Hampshire advice, particularly Petersfield

[Mumdimsum]

Hello, looking to relocate from Reigate in Surrey, however not sure if I am chasing the impossible. Looking for something that is a bit further out but still to commutable to London, good schools, not too congested. Town rather than a village, I think?

I like the sound of Petersfield? What's this area like? Would it suit us coming from Reigate? Or is there anywhere else you would recommend? Thanks in advance!

Petersfield is a lovely town, Haslemere is a couple of stops up the same line and more people commute from there, although lots of people do commute from Petersfield. Haslemere does have more of a "Surrey" feel IYKWIM and it is far more expensive but might tick your boxes on a more familiar way.

Have you tried posting on the Hampshire mumsnet?

Thanks Fruitbadger. I'm actually trying to escape the Surrey feel 😂. However If Haslemere is easy to
Commute from it is probably worth exploring. Would you say Petersfield is more relaxed and at a slower place than some Surrey towns?

Rosieproject1 I had no idea there was a hampshire mumsnet will look now

Definitely a completely different feel Same with the towns just over the border just into West Sussex too. Horsham might be worth looking at but Southern are a nightmare still so would be a risky move until the disputes are fully settled.

Haslemere has faster trains and more frequent than Petersfield, but depends on what you'll find commutable.

I'm actually looking at both Haslemere and Petersfield as well. Out of interest what exactly do you mean by a Surrey feel as I would be interested to hear? Only asking as I don't live in Surrey, but SW London so don't really know what you mean (though I suppose I can guess!)
So far I like both, but think I slightly prefer Petersfield. Am also going to look at Alton at the weekend as a comparison.
I had initially thought I wanted a village, but only by visiting places have I come to realise that actually I want a market town and we do need the train station.

In some Surrey towns there are some incredibly wealthy people which I suppose creates a feeling of pressure / competition for some but you can chose to check out of it ! For us it's just getting too congested, driving us insane not just the roads everything is busy all the time. We have been in Reigate for over ten years so we've really noticed it's increase in popularity. The positives for Surrey is there is beautiful countryside and good commutes to London. It's a hard decision for us, as Reigate is a very nice town with really good schools. The worry is that if we do move out whether we will actually have a better standard of living because of longer commuting time?! We may end up staying in Reigate who knows , we certainly don't 😂

Thanks Mumdimsim. I thought you might describe Surrey like that and do see what you mean ... A bit like Wandsworth Common! TBH we are both early 50s and sadly don't have children (excuse me being on Mumsnet but I find it invaluable in terms of so much advice). Perhaps we could avoid some of the competitive side of things as wouldn't be involved/ drawn into it from some of the family/school/children side of things. Actually I suppose many wouldn't be interested in us as we wouldn't fit the family norm!
I am swaying towards Petersfield and interesting to hear others saying it is more relaxed. Good luck with your own dilemma.

I really like the sound of Petersfield too. Just need to convince my husband re the journey time! Good luck with the house hunting.

Haslemere does feel like a much "wealthier" town, although I would hardly described Petersfield as deprived it's just broader / more normal mix versus Haslemere where there is a greater proportion of wealthy commuters.

I also think that there's a different pace of life. Because there are fewer commuters I feel there's less people who are used to seeing the more frenetic London paced life on a day to day basis... there's more of a rural feel to Petersfield in comparison.

Thanks Fruitbadger. Petersfield really does sound exactly what I am looking for. Do you know Alton at all? How does this compare?

Alton is so friendly and very similar to petersfield not much to pick between them.

Haslemere not so friendly in my opinion. Also much busier .

I don't know Alton particularly well but as Audrey says, they seem very similar from the few times I have been there. I suspect train connections to London will be better from Petersfield though. Petersfield is on the mainline from Portsmouth to Waterloo, I think you'd need to change if you're going from Alton.

Advantage of Alton is that it is the end of the train line! So going into London you are guaranteed a seat.

Petersfield is lovely. A gentle but lively enough market town in a beautiful part of Hampshire. Surrey is quite... new money, imo. (I live just south of Petersfield if you have any specific questions)

Petersfield is naicer than Alton. Alton is a bit more 'up and coming' I would say? less gentrified.. and being at the end of train line i fantastic as long as you want to get to london/go East. useless otherwise!

