Good commuter towns north of London

Good commuter towns north of London

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skibum

Original Poster:

1,032 posts

236 months

Friday 31st May 2013
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Hello,

I expect this gets asked a lot, but really struggling on picking a location to live. I currently rent down in Kent and own a house in Redditch, Worcs. The sale of my house is about to go through and I'm then looking for somewhere to buy that meets the following requirements:

Reasonably close to a main line station with less than 1hr commute into London (for work)
Good access to either M40 or M1 (to visit family/friends in Midlands/North)
Not too worried about shopping/busy night life as long as there is a supermarket within driving distance
Ideally a new build property, so perhaps a new development in a growing area and max price £250K

So far I have looked at places in Hitchin and Aylesbury. Hitchin seems okay for the commute, but the new builds are a bit pricey. Aylesbury has good property, but the commute is 1hr 5 mins + time to get across London to London Bridge where I work.

I'm starting to think about Milton Keynes and Bedford, but see a lot of mixed reports.

Any thoughts or recommendations? it feels like I'm staring at a huge range of options and don't know where to start....

Rich

Esseesse

8,969 posts

207 months

Friday 31st May 2013
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I currently live in Bedford. I used to work in Hitchin and semi regularly find myself in Milton Keynes for shopping and socializing.

I prefer Bedford over the other 2. Although there's a few small nice bits in Hitchin I found it to be mostly a dump. There are certainly dumpy parts of Bedford but quite a few nice largish areas. MK is not the kind of place where you can just walk into town and has it's fair share of dumps. Some bits around the edge of MK are quite nice (Stony Stratford etc).

I think Bedford is cheaper than Hitchin as Hitchin is in Hertfordshire. MK probably on a par with Bedford(shire). Northamptonshire is cheaper than Bedfordshire and I think council tax is generally lower.

If you're inclined to live out of town (I am) then I think the countryside between Bedford and Northampton (Sharnbrook, Harrold, Pavenham and surrounding area) is particularly nice and is 10/15 mins to Bedford train station in normal traffic, probably a little more at rush hour.

Chris71

21,535 posts

241 months

Friday 31st May 2013
quotequote all
I've been through this recently and I'm now in the process of buying a house in Hertford. We needed broadly the same sort of things as you, but me and the OH both work on the outskirts of London rather than the City, which affected our choice of train stations somewhat. Anyway, for what it's worth here's my take on it - some opinions are based on little more than comments on here, but much of it is first hand experience of spending time in the towns:

Letchworth - It's like Mumsnet brought to life. Brilliant if your priorities are lentil weaving, visiting garden centres and taking your toddler to the local playgroup. Distinct lack of passable nightlife and mixed feel to the accommodation. Excellent train links to Kings Cross.

Baldock - Very pretty, characterful village centre with lots of pubs and restaurants. Most of the affordable housing is identikit modern houses. Quite compact presently, but about to be (potentially) swamped by a series of large new developments. If you see a conspicuously cheap house, you'll probably find '400 bijoux modern apartments' are about to land in the back garden. Good rail links, but not as good as Letchworth. Houses significantly more expensive than Letchworth and less chance of a garage. Personally, I far preferred it for atmosphere and appearance, though.

Hitchin - Probably priciest of the three so far. Didn't investigate that much, but potentially has a nice balance of life and charm. There are some less pleasant estates to watch out for, though.

Hertford - Town centre has lots of olde worlde charm and yet plenty of modern amenities too. Decent nightlife for a provincial town. It does sprawl a bit, admittedly, and houses aren't cheap by Herts standards. Rail to London (Kings Cross or Liverpool St depending on the station) takes about the same time as the others, but it's significantly closer by road and you have the option of A1 or A10.

Ware - Feels a lot like a smaller, more affordable version of Hertford. Town centre is quite villagey and clustered around the river in a similar manner. Not as much going on as Hertford, though. Some decent new builds within walking distance of the station (Liverpool St only) if you don't mind being hemmed in a little.

Bishops Stortford - Never got round to looking seriously here, but it would have been the next step if we'd drawn a blank in Hertford. Decent links to Liverpool St, quite affordable and plenty of character houses. Also has some nightlife.

Hoddesdon - Felt a bit too much like London to me, but offered brilliant value for money considering how close it is to the M25. Town centre is reasonably nice and there are some decent houses. Rail links to Liverpool St, although I have a feeling you're on a stopper train which is no quicker or more frequent than some of the fast trains from places like Letchworth, which are much further out.

Hope that's helpful. smile
We had to find a house in a hurry (long story) so it utterly dominated our lives for a couple of months, hence it's all permanently stamped into my brain!

skibum

Original Poster:

1,032 posts

236 months

Friday 31st May 2013
quotequote all
Cheers guys for the responses.

There are a few places for me to go explore now and you've also confirmed my suspicions on some places (Hitchin for example).

Chris71

21,535 posts

241 months

Friday 31st May 2013
quotequote all
skibum said:
Cheers guys for the responses.

