Advice on living on overground between Walthamstow and (north) Chingford please!

[baddeck1234]

Hi there, we are looking to move from south London to north/east and are really hoping for some advice / thoughts / opinions from anyone living in (or who has lived in) the areas between Walthamstow and Chingford, including both of those and Highams Park? Each of them tick quite a few boxes for things we are looking for, and we have visited them and like them, but hoping to hear some thoughts from first hand experience!

We are obviously aware that we would generally be able to purchase a larger property with more space the further out we go, but we also don’t want to live somewhere too remote or rural where there isn’t anything going on.

Thanks in advance!

What kind of advice are you after? We’re in North Chingford (the area around the station) and love it. Super family friendly, probably less “vibesy” things going on than in Walthamstow but certainly cleaner and more bang for your buck, brilliant schools and lots of cafes and shops etc.

There’s also the Mount/ Hatch etc - some nice houses but tricky transport and just no real hub/ stuff going on.

Highams Park is great. Great restaurants but parking is a nightmare. It was just voted best place to live in London by the Sunday Times so housing market has gone wild. Again great access to open spaces, v community feel like in N. Chingford.

South chingford just after billet roundabout is cheaper, 30's housing, near the big supermarkets but not much else going on, north is nicer but dearer. lots of friends made money selling up in walthamstow and leyton and moved to HP when it was a bit cheaper and quite undiscovered, not sure how prices are now but probably same as walthamstow, which is now blighted by ugly massive tower blocks all over and pockets of crime....phone snatching is out of control along hoe st and forest road again according to reports.

Thank you so much both for your comments, really appreciate your help!

And apologies I could/should have been more specific! Your comments are really helpful, there are a couple of other things I was hoping to get some thoughts on if that’s okay please:

High street - we’ve been up and down Station Rd in Chingford a handful of times now and there are obviously a few bars, pubs and restaurants and some shops but we didn’t know if there were any more somewhere else nearby? I think it’s probably because we’ve mostly visited mid Saturday morning so places were closed but we thought there wasn’t quite as much there as we had been told about / read about.

Trains - I know North Chingford / HP are well connected to Liverpool St with the overground running every 15 mins, which is great. I’m not sure how often you get the train yourselves but do you have any idea of how reliable it is and how often there are issues with it? Reason I ask is that we are on the overground at the moment in south London and it seems to always be down at the weekend for planned closures which is a nightmare, except we can also get direct trains to Victoria and London Bridge which is an absolute blessing and something we obviously wouldn’t have in North Chingford / HP.

Lastly, would you say there are any major differences between North Chingford and HP? Subject to us finding a property we like and can afford I’m trying to work out which would suit us better!

Thanks again!

I have friends in N chingford, i dont live there but know these areas as used to teach in them. Not aware of any more shops or cafes etc other than the high street, down Friday hill there is the small shopping area with some super stores..crafts, pets, diy etc.

Not aware of issues with the trains, maybe other poster can add to that.
Differences....I think HP attracts more liberal types..??...only guessing this as the ones I know who moved there are social workers and teachers etc but North chingford also has quite a few teachers living there also....NC has also been a solid tory borough for many many years...but his majority is slowing reducing as demographics change, if that is of interest to you..?

One bar near the overground used to be a bit chavvy but i think that has changed..?...maybe better to visit on a fri and sat evening and wander around. the fish and chip shop is fab, people travel to buy from them.

HP is only a short bus ride to walthamstow if you need underground...traffic down chingford road from the mount to walthamstow can be bad now due to road closures with planters etc so can take a while. HP also has better access to the north circular and M11 for airport etc if needed. traffic generally ok in HP can back up a little when the crossing is up.

okay that’s really helpful, thanks again @bumblebee1000 !

@dreamersdown I think we’re settling on north Chingford as our favourite option so really keen to hear your thoughts on the trains (including how busy they get at rush hour) and any other advice / useful info you have to share! Thank you for any and all in advance!

@baddeck1234 trains are absolutely fine at rush hour - because we’re first in the line pretty much everyone gets a seat.

The only thing to note is that later this summer they are shutting the line for 2 weeks - I’ve never known this before but there’s a collapsed bridge at Hackney.

When this happens everyone jumps on rail replacement buses/ an Uber and to the central line which is 5 mins away or Walthamstow which is 15 mins away.

Do you have a car/ do you drive? The reason that I ask is that in the opposite direction to “London” there are SO many great things and places in Essex but they’re tricky to get to without transport!

Okay that’s great to hear. I thought that might be the case but thought worth checking!

Oh that sounds like a bit of a pain but at least there are other options so you can make it work if you have to.

We don’t have a car at the moment just because we don’t need it where we live but we both drive and absolutely plan on getting one when we move!

I think we’re decided on North Chingford then! We’re hoping to move towards the end of the year so just need to hope something good comes on the market then.

Thanks again for all your help both of you!!

Great! Feel free to share properties on here and I can advise on the area!

Hi, jumping on this post for my own house dilemma! We are looking for a 3 plus bed house in East London. We're currently in Leyton and had an offer on a house here but it has fallen through (gazumped) and struggling to find something else we like here. We have been looking at Higham's Park but the very nice bits near the park are a bit out of our budget (aiming to come in under £700k) so have been looking at some on Larkshall Road and between there and the Mount. Then today we saw a gorgeous house in Whitehall Gardens in Chingford and thought it was great but we don't know the area/ Chingford North so well.

This thread has been very helpful- would welcome any views on those areas too! I'm a terribly indecisive person so rrally terrible at this type of thing and frustrated to be back looking again after we thought we were sorted. We both commute into central London a couple of days a week and we have a toddler and another one on the way so interested in schools etc.

In this price range i would stay in Leyton

my friends live not far from whitehall gardens, across the road, down kings head hill...they like it, not too much going on at chingford mount, havent been there for few years...sometimes the lads gather to smoke a bit of weed..nothing to be worried about...i think there are a few shops and a pub near where you are looking..not sure....