Ideas for London commuting areas?

BiggaThanBen

lisahobden wrote: »

but the trains are bloody good!

What is good about these trains apart from the time of travel ? They are outdated, overcrowded, very expensive (close to £30 