Area recommendation in Hampshire

[Monki]

We're moving to Hampshire early next month and so are currently looking for a property to rent.

I was wondering if you could hopefully offer insight on the following areas as I've never been there before!

Winchester
Eastleigh
Chandlers Ford
Romsey


We ideally need to be within a half hours commute of Crawley Court which is just north-west of Winchester, so any other recommendations are appreciated!

Thanks

[schmalex]

I've lived in Hampshire for most of my life, so know the different areas pretty well.

• Winchester is lovely, but a little expensive. Like many cities, it has nice and not so nice areas (albeit, the not so nice areas are still a hell of a lot nicer than the nice areas of other cities! Hyde & St Cross are preobably the best areas, with lovely victorian houses. Each is only a 10 min walk to the town centre, max.

• Eastleigh. Really, avoid like the plague. It is cheap & there are many reasons for it to be cheap.

• Romsey. A really nice market town, with some good pubs, good access to the M3 / M27. We used to live in Hursley (between Romsey & Winchester & loved it there)

• Chandlers Ford. Quite soulless really & kind of merges into Easteigh. More of a bedroom community. Some big houses at a reasonable prices, but not a particularly nice place.

Out of your choices, I would err towards Winchester itself (if you have the folding) or Romsey. Both are really nice places.

Other places to consider (if you like villages) are:

• Stockbridge (8ish miles West of Winchester)
• Easton (Lovely little village about 3 miles N.E of Winchester)
• Alresford (really nice market town about 8 miles East of Winchester)
• Sparsholt (Very rural village about 3 miles South of Winchester)
• Lyndhurst (In the New Forest. Good access links, but can get really, really busy in the summer). Probably about 35 mins to Crawley Court.
• Brockenhurst (Beautiful village on the main line railway in the middle of the New Forest). Probably about 40 mins to Crawley Court. Easily driveable to Winchester area, but again can get busy in the summer evenings.

PM me if you need more info.

ETA. If you are having to get to Crawley Court, really have a good look at Stockbridge, as it is only about 5 mins from there & is stunning, with the river Test flowing through the town centre.

Edited by schmalex on Monday 5th October 09:40

[Monki]

Ah thanks, we had heard stories of Eastleigh but wondered whether they were "bloke down the pub stories" as one often encounters with the rotary engine experts

Thanks for the list, I'll forward it on to the girlfriend as she is taking on the search for the mostpart

Do the roads around Winchester (M3 in particular) get quite busy during the commuting hours?

[schmalex]

Monki said:

Ah thanks, we had heard stories of Eastleigh but wondered whether they were "bloke down the pub stories" as one often encounters with the rotary engine experts

Thanks for the list, I'll forward it on to the girlfriend as she is taking on the search for the mostpart

Do the roads around Winchester (M3 in particular) get quite busy during the commuting hours?

The traffic is reasonably heavy at the bottom of the M3. You will probably roll at about 45 / 50ish from the M3 / M27 interchange up to the A34 junction (about 8 miles in total). Depending on where you live now, the traffic throughout Hampshire is heavier than normal, but having said that, the commuter traffic knows this & drives accordingly, so you will still make reasonable progress.

Edited by schmalex on Monday 5th October 09:50

[Monki]

Live in Birmigham at the moment so I am used to traffic moving at 2mph if I am lucky on the M6 and people creating a 4th and 5th lane on a dual carriageway

Cheers for that

[schmalex]

Monki said:

Live in Birmigham at the moment so I am used to traffic moving at 2mph if I am lucky on the M6 and people creating a 4th and 5th lane on a dual carriageway

Cheers for that

It's much better than Brum!!

[Monki]

schmalex said:

Monki said:

Live in Birmigham at the moment so I am used to traffic moving at 2mph if I am lucky on the M6 and people creating a 4th and 5th lane on a dual carriageway

Cheers for that

It's much better than Brum!!

I hear Basra is better than Brum too

[A M G]

Monki said:

Ah thanks, we had heard stories of Eastleigh but wondered whether they were "bloke down the pub stories"

There IS a reason it was once called "Beastly Eastleigh"...

