Moving to Aylesbury
Discussion
75Black said:
In a way. Well, the way it's planned out is that the current house is being sold and the proceeds are being split 50:50 (the valuation of the house is 450k) so myself and my brother can buy a house each, he's getting a place in MK for himself, gf and newborn daughter. I wanted somewhere kinda rural-ish, but still close to London so I can travel in and meet friends from uni etc and pre-covid would still have been able to drive to Watford for work which is now moot since we're now perma-WFH.
I grew up in Wendover but we've been in Leighton Buzzard for the last 12 years. 35mins on the fast train into Euston, get on the m1 in 15mins or so.
A reasonable town centre and some really good country parks nearby
So, if your not hung up on Aylesbury, seriously look further afield.
Leighton Buzzard and the Beds villages are as cheap as Aylesbury, great train links to London / Watford etc
If you come south, prices start to ramp up, Aston Clinton / Tring areas get a commuter belt price height.
V.
Leighton Buzzard and the Beds villages are as cheap as Aylesbury, great train links to London / Watford etc
If you come south, prices start to ramp up, Aston Clinton / Tring areas get a commuter belt price height.
V.
I'm too lazy to quote the most recent replies as I'm currently on mobile but from the looks of it it's mixed reviews leaning to "no don't do it", we have 2 house visits planned for Aylesbury on Saturday so will make the most of the day and see if it really is the right area for my dad and I, Leighton Buzzard is a good shout as my dad would easily be able to help with the granddaughter when parents are both are work and he's retired.
monkfish1 said:
Aylesbury is grim.
That said, coming from greenfod/northolt/harrow, it will doubtless seem quite good. Brought up round there. Its mind boggling just how dire it has become in 20 years.
Keep going north from Aylesbury. Plenty of nice places round it. But dont be in it.
Monkfish1 - Everytime I see one of your posts, I think of Monkfish Performance That said, coming from greenfod/northolt/harrow, it will doubtless seem quite good. Brought up round there. Its mind boggling just how dire it has become in 20 years.
Keep going north from Aylesbury. Plenty of nice places round it. But dont be in it.
Near Little Horwood.....!monkfish1 said:
Aylesbury is grim.
That said, coming from greenfod/northolt/harrow, it will doubtless seem quite good. Brought up round there. Its mind boggling just how dire it has become in 20 years.
Keep going north from Aylesbury. Plenty of nice places round it. But dont be in it.
Harsh but fair I would say....That said, coming from greenfod/northolt/harrow, it will doubtless seem quite good. Brought up round there. Its mind boggling just how dire it has become in 20 years.
Keep going north from Aylesbury. Plenty of nice places round it. But dont be in it.
pmanson said:
75Black said:
In a way. Well, the way it's planned out is that the current house is being sold and the proceeds are being split 50:50 (the valuation of the house is 450k) so myself and my brother can buy a house each, he's getting a place in MK for himself, gf and newborn daughter. I wanted somewhere kinda rural-ish, but still close to London so I can travel in and meet friends from uni etc and pre-covid would still have been able to drive to Watford for work which is now moot since we're now perma-WFH.
I grew up in Wendover but we've been in Leighton Buzzard for the last 12 years. 35mins on the fast train into Euston, get on the m1 in 15mins or so.
A reasonable town centre and some really good country parks nearby
If you need to get to Watford every day, though, Aylesbury is better as the A41 is, as others have mentioned, a hell of a road! Zoom zoom zoom!
SweptVolume said:
Yes. I live in a small village between Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard, but considered both towns when I moved into the area. Aylesbury was okay (better than Bletchley!), but Leighton Buzzard was far nicer. Still has that small market town feel whilst actually having a fair few conveniences.
If you need to get to Watford every day, though, Aylesbury is better as the A41 is, as others have mentioned, a hell of a road! Zoom zoom zoom!
You can either do A5/M1 or take the back roads across from LB towards TringIf you need to get to Watford every day, though, Aylesbury is better as the A41 is, as others have mentioned, a hell of a road! Zoom zoom zoom!
(Probably talking 50mins to an hour)
75Black said:
I'm too lazy to quote the most recent replies as I'm currently on mobile but from the looks of it it's mixed reviews leaning to "no don't do it", we have 2 house visits planned for Aylesbury on Saturday so will make the most of the day and see if it really is the right area for my dad and I, Leighton Buzzard is a good shout as my dad would easily be able to help with the granddaughter when parents are both are work and he's retired.
