Afordable rural area within easy commuting to London

[Rowena12]

Hello,
We are a young family with an 1 year old and one on the way and thinking of moving from Central London somewhere rural, further out away from the craziness of London in search of better quality of life. We want a nice peaceful village atmosphere but on the other hand we don't want to feel isolated as we are very sociable and would still want access to shops, restaurants, caffee, within a 10 min drive. Would be happy with a small market town kind of place with a pub, a few shops and good schools. My DH works in Canary Wharf and myself in Holborn, so good transport links into London is essential.
We wanna buy a property and our budget is 280-300000£. Any suggestions of where we could start looking? TIA

How far from London are you prepared to move?

As above, I live in Oxfordshire and the public transport to London isn't bad but it's long.

There's millions of villages here as its in the Cotswolds, if you're happy to drive/bus to a train station you have Oxford and Swindon in distance from Cotswold villages.

Best bet is to look in Charlbury, its a nice village in middle of country in west Oxfordshire. 1 hr 15 mins to London on train you can buy a 1000 Sq Ft 2/3 bed there with a decent garden for less than £300,000 even less if you move to a village just outside.

The train from Swindon to London is just under an hour and Swindon is very cheap, Swindon town isn't the nicest looking place but its really well developed and got millions of things to do. Theres nice villages outside like Blunsdon, you can buy a 3/4 bed new build there for £300,000 or an older 3 bed for £250,000

Look at Sevenoaks and surrounding area. Good schools. Gorgeous countryside. Easy commute to the City. And surprisingly good value. I've seen some pretty terraces and cottages around the £280-300k mark.

Its not just about the distance from London - its also the distance to your job once in London. Swindon to Paddington may not be over an hour but getting to Swindon station and to Canary Wharf from Paddington can easily double that time.

Also factor in costs. Transport costs will be a lot higher for a longer, mainline commute and you will also need additional hours of child care. Choice of childcare options within practical reach in addition to a commute may also be more restricted.

You might find you can stay closer to London and the Canary Wharf side if you go into Essex rather than Bucks/Middx/Surrey sides.

Have either of you lived the village life? At least enough to be sure its what you want rather than city life? Or is it also the only way you can get onto the property ladder?

I agree with PP. Look in Essex and Kent. Otherwise your commute is double the time and cost.

Agree Essex is probably your best bet. If you lived within reach of somewhere like Loughton you'd be on the central line into Holborn and Stratford for Canary Wharf.

Lots of lovely villages in Hertfordshire. Easy rail transport into Kings Cross.

If you're on the Greater Anglia line into Essex then you will come into Stratford/Liverpool Street which is super easy for Canary Wharf and Holborn.

However, you'll struggle to find anything other than smallish flats for your budget without going a bit further out and there's a premium on the nicest small towns/villages - somewhere like Ingatestone could work if you could stretch your budget a bit. If you're happy for a longer drive to the train station in the mornings then maybe Danbury or Tiptree and commuting from Chelmsford.

Just remember to factor in the commuting time to your day to day life and the annual cost of travelcards to your budget. They can be incredibly expensive and the cost rises every year.

Kent would be best for that commute. Maybe around Otford or Westerham or the villages around Tunbridge Wells/Tonbridge? Factor in time to get to the mainline station, parking and train ticket costs. Sevenoaks villages are also lovely. Maidstone area is cheaper but further out. Kent and Essex have the Grammar school system for children.

Hertfordshire isn’t really that rural, I’d go seven oaks as PP said. I’m in Herts now and wish I’d gone south.

You should look north to Bedfordshire (Bedford to Kings Cross is a commuter route), or Northampton if you want a house. You won’t find a three bedroom detached in a good area in Milton Keynes but you should be able to find a 2 bed flat / house near the railway station and the commute into Euston is approx 30 mins.

Much Hadham in Hertfordshire is in lovely rolling countryside. But as others say do factor in travel times to the station and once in London and spending a lot of time driving everywhere.

Your desire for cafes, restaurants and coffee shops makes you sound quite urban! Be aware cinemas, playgrounds and children's play centres are few and far between in the country and secondary school kids can spend a lot of time on buses (and live a long way away from friends) in the country. My kids as pre-teens and teens in London had way more things to do (and all in walking distance, quick bus ride) compared with their country cousins.

Gt Wakering near Southend , easy parking at Shoeburyness, Fenchurch st line or if that goes west one night you can go via Liverpool st to south end . Southend high st is horrible . Thorp bay is lovely. Prices are do able . Lovely village feel .

Much Hadham is only 20 mins to Harlow though and that is very busy (although not really very nice in places) 2 cinemas and a busy shopping centre that’s not too bad.

I think Essex too. Could one of you find work more locally? It really helps with childcare/ school eventually if you dont both have 1.5hr door to door commutes to fit in the day.

You will get more for your money if you travel on the line beyond Sevenoaks to Tonbridge, paddock wood, Marden, staplehurst, headcorn (20 mins drive to Ashford or Maidstone for all big shops, or the same to Tenterden which is lovely and old) lots of building happening in all, all direct to London Bridge, Waterloo east, Charing x

Something like this. Lovely village and very sociable. www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-71453404.html