Commuting into London...
Discussion
Moorgate to be precise.
Looking at potentially having to relocate the OH and two young kids from Bristol to within sensible commuting distance for a job opportunity.
Would really appreciate some suggestions. Need to stay west side to enable visits back to family. I only really know the obvious places like Reading, but I'm sure there are nicer locales with good links in.
Just want to be able to get home in time to see kids before bed.
Thanks in advance!
Looking at potentially having to relocate the OH and two young kids from Bristol to within sensible commuting distance for a job opportunity.
Would really appreciate some suggestions. Need to stay west side to enable visits back to family. I only really know the obvious places like Reading, but I'm sure there are nicer locales with good links in.
Just want to be able to get home in time to see kids before bed.
Thanks in advance!
Although a horrible journey, the GWR fast service to Reading & beyond is just that but pay big £££s for it.
I don't know the Crossrail timetable (as in services coming online) but might be worth a look - my understanding is that there's no gain to Paddington but there is in getting further east.
This article might be useful to you.
Good luck with it.
I don't know the Crossrail timetable (as in services coming online) but might be worth a look - my understanding is that there's no gain to Paddington but there is in getting further east.
This article might be useful to you.
Good luck with it.
The trouble with coming in from the west is that it's still a slog to get to Moorgate from Paddington. Adds time, busy at peak, and the more hops needed to get there, the more potential for things to go wrong.
http://www.commutefrom.com is useful for this, there's places that are further out that can be quicker/easier and vice versa. Personally I much prefer a commute based around a single train journey with a walkable distance at the other end.
http://www.commutefrom.com is useful for this, there's places that are further out that can be quicker/easier and vice versa. Personally I much prefer a commute based around a single train journey with a walkable distance at the other end.
The Thameslink line from Bedford used to run through to Moorgate, don't know if that is still the case. It's only a small number of stops on the Northern line from Kings Cross/St. Pancras ( think it's 3). That would give you Harpenden and St Albans as reasonable commutable areas too.
DoubleSix said:
Moorgate to be precise.
Looking at potentially having to relocate the OH and two young kids from Bristol to within sensible commuting distance for a job opportunity.
Would really appreciate some suggestions. Need to stay west side to enable visits back to family. I only really know the obvious places like Reading, but I'm sure there are nicer locales with good links in.
Just want to be able to get home in time to see kids before bed.
Thanks in advance!
I'd junk the idea of staying west if I were you - an extra hour once every few months vs. an extra hour every day really is a bit silly. Looking at potentially having to relocate the OH and two young kids from Bristol to within sensible commuting distance for a job opportunity.
Would really appreciate some suggestions. Need to stay west side to enable visits back to family. I only really know the obvious places like Reading, but I'm sure there are nicer locales with good links in.
Just want to be able to get home in time to see kids before bed.
Thanks in advance!
Hertfordshire is nice - somewhere like Hatfield is only an hour out of Liverpool Street too.
davepoth said:
I'd junk the idea of staying west if I were you - an extra hour once every few months vs. an extra hour every day really is a bit silly.
Hertfordshire is nice - somewhere like Hatfield is only an hour out of Liverpool Street too.
I would agree with looking to get further round the M25. Getting to Moorgate from Paddington or Marylebone is "just" a tube journey without any changes, but it is a slog. I did similar journeys on and off for years.Hertfordshire is nice - somewhere like Hatfield is only an hour out of Liverpool Street too.
I now live in Hertfordshire, it's a much shorter commute time-wise and the ticket price is less too.
Hatfield doesn't go into Liverpool Street, but does go direct into Kings Cross, or Moorgate. About 25 and 40 minutes respectively.
It's 2016, we have modern, efficient, high speed cars which will whisk you from anywhere to anywhere in comfort and style. Being an extra 50 miles east will make bugger all difference to your getting back to Bristol to see her mum (it's always her mum. Why can't grown women function without seeing their Godforsaken mothers every 15 minutes?)
My suggestion is irrelevant of that. I spent my formative years in leafy Hampshire, such that my father might commute by train into Waterloo. That's where I'd recommend. Haslemere, Liphook, Petersfield etc, all on the Portsmouth-Waterloo line and all perfectly lovely places to raise children. A number of excellent schools, very little crime or fear of crime, prettier girls from better stock than in Reading or bloody Swindon. Plus A3/M25/M4 or, if you prefer, A3/M3/A303 is a simple enough way to get back to Brizzle.
My suggestion is irrelevant of that. I spent my formative years in leafy Hampshire, such that my father might commute by train into Waterloo. That's where I'd recommend. Haslemere, Liphook, Petersfield etc, all on the Portsmouth-Waterloo line and all perfectly lovely places to raise children. A number of excellent schools, very little crime or fear of crime, prettier girls from better stock than in Reading or bloody Swindon. Plus A3/M25/M4 or, if you prefer, A3/M3/A303 is a simple enough way to get back to Brizzle.