There are a few places for me to go explore now and you've also confirmed my suspicions on some places (Hitchin for example).
It's worth looking into Hitchin. It was famously voted the 7th best place in the UK to live by The Times not that long ago.

I think it's a pretty decent town, but from what I can gather its reputation seems to have kept rising while the quality of life hasn't necessarily kept pace. Because it was lauded as 'the up and coming place to be' I think the nice bits of Hitchin gained a premium which is now slightly disproportionate to what you actually get.

Didn't spend too much time there, but my gut feeling is it could be the best of the Hitchin/Letchworth/Baldock triumvirate if you've got the funds to live in a nice part of it. Didn't see much in our budget that appealed, though.

Kateg28

1,352 posts

162 months

Friday 31st May 2013
quotequote all
Chris71 said:
I've been through this recently and I'm now in the process of buying a house in Hertford. We needed broadly the same sort of things as you, but me and the OH both work on the outskirts of London rather than the City, which affected our choice of train stations somewhat. Anyway, for what it's worth here's my take on it - some opinions are based on little more than comments on here, but much of it is first hand experience of spending time in the towns:

Letchworth - It's like Mumsnet brought to life. Brilliant if your priorities are lentil weaving, visiting garden centres and taking your toddler to the local playgroup. Distinct lack of passable nightlife and mixed feel to the accommodation. Excellent train links to Kings Cross.

Baldock - Very pretty, characterful village centre with lots of pubs and restaurants. Most of the affordable housing is identikit modern houses. Quite compact presently, but about to be (potentially) swamped by a series of large new developments. If you see a conspicuously cheap house, you'll probably find '400 bijoux modern apartments' are about to land in the back garden. Good rail links, but not as good as Letchworth. Houses significantly more expensive than Letchworth and less chance of a garage. Personally, I far preferred it for atmosphere and appearance, though.

Hitchin - Probably priciest of the three so far. Didn't investigate that much, but potentially has a nice balance of life and charm. There are some less pleasant estates to watch out for, though.

Hertford - Town centre has lots of olde worlde charm and yet plenty of modern amenities too. Decent nightlife for a provincial town. It does sprawl a bit, admittedly, and houses aren't cheap by Herts standards. Rail to London (Kings Cross or Liverpool St depending on the station) takes about the same time as the others, but it's significantly closer by road and you have the option of A1 or A10.

Ware - Feels a lot like a smaller, more affordable version of Hertford. Town centre is quite villagey and clustered around the river in a similar manner. Not as much going on as Hertford, though. Some decent new builds within walking distance of the station (Liverpool St only) if you don't mind being hemmed in a little.

Bishops Stortford - Never got round to looking seriously here, but it would have been the next step if we'd drawn a blank in Hertford. Decent links to Liverpool St, quite affordable and plenty of character houses. Also has some nightlife.

Hoddesdon - Felt a bit too much like London to me, but offered brilliant value for money considering how close it is to the M25. Town centre is reasonably nice and there are some decent houses. Rail links to Liverpool St, although I have a feeling you're on a stopper train which is no quicker or more frequent than some of the fast trains from places like Letchworth, which are much further out.

Hope that's helpful. smile
We had to find a house in a hurry (long story) so it utterly dominated our lives for a couple of months, hence it's all permanently stamped into my brain!
That is pretty accurate really Chris, am impressed!

silverous

1,008 posts

133 months

Friday 31st May 2013
quotequote all
Milton Keynes best in my view, I would say that though as I have lived there for a number of years. I think it has the best balanced of good value for money housing, connections, nearness to countryside, good food, pubs and entertainment availability, shopping, commuter links to countryside etc. etc.

People slag it off but they have either not been there or prefer (grotty old) places with "character" (there are some of those too in MK) or snobs.

Cue roundabout, concrete cows etc. jokes.

skibum

Original Poster:

1,032 posts

236 months

Friday 31st May 2013
quotequote all
Interesting feedback on Milton Keynes. Whenever I have been there to visit our office there, I liked it. I've spent time living in New York so appreciate a good grid system!!

I have no kids so not worried about schools or kid focused amenities.
Am a typical bloke in that if I need to go shopping and havent already bought it off the net, I want somewhere that houses everything I need, so I can go in at 9am on a Saturday and execute a well planned raid on all the shops I need to visit and get out by 9:30am.
Somewhere that has restaurants/bars would be nice.
Some outdoor activities in close proximity is handy - cycling, mountain biking, etc..

MK seems to tick a lot of those boxes. What areas of MK do I need to avoid and which are nice? There are some developments up near Wolverton that look like possibilities.


