Rochester Kent...how's the commute to London

[RME578]

Hi everyone ...I'd like to hear from anyone who's commuting from Rochester Kent to London on a daily basis. We're considering a move to Rochester from Streatham SW16. I work close to Knightsbridge and my hubby is in Canary Wharf.
Has anyone made a similar move and if so, how did you find it? What's the good and the bad? From what I've researched Rochester seems like a nice area with lots to offer. We'd like more space and a more chilled home life...hoping that a move to Kent will offer that. No children yet, but hopefully that will happen soon, and we think that will be a more kid friendly area.
Thank you everyone for your feedback!
RME

For Canary Wharf it's not an easy commute but not awful either. You'd need to either get a train or drive to Strood and then go from there to either Victoria or Charing Cross (can't remember off the top of my head) and then tube to Canary Wharf. It's certain it do-able though.

Rochester can be lovely to visit but not sure as a place to live - it's very close to Chatham which has an awful reputation, and some of that has filtered through to Rochester. I live about 15 minutes away and would rarely visit Rochester as there's not much to do.

The commute is expensive. If you got the high speed train (probably not helpful for where you need to go as it stops at Stratford and St Pancras) it's even dearer.

The area itself is pretty rough. There are some niceish villages around the outskirts, Higham, Wainscott, etc but ateotd it's all part of Medway which is pretty rough as a whole. Chatham or Gillingham town centre on a Saturday would probably put you off...

The train from Rochester to Victoria or London bridge, then get the tube.

Monthly travel card from Rochester to London all zones is £462, though.

Sorry, managed to skip over the part about Knightsbridge. Not sure about the actual route but morning and evening trains usually cover Victoria. Charing cross and blackfriars

I'd go from Rochester to Lewisham, then DLR lewisham to Canary Wharf. Cheaper than going into central

But surely you can get a train to Stratford and then DLR to Canary Wharf?

We moved from West Hampstead to Chatham (pretty much the town centre) about 2 years ago.

Chatham's negative reputation is definitely oversold. I live right in the centre (near the high street and train station) and don't have any problems. There are plenty of much rougher places in London.

Commute wise, from Rochester and Chatham there is normally no problem getting a seat on the train to St. Pancras or Victoria. You can generally sit on the trains to Cannon Street, though you might be unlucky somedays. Charing Cross trains are slow stopping trains. I have found all the train services fairly reliable. Between 7 and 8, there is a train every 6 to 10 minutes to London (though not necessarily going to the station you want).

The high speed line change at Stratford to the Jubilee involves a 10 minute walk so isn't ideal, similarly the St. Pancras change to the underground can be quite long.

Rochester is a beautiful town, the schools are good, practically tripping over Grammar Schools - I think there are 6 of them. I remember being shocked by the outrageous nursery fees in West Hampstead (circa 2k a month), Rochester has excellent Pre-Prep nurseries that are less than half of that. There are several good restaurants, and a couple of good bars.

No fishmongers or good quality independent butchers/Deli. Local Doctors and dentists are open on Saturdays and there are no issues getting appointments.

Did you make the move in the end? We are thinking the same so would be great to hear how you’re getting on if you did. Thanks

We are moving from Harrow to Chatham and I shall be commuting to a new job in Bromley South.
Certainly having lived more centrally in London other than Harrow most of my life I agree that there are far worse places than Chatham in London and I do not mind Chatham at all.
I have read opinions as to the commute in my general direction for work on here with interest.
It will certainly be better than my current commute from Harrow to Bromley south at the moment!

Oh and my monthly ticket will be circa £340 approx. a month

We moved from Kingsbury which is near Harrow to Strood in 2016! I agree there are far worse places to live in London than Chatham. I have never looked back and it’s the best move we have ever made. Good luck with your move!

@RM578

Did you make the move in the end?

I would also be interested to know about living in Rochester, Gillingham... planning to sell in London soon and exploring areas in Kent

I recently moved from Blackheath to Rochester and have no regrets. Rochester has a lovely high street with a village feel. Lots of restaurants and boutique shops, no chains. The architecture is generally historic and beautiful, with lots of history and green spaces to explore. I work by Liverpool Street, my commute is just over an hour.

We did the move back in Feb 2019 from Surrey and couldn’t be happier. Rochester is a fab place to live. High street has new shops and restaurants opening all the time and is so pretty with the cathedral and castle. Commute to London is good too.