London’s most walkable / friendly / lovely neighbourhoods?

[Bagggy]

I feel like I live in my car and I live in a popular, expensive London neighbourhood.

Where do you think I’d get all of the above in my title? Walkable (as in, no one drives around really), friendly, lovely, great atmosphere generally?

And where is work?

I have thought about Walthamstow as I have friends there. I worried it might be the same - that I’d drive a lot as it’s as far out as MH. I think what I’d ideally like is everything within a walk that I enjoy - swimming, nice shops, gym, park / green space. And then everything else an easy one bus or tube away! And somewhere really friendly and easy to meet nice neighbours etc.

South of the river here and my car is really only for journeys out of London (or IKEA!). Walk and public transport is preferable (and quicker!)

Friends are all over but mostly Hackney or Walthamstow to be honest, which is why I keep driving east. Some Kentish Town way, and that’s a tube ride from Highgate, so it’s easy. But I do still find myself driving there sometimes! I think I’m in the habit!

I work in schools and currently that’s HGS which is why it’s such an easy drive from here. But I won’t be there in September, I’m interviewing now but hoping for one that’s a bit more (north) central.

I thought that perhaps I’d make local friends and stop travelling around so much. But I haven’t joined anything to make that happen, so that’s on me. Now I’m wondering if I should just move somewhere in London that feels “smaller” and more contained! As Muswell Hill feels a little like a town of its own rather than a London “village”. (I know people hate the term London villages, but you know what I mean!)

Hmm - I think you'd need to be very central for almost all of those things, but the friendliness is a function of not being central, iyswim?

It is very very friendly here, particularly easy to meet through kids, constantly waving or chatting to someone I know. Epping forest on doorstep, posh food in the Village...

But wherever you go you need to start using a bike! It really changes how you feel about where you live. You sound (sorry) quite well off - get a good e-bike (Tern or similar) and a bike store with electricity for your front garden. It's very liberating!

My sister lives in the village of Ham which is on the Thames between Kingston and Richmond. They moved out from Islington and say it's the best move they've ever made. They never use their car - and are thinking of selling it and just renting when they need. She works in the City 2 days a week and he works locally. They use the towpath a lot and walk all the time (Teddington, Kingston and Richmond). Kids go to the local school on their bikes. Small, safe roads. She goes to Richmond Park a lot as she's a keen photographer.

I used to live in Finchley and while I could just about manage without a car, it did get tricky going across outer London (rather than into the centre). There was almost always a way to do it by bus, but it could get lengthy and inconvenient, especially once I had my oldest. When I started the thread I immediately thought "up past the North Circular".

I've always thought Hampstead and Belsize Park were gorgeous and so convenient but far, far out of my price range!

Under a flight path into Heathrow, though? The planes are very low there. My parents left Ham nearly 50 years ago because of them, and I do notice them when I’m out and about that way (ditto Richmond, Kew etc). I’m under the flight path but a lot further east so at least they’re higher.

I'm zone 6 and we rarely use the car. I can walk, train, cycle, or bus to pretty much anywhere I need to be. We use the car for football and rugby matches on the weekend and to visit friend and family out of London but we don't use it in the week.

No. I asked her about that. They initially rented in Kew and that was a nightmare so she was very careful about her move to Ham. Did her research and says there's only the very very occasion flight taking off over them.

Ham is gorgeous but it ain’t London! I think you should look at East Finchley and Kentish Town

It’s a mind set rather than an area. I’m always surprised how many people insist on driving regularly in London (no they don’t all have a disability or use their car for work etc…).

No matter how usable public transport is some people will always find an excuse to drive - I don’t feel safe (it’s the middle of the day), it’s raining (you’re not made of paper), I don’t like buses (wtf).

Even if public transport improves in parts of the country where there is currently poor transport, not everyone would reduce using their nice cosy car. For some people driving is a badge of success (dps brother in the South West would never dream of using a bus, however frequent or cheap it was).

Change mind set and habits then look at area would be my advice.

As Muswell Hill feels a little like a town of its own rather than a London “village”. (I know people hate the term London villages, but you know what I mean!)

Have you got to know Highgate and Crouch End too? They're walkable to Muswell Hill or 5 mins by bus or bike, and form a larger neighbourhood - green spaces, swimming pools, shops, cafes - it's all there. Everything you say you want is on your doorstep other than your friends in East London.

