Epsom vs Hitchin?

[KrakenFrog]

We used to live in SE London and currently live in Milton Keynes for the affordability. However, we do miss a walkable town/train and the energy. Since we don't have kids, there are natural differences in finding a group of friends. I've narrowed it down to these two places and I know they are vastly different.

Hitchin is more a market town, visually beautifully, independent shops, close to Stevenage for the big shop (preferable!), close to Luton airport, lots of trains to go to London or Cambridge, expensive trains. Epsom feels more like London, seems to have more London energy, has lots more shops, trains into London (although not as fast as Hitchin), Epsom Downs/Surrey Hills, close to New Malden for the Korean supermarket and cuisines, more affordable trains. I can't decide.

Some info about us:

• SE Asia, early 30s and work remotely. We do want to be 1-1.5 hours from London. Id prefer to live outside zone 5 to a commuter town.
• No kids so schools are not important to us.
• Budget 550k 2/3 bed house. Could extend to 600k.
• I'd prefer to live in a place that is a good area, and we have the worst house.
• Walkable town and trains.
• Close to nature and people in our situation e.g. working professional, no kids.
• We play badminton, travel about 4 times a year.

I don't know Epsom at all, but I know Hitchin quite well, and in my experience it's dull as dish water! Full of old ex-London retirees. It's also a bit "in the middle of nowhere." It sounds like Epsom perhaps has more of the vibe you're looking for.

I disagree - I live just outside Hitchin and I think it's fab! Loads of good restaurants and bars, lovely friendly people, great for a weekend mooch, some cool shops, and great transport links. Although I go up north frequently so proximity to the A1 is important to me, it may not be to you. Oh and tons of countryside trails outside the town.

Never been to Hitchin, but I know Epsom. I'd take Hitchin. Epsom has nothing to recommend it and is hell on earth on Derby Day.

If you have to be near Epsom, I'd take Ewell over Epsom itself anyday.

I disagree - Epsom has a lot to offer and is getting better year on year (New restaurants and coffee shops, Picture House, Epsom Social etc). It is also close to LGW and LHR and has three different trainlines directly into London. You can get easily on the M25 and get to many other places easily. Location wise its great, but its certainly not a London equivalent.

OP you could also look at Reigate and Weybridge. Or a bit further out to Guildford (town centre)?

I like Epsom (and surrounds - Ewell, Ashtead etc) but I'm not convinced it's going to meet your requirements. It seems to me to be filled with families or older people and some students. It certainly doesn't strike me as a good place for people who are looking for a bit of excitement and fun with few responsibilities. Also, realistically, a house for £550k that's 2-3 bedrooms will be difficult to find anywhere near the actual town or in any of the "nicer" areas.

The shops and town centre are fine - not very exciting but you can get all your basic chores and shopping there. And it's easy enough to travel to Reigate or Kingston if you want higher end/more variety. Ditto, restaurants and bars - all fine, but the moment you want something a bit nicer or more interesting... you need to travel a bit further. New Malden is close, sure, but it's a bit of a tedious drive to get there for a few Asian supermarkets I'd have thought - why not just live in New Malden in the first place?

Trains from Epsom proper are not too bad. And go to different London stations. Ashtead/Ewell are a bit more irritating as they've reduced the service post-Covid. Also, public transport in a broader circle is pretty dire - so you can take the train into London or out towards Guildford, great. But that's it. Busses are limited so you do need to drive - our life is split between Epsom, Cheam, Banstead, Kingston and Chessington and I do feel like I spend my life in the car as using busses or trains for most of these journeys is impossible.

If epsom has a London-vibe, it's one of the less desirable, less funky boroughs!

as a person who lives near Epsom myself I agree with every word of this assessment of what it has to offer in relation to OP's wants and the compromises that arise from it

550K will get you a 3 bed semi with 1 to 1/1/2 km walking distance of Epson station & town centre, in other words: solid middle class suburbia

I grew up in Epsom and then lived in London for 15+ years- Epsom is nothing like London.

I moved to Hitchin earlier this year from London, not regretted it whatsoever. I was slightly worried about lack of diversity but actually it's OK. I'm of Chinese heritage and though I wish there was more authentic Chinese food here, it's not devoid of different cuisines. And having left a part of North London that was almost exclusively Turkish restaurants, boring chains, and the standard takeaways and cafs, honestly Hitchin has more variety. There are two Thai restaurants, one Vietnamese and one Japanese in town (all good, which was a nice surprise).

And as you say, you've got Stevenage for the retail park stuff (Dunelm and Homesense were great for the move!!), and Letchworth is nice to pop over to too. Plenty of countryside in most directions, if you want nature reserves Barton Hills and Pegsdon Hills are right next door.

There's a great, intimate music venue too, which I only went to for the first time a few weekends ago. They're fundraising to buy it off their landlord at the mo so I really hope they stick around, it's a great community vibe and I think something that sets it aside as a small, commutable town.

The only con for me has been the unreliability of Thameslink, where trains can be cancelled at short notice/for no apparent reason, and often there are delays in both directions. But I don't think this is unusual for anywhere that is a train journey into London, I've heard it can be awful coming in to the city from across the South too. Just be prepared for trains to screw with plans at times, and bookmark the Thameslink live departures page 😂

Oh and your budget should get you a reasonable 2/3 bed depending on area. If you're not as fussy on the house itself i.e. willing to go for a dated property you can do up but it's in a good area, I think you've got plenty of opportunities to find somewhere. Just based on recent events though I would avoid Walsworth because the spate of torrential rain in Sept/Oct burst the river banks and quite a few houses flooded multiple times! Probably not going to be that bad again for a while but who knows with climate change?

I moved to Hitchin from North London a few years and have no regrets. It has an incredible creative community, great restaurants and cafes. Lovely countryside on your doorstep. And like you mentioned Stevenage is very close for all those practical shops. If kids are in your future then the schools are outstanding too.

The fast trains from Hitchin to London only take around half an hour.

Hitchin is amazing! Lots of funky little shops, lots of nice little pubs with music venues, close to everything good, as well as the countryside. Barton Le Clay is one of the most beautiful places, exquisite.