Commute - Nottingham to London?

pip2012

Hi Guys

I am after a spot of advice. I have been offered a few different opportunities with my company and I am trying to decide on the best course of action. One of the opportunites would be a promotion but would be based in London - at present I work in Nottingham. It would come with a payrise, and greater earning potential in terms of commission/bonus. I've tried looking at different areas on the 'commuter belt' but as far as I can see I will still be paying far more for a house (3 bed) and the train journey still seems to be over 40 mins, plus very very expensive. Has anyone commuted from Nottingham to London, and done so sucessfully?? My employer offers a season ticket loan but it's not only the cost I'm looking at, but strain of the commute. Also - if anyone could recommend any areas to relocate to that are not extortionate? We have a two year old daughter so nursery fees also have to be taken into consideration (they seem to be nearly double!), and also schools.

There is just so much to think about.

Thanks

WatsonNimrod

My old guvnor used to do it, every day Nottingham to Crawley so it must be do-able.

marlot

As someone who has commuted long-term, the important aspect is where the London office is - if you can live somewhere on the appropriate railway line it all becomes quite do-able. If you have to take the train, and then two or more tube lines that can double the time.

So for Westminster, Waterloo and Bank a good place to live is around Farnborough or Fleet - far enough out for the prices to be considerably cheaper, but around 35-40 mins to Waterloo. The trains from our area are packed.

duchy

It would be helpful to know where in London

PaulGeary

From the 8th of December East Mids Trains are speeding up the journey times to London a little.
Also is Grantham on your side of town that's another possible commute point.

paddyrg

London's HUGE so an office on one side of town or the other makes the world of difference.

If it's a short walk from your mainline station you won't get caught up in rush-hour snarls - makes the world of difference. I used to come into Paddington and then have to cross to City, that took as long as getting to Paddington from Oxford.

Top tip - when looking at season tickets, look at first class. It's something like 60% more, but you may actually get a seat most days, and find yourself standing in Standard on the commuter services. And if your TOC has decent first class lounges, it makes your life much, much nicer if you're ever stranded for an hour!

LE3

I know lots of people who commute, including on the Leicester to London line so not far off your Nottingham journey.

Some key questions:

How far do you live from Nottingham station/how easy is it to get to?
How far is the office from St Pancras?

What are your working hours? Any chance of flexibility on these (some of the people I know who commute has slightly adjusted their hours to avoid the sardine-trains so if you can start a bit earlier/later it can really help!)

Does your partner work/are they able & willing to bear the brunt of child care & home care etc?

Personally that sort of commute wouldn't be for me, I've done it & definitely have a better quality of life with my 7min commute even though the pay is over 10K a year less than the last job!
Having said that, if I was to be commuting for over an hour a day I'd like it to be by train as it's far more relaxing than the rush hour traffic jams or buses!

Would you consider somewhere like Milton Keynes, Bedford or Luton? They are less expensive than the city/fringe and very accessible ...

opinions4u

I used to do a London to Manchester commute for a short period. It starts off as vaguely exciting and gradually eats away at your soul !!

pip2012

marlot wrote: »

As someone who has commuted long-term, the important aspect is where the London office is - if you can live somewhere on the appropriate railway line it all becomes quite do-able. If you have to take the train, and then two or more tube lines that can double the time.

So for Westminster, Waterloo and Bank a good place to live is around Farnborough or Fleet - far enough out for the prices to be considerably cheaper, but around 35-40 mins to Waterloo. The trains from our area are packed.

Sorry I forgot to put the location!! It would be either Hatton Garden or Blackfriars.

Thanks for the reply :j

pip2012

opinions4u wrote: »

I used to do a London to Manchester commute for a short period. It starts off as vaguely exciting and gradually eats away at your soul !!

I can imagine as much. I'm even thinking maybe for a 12 month period and then make a decision on a full on relocation.

pip2012

LE3 wrote: »

I know lots of people who commute, including on the Leicester to London line so not far off your Nottingham journey.

Some key questions:

How far do you live from Nottingham station/how easy is it to get to?
How far is the office from St Pancras?

What are your working hours? Any chance of flexibility on these (some of the people I know who commute has slightly adjusted their hours to avoid the sardine-trains so if you can start a bit earlier/later it can really help!)

Does your partner work/are they able & willing to bear the brunt of child care & home care etc?

Personally that sort of commute wouldn't be for me, I've done it & definitely have a better quality of life with my 7min commute even though the pay is over 10K a year less than the last job!
Having said that, if I was to be commuting for over an hour a day I'd like it to be by train as it's far more relaxing than the rush hour traffic jams or buses!

Would you consider somewhere like Milton Keynes, Bedford or Luton? They are less expensive than the city/fringe and very accessible ...

Thanks for the reply

At present I live around 10 mins from the station and it's easy to get to.

The London office is either Hatton Garden or Blackfriars so not that difficult to get to from st pancras- especially hatton garden. I had to be at the office for 9am a few weeks ago and I caught the 5:50 train from Notts. I was in Hatton Garden for 8:10. At present I start at 8:30 until 5/5:30 but I'm sure I could alter this.

My partner is self employed and currently looks after our daughter twice a week anyway. We have a strong family network in Nottingham which is something we would obviously lose if we move but I realise we might have to.

I would consider those areas but them nice think to myself, for an extra hour a day (maybe) on a train would I be better off staying here?!

Lots and lots to think about