Relocating from Australia - where to live?

[RelocatingMumof2]

Relocating from Perth to UK with jobs in London and Reading with two young children (one nearly primary age, other will be daycare). Looking for advice on where to live so we can commute in around 1 hour to work but still feel like we live in a village with good amenities.

I live in Reading and raising a family here. What will your budget be? Will you rent or buy? If you're in a proper village you'd be unlikely to be an hour door to door but I can recommend a few places with a more villagey feel once I know budget.

I would start by looking at Caversham in Reading (nice area close to train station with fast trains into London) & Twyford (close to Reading with Elizabeth line train service into London).

Where in London and where in Reading are the jobs?
With kids I presume one of you wants a zero commute while the other one takes the hit?
Rush hour traffic in London, Reading and everywhere in between is a nightmare.

This is why it depends on budget, Caversham is very expensive and will be out of budget for many people who have young children and season ticket to London.
I also presumed you'd want one of you to work more locally and that it is cheaper to be closer to Reading than to London. Do have a good look at places along the Elizabeth line, too though, as it goes from Reading right through to east London.

I live in Wokingham, but would choose Twyford in a heartbeat if we had the budget.

I really like Wokingham. Thought about suggesting it actually but the train journey into London is a bit slow isn't it? If you have to go in for work.

It is - feels like it stops at every sodding lamp-post, as well as the fact it's only one line into Waterloo. Believe it or not, I've previously had to tell my boss I'm late for work because of swans on the line.

I get the train from Twyford - 25 minutes into Paddington and then 15 minutes on the tube to the office. All in about an hour and 30 mins door to door (obviously includes a coffee stop). Twyford also has the Elizabeth Line, which, while slower, is not as slow as the Reading-Waterloo line.

If you need to park at Twyford though, it's a nightmare - often the car park is full by about 7.20 certainly Tues-Thurs. It is however cheaper than Wokingham station to park.

I'm lucky in that my son's nursery isn't far from the train station, so DH Taxi drops me off at the station then the kiddo at nursery about 8am.

London central Mayfair area and same with Reading just at the train station. Both only required a couple of days of week to be present so will alternate with WFH. Budget wise less than 700k, ideally 3/4 bedroom.

Should say yes, I'm hoping to be nearer work so I can quickly get kids if required and my partner will take the commute hit to London.

We've been looking at Thatcham is that a nice area? Also between Didcot and Oxford as the train seems good from there

Thatcham, and around Didcot, are mostly new estates. Not very nice, lots of cars parked on pavements and overlooked gardens.
You might do better to rent for a year while you see what’s what.

I agree better to rent for a year and pick wisely than end up somewhere like Thatcham.

Have a look at Goring, pretty village, good schools, on the Thames and with good access to Reading and Paddington.

Look at Goring on Thames, Streatley-on-Thames, Pangbourne, Upper Basildon, and surrounding villages.

Goring and Pangbourne have a train line into Reading (well Paddington but change at Reading for a fast train).

30 minutes drive on a good day into Reading.

3/4 beds for less than £700k is doable.

If you can find a rental though, it might be wise.

Agree with others, rent for a year and spend the time looking around. I wouldn't want to make a 700k commitment only to find out the place was unsuitable.

@Oncemoreinto ’30 minutes drive on a good day into Reading.’
That would be an incredible day, like a Sunday or Saturday morning.
Is the queue up St Peter’s Hill as bad as it used to be?
I think the OP is in a tricky situation. The ideal scenario would be alternate the days in the office, so there is always someone at home to deal with the kids. However if they end up being TWATs (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in the office) then it opens a world of stress with the kids.

It's all very well advising to rent but where? And if you start a child off at school, you'd probably not want to move away any time soon. My advice would be Tilehurst, you'd get more for your money and it has a village centre yet isn't too bad to travel into Reading or to trains. Eg https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139701719 is really near Tilehurst station, buses into Reading, and a lovely big park with playground.

@OneForTheToad well I don’t go on St Peter’s Hill? It’s quite an odd route to take from my area because you made a huge assumption that I live in Goring. I don’t. I live in one of the other villages. I’ve just come home in under 30 minutes from Reading centre.

Like lots of people, if I lived in Goring I’d take the train to Reading.

I think the OP needs to see the areas. Tilehurst, Goring, Caversham, Thatham and Didcot are all very, very different from each other. As are the available schools.

Thanks everyone for the great feedback! Didcot and that ham were serious contender so good to get inside views!! So difficult from afar and we don't know the area at all.

We were thinking of heading there for a holiday for a few weeks and driving around to look at areas whilst hubby commutes.

Fortunate to have family to stay with in the midlands for a few months and I'm on Mat leave until August so plenty of time. Eldest is 3.5 so we have bit of time to choose a school. I'm used to a 10 minute commute at the moment I think the UK will be a shock to the system!!

Being born and bred in Tilehurst, I’ll say do not move to Tilehurst.

@RelocatingMumof2 does your eldest turn 4 before 1st Sept 2024? Because if so they'd be due to start school in September and the deadline for applying would have already passed.

I don't know the areas very well as I've only visited a couple of times (though I do recall they were very pretty) but this map might give you some guidance on prices. It looks to me like Pangbourne is a little cheaper than Goring and Streatley.
https://housemetric.co.uk/map/RG8-9/

Thatcham itself is nothing special, but has good train links, close to pretty areas such as Bucklebury, easy into Newbury, I think the secondary school there had a good reputation. I knew a few people there who were very happy with it

Have you got any further with this? Inetersted to know what you decide!

No further yet. Relocating in April and will be looking for accomodation from August time.
I think we will go for a visit to the area as I've never been down that way before and check out some schools, villages that you have all mentioned and some properties. We've been watching escape to the country and houses certainly don't look cheap!! Hoping we can get something suitable within budget.