London/surrounding areas?

[w00tman]

Evening all.

A move to work in London may be on the cards and I may need to sell my house and up sticks.

I have a small family (me, SWT & 2 kids) and ideally I'd like to live somewhere safe and within an hour commute or so of Canary Wharf. I am neither handsomely proportioned nor a company director, so my rental budget is pretty sparse.

Is there any where that balances a reasonable commute with family life? I'm not bothered about night life, put it that way!

[Ilovetwiglets]

Sounds like a journey but Peterborough is only 56 minutes to Kings Cross so you have a large area to look at.

[Ilovetwiglets]

This might help...
http://commutingexpert.com

[RC1]

east of london on the dlr for convenience not sure about schools etc though it thats a consideration

[glm1977]

Sevenoaks, tonbridge, tunbridge wells are all on mainline services with great schools and just within the hour commute. Plus there is a coach service to canary wharf.

Not the cheapest places in the south east, but it's a decent option.

[Brother D]

Bedfordshire? Tons of very nice little villages and some of the smaller 'towns' like Ampthill/Harpenden/StAlbans aren't too bad.
Plus Bedfordshire is about as central as it gets. 45mins to Heathrow Airport, Luton Airport on doorstep, never far from the M1 to get you opp North without suffering the M25.
Get on at Luton (the horror), or Bedford the commute is pretty quick via intercity.

(Its commute that I used to do a while back).

[Dicky Knee]

I would be looking along the train lines that head out from Liverpool Street Station. You can get off at Stratford and get the Jubilee Line or DLR to Canary Wharf. So, depending on budget, Shenfield, Chelmsford, Billericay, Southend, Braintree etc.

[kiethton]

How much rent and how many bedrooms?

I rented a 2 bed flat in Lee last year (£800pm), Zone 3, 10 min bus to Lewisham DLR (10-15 mins to docklands from there) or 5 min walk to Lee station then a change at Lewisham/London bridge after 5 mins on a train.

It's an ok area (also <5 miles if you want to cycle and walk through the foot tunnel) its closer so have low travel costs, so although rents may be more you'll have more time at home/cheaper commuting costs.

Other than that how about Poverest - I've just got myself a flat there? Or even areas like Dartford, Crayford, Barnhurst, Slade Green etc. have regular services to both Lewisham and London Bridge so although your a bit further out it still has reasonable commute costs and regular times (fast trains) whilst being a fair bit cheaper to rent.

ETA. Even Greenhithe/Gravesend are cheaper still and again are just further down the line to Lewisham/Greenwich/London Bridge, are cheap and have Bluewater close to appease the Mrs

Crayford: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...

Gravesend: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...

Slade Green: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...

Lee/Grove Park: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...

Dartford: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...

Orpington: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...

Edited by kiethton on Friday 7th March 13:27

[anonymous-user]

I've recently moved to Horsell (Woking). Less than half an hour from Waterloo, very green with lots of woodland and open spaces and a short drive to some very nice villages and country side. Even he town centre seems ok and has all you really need. I was told that Woking town was a bit chavvy but its no worse than any other town I've been too and I've actually found it a lot better than a lot of other towns nearby.

[RC1]

Brother D said:

Bedfordshire? Tons of very nice little villages and some of the smaller 'towns' like Ampthill/Harpenden/StAlbans aren't too bad.
Plus Bedfordshire is about as central as it gets. 45mins to Heathrow Airport, Luton Airport on doorstep, never far from the M1 to get you opp North without suffering the M25.
Get on at Luton (the horror), or Bedford the commute is pretty quick via intercity.

(Its commute that I used to do a while back).

harpenden and st albans are in herts and the vibe is very different to ampthill.. id say the commute from canary wharf to beds will long term be a killer esp if you're not doing 9-5 hours dont you think?

[mr_spock]

I live in a nice part of Harrow, and Canary Wharf is an easy hour on the tube (Met and Jubilee) or 50 mins on the motorbike. Car is a bit longer sometimes.

You have a LOT of choice as a result!

[porridge]

w00tman said:

Evening all.

A move to work in London may be on the cards and I may need to sell my house and up sticks.

I have a small family (me, SWT & 2 kids) and ideally I'd like to live somewhere safe and within an hour commute or so of Canary Wharf. I am neither handsomely proportioned nor a company director, so my rental budget is pretty sparse.

Is there any where that balances a reasonable commute with family life? I'm not bothered about night life, put it that way!

1) What is the rental budget and what do you need? a house with a garden, garden flat, flat with balcony?
2) And how old are the kids- i.e. do they need to start school soon.

[DanL]

Have a play with this site - it'll tell you where is within a given commuting time, and house prices. Canary Wharf isn't listed as it's in zone 2, but London Bridge is probably good enough - it's about 10 minutes from there to CW on the tube.

Edited to add - you can tell it your budget range for housing too, which is handy.

Edited by DanL on Thursday 6th March 13:44

[BJG1]

What's the budget?

[Cheib]

OP.....you need to ignore any of the advice to look at places that are an hour commute from the London mainline stations....that will translate easily into a 90 min commute. If you for example were to commute into Kings Cross you'll do really well to get to your desk within 30 minutes of your train pulling into Kings Cross. Add on your journey to your station near home and you'll be looking at a 90 min journey easily.

You need to look at areas that are a 30 min train journey into London Bridge or Waterloo (both connect in a short period of time to The Wharf via The Jubilee Line). Same as someone else mentioned with lines into Liverpool St that you can get off at Stratford.

In terms of tube lines I'd have a look at areas on the Jubilee Line in North West London and also areas on the Central Line as it heads out towards Essex. Both would be 45 mins on a train to The Wharf.

[voicey]

Dicky Knee said:

I would be looking along the train lines that head out from Liverpool Street Station. You can get off at Stratford and get the Jubilee Line or DLR to Canary Wharf. So, depending on budget, Shenfield, Chelmsford, Billericay, Southend, Braintree etc.

This would be my advice too.

[irocfan]

as an idea for Billericay

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.h...


apparently the schools are good, journey in is not a ball buster (30ish mins/£80per week to Liverpool Street)

[furtive]

Dicky Knee said:

I would be looking along the train lines that head out from Liverpool Street Station. You can get off at Stratford and get the Jubilee Line or DLR to Canary Wharf. So, depending on budget, Shenfield, Chelmsford, Billericay, Southend, Braintree etc.

But not all of them. Only the ones that leave from the higher-numbered platforms. The Cambridge line doesn't go through Stratford at all and you have to change at Tottenham Hale, which is a ball-ache (I know - I did it for 3 years)

[Luke.]

glm1977 said:

Sevenoaks, tonbridge, tunbridge wells are all on mainline services with great schools and just within the hour commute. Plus there is a coach service to canary wharf.

Not the cheapest places in the south east, but it's a decent option.

I moved to Tonbridge from Islington 3 years ago a bloody love it. Loads of trains into town. London Bridge is only 34 mins.

[Hackney]

Cheib said:

OP.....you need to ignore any of the advice to look at places that are an hour commute from the London mainline stations....that will translate easily into a 90 min commute. If you for example were to commute into Kings Cross you'll do really well to get to your desk within 30 minutes of your train pulling into Kings Cross. Add on your journey to your station near home and you'll be looking at a 90 min journey easily.

This. For a time I lived and worked in Peterborough, got sick of people telling me it was less than an hour to London.
Yes, but you live in fking Stamford and you don't work at Kings Cross, so it's a damn sight more than that.