Don't be immediately put off. I agree with others it's no Garden of Eden, but very few small towns are - even the glorious historical types have their problems. Aylesbury's problems will seem quaint by comparison to the issues that parts of London suffer from. People will mentioned traffic, but compared to London, it's got no traffic. People will mentioned crime, but compared to London...well it has crime, but it's often lower level stuff brought about by that sense of waywardness that some unfortunate people get when they live in a small town their whole life. So you might get antisocial behaviour, but you won't get knifed in the back for your iPhone.The old town parts are classic Bucks stuff, but sadly there are not many of them. The general feel of the town is one that grew in the latter part of the 20th century. Again, not uncommon in the home counties as people fled London after the war.
Leighton Buzzard has a more varied architecture, but the bulk of the housing stock is turn of the century terraces. Prettier, but actually quite urban in regards to things like parking. The estate you found in Aylesbury is much more spacious. Also, if you believe the stories of my electrician, parts of LB are blighted by theft crimes due to our caravanning friends, particularly the South East of the town.
I'd recommend visiting both to get a feel, though note that all town centres feel a bit sad and quiet at the moment, for obvious reasons.
I had a girlfriend at Uni from that neck of the woods (Aston Clinton) but when I was offered a job in Aylesbury her only advice was 'do not move to Aylesbury'!
The town seemed to me to be like any other medium sized British town, with good and bad bits. Lots of nice outlying villages, and, as is generally the case there is probably a sweet spot that is not so far into the centre that you get social issues, and not so far out that you are inconvenienced.
My job offer was at Equitable Life - a glass pyramid building that was known as The Blue Leanie ... is that still there?
(checks Google: it's an oblique rhombic prism)
It seemed as though everyone in Aylesbury had passed through it at some point.
The town seemed to me to be like any other medium sized British town, with good and bad bits. Lots of nice outlying villages, and, as is generally the case there is probably a sweet spot that is not so far into the centre that you get social issues, and not so far out that you are inconvenienced.
My job offer was at Equitable Life - a glass pyramid building that was known as The Blue Leanie ... is that still there?
(checks Google: it's an oblique rhombic prism)
It seemed as though everyone in Aylesbury had passed through it at some point.
75Black said:
Thanks for the replies so far, haven't been told to steer clear of the town in general so it's looking ok. Plus the benefits of easy access to green open spaces like the Chilterns, decent enough town centre and transport links. Will get to see more of it when we go for our viewings on Saturday and hopefully get a much better idea of the area.
The best thing about Aylesbury is this - access to fabulous countryside while still being quite affordable. We live in Leighton Buzzard, which we love, moved from London for the rail link mainly (excellent to London, not that I've been on a train for coming up to 12 months). Aylesbury is bigger and nice in places, not so great in others. Not much help but did notice the other day that the brand new estates on the south east side towards Wendover seem well landscaped 
tholes to some.SweptVolume said:
Don't be immediately put off. I agree with others it's no Garden of Eden, but very few small towns are - even the glorious historical types have their problems. Aylesbury's problems will seem quaint by comparison to the issues that parts of London suffer from. People will mentioned traffic, but compared to London, it's got no traffic. People will mentioned crime, but compared to London...well it has crime, but it's often lower level stuff brought about by that sense of waywardness that some unfortunate people get when they live in a small town their whole life. So you might get antisocial behaviour, but you won't get knifed in the back for your iPhone.
The old town parts are classic Bucks stuff, but sadly there are not many of them. The general feel of the town is one that grew in the latter part of the 20th century. Again, not uncommon in the home counties as people fled London after the war.
Leighton Buzzard has a more varied architecture, but the bulk of the housing stock is turn of the century terraces. Prettier, but actually quite urban in regards to things like parking. The estate you found in Aylesbury is much more spacious. Also, if you believe the stories of my electrician, parts of LB are blighted by theft crimes due to our caravanning friends, particularly the South East of the town.
I'd recommend visiting both to get a feel, though note that all town centres feel a bit sad and quiet at the moment, for obvious reasons.
That does make me feel better about the place now, as others have said it's easy access to countryside, Chiltern Hills on my doorstep as well as the A41 which looks like a blast of a road to drive. While my commutes to Watford will be minimal due to WFH I'm sure I'll need to drive down maybe once in every blue moon. Either way, going to do our visits and make our decision based on what we see on Saturday.The old town parts are classic Bucks stuff, but sadly there are not many of them. The general feel of the town is one that grew in the latter part of the 20th century. Again, not uncommon in the home counties as people fled London after the war.
Leighton Buzzard has a more varied architecture, but the bulk of the housing stock is turn of the century terraces. Prettier, but actually quite urban in regards to things like parking. The estate you found in Aylesbury is much more spacious. Also, if you believe the stories of my electrician, parts of LB are blighted by theft crimes due to our caravanning friends, particularly the South East of the town.
I'd recommend visiting both to get a feel, though note that all town centres feel a bit sad and quiet at the moment, for obvious reasons.