Reading and the surrounding areas are the obvious answer, I live in the Winnersh/Wokingham area and I can be in Paddington within an hour of closing my door behind me.
This will save you maybe 15 to 20 hours per week to spend with your family, there are some wonderful areas to live, Winnersh/Wokingham always come in the top 5 best places to arise children in the country, if you believe all of that of course, and it's easy for you to get back to the Bristol area.
This will save you maybe 15 to 20 hours per week to spend with your family, there are some wonderful areas to live, Winnersh/Wokingham always come in the top 5 best places to arise children in the country, if you believe all of that of course, and it's easy for you to get back to the Bristol area.
Edited by f1nn on Sunday 24th January 12:27
With Thameslink and Crossrail coming on stream properly in the next couple of years you have a huge variety of choice. Thameslink no longer runs through Moorgate but Farringdon is about 10 minutes walk away so it depends where at Moorgate the job opportunity is.
Equally dont forget that offices can move. I have been working back in London for 8 years for 2 different employers, in that time I have worked in 5 different offices due to office moves, and we are considering moving again in 2 years time.
Moorgate is a short walk from Liverpool St, longer walk from Farringdon, 15/20 minutes walk from Cannon St and London Bridge.
Personally I would be seeking to avoid the tube, I have to use it occasionally but would rather not. What are the options for working from home one or two days a week?
Don't forget to take into account the door 2 door time. It takes me 2 hours door 2 door, but 15/20 minutes of that is due to the need to get to the station early to get a parking space or seat on the train! All adds to journey time
Equally dont forget that offices can move. I have been working back in London for 8 years for 2 different employers, in that time I have worked in 5 different offices due to office moves, and we are considering moving again in 2 years time.
Moorgate is a short walk from Liverpool St, longer walk from Farringdon, 15/20 minutes walk from Cannon St and London Bridge.
Personally I would be seeking to avoid the tube, I have to use it occasionally but would rather not. What are the options for working from home one or two days a week?
Don't forget to take into account the door 2 door time. It takes me 2 hours door 2 door, but 15/20 minutes of that is due to the need to get to the station early to get a parking space or seat on the train! All adds to journey time
f1nn said:
Reading and the surrounding areas are the obvious answer, I live in the Winnersh/Wokingham area and I can be in Paddington within an hour of closing my door behind me.
Pity he isn't working in Paddington then.OP, I hope the new job is worth it. I'd rather stay in the West Country, commuting into London on public transport is hell on earth.
Moved to Colchester 3 years ago but before that lived in Palmers Green for 5 years. Not the best area of North London, but not the worst either. Train into Moorgate is 20 mins and regular, although rubbish when it snows, 35 quid for a taxi from Moorgate if you are working late. High street had some nice restaurants and cafes. Prices have gone up a lot in the past 3 years but not too bad compared to other nearby areas. 2 hours door to door to Bristol if you leave at the right time of day. It's over 3 from Colchester for me now, which means I don't see my parents as often as I used too...
CaptainSlow said:
Pity he isn't working in Paddington then.
OP, I hope the new job is worth it. I'd rather stay in the West Country, commuting into London on public transport is hell on earth.
Yes it is.OP, I hope the new job is worth it. I'd rather stay in the West Country, commuting into London on public transport is hell on earth.
However, rather than be a dick, I thought I'd try and offer some experience on a scenario that the OP has suggested as a possibility. I'm sure that the OP has worked out that Moorgate is but a few tube stations away from Paddington.
I'm also fairly confident that the new job is worth the OP up rooting his family for hence him making the thread, but I'm sure he'll take your constructive advice onboard.
Paddington is a ball-ache as it is really badly positioned to get to the City. When I use Paddington, I walk to Ladbroke Grove and get the central line.
I live somewhere in between the Reading - Paddington and Basingstoke - Waterloo lines and I often switch between them to avoid feeling like a cog in a machine, The beauty of Waterloo is that you can walk to the city and commuting to London without the tube is waaaay less stressful.
I live somewhere in between the Reading - Paddington and Basingstoke - Waterloo lines and I often switch between them to avoid feeling like a cog in a machine, The beauty of Waterloo is that you can walk to the city and commuting to London without the tube is waaaay less stressful.
Yep, depending on where I need to be in the city I also use the Waterloo train. Added bonus is that I can usually get a seat and use the hour and a quarter or so each way to get the computer on and catch up on work.
However, the OP needs to be at Moorgate, which is a bit more of a ball ache to get to from Waterloo IMO.
However, the OP needs to be at Moorgate, which is a bit more of a ball ache to get to from Waterloo IMO.
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