for a reasonable commute. Unless and until they close the M4 which happens just when you don't need it and then all bets are off .

Crikeyalmighty
Something like this maybe? Good for M4
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/127994177#/?channel=RES_BUY

Only if you use the A34 - see above post.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/128743949#/?channel=RES_BUY

Thame. On street parking.

@DPotter Ah- we have lived in Windsor for last 6 months after coming back from Copenhagen as we had trouble getting a decent rental in Bath (moving back to bath next week)

Personally I really don't like this neck of the woods round here - the flight path makes it a right pain in the arse - but sounds like he doesn't need to do it that often- so Oxfordshire probably would be fine- we've lived in oxford ourselves in the past and was fine . I think OP said once a week max commute .

The A34 is a nightmare but your brother would be going against the direction of traffic, so probably not that bad. 350k for a 2 bed cottage is not an impossible budget, even for Oxford itself. Headington has a nice village vibe with a good sense of community. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/125027498#/?channel=RES_BUY

@NellyBarney that's nice too - although I'd have to redo that kitchen! Blooming handy for the JR hospital though

Sth Abingdon would be an easy commute. Straight onto A34 - M4. There's lots of house building in Abingdon at the moment.

If he wants Oxford, the only affordable options are the Littlemore area for that budget and it's quite a hike into central Oxford from there or Botley, straight onto A34 then M4 but he might struggle a bit budget wise but it's doable.

Villages between Thame/Bicester/Oxford are lovely and easy to access M40. I like Brill, Long Crendon, Horton-cum-Studley. Much cheaper than South Oxfordshire too!

If they don't have to drive in that often and don't mind an hour or so drive- this I think is really lovely to the north of Oxford

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/128390258#/?channel=RES_BUY

These links are fab and really helpful! Please keep them coming :) I literally have zero clue about where's a good area and where to avoid. I just know that where I live now, they sometimes list properties as being in a popular area and it means it's awful!

This is exactly what he's looking for - thank you! I hadn't found this in any of my searches.

Waitrose is definitely a plus!!!

@CoastalWave I think probably because the commute is so long... also am questioning the parking situation there. But it's a nice house.