Evo9lution

637 posts

139 months

Friday 31st May 2013
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Could always look at Biggleswade as well. There is a reasonable sized new build development here and I imagine the prices are around what you quoted or less. It's not a bad place tbh and there are plenty of supermarkets (plus pubs if you change your mind about the night life ... though plenty of youngsters in some of these). Other points,

- On the A1M
- On the main train route to London Kings X (fast train about 25 mins) / Peterborough / Cambridge
- 20 miles to M1 @ Milton Keynes
- 30ish miles to M25 @ South Mimms
- 25 miles to Cambridge
- 25 miles to Luton airport & 35 miles to Stansted airport
- Plus, there is a nearby supercar meet every month smile

Some of the villages nearby would be nice too but the prices may be more and I'm not certain if you will get a new build there tbh.

Hope it helps.

Kateg28

1,352 posts

162 months

Friday 31st May 2013
quotequote all
skibum said:
MK seems to tick a lot of those boxes. What areas of MK do I need to avoid and which are nice? There are some developments up near Wolverton that look like possibilities.
Not scientifc and probably hopelessly wrong but when looking at a map, the more expensive the area the more wriggly the road.

Examples:
Downhead Park (Expensive) - Wriggly road
Netherfield (less ahem desirable - tactful mode) - straight roads, not a wriggle in sight.

Based on my mum living there for 20 years and me getting hopelessly lost each time I visit.

skibum

Original Poster:

1,032 posts

236 months

Friday 31st May 2013
quotequote all
Do you think that is because the less desireables get confused with the wiggly roads!! biggrin

silverous

1,008 posts

133 months

Friday 31st May 2013
quotequote all
Nicer areas of MK in my experience:

Loughton
Shenley Church End

(both villagey feel but near the centre)

Woughton

Depending on budget, what size place you want etc. etc.
If you just want to chat through what you are after with a friendly estate agent, Astley Sharpe are great - I've used them to buy and sell a number of times in MK and they are not like your steretypical estate agent. I'm sure they'd be happy to have a quick chat, tell them Paul recommend you if you speak to them (I don't get kick back !)

Just noticed your commute to london criteria. I've been commuting from MK to London for something like 16 years. I can't think of many better commutes given that a Virgin train will get you to Euston in 30-35 minutes (timetable says 35 but they are often quicker in my experience). Other people have less commute maybe but then their property will be half the size of yours and probably in a scummy area.

Edited by silverous on Friday 31st May 13:57

Zippee

13,442 posts

233 months

Friday 31st May 2013
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Train from MK into London is BUSY!!! Just bear that in mind.
Bedford is OK but again a very busy train line and decent areas are a little way off the station.

I live in St Neots which is 40 minutes into Kings Cross in the mornings, never fail to get a seat and is a reasonably decent town, right on the A1, 20 mins from Cambridge, 25 mins from the M1 and MK.

A lot of new builds around here as well.

blank

3,439 posts

187 months

Monday 3rd June 2013
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I find MK a great place to live. It's very easy and convenient to do pretty much anything.

Yes there are some nasty areas but unlike other towns you never have a need to visit or go through them due to the grid system.

There are lots of new developments so plenty of new build choice. £250k should get you a decent 3/4 bed (I've just bought a 2 bed for £200k)

silverous

1,008 posts

133 months

Monday 3rd June 2013
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[quote=Zippee]Train from MK into London is BUSY!!! Just bear that in mind.
/quote]

We do have more than one smile. Depends what time you like to travel but I have upgraded to first as I got fed up of sitting in doorway on busy trains if I didn't shove on wink

essayer

9,011 posts

193 months

Monday 3rd June 2013
quotequote all
How about the area between Aylesbury and Watford.. Berkhamsted is pricey but there are lots of new builds and you are well positioned for M1, M40 and the fast(ish) trains into town - Kings Langley to Euston (say) is about 35 mins then 10 mins on the Northern line, so much quicker than Aylesbury, which is a much slower line.

g3org3y

20,606 posts

190 months

Tuesday 4th June 2013
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Potters Bar? St Albans?

silverous

1,008 posts

133 months

Tuesday 4th June 2013
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I think it is worth considering where the O/P is commuting to in London also. For example when I was working near Euston it was great that the MK commute ends up there smile

skibum

Original Poster:

1,032 posts

236 months

Tuesday 4th June 2013
quotequote all
Thanks all for the posts and comments.

I'm warming to MK - just got to get my house sold and then spend a Saturday in the area getting a feel for it and visiting the new builds and possible some pre-loved homes too!

When I lived in Birmingham I'd head down to London fairly often, so am aware of how crowded the train can get and also the journey from Euston to London Bridge and the crowded Northern Line. Will be a factor to consider definitely.


silverous

1,008 posts

133 months

Tuesday 4th June 2013
quotequote all
skibum said:
Thanks all for the posts and comments.

I'm warming to MK - just got to get my house sold and then spend a Saturday in the area getting a feel for it and visiting the new builds and possible some pre-loved homes too!

When I lived in Birmingham I'd head down to London fairly often, so am aware of how crowded the train can get and also the journey from Euston to London Bridge and the crowded Northern Line. Will be a factor to consider definitely.
I used to get crowded Northern Line but I now go in to Aldgate from Euston Square which is much more pleasant.