I live in Aylesbury in an estate called Watermead. Really nice place to live, on the outskirts, with easy access to shops, pubs and nice walks in the country side.
I'd also consider some of the outlining villages but it depends on what sort of house you want really - Whitchurch, Weedon, Hardwick etc.
I'd also consider some of the outlining villages but it depends on what sort of house you want really - Whitchurch, Weedon, Hardwick etc.
75Black said:
SweptVolume said:
Don't be immediately put off. I agree with others it's no Garden of Eden, but very few small towns are - even the glorious historical types have their problems. Aylesbury's problems will seem quaint by comparison to the issues that parts of London suffer from. People will mentioned traffic, but compared to London, it's got no traffic. People will mentioned crime, but compared to London...well it has crime, but it's often lower level stuff brought about by that sense of waywardness that some unfortunate people get when they live in a small town their whole life. So you might get antisocial behaviour, but you won't get knifed in the back for your iPhone.
The old town parts are classic Bucks stuff, but sadly there are not many of them. The general feel of the town is one that grew in the latter part of the 20th century. Again, not uncommon in the home counties as people fled London after the war.
Leighton Buzzard has a more varied architecture, but the bulk of the housing stock is turn of the century terraces. Prettier, but actually quite urban in regards to things like parking. The estate you found in Aylesbury is much more spacious. Also, if you believe the stories of my electrician, parts of LB are blighted by theft crimes due to our caravanning friends, particularly the South East of the town.
I'd recommend visiting both to get a feel, though note that all town centres feel a bit sad and quiet at the moment, for obvious reasons.
That does make me feel better about the place now, as others have said it's easy access to countryside, Chiltern Hills on my doorstep as well as the A41 which looks like a blast of a road to drive. While my commutes to Watford will be minimal due to WFH I'm sure I'll need to drive down maybe once in every blue moon. Either way, going to do our visits and make our decision based on what we see on Saturday.The old town parts are classic Bucks stuff, but sadly there are not many of them. The general feel of the town is one that grew in the latter part of the 20th century. Again, not uncommon in the home counties as people fled London after the war.
Leighton Buzzard has a more varied architecture, but the bulk of the housing stock is turn of the century terraces. Prettier, but actually quite urban in regards to things like parking. The estate you found in Aylesbury is much more spacious. Also, if you believe the stories of my electrician, parts of LB are blighted by theft crimes due to our caravanning friends, particularly the South East of the town.
I'd recommend visiting both to get a feel, though note that all town centres feel a bit sad and quiet at the moment, for obvious reasons.
Some parts of Winslow and Buckingham are excellent, as is Long Crendon and Thame and Haddenham. They are all not too small, but might be different to what you and your father are looking for.
I would quiz the various estate agents - most tend to have similar sized + priced properties.. So if they don't necessarily float your boat you can try other estate agents. It's worth working out which ones match your requirement in general and seeing what they have available in an area around and including Aylesbury and then maybe if they know of anything coming to market which might suit your needs.
A41 - use with care - there have been a huge number of accidents on there, although further north of Waddesdon.
I was born in Aylesbury many years ago and spent my first 38 years living in Great Horwood near Winslow. Winslow is a nice little market town which is 6 miles from Buckingham - Both towns have their plusses and minus's, but overall are OK and surrounded by many lovely villages (Depending on what you are looking for) Villages like Mursley, Stewkley, Nash, The Horwoods, Thornborough, Thornton, Padbury.. Not sure if this helps the OP, but is just my 2 penneth worth...
malaccamax said:
75Black said:
Thanks for the replies so far, haven't been told to steer clear of the town in general so it's looking ok. Plus the benefits of easy access to green open spaces like the Chilterns, decent enough town centre and transport links. Will get to see more of it when we go for our viewings on Saturday and hopefully get a much better idea of the area.
The best thing about Aylesbury is this - access to fabulous countryside while still being quite affordable. We live in Leighton Buzzard, which we love, moved from London for the rail link mainly (excellent to London, not that I've been on a train for coming up to 12 months). Aylesbury is bigger and nice in places, not so great in others. Not much help but did notice the other day that the brand new estates on the south east side towards Wendover seem well landscaped There a lot of houses being built between Bierton/Aston Clinton, Bedgrove, Weston Turville at the moment.
hman said:
Elmhurst? No thank you.
As others have said - great driving roads and good travel times to most major cities but not a brilliant place to live. Aston Clinton, Tring, Berko or Amersham are better choices.
They are, but the prices are correspondingly higher.As others have said - great driving roads and good travel times to most major cities but not a brilliant place to live. Aston Clinton, Tring, Berko or Amersham are better choices.
Elmhurst wouldn't be my top choice either though
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