There is much more to do in Alton than petersfield especially with children. In my experience much more friendly . Lots of gorgeous parks that petersfield is lacking.

Petersfield has its fair share of very wealthy residents but most of the extremely rich are in surrounding down land villages.
Good town for children with the Heath park, a lovely lido in summer, a very good youth theatre.
Good secondary schools with children Churchers, Ditcham Park and some travelling to PGS (independent). Bohunt is excellent state secondary but TPS holds its own. At primary South Harting is a lovely school.
Usual children's activities and public leisure centre offering sports activities and a gym.
It's a lovely town. An hour and 10 minutes into Waterloo. Easy to get to Portsmouth when they're older or for shopping at Gunwharf Quays. Feels very safe and gentle but not a wild nightlife.
Alton is far more army wives.
Haslemere is more Surrey like - nice but pricier housing and less of a community feel.

Petersfield and similar small towns in that area do not have very big parks because they are surrounded by the most wonderful countryside so there is no need for them to have parks. In general the schools are very good in this part of the world with the exception of inner city Southampton or Portsmouth, there are lots of facilities in at least short driving distance and there is a friendly semi rural atmosphere. I live a bit further south than Petersfield and really like it, but be prepared to drive further if you want city entertainment such as cinema, different restaurants, bowling etc Most families will be doing more outdoor things like biking, riding, walking or sailing as activities.

Children love nice parks. Yes petersfield has great countryside so does Alton and lovely parks. Don't know any army wives that live in Alton .

Mumdimsum
We went to Alton on Saturday and I have to say that I did much prefer Petersfield that we visited again afterwards. Absolutely nothing wrong with Alton at all but as mentioned above, slightly less "gentrified" than Petersfield and not as charming a High Street. Having said that the property prices are definitely cheaper there. Personally, I would prefer to pay more for Petersfield but definitely worth looking at to form your own view.
We did also look at Hook that wasn't for me as too small and nearby Hartley Wintley that does not have a train station.
I think my list is now just down to two of Petersfield and Haslemere - though I do realise they are different - so it will just be down to houses for us that come up.

@Mumdimsum I know this is an old thread, but I could have written this post myself. Also looking to move further out of the area. Wondered if you moved to Petersfield or the surrounding area in the end or if you found a place that suited you better as I feel exactly the same - less congestion and a slower feel, but still a nice town or village next to a nice town with good schools.

I'd be interested to know more about Petersfield as well!

I've just seen this old thread which I contributed to. I did make the move to Petersfield. If anybody is still interested in hearing about Petersfield let me know and I will gladly respond.

I would love to hear about life in Petersfield! We're considering retiring there one day but I worry about how we would make friends.

elizabethcharlotte
Petersfield is a lovely market town with a great array of shops and eateries. It really does have good amenities in terms of Doctors, Post Office, Banks, Supermarkets, Butchers, Greengrocer, nice shops, independents and usual helpful Boots, Superdrug and others. The twice weekly market is good and the monthly Farmers Market.

it has a good community spirit and the people are friendly but the age demographic is older. I’m in my 50s and I find it old! I arrived from SW London but my partner is from here and Liss. London it is not and it has taken me some adjustment as I’ve always lived in London.

Train links are good and being on the A3 it’s 20 minutes to Portsmouth and say Southsea beach, 45 mins to West Wittering and 35 to 40 minutes to the M25. Last week I went back to Wandsworth on a Saturday and it was one hour ten mins driving. easy access to Guildford and Chichester and Winchester.

It can be very gentle and provincial as you would expect. Rural taxis are expensive, buses infrequent but the train good.

The other good thing is that it’s quite circular so unless you live way down on Herne Farm or the periphery of the town, it’s all walkable which is fantastic.
It’s more expensive than some of the surrounding areas due to amenities and train station.

There are lots of clubs and societies that you can join and a not bad gym/swimming pool. I still work and do so from home which does limit some of my joining and meeting people. Truthfully it’s the thing I miss the most as I haven’t made friends here yet apart from friendly neighbours and it is sometimes a struggle not having my old friendship group. COVID hasn’t helped either!

I hate driving on some of the aggressive country roads where speeds are 50 or even 60 mph on wide twisty fast roads, but that’s my problem.

if anyone else on MN lives here I would love to meet up with you so PM me!
If you want any more information do ask.