Relocating from Yorkshire to Surrey

Peggy_Pog

Thank you for all the relies. Very much appreciated.

We're down in the area now, staying in Dorking which is really quite pleasant at first look. Reigate seems to be the preferred area, the main problem (according to the agents) would be getting a house in a better area may mean no private parking. We've been advised to avoid South Park and Woodhatch like the plague. Seems to me that's a bit unfair.

Reading other forums makes Redhill out to be an awful, unsafe place. How lucky we are in Yorkshire!

Bletchingley and Godstone seemed really nice.

Today we're into the M25, to areas like Epson, Ewell, Walton on the Hill. Let's see what the day brings.

Thanks again.

duchy

Godstone *is* nice...... Guildford would be crazy to commute to Purley (I've done it !)- Purley itself has some really nice roads -and if education is a factor is a hop over the border to Sutton's grammar schools and Kingston also has grammar schools. Quite a few of the kids from my son's excellent state primary in Purley went this route.
Warlingham is nice and much closer to work than some of the other suggestions. Another lovely "village" is Banstead which would be my first choice if I was moving back and a really easy drive to Purley (another one I did daily for a while) . The drive from some of your choices in rush hour will be fairly rough-and probably worth trying to drive in the rush hours before finally committing.

The biggest shock is probably how much less you will get for your money in all these areas I suspect

browneyedbazzi

Bletchingley is a pretty little place and of all those mentioned probably fits the 'semi-rural' requirement best.

I'd really consider Banstead in your position - it's a really lovely town but not quite as good as some neighbouring areas for commuting to London so that keeps the prices down a little. There's also a fair bit of open space and farm land around the outskirts so not a million miles from being 'semi-rural' but with all the amenities of a nice town.

Ewell Village and East Ewell are quite nice, but parts of West Ewell are decidedly not (quite chavy really)- although there are a few nice roads. You'll really pay a premium for a place on a nice road in Ewell. I personally prefer Stoneleigh.

I don't think Redhill is really unsafe, but it is very chavvy and lacks any charm or character. When we moved down to Surrey we had a look at Redhill but 5 minutes in the town centre was more than enough to convince us it wasn't somewhere we wanted to live.

Walton on the Hill is very nice and I'd happily live there if trains weren't a factor.

Edit to add: Dorking and especially some of the surrounding villages are very nice (I love Brockham and Betchworth) but expect to sit in traffic a fair bit commuting from there to Purley

princeofpounds

Today we're into the M25, to areas like Epson, Ewell, Walton on the Hill. Let's see what the day brings.

Let me know if you have any questions on these areas, I know them well.

Check out the back routes to Purley also, you have alternatives to the motorway.

Peggy_Pog

Again, thanks for all the information.

We're back in Yorkshire now. The trillion cars on the M25 have given way to the dozens of sheep in the edge of the Dales. Mmmm.

We like Epsom, and Cheam. Ashtead and others were a little difficult for trains, but Cheam seems to fit the bill. That said, a 35 minute train journey from Cheam is about the same length (time wise) as a rush hour train from Horsham. That definitely keeps our options open.

Banstead was lovely, as were parts of Reigate, but again the train links are a little awkward.

Overall, we're quite impressed, and even though prices are way higher than we're used to, they're not out of the question.

We'll keep on looking at our Rightmove alerts, and jump in if it looks promising.

Thanks again for the posts.

totallybored

abankerbutnotafatcat wrote: »

Guildford is a town. Surrey has no cities. Re Reigate, do you mean neighbouring Redhill?

OP Purley itself is nice, although perhaps too surburban. You have an embarrassment of riches South of Purley as there are so many lovely areas especially if you aren't restricted to being near the railway line as so many of us are.

The area / boundaries outlined by a previous poster is quite a good one. Oxted hasn't been mentioned I don't think? I'd probably suggest starting around Oxted, Reigate and Dorking.

I was going to suggest Oxted too or some of the small villages around there as the commute will be short. Parts of South croydon towards the m25 are also ok. I'd try to keep the commute to under 30 minutes.

zagubov

Banstead is a fine place, and Coulsdon and Purley are as well. Parts of Wallington and Carshalton aren't bad either. If you move further out you'll have the hell of commuter traffic.

I live in the area but commute outwards and it's fine. Pay's slightly less than in Inner London but the lack of hassle makes it worthwhile.

fawd1

if you can afford Cheam , buy in Cheam. The schools are great, the village is lovely, you have great commuter links, close to bigger towns (Kingston/sutton/epsom etc, all have direct buses), lots of lovely parks and as long as I have been alive has always been considered a really nice area and property prices have always been pretty steady. However, be aware of the North Cheam/Cheam divide (there is no south cheam, regardless of what some people may try and tell you) Cheam is considered classy and respectable. North Cheam is known locally as North Chav, and for a reason. There is a good distance between the two though.

princeofpounds

Thread is two months old folks.

abankerbutnotafatcat

princeofpounds wrote: »

Thread is two months old folks.

Agreed.
OP lost me anyway at:

"Reading other forums makes Redhill out to be an awful, unsafe place. How lucky we are in Yorkshire!"

Condemning where I and thousands of others happily live based on what they've read. Especially given how inaccurate - Redhill Town Centre is uninspiring but getting regenerated and hardly 'unsafe'.

Yes, how lucky they are in Yorkshire. Where was that teacher stabbed? That could happen anywhere I know one should think hard before generalising especially based on little information.