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Original poster

Where to move outside of London to commute in

126 replies

Fruitandveg3 · 16/08/2023 08:43

Hello,
we are currently living in Richmond/Kew and are thinking of moving out of London for more space but cannot figure out the best area to go.

Checklist:

  • husband commutes to London (works near city of London) so ideally not longer than an hour, 1.5 max
  • husband travels a lot for work so we can’t be too far from Heathrow airport
  • We have two young boys (1 and 3) so need a place with good school options: private and mixed gender
  • we have family in north London but we don’t necessarily need to be so close to them, but a huge plus!
  • Really want a community-feel but still near a lively high street, things to do such as restaurants, cafes, pubs, library, shops, museum (plus), etc.
  • In an ideal world I would love to find a location that has semi-rural feel but also has a big enough town/high street nearby as I don’t know if we are ready for very isolated/rural life but I dream of a house with a lot of green/garden space that isn’t on top of neighbors
  • budget is high (range £1.75-2.85)
  • area near green space/parks
  • family-friendly with lots to do for kids

We love Richmond but struggling to find a place with lots of space in budget. Kew is nice but DH hates the district line as it ALWAYS has issues and he sometimes ends up commuting 1.5-2 hours having to find alternative ways. And he feels like we are living in an awkward in-between life: we are quite outside of central London, living in Kew has a village-y feel but we are not living in a large house with large garden that you can get when you live more out of London and end up having a better commute.

Would love any recommendations! Thank you!!

From my own searches I’ve thought of checking out:
Kingston/Surbiton/Thames Ditton (is this even worth the move as not too far from where we currently live?)
Esher/Claygate
Weybridge
Farnham
Guilford
Marlow
St Albans
Mill Hill (still London)
any towns near Oxford?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
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lovewoola · 17/08/2023 08:44

Good luck with your search, I'm very envious. Wimbledon village is my lotto win!

Original poster
Fruitandveg3 · 17/08/2023 08:45

@Troglodytes wow these houses are beautiful. I’ll take a look at these areas. Good to know about commute! Thank you!

OP posts:
lovewoola · 17/08/2023 08:49

@Troglodytes that first house is beautiful

Mememe1234 · 17/08/2023 08:50

Jackienory · 16/08/2023 10:59

Esher , Weybridge and Marlow are eye wateringly expensive.

With their budget it should be easy to find a property in Weybridge that is at least 3000 sq ft. I’m not sure how big is big for them as everyone has their own definition of big

Mememe1234 · 17/08/2023 08:55

You have a similiar budget - the lower end one - to us and looking for a house with big garden. We also want to be closer to airports but it’s mainly schools that’s important to us.

Guildford is very expensive so you’d prob need top end of the budget for this but you can get something for under £3m. You’d struggle to get a huge house with garden that’s close to outstanding schools and station for £1.7m.

Ndhdiwntbsivnwg · 17/08/2023 09:23

Twickenham is lovely so is the Hampton Wick area. Surbiton is lovely too, though a bit further out

Porridgeislife · 17/08/2023 09:31

I’d very strongly recommend getting an air bnb for a week & testing the commute before committing to somewhere like Goring or Streatley. Most trains involve a switch at Reading and you are very much on the wrong side for the City.

We are on the wrong side for the city too (Chiltern line) and it does add a layer of tedium & stress getting back for infrequent trains, but if I miss it, I can usually get a train to a nearby “node” station and an Uber as we are close to the M25. That option disappears the further out you go. The Elizabeth line also seems to be frequently delayed in Central London.

Heathrow is also the best part of an hour’s drive. With that budget & if you really are wanting rural I’d look on the area bounded by the A404, GWR mainline and Thames and also the Hambleden Valley (area west of Marlow).

Grimbelina · 17/08/2023 09:36

Definitely look at anywhere on the Elizabeth Line - great for all of London (including getting to North London) and of course very close to Heathrow: Marlow etc.

Farnham, Godalming, villages outside of Guildford great too, more rural, beautiful countryside (preferable to Bucks/Berks IMO), slightly cheaper (but not much), fab schools but a slightly longer commute, slightly less reliable trains and further from North London and Heathrow.

Luckyduc · 18/08/2023 08:46

Why are you looking anywhere north like Millhill and Oxford when it's nowhere near Heathrow. The commute would make him miserable and its alot longer than your 1.5 hours.
You can't get museums etc in a villliage style semi rural area. What your asking for is very mixed up. I'm from a villiage and what your describing is a city.
Just follow to the end of each underground line and start your search in those areas.

LittleMonks11 · 18/08/2023 09:01

Waverley borough. London in less than an hour. Coast in the same. Villages, private schools, rural feel but we can go out to the theatre in the West End for the evening. It's where we live.

LittleMonks11 · 18/08/2023 09:01

Oh and Heathrow in 35 mins

LittleMonks11 · 18/08/2023 09:03

We have museums in around our town, and many, many places of interest. NT, Forest England, planetarium and science museum down the road. We love it.

LindaDawn · 18/08/2023 11:01

My daughter and her partner lived in a flat St Albans and only moved away a year ago to be able to afford a family home. They really rated the area, high street etc and especially the train line, saying they could always get a seat with trains which were very quick and regular.

Florenceatemycake · 18/08/2023 13:45

Missing the point somewhat but what do you guys do to have such a massive budget?!

chopc · 18/08/2023 14:16

If you can buy a home with a large garden at the lower end of your budget , you can renovate and make it your own? Would you not prefer this option?

Somethinginthewater1 · 18/08/2023 16:45

Epsom, Ashtead, Worcester Park have everything on your list and about 30 min to London.

Original poster
Fruitandveg3 · 18/08/2023 17:47

@chopc tbh this would actually be ideal! I’d love to renovate and make a home more our style. A lot of houses I find are either outdated or renovated into some flashy modern style that we don’t prefer. It would be nice to find something at the low end and renovate it (if it needs it obviously!)

OP posts:
issy123 · 18/08/2023 17:54

Look at Ashtead in Surrey it’s a lovely place to live.

TarquinOliverNimrod · 18/08/2023 20:54

Look at rural villages just outside Guildford. Idyllic. We moved from central London and couldn’t be happier. As far from the boring ‘burbs’ as you can get but close to London and beautiful AONB countryside. Best of both worlds. Fantastic schools too.

peelyjuice · 18/08/2023 21:19

@TarquinOliverNimrod do they have lively high streets in these villages?

Misearablemenomum · 18/08/2023 21:33

Have you looked at Hook in North Hampshire? Lovely large village with an amazing community feel, outstanding state primary schools in Hook, Odiham and Hartley Wintney, and good secondary in Odiham, plus private options within driving distance. Hartley Wintney and Odiham are prettier villages, but Hook has the mainline station to Waterloo in under an hour, as well as junction 5 of the M3.