That’s good to know! Kew is dreadful, we once abandoned sitting outside the pub on a lovely day because we couldn’t hear each other speak!

Crouch End is as bad as Muswell Hill imo

Ham is brilliant for this as is north Kingston and Teddington ( walk through to Ham over the bridge) everything on tap and no - not really on the flight path - we’ve lived in Richmond too and the difference re planes is chalk and cheese -

In what way is it bad?

Inaccessible, no tube, not like London proper as it’s isolated

Lots of London doesn’t have the tube and isn’t necessarily unhappy about that! I’m in zone 2 and didn’t have it for years until the Overground arrived, which is great but it was pretty good before then anyway.
Not having tube OR train is a problem, though.

@Davros you could say the same about much of south London if ‘tube’ is your defining criteria- Crouch End is not isolated. It links up to Stroud Green, Wood Green and Highgate - Epping is on the tube as is some of Bucks- very much further out in my view than Crouch End- we lived in Crouch End when my son was born ( a central bit) - I used to be on the bus to Finsbury Park tube ( about 7 minutes) every day and the bus was every 5 minutes- it’s very much London. Also used to get the overground to go somewhere like Islington - would I have preferred having the tube on the doorstep yes- did we drive everywhere- ? No because we didn’t drive. OP is choosing to go to a gym etc not on her doorstep. She could live in Hackney and still prefer to go to the Mill Hill gym and pool-so could well end up driving anyway- I think what sounds to me the issue is her friends are ‘elsewhere’ -that’s often the situation anywhere you live in London - when I lived there my friend was in Tooting- I was in Crouch End

The tube isn’t my main criteria these days as the overground and buses have improved so much. Having lived nearly all my life near the tube, and using it to get to school (1970s) and work for many years, I like to be reasonably near a tube or I get the shakes! Where I live now is nearer to an overground station but I tend to use buses more than anything. As a Londoner, I’ve always felt that Muswell Hill and Crouch End are sort-of London Lite, a gentle introduction to some people moving in and I’m more aware of those areas as I’m in NW

@Davros I do know what you mean but I guess it’s a personal thing- many of the areas that actually have a tube I’m not keen on or ones I would be keen on like Belsize/hampstead etc and fit OPs criteria may well be out of OPs budget - I know myself I wouldn’t pick to live in Neasden or Walthamstow or Tottenham etc - tube or not. Personally I think the issue isn’t MH ( which I know and like) - it’s hardly a big deal to Highgate tube on bus and it has lots of lovely stuff locally on High st- as well as the bus to Crouch End ( 5 minutes) with another nice High st I think it’s that she is choosing maybe to go to a particular gym or to Brent Cross maybe for shopping - it’s her habits that involve driving more and maybe friendships and I think the same might happen elsewhere too. I don’t drive ( although H does) so I’ve always been used to lots of bus catching- we live in Bath so do it lots here but I used to when we lived in London as well -sometimes was quicker than tube on certain routes. I do think if she wants somewhere villagey with really good shopping on doorstep and no need to go into London I would be looking at Han/teddington/ north kingston - both nice AND practical ( have lived there too). All very walkable around and great shopping in Kingston - Wimbledon too is good for similar reasons. A lot of people do want what you may see as ‘ London lite’ -I was definitely that way minded myself

Parsons Green - I would drive in then not use my car all weekend.
I live in Wimbledon and it’s perfectly possible to live here without a car, but it’s handy (for example if I need to take my cats to the vet I’d have to uber it if no car). Both are friendly, decent schools, green spaces, good transport, plenty of shops/restaurants/cafés.

@mondaytosunday yep- my son lives in Belsize ( flat share) but has a car and he uses it to come to see us, nip to ikea or supermarket at Brent Cross, pop to the farm shop in Totteridge area, pop to see his grandad over in Somerset etc - but as you say most of the time uses tube or bus. A car can certainly ‘vary’ things up but son uses it very specifically rather than all the time- does he need one, not really but he chooses to have one.

Kennington would fit that brief - tube stations on 2 lines, can get almost anywhere by bus from Vauxhall bus station and out of town quickly from the rail station there, a nice parade of shops by the Oval and an enormous Sainsburys at 9 Elms. Battersea Power Station is walkable along the Embankment for meals out (also restaurants by Vauxhall Bridge). Saturday farmers market (small but very good) and a friendly neighbourhood with a number of community groups to get stuck in to. Houses are gorgeous in the Georgian squares as well.....