London outskits living - where!

[starchildmum]

Hi

I was wondering if there is a lovely, more affordable place to live with easy access to Oxford Circus ( my work) to purchase a first property to raise a child but still being able to commute every day to central London??
Not too rural but more like a suburban village feel. Save and green but with a bearable commute time of 1 h our less.

Many thanks!

Do you have any strong feelings on North/South/East/West? We are south and live between Leatherhead and Epsom - Surrey Hills for easy access to walks and countryside but both those towns near for Pret A Manger and wine bar needs

No, no East/ South/ West view. Just because I don’t know anything about anything :-)

Key is tube/ train access to Oxford Circus.

What’s your budget?

Good point Peachy, that’s got to be the driving factor. Tbh if we had our budget but no other family concerns I’d be in a part of Kent that had grammar schools!

Either look at the far reaches of the tube lines that go through there or train lines that connect to those tubes. Bakerloo, Central and Victoria lines. You could look at Highams Park or Chingford. Train in a couple of stops brings you to Walthamstow Central so you are on the start of the Victoria line. Pretty green, beside the forest and good community feel with lots of great primary schools. You could look at the areas along the Central line like Woodford, Buckhurst Hill etc also. Depends of what kind of budget you have and what kind of property.

I really rate Harrow on the Hill. It’s on the Met line and you change for Oxford Circus at Baker Street. The area at the top of the hill is pretty and leafy with a great primary school called Roxeth

Oxford Circus not the easiest from the more rural parts of Kent as no tubes here. Unless you like a walk from eg. Charing Cross

Suburban village feels would be places like Blackheath, Greenwich, Chislehurst. But if you want grammar schools then only Chislehurst reliably.

What's the timeframe? Can you wait till Crossrail? That brings a whole host of rural possibilities within very easy commute of bond Street.

Beaconsfield

I commuted from Surrey to Oxford Circus via Victoria, along the Brighton line. Budget?

Theydon Bois/Epping? On the Central Line but surrounded by Epping Forest.

Crystal Palace / Gipsy Hill / Penge - train to Victoria then Victoria line, definitely under an hour.

You probably need to define more clearly your idea of rural living/ suburban village feel as there are a few examples that seem far from! I thought I was pushing it with Greenwich!

A bit late on it op but we live in Henley on Thames which I really recommend (we are not super rich by the way) Small lively market town with all the shops, restaurants cafes and services you would need. Walk in the Chilterns and swim in the river, bliss...,good schools and direct trains to Paddington.

@Kahluaandgingerale

A bit late on it op but we live in Henley on Thames which I really recommend (we are not super rich by the way) Small lively market town with all the shops, restaurants cafes and services you would need. Walk in the Chilterns and swim in the river, bliss...,good schools and direct trains to Paddington.

Or Marlow

Hiya,

This is late but incase your still searching we moved 10 months ago to Broxbourne ( Hertfordshire) 20minutes to tottenham hale ( Victoria line) then oxford Street is 15 minutes away. We so it every day and it's perfect. Both born and bred in North London and had no idea about outskirts of London. Never heard of Broxbourne but through talking to people and the local estate agents in North London they said a lot of people are selling and moving here. We looked liked it and now live here in a beautiful big home and only 35 mins from Oxford Street

We moved from West London 10 years ago to East Hertfordshire (Essex borders) to get married and have kids. We're in a smaller village and commute from Harlow Town - same line as the Stansted Express and you would change at Tottenham Hale for Oxford Circus. The trains are very regular as they are to the airport.
If you want more of a town feel, then you can live in Sawbridgeworth (big village feel) or Bishops Stortford (larger market town). There is a lot of house building around here so it's quite busy and good schools are over-subscribed, but it's still amazing compared to London. Beautiful countryside on your doorstep and plenty of local shops and activites / amenities. Lots of nurseries, kids activities and potential to make great friends locally.

House prices are cheaper than Surrey or other home counties.
I think it's worth looking at a train/tube map and working out which areas you can afford the sort of house you want. Then narrow it down to a few areas. Then come out for some daytrips, drive by some possible houses, local areas and see where's got the vibe. This is what we did and visited St Albans etc before choosing Herts / Essex borders here.

Good luck!