What's Chesham like?

whitesatin

We are thinking of viewing a house there (to the north of Chesham) and wondered if anyone has had experience of the area.

We are darting about from area to area at the moment, just can't seem to find anything within our price limit that fulfils at least most of our criteria.

Catbells

Believe its on the end of a tube line into central London and nice walking area all around. Good high school in Beaconsfield nearby and grammar school in Chesham itself I think.

maxtweenie

My daughter and her husband are looking to rent around Chesham / Amersham but like you, they're having trouble finding the right property at the right price. There doesn't seem to be much around. As for it being on the end of the tube into London, that's OK, but it's in Zone 9 and likely to cost around £2k a year on an Oyster season ticket.

ruthber

Chesham is a very nice little town. It has a Sainsburys and Waitrose and a Saturday market. lots of lovely countryside all around. Takes about 50 min to get to Baker St on the Metropolitan Line.

anotherginger

Chesham is alright, but locally it is seen as the poor neighbour of Amersham (but that means that it benefits from cheaper property prices). I have lived in both Chesham and Amersham within the past two years.

It's all well and good saying that Chesham is on the tube line, but it's an offshoot of the met line so there are very few direct trains to/from london. You need to change at the next station (Chalfont and Latimer) to get the train most of the time. This becomes annoying after a while, particularly if you plan to do that journey frequently.

azkaban420

whitesatin wrote: »

We are thinking of viewing a house there (to the north of Chesham) and wondered if anyone has had experience of the area.

We are darting about from area to area at the moment, just can't seem to find anything within our price limit that fulfils at least most of our criteria.

Hi Whitesatin,

I've lived in Chesham all my life and have tried to sell up to move to Milton Keynes but am now planning to rent my property out due to a messy sale. We chose to move to Milton Keynes as it's closer to my work and as we are upsizing, I can't find the right size houses for my budget in Chesham, as it's pricier, otherwise I'd stay there. It is a lovely town, although some of its initial appeal has slowly waned. There are lovely schools here, and whilst the town is small, bigger shopping towns aren't that far away - Hemel Hempstead is a good one for all your additional shopping needs, only 15 mins by car. A lot of local people think I'm mad to leave Chesham for MK, but it's a personal choice mainly due to our circumstances, and quite frankly, our pocket.

My family is still living in Chesham, so I'm still going to be a regular visitor. There's a great sense of community here and you quickly get to know many people. There are downsides as with every place but overall it is still a lovely place to live in depending on where you choose to buy. If you need any specific info, please feel free to PM me and I'll try my best to help

HTHs

Az

whitesatin

azkaban420 wrote: »

Hi Whitesatin,

I've lived in Chesham all my life and have tried to sell up to move to Milton Keynes but am now planning to rent my property out due to a messy sale. We chose to move to Milton Keynes as it's closer to my work and as we are upsizing, I can't find the right size houses for my budget in Chesham, as it's pricier, otherwise I'd stay there. It is a lovely town, although some of its initial appeal has slowly waned. There are lovely schools here, and whilst the town is small, bigger shopping towns aren't that far away - Hemel Hempstead is a good one for all your additional shopping needs, only 15 mins by car. A lot of local people think I'm mad to leave Chesham for MK, but it's a personal choice mainly due to our circumstances, and quite frankly, our pocket.

My family is still living in Chesham, so I'm still going to be a regular visitor. There's a great sense of community here and you quickly get to know many people. There are downsides as with every place but overall it is still a lovely place to live in depending on where you choose to buy. If you need any specific info, please feel free to PM me and I'll try my best to help

HTHs

Az

Thanks for the offer of PM, Az. We are hoping to get a call to go and view a house today so will get the chance to try out the journey. We will take a look around and, if we decide we like it, I may well take you up on your offer.

Milton Keynes is a very well positioned place and I can understand your reasons for thinking to move there. We found a place in Dunstable (but were outbid) and a lot of friends were negative about the area but you have to judge each house/area in how it meets your needs.

Hemel is somewhere else we are looking as my son lives there. I like the old town but parking is an issue (well, unless you have more money than we have to spend).

Thanks everyone for your very useful replies to my post.

firstaspect

It's a very nice area. Quiet but easy to get the train into London. Good schools, although you do get the Osbornes living just outside.