[M3crab]

I grew up in Eastleigh but moved away when I joined the military. Back in the 70's, 80's
and early 90's it was a great place to live, but unfortunatly now it has gone down hill.
Massive housing estates near the town centre have vastly overwhelmed the local aminaties
and the roads. It breaks my heart when I go and visit family to see the state of the town now.
At least they don't seem to have the tramps taking a dump in the park anymore.

[fido]

Friend of mine lives in Alton, not far from Farnham, and he loves living there (though i can't help thinking it's not the best place for a single bloke like him).

[bazking69]

Winchester would be my choice out of those four if you can afford to live there. Lovely place.

[Huntsman]

They dont call it 'beastly Eastleigh' for nothing!

[Monki]

Beastly Eastleigh.....

just how bad is it?

[schmalex]

Monki said:

Beastly Eastleigh.....

just how bad is it?

Truly fking terrible if the truth be told.

You have:

• A busy airport, with the flightpath going pretty much over the eastern residential part
• The M3 going past the Western residential part
• The mainline railway going through the central residential part
• Soulless town centre full of chavs & wkers

[Monki]

schmalex said:

Monki said:

Beastly Eastleigh.....

just how bad is it?

Truly fking terrible if the truth be told.

You have:

• A busy airport, with the flightpath going pretty much over the eastern residential part
• The M3 going past the Western residential part
• The mainline railway going through the central residential part
• Soulless town centre full of chavs & wkers

Sounds a bit like Telford !

[okgo]

fido said:

Friend of mine lives in Alton, not far from Farnham, and he loves living there (though i can't help thinking it's not the best place for a single bloke like him).

The villages surrounding both of the above towns are far more pleasant. both Alton and Farnham have some horrid chavvy places.

Edited by okgo on Monday 5th October 15:21

[funkyol]

What about Basingstoke? I live there, and despite what people may say, it's actually alright - much nicer than Eastleigh, Romsey etc and cheaper than Winchester. Easy access to two M3 junctions (6 & 7). Mainline to Waterloo in 45 mins.

[Monki]

Ideally we want to be quite close to Winchester to start with, however might look at Basingstoke long term as we're big hockey fans and I'd need to find a recreational hockey side (I believe there's one at the Planet Ice).

I think when we look to move permamently it might be an option, although we had thought of a house boat on the Hamble

[schmalex]

There really is nothing redeaming in Basingstoke. The whole town is a complete sthole that really should be avoided at all costs. It is a truly hateful place to spend any amount of time.

Having spent 3 years living there (Chineham, Sherborne St John & Up Nately), we finally escaped during late 2007. I would rather cut my balls off than comtemplate living there again.

•Town Centre: Chav infested sthole with more 14 year old mothers than you have ever wish to see. Totally ruined by the soulless shopping centre, Festival Place.
•Popley: Utterly awful cahncil estate
•Chineham "village" (pah!): The most twee place going. Despicable place. Every house is overlooked by at least 20 others.
•Lychpit: Colloquially known as stpit. Nasty legoland housing estate
•Old Basing: The original part of the town. Would be quite nice, if it weren't utterly spoiled by having a main line railway cutting right through the middle. Oh & it's a rat run of epic proportions, so clogs up easily in the mornings
•Winlkebury: Makes Popley look like utopia
•Hatchwarren: More like Rabbitwarren. People have been known to get lost in there & never return
•Kempshot / Buckskin: On a par wtih Lychpit

However, there are some nice areas within a few miles of the town that will stem the depression associated with living there. These are, namely: Odiham, Kingsclere, Greywell, Upton Grey.

I really, really don't like Basingstoke.

[okgo]

Monki said:

Ideally we want to be quite close to Winchester to start with, however might look at Basingstoke long term as we're big hockey fans and I'd need to find a recreational hockey side (I believe there's one at the Planet Ice).

I think when we look to move permamently it might be an option, although we had thought of a house boat on the Hamble

I’d seriously look into Alresford. In between everything pretty much, nice place, no scrotes, and easy access to everything you could want

Liking the copy and paste there schalex

Edited by okgo on Monday 5th October 15:31