Help us decide which place fits our lifestyle best in England (Richmond, St Albans, Bath, Reading, Oxford)?

[mrszusi]

Hi everyone,

We're currently residing in Richmond upon Thames and working in Soho. We're considering relocating because, while we adore the natural beauty surrounding us, Richmond is crowded, everything feels quite distant, and there's a transient vibe to the community. Our ideal location would offer safety, abundant access to nature, a river nearby, a sense of community, and fewer crowds. However, one of us needs to continue working in London.

Could you suggest which place might best suit our needs? Any tips or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Bath is very far from London. Reading is a dump.

I used to live in St Albans. 20 mins fast train into central London, excellent schools, not many nasty bits. Close to nice countryside. Harpenden is much nicer though and one stop away on same train line.

That's true, I'm happy to leave London; there's too much hustle and bustle for my taste :) I'm only concerned about how difficult it could be to become part of a community as an expat in a small community.
Our budget for renting is 2k.

Agree on Harpenden (also very expensive) also In the St Albans area Tring and Berkhamsted, small towns on railway links to London (different line).

are you going to need to think about schools soon?

If kayaking is important to you I wouldn't move to St Albans or Harpenden. The rivers are tiny and no use for any recreation other than walking alongside. I'd stick with towns along the Thames with good public transport connections to the West End.

Yeah, I've come across the name a couple of times when I was searching on the internet, but I've read mixed opinions about it.

Good question, but actually not really, especially not in the school system. However, I know that I can find them in London if I miss my home country.

Not sure what £2k would get you, I was amazed how much someone was paying for rental near us and a few years ago, and we are not quite in the
St Albans/Harpenden league.

Just had a look nice detached near us over £2k.

Are you familiar with water sports opportunities near St. Albans?

Guildford- river, amazing countryside, great shopping and dining, excellent schools, decent commute

yes, 2,000 pound per month is our budget now

Hitchin seems to have become popular with families moving from London.

and the others..: you haven’t just driven through

you have visited and explored?

Could you name specific areas to avoid?

£2k is in the small flat category for all the places you mention 🤦🏻‍♀️

Bath would be a longish and unreliable commute - there is a section somewhere between Swindon and Bath that regularly floods and then there are simply no trains, IME.

Of those, St Albans probably ticks the most of your boxes. Bath to London is a long commute, Reading is a shithole, Oxford is crowded with tourists.
Bath is even more packed with tourists than Oxford (mostly hen do's).

We are living in a 2 bedroom flat in Richmond for that price , sooo i thought it would be enough

I wouldn’t touch Reading with a barge pole.

Oxford is lovely and where we are (East Oxford) there are a lot of young families and people who have moved from London - pretty international too. But the population can also be a bit transient as lots of people come to work for the university, in research etc on limited-term contracts for a year or two and then move on. Having said that, there is a lovely community where we are and we have made a lot of friends who are here permanently. Yes, it's touristy in summer but easy to avoid if you stay out of the centre of town.

If you like kayaking then the rivers here are perfect for that - always lots of people in summer rowing, paddleboarding etc.

Is it really that bad?

Bath is beautiful but if you want relief from the crowds of Richmond you probably won't find it there. It gets very busy with tourists! Some of the smaller towns nearby (eg Bradford on Avon) have train & river access but really not viable for regular commuting to and from London.

Reading... err not the most scenic place in the world! Nearby towns like Wargrave or Henley are prettier and on the river but again not sure how commutable they would be (obviously the Elizabeth line makes this easier).

I don't know St Albans so well so won't comment.

Why don't you have a look at Guildford. Pretty, easy to walk around, river and great countryside on your doorstep and a reasonable train journey to Waterloo.

Or closer to home - Twickenham, Barnes, Mortlake, Teddington all have charming village centres and access to the river.

Oh sorry, missed out Oxford. Obviously beautiful and has decent transport to London but I don't think it will be less crowded than Richmond and with the huge student population it's also quite transient.

Winchester?

😂😂😂 I was trying not to say that