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

[lilQuidditchKel]

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

Re Lightwater - how long is the drive to Brookwood vs Woking?

Lightwater to Brookwood - around 15 mins, though traffic can build up at the Brookwood crossroads, especially at peak times.

Lightwater to Woking - I'd say it was nearer 20 minutes, though there are a couple of different routes.

My suggestion would be to live somewhere which had a station, on a major line, so your DH didn't have much of a distance to go from home to station - depending on exact location could then travel to/from station by bike, walk. Cost of car parking at stations isn't cheap - Woking £8 per day, Mon-Fri. Brookwood £5 per day, Mon-Fri.

Camberley I guess is out of the running, due to train travel time (Camberley to Waterloo, typically 1h12, no changes).

oxted is a great place. 35 mins to london bridge. nice town but 15 mins on train from croydon for better shopping, nice restaurants, j 6 m25 so not too bad for heathrow and v v handy for gatwick. pretty countryside right there. def get 4 beds for under £500k. super if you ask me!

meant to say schools in oxted are rated outstanding and the comprehensive is really one of the best tehre is.

Right, Woking is ehm, just Woking. The surrounding villages are Horsell (great village school, very good junior school, very good secondary school), Knaphill (outstanding infant school, very good junior school, very good secondary school) and St Johns (one iffy primary, but also a very good infant school, very good junior school and shares its secondary with Knaphill, so again very good.
Then there is Brookwood. Small village school, with less of a good reputation, but my niece and nephew went there and did well, plus they liked it there.
Then a bit further out (but very close to Brookwood so handy for the station) is Pirbright. Beautiful village, with a green, cricket green and pond. Not much in the way of shops, but a very good primary school. Pirbright students also generally go to the Knaphill/St Johns secondary.

On the othe side of Woking you have Old Woking, Kingfield and Westfield. Nice villages, but schools not too great, although I hear Westfield school is improving immensely. But you are further away from the very good (Knaphill/St Johns and Horsell based secondary)

Avoid Goldsworth Park. It is perfectly pleasant, but with your budget you can get much nicer houses outside Goldsworth Park. It does however have one of the best primary schools in the area (Goldsworth Primary) but also two which are not so great.

Can't comment too much on other villages.

For shopping 'soul' I would recommend Guildford, the town has real character and I love it there. Can't advice on schooling though.

hth
xx

Erm afraid Thames Ditton is a bit too pricey for us - but it does look lovely

(we're really after a detached family home - though in the old days I wouldn't have minded a town style house!!)

West Byfleet might be an option with a 40 minute train...thanks Cece.

Oh and West Sussex would be grand - I do love the beach! - but it's too far away from Waterloo (DH works nr St Pauls).

Hippi many many thx for the woking village info. Must check out Horsell, Knaphill, St. Johns). I guess they're all far away enough to require bike ride or car to Woking station?

x

You could walk to Woking station along the canal towpath, but on a rainy day that would not be my preferred option. (I reckon it would take 45 minutes from Knaphill, slightly less from St Johns) But a bike would take around 20 minutes so that is fine. However, Knaphill is next to Brookwood, I live in Knaphill village centre and it is a 15 minute walk to Brookwood Station.

Good luck in your search

Hi again! Any hints on primary schools (state) in Knaphill, St. Johns...?

Noreuil rd petersfield I have been offerd home here , can any one tell me anything about this area , as Iam not from this area please ,