Hertfordshire or West Sussex?

[jojolondon81]

We are looking to sell our 2-bed north London flat and move out of London with our 2 young kids (6 and 3). Trying to decide between locations in Hertfordshire and West Sussex. In Herts we are particularly interested in Hitchin and possibly Tring or Berkhamsted. St Albans too but put off by prices. We are also considering Horsham in West Sussex - suspect we would get a bit more for our money there, but it is less convenient in terms of the shlep to view houses.

Important to us: good state primary and secondary schools (wonder if Berko would give the option of comprehensives or possibly also a grammar across the border in Bucks), a decent train link into London, not being too reliant on a car (able to walk to the town centre), and a bit of bustle and activity in the town - we’d really like somewhere that has its own thing going on rather than just a commuter town.

Would really welcome any insights on life in any of these locations!

Can’t comment on either other than I live very close to the West Sussex border and given your two county choices, why would you want to be land locked when West Sussex has sea!?!! Good luck with your decision.

The sea wouldn't influence me in the least, not interested whatsoever! Herts is lovely, St Albans especially so, but yes very expensive. Berkhamsted is full of North London types, if that's your thing go for it but it's super competitive.

We’re all different aren’t we! I’d hate to be too far from the sea. Herts is a beautiful county and I enjoy visiting it. OP you’ve asked for opinions and you have them. My vote would always be West Sussex.

All the primary and secondary schools in Horsham are Good or Outstanding, and the 6th form college is also Outstanding. Plenty of people commute to London, the trains are ok but not as fast as you’d think, and often subject to issues and delays. But maybe that’s the same everywhere? Horsham is quite compact and you could easily walk to the town centre from most places that are in Horsham proper. Broadbridge Heath and Southwater are not so close, but have their own local centres.

There’s always lots going on in town especially in the summer and school holidays. There’s Friday Lates where the food market in the town centre stays open late and there’s music and entertainment. Lots of events in the park too. I don’t think it has a commuter satellite town feel at all.

Thank you so much for the thoughts - very helpful! Horsham does sound lovely and those who live there seem to speak very highly of it. Does anyone live in Tring? My partner is keen but I wonder if it might be a bit too sleepy. Horsham, Hitchin and St. Albans are that bit bigger and I feel like there would be more going on.

Can’t comment on Hertfordshire but West Sussex is lovely.

Firstly Horsham isn’t rural living.

Secondly fantastic news you are considering moving to an already chocker bit of the UK. I mean just what we need, another Londoner trying to get into the best schools. Wonderful. Don’t forget a massive SUV or three to clog up the lanes because your kids can’t carry all the bags necessary for afterschool sports, music and competitive something on the bus.

Did someone piss in your cornflakes this morning?

Horsham is a good place to live. Although it has had some issues with anti social behavior in town, recently.

Primary and secondary schools are almost all good.

Country all around you and beach is 30 minutes drive. Gatwick is 20 minutes drive.

The problem is lots of new housing going up around Horsham, without the infrastructure to cope with the number of people.

What’s your budget? Hertford is a good option and cheaper than St Albans. Good trains. Hitchin is very nice but not loads cheaper than north London now?

Tring is lovely but not huge. Good local bookshop and famous drama school. Lovely walks. Not a lot to do there.

Berkhamstead has more going on but more expensive?

Hitchin is lovely. Excellent primary and secondary schools, easy to get to London and Cambridge and the country and lots of independent shops, bars and cafes. Housing is nowhere near as expensive as St Albans.

St Albans is ridiculously expensive and the traffic in the city centre is absolutely grim. Berhamsted is commuter central, and Tring is on the small side for what you need (and the station is several miles outside the town).

Never been to Horsham, but I used to live in Hitchin, and that fits your bill. What about Letchworth Garden City? Transport links as good as Hitchin, and a slightly different vibe to it.

I live not far from Berkhamsted. I don’t have children in school so can’t comment on that side of it, but it’s a nice enough small town (though property is very expensive as it’s so convenient for commuters). It’s not what I’d call rural, however. You’re close to countryside (Ashridge forest, for example, is close by and lovely for walks) and countryside is nearby, but Berko itself is definitely a London commuter town. You do have the fantastic (independent) Rex cinema which is a big plus.

Be aware that the local council, Dacorum, is under huge pressure to build lots of new housing locally.

The train service is generally good and around 30/40 mins into London but when it goes wrong, it really goes wrong. You’ll come to loathe and detest London Northwestern Railway. Trust me on that.

We live 1/2 an hour from Horsham. The countryside round here is really beautiful and when you visit the little villages it feels like a time warp. I love the fact Gatwick is so close as well. State schools are generally very good (expect they would be in at Albans too though). One poster mentioned lots of housing going up which is true. Research where you buy carefully. You’re also near Crawley which is good from a practical point - lots of shopping, big supermarkets, after school sports and art clubs for the kids.

Have you looked at Reigate? Another lovely family friendly town with good links into London. Or Guildford, although that’s Surrey not West Sussex.