Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Surrey & Hampshire mums --- I need your help!!!

84 replies

lilQuidditchKel · 20/02/2008 20:32

We currently live in SW London and need to move further out next year. Problem is we don't know where to go as I'm American and DH is German so we've no knowledge of areas outside London.

We have 2 LOs (9 mo, 2years) and a dog, so first of all want good (non-private) schools.

DH wants to commute by train to the City in under 50 minutes.

I just want some nice people around and shops to walk to!

Is there any hope in hell of finding such a 4-bed place for under £500k out in Surrey or Hampshire? HELP!!!

many many thanks

OP posts:
CarGirl · 23/02/2008 20:56

I'm in Addlestone BTW so nearer to you than I originally hoped! So far cheapest quote is actually from a proper loft company!

hippipotami · 23/02/2008 21:07

Oh Addlestone, I had a friend who lived there. I used to live in Byfleet when dh was dp. Then we moved to Knaphill and dp became dh.
Fil and stepMil are still in Byfleet, as is one of ds's fab teachers

CarGirl · 23/02/2008 21:15

Did you hear they shut the manor school and sold the land for £2m!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hippipotami · 23/02/2008 21:25

No, I didn't, that is madness!! Whereabouts was Manor School?

I have not been in Addlestone for years and years, the friend I had there I had met through antenatal class, but we drifted apart many years ago...

BreeVanDerCampLGJ · 23/02/2008 21:27

I love (in a nice way) how these threads always start out with the best of intentions and end up with people trading local information.

BTW

Farmers Market in Farnham tomorrow.

CarGirl · 23/02/2008 21:28

Hmm Manor school was in the middle of some houses near the bakery/trading estate/cash and carry bit. Some children from Byfleet are now at school in Addlestone where they have also tried (and failed) to shut and infant school. It's crazy, they are turning an infant and a junior school each into primaries instead and trying to fob us off with it being providing the best education for our children - not the £6ish million that the land is probably worth!

hippipotami · 23/02/2008 21:42

OMG, dh has just said that is his old school!! The Manor First School, at Kings Head Lane??

Sorry Bree and OP, sorry for the hijack

My friend lived near Sayes Court (?) Junior School, and playing fields were under negotiation for selling off for housing. It is really not on

Luckily we seem to have avoided that so far in Knaphill, both infant and junior school actually need to expand as they are so oversubscribed. And both still have their playing fields

CarGirl · 23/02/2008 21:45

yes the manor first was one of the top infant schools in the COUNTRY!

Sayes Court did sell off a little bit of land but it still has plenty (dd in Yr 6 there) but as of September it will be a primary as will Ongar Place which has the smallest playing field you have ever imagined. It is Darely Dene they tried to shut.

sparkybabe · 23/02/2008 21:46

Hiya - I am in Horley (surrey/sussex border) and my dh comutes into the city, into London bridge. We actually chose this town because it has good links into town, plus we are 20 mins WALK from Gatwick, which never closes, so he can get to gatwick at any time of night and walk if he has to (there are cabs). He's done that at 2AM before.
The schools arre not great tho, ...the infants and junior are OK but we only have one senior school, which is not high-achieving. You can get a 4-bed detached for around 500K or semi for a lot less.

hippipotami · 23/02/2008 21:47

Oh, dh now all nostalgic for his childhood

Wotzonked · 23/02/2008 21:54

Bree have you always lived in there?
I left after secondary school.

cece · 23/02/2008 22:01

Another vote for Woking area

Waves hello to cargirl and hippi!

CarGirl · 23/02/2008 22:02

hello!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woodham is very luverly but unless you go down the private school route tis useless on that front.

Pyrford nice too.

Lionstar · 23/02/2008 22:12

Fleet is not too bad, town centre is dwarfed by bigger neighbours - Guildford, Reading etc. but keeps some local charm because of that. Some lovely common areas and MOD land around for walking on. Would avoid the new Elvetham Heath development though, vastly overpriced for crammed houses between M3 and railway line!

For the person who was asking, St Nicks in Church Crookham is very well regarded locally and seems to foster individual development (though can't speak from experiance as DD is only 12 months).

hippipotami · 23/02/2008 22:18

Hello cece

Original poster
lilQuidditchKel · 25/02/2008 15:56

Oooh a Farnham vs Farnborough debate is heating up here...

Re Lightwater - how long is the drive to Brookwood vs Woking? Is it 15 minutes to either one??

What about Camberley? I really do want to be closer to somewhere with "shopping soul" so maybe Woking proper and Lightwater even are lacking...hmmm...

thanks again for all the input - it is really helping!!

OP posts:
Original poster
lilQuidditchKel · 25/02/2008 16:07

...and all the Woking supporters...you are persuasive...but what about schools? And where exactly in Woking? I'm a bit puzzled where Woking ends and villages begin.

OP posts:
Original poster
lilQuidditchKel · 25/02/2008 16:13

re Farnham - is it worth driving to Farnborough for a train? How long does it take to drive to a faster train station?

DH is very very intent on keeping his total commute to 45-50 minutes or less.

I know, I know, it's going to be tough considering we are moving further out, want good schools, and 4 bedrooms, but hey...it's worth a try right?

OP posts:
Niecie · 25/02/2008 17:54

Personally, I think Camberley has nicer shops than most of the other places. They have House of Fraser department store so not all cheap shops. Slightly out of the centre they have a massive M & S (used to be the 3rd largest in the world) which is good for the food if not the clothes!

How about Reading? 25-30 mins on the train, great shops, good schools, close to Heathrow. You would just about get a nice 4 bed house for less than £500k.

Re Farnham to Farnborough, it would probably add at least 15 minutes driving time to the journey.

Niecie · 25/02/2008 18:00

lilQuidditchKel - I think you are going to have make a short list of 3 or 4, get in the car and go and have a look. Just because some of these places tick all the boxes, doesn't mean that they will feel like home, iyswim.

That is what we had to do when we moved from Hampshire to Essex, having never been to Essex before. In the end, the place that was on paper, was just right, wasn't when we went there. We ended up somewhere I would never have dreamed of even looking at and was actually quite happy there (considering I didn't want to move in the first place!)

SpacePuppy · 25/02/2008 18:04

If you look a little further south you find West Sussex. We live in Barns Green (a spot on the map) but the town I'm selling is Horsham! Great for commuting, dh works in Woking and drives by car (40min). My friend's husband works in Canary wharf, he commutes by train, our train is quick and goes to Victoria without stopping ( I think it depends on the time of day though). Schools are excellent and town is lovely, and only 50 min to Heathrow and 30 min to Gatwick. AND 30 min to the beach (Brighton)

SpacePuppy · 25/02/2008 18:04

If you look a little further south you find West Sussex. We live in Barns Green (a spot on the map) but the town I'm selling is Horsham! Great for commuting, dh works in Woking and drives by car (40min). My friend's husband works in Canary wharf, he commutes by train, our train is quick and goes to Victoria without stopping ( I think it depends on the time of day though). Schools are excellent and town is lovely, and only 50 min to Heathrow and 30 min to Gatwick. AND 30 min to the beach (Brighton)

ComeOVeneer · 25/02/2008 18:09

A vote here for Thames Ditton area. Good commute into the city, close to Bushy Park/Hampton court/Esher. Short drive to Kingston-upon-Thames for shopping, plenty of green spaces and good schools. 4 bed property here

cece · 25/02/2008 20:28

West Byfleet has a good infant/junior school and good train link. You could probably get the sort of house you are after there too.

cluelessnchaos · 25/02/2008 20:47

I used to live in odiham and cant recommend it enough, quaint, historic, friendly, fantastic schools, amazing sense of community, and my best friend