Areas similar to Richmond?

[Sammymommy]

Hi everyone,

I suffer from stress and anxiety and have decided to move to a quieter area, I need to slow down. I researched heavily online and just fell in love with Richmond, more exactly Ham. I also really like the area around Mount Sheen Primary School. I was absolutely sure I would love living there.

I went a few times before and don't remember being stressed by the plane noise but Holly Molly, this time, when I went to see houses in East Sheen, I ended up with a horrible migraine and so stressed it took me 3 days to recover. And the traffic.... And there are so many people. I might put my big girls pants on and go spend a day in Ham to see how it is like but I am having anxiety just thinking about it. Or any area is the South West really.

I am now back into a spiral of despair, having no idea where to move to. My children are young but I have moved about every 18 months for the past 10 years and I want to settle down and allow my children to have stability for the next 15 years while they are in shcool.

Anyway, I would love it if any of you could tell me of any area I could check?

What I am looking for :

• A quiet, slow life. Bordering on dull, really.
• Activities for children.
• Green spaces. A lot of green spaces. Parks, leafy streets, woods, fields, if there are deers, it's a plus... The more the better. But not rural.
• Walkable and with good buses services, I don't drive.
• Lots of nice playgrounds.
• Cute little shop, libraries, restaurants, cafes, community centre. A small community feel.
• Little streets with villagey feeling to it (like in Hampstead around Christchurch Hill)
• Water. A river or canal. I used to live in Angel and love to walk all the way to Victoria Park.
• We don't need to commute for work so that is not a problem. Any zone in Greater London is good. Or outside of it, actually, we are ready to consider.
• Maybe not too small. I don't want to live in a lovely area of 10 streets but having to be confined to it.
• Flat. I used to live in Crouch End and I loved it but walking is important for me and I don't want to have to climb a hilly street again. Ever.
• Maybe an area surrounded by other areas with a nice feel to it (I used to love that I could go to Muswell Hilll, Highgate, Alexandra Palace, Strout Green, Finsbury Park...)
• I am not really interested in the posh/competitive side of (some of) Richmond so something a bit more low key and diverse is perfect.
• An area with (at least some) large houses (we would be looking for a minimum of 5 bedrooms and I get claustrophobic in narrow houses but Iove Victorian houses rather than modern houses). We have a comfortable budget so not really a problem.
• Not overcrowded.

Neighbourhoods I like to have an idea : Hampstead Garden suburb, Crouch End (around Weston Park/Haringey Park), Strout Green, Swiss Cottage (Eton Avenue and around), Tufnell Park and the area between Tufnell Park Rd and Whittington Park, Ham without the planes :) .

Gosh, I realise I am an over-privileged nightmare. Believe me, I am tired of myself. Thanks for any help anyone can offer.

(If you can find me the house from Practical Magic in a flat Crouch End, I'll owe you one, no question asked ;) ).

Parsons green? bit quieter than other areas & close to river.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/137364473#/?channel=RES_BUY

@Sammymommy what about Hornsey? The roads off Priory Road opposite the park and near Ally Pally are flat.

This one on Park Avenue North might be too narrow for you, but could be worth a look. A friend of mine lived off Priory Road and it was especially quiet in the evenings 5 bedroom terraced house for sale in Park Avenue North, London, N8 (rightmove.co.uk)

Marlow ticks all your boxes, and is also on the river, likewise Henley. Also take a look at Amersham, Beaconsfield and Gerrard's Cross. Good luck with the search!

Wimbledon village with that budget, ticks all the boxes apart from a few hills!

Grange Park is particularly quiet (dead), has it's own train station and you can get to cafes & parks in Winchmore Hill. There is a prep school and some decent state primaries.
5 bedroom detached house for sale in The Chine, London, N21 (rightmove.co.uk)
Winchmore Hill is slightly busier with cafes on the green, a few pubs, a train station, library, sports clubs, prep school, good state primary school and some secondary schools.

Hadley Wood is very quiet. It has a good state primary, a independent secondary, a large common, train station, sports clubs, but you'd have to go to Barnet or Cockfosters for restaurants and proper shops.

Godalming. Busy enough high street, 3 parks-one with a lake if you walk to Farncombe too, water running through with ducks, Waitrose, green areas around it such as Witley Common, good trainline service and buses for public transport, good schools all the way to college age, with your budget you could get a lovely family home in a quiet enough part. There are some hilly roads, if living between Godalming and Farncombe, but that's how you get the lovely views.

@Sammymommy just seen your budget, not the prettiest, but good size.
6 bedroom detached house for sale in Camlet Way, Hadley Wood, North London, EN4 (rightmove.co.uk)

Shepperton - pleasant, quite, green space readily accessible

Another vote for Wimbledon Village, or maybe by the river in Hampton, with Bushy Park across the road and Hampton Court Palace to the east.

We used to live in Richmond and the incoming plane noise drove me nuts, even after 4 years there. Teddington is waaaaay better but when the wind blows the wrong way, you’re under the departures flight path which can get quite noisy. Not anxiety inducing as the arrivals but still, one of DD’s first words was “airplane” 😆

Lived in Marlow for a while, which was lovely.

Weybridge, Cobham.
Look down the A3.

I suppose for that money there’s Dulwich as well.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/137168774

Is this a real person?

@kidcrazy that’s what I was thinking.

Yes. Why ask, appart making me feel like shit?

Seriously? Mumsnet is a strange place, you can't ask anything without being accused of being fake.

Thanks, there are actually quite a lot of nice areas. I'll have a deeper look tomorrow.

I was thinking about st-Albans but from my research, the traffic is terrible.

I love the area but there is not enough green spaces for my tase and it's still quite busy. I love to go for a day though, the playground with the little coulourful houses is amazing (Paddington recreation ground?)

I see a lot of very nice options, I'll investigate them all. Thanks everyone for takimg the time to offer some help.

The outer edges of crouch end (towards highgate) are quieter and your budget would get you something great. For proper get away from traffic you need to be out of London. Along the Thames in W Berkshire and S Oxfordshire you could get a cracking property near the River. As am ex Londonder it consistently amazes me how quiet it is around here! So little traffic. No road or airplane noise pollution.

In London, Dulwich Village or Wimbledon Village.

But as pp have said it does seem like you might be ready for a move out. Not driving is a real barrier to that though.

East Molesey? Lovely road full of cafes and restaurants, on the river, easy walk to Kingston, right next to bushy park, green space everywhere, opposite Hampton court and always sunny.

Blackheath
Dulwich/E Dulwich
wimbledon Village

or further out.
Ickenham
Twickenham

As you have young children - Dulwich and Wimbledon have a selection of v good schools.

Definitely not flat there though!

Definitely not flat there though!

some bits are, & the OP can get the bus down the hill to the stations.