Moving to Guildford/surrounds, or Walton

[dibdab05]

Hi all,

I'm currently pregnant with my first, and looking to move both house and area

We currently live in Wimbledon (which we love), but we're in a tiny flat - so we're looking for more space to properly settle down, and we're priced out of the area

We don't have a lot of ties, so important factors are:

• Commuting into London 2-3x week for DH
• Small town/some shops/amenities, or short bus away
• we love Wimbledon common & Richmond Park, so access to green space would be nice, but space/nice area feel would be higher up the list
• access to the A3 (less important)

We're looking at 3 bed (4 would be pushing it but amazing), and detached would be the dream (mainly due to a lot of past neighbour issues!) Budget is prob 625. Private education isn't an option so school options need factoring in

We started driving down south of Guildford - Shalford, Witley, down to Haslemere - other than the commute, a lot of the places were a bit too quiet for our liking, as some areas we struggled to find the village centre! We're going to be on our own with no support, so will feel isolated enough I think.

Some areas north of Guildford have come up - Jacob's Well, Wood St Village, Worplesdon (though seems not a lot on the market here) - anyone have any experience in those areas? There's a lot of properties around Stoughton, but that seems like it has mixed reviews on here.

Other areas that have come up on my map searches - Brookwood, Pirbright, West Byfleet, Pyrford

And of course, we're not tied to Guildford! The other closer-to-London option that's come up is Walton on Thames, so we're hoping to visit there this weekend to check that out too.

If anyone has any suggestions on where to look/avoid in either these areas, or other options, it'd be much appreciated! It's hard when we have no one nearby to consult, and especially now I have a ticking clock in my stomach!

There are some nice ones in Guildford around that budget - I would also look at Godalming , Farncombe , Epsom, weybridge , Reigate, Ripley , Woking on the Guildford side and Walton as mentioned - I've looked and there's a fair old selection

If Shalford is too quiet I’m not sure Wood Street, Worplesdon or Jacob’s Well are the answers to your problem. And secondary school options are considered less favourable, although I realise that’s a way off.

£625k should get you a half-decent Victorian semi in Guildford town centre where school options are reasonable and a walk to the high street and mainline station are feasible.

generally speaking, the favoured parts of Guildford are south of the A3, particularly if a walk to the station is preferred.

Maybe look at Epsom/Ewell

Guildford town is much bigger than Wimbledon. Some of the surrounding villages don’t have much to them.

Perhaps you might be better off looking at
Epsom
Ashstead
Farnham
Reigate expensive though
Dorking

Redhill ?

Not sure what prices are like in Colliers Wood?
Can you afford Worcester Park?

CW probably too expensive now.
WP might be a good shout - some good schools.