Moving from north west London to Hertforshire

[SamiUso]

Hi all,

Hope alls well.

I wanted to call on the MN hive mind for some major advice.

Myself and my Mrs are looking to move to Herts, to somewhere with good schools, green spaces, hopefully somewhere quite safe, and without much crime.

We have a two year old and six year old. Naturally anxious and guilty about taking my eldest out of school and leaving behind close friends.

Our budget is around £950K.

Have had suggestions to look at Kings Langley, Harpenden, Tring, Rickmansworth Bovingdon stc but have no clue where to even begin!

Advice and suggestions most appreciated.

Hahahaha those places hardly qualify as rural living.
Anyway, they're all nice. The train line into Euston can be a bit hit and miss though, so I wouldn't want to commute dally.

Posted in this sub forum as untold amounts of previous posts, for some reason were posted under "rural living"

Wfh so no commuting needed

St.Albans, Redbourn, Flamstead, Gaddesden, Markyate, wheathampstead, kimpton

All pretty nice with plenty of green and good school options

Firstly, don't worry too much about moving a 6-year-old. I know it seems like a big deal now, but it really isn't, especially if you will be changing your life for the better by moving.

I wouldn't exactly call any of those locations 'rural', although all will offer walks in the countryside on your doorstep and Bovingdon is lovely village, so if rural life is what you're looking for, that will give you the most 'country' feel. Harpenden and Tring are busy towns with lots going on and the whole area is full of people who've left London, but don't want to move too far away.

I've lived in this area for 14 years now and love it. Our kids have all the advantages of being near London, while also living somewhere that's got lower crime, better schools and walks through woods and fields accessible on foot from our house. It really is the best of all worlds, IMO.

Check out Brookmans Park, Little Berkhamsted and Wormley West End.

Ware is lovely.

Grew up on Markyate, went to school in St Albans. So know the area pretty well tho it's been 20+ years since I lived there. Green, nice, housing expensive. Good trains from St Albans. Harpenden is lovely. It's very busy everywhere in that area though. Not rural at all!

Use Google Streetview to get a sense of what the various towns are like and also Ofsted reports for schools. Once you've got a manageable shortlist you really need to visit to get a feel for the places and don't forget to make a list of the amenities you really want. Moving from London you might well take certain things for granted and then be utterly gutted when the nearest one is actually a 20-min (or more) drive away.

Have you looked at North Hertfordshire and places like Letchworth Garden City? If you will be commuting, that's on the main railway line into London and also close to the A1M.