Best place North/central London to commute to Stratford? Advice please!

[Mrshmartin]

Advice on best area to live?!....Ive recently just taken a new post in Stratford, not starting till early April so have time thankfully to find somewhere for us.

Looking to relocate around the North area, We need to be as close as possible to New Barnet, but with the easiest access to Stratford as poss (minimal or easiest travel routes- will be working full time there so need to commute everyday). Good schools primary/secondary is required too. Looking currently at the new Southgate area, (train looks easier route?) any suggestions gratefully received!

Stratford east London or Stratford upon Avon?

Stratford East London

New Southgate or any of the stations along that line or the other half of the rail line (so Winchmore Hill, Palmers Green etc) would be a perfectly OK commute, change at Highbury and Islington for the overground to Stratford (at the moment there are works on the line so reduced service but that will be finished by end Feb). The trains/rail service is not as frequent as the tube so you can end up stuck for 10-15 mins or so if you mis-time it, but depending on how close you live to the station and how much of a walk at the other end would probably be under an hour door to door which is what most people do in London. Pre-lockdown trains were really quite busy by New Southgate so you might have been better off being a couple of stops up the line to get a seat in the morning but I don't know how it is now, are you able to visit at rush hour to try for yourself?

If you wanted a quicker commute the obvious thing to do would be to move further east directly onto the central line or one of the many rail lines that go direct to Stratford but obviously that means being further away from New Barnet and schools in Enfield certainly were always not as good as Barnet, but I do hear good things about Wanstead, Leystonstone, Walthamstow kind of areas these days, and depending on how close you need to be to New Barnet and whether you'd be driving or public transporting there, probably still under an hour back allowing for North Circular/m25 snafoos?

Thank you so much for that, really appreciate the advise ☺️💛