Good areas within commuting distance to London?

thatgirlsam

adea wrote: »

Stevenage isn't too bad. Close to the A10 and A1/M plus trains directly to London. A lot of the town is on Virgin Media and there is a good selection of shops. Also, you can get to Cambridge by train very easily.

Did you REALLY just say that :eek:

mumoftwins

There are also Berkhamsted, Tring, Kings Langley, Boxmoor and all the lovely villages outside Hemel Hempstead . All on the train line into Euston.

daska

On weekdays you also have the option of trains directly in to St P's from Sussex, as far south as Brighton IIRC (though you have to change at London Bridge at weekends).

You might find THESE helpful, use the station index to work out what routes cover the places you might be interested in, then the route index to find the relevant timetable.

This might give you a slight advantage for travelling home in that you would have a more options to avoid areas than if you're stuck in Essex - trying to reasonable train journeys from there to Crewe wasn't pleasant.

Ellejmorgan

catkins wrote: »

Renting and buying are definitely cheaper in Colchester than Chelmsford. For the price of a 3 bed terraced or maybe semi in Chelmsford you can get a 4 bed detached in Colchester

No I don't agree, I was born in Colchester lived there a long time and I know Chelmsford just as well, my daughter lives there..

Neither one is more expensive than the other, it's about which part you live in of the towns..

Ellejmorgan

tesuhoha wrote: »

Letchworth is rather nice. We used to live there. Or closer to London but more expensive, Welwyn Garden City.

My Nan used to live close to there in Letchmore Heath, now that's expensive..

gyromain

On the WCML the station just within the one hour travelling time is Rugby. A friend is currently trying to sell a 3 bedroom semi within walking distance of Rugby station for 120k.
Apart from the public school, there are two very good state grammar schools.

Debt_Free_Chick

daska wrote: »

On weekdays you also have the option of trains directly in to St P's from Sussex, as far south as Brighton IIRC (though you have to change at London Bridge at weekends).

Although it's a First C(r)apitol Connect service. Possibly the worst in the SE. It's rare that you don't hear an announcement telling you that the service is delayed or cancelled. And, for commuters, it's generally standing room only, unless you get on right at the beginning of the journey

daska

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

Although it's a First C(r)apitol Connect service. Possibly the worst in the SE. It's rare that you don't hear an announcement telling you that the service is delayed or cancelled. And, for commuters, it's generally standing room only, unless you get on right at the beginning of the journey

Hmmm, DS1 uses it several times a year when travelling down from B'ham/Derby through to Sussex/Hampshire, generally it's a lot faster than taking the tube across to waterloo/victoria/london bridge. Still worth considering if it's not a daily commute but thank you for the warning!

flea72

Ellejmorgan wrote: »

No I don't agree, I was born in Colchester lived there a long time and I know Chelmsford just as well, my daughter lives there..

Neither one is more expensive than the other, it's about which part you live in of the towns..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/uk_house_prices/html/22uf.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/uk_house_prices/html/22ug.stm

F

pinkteapot

OP - if you want a good rail link to get back home you'll probably need to live near a station on your mainline into London. Otherwise, you often end up having to go into London and back out (e.g. if you lived in Essex).

When my mum turned 60 recently she bought herself a Senior Railcard and is on a mission to see the country by rail. I got her this as a birthday present:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rail-Map-Britain-Ireland-Guides/dp/1848483554/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341917071&sr=8-1

One sheet map of the UK, showing all the main trainlines/stations. It's interesting (if you like that sort of thing) and might be helpful to you in working out what stations are accessible of both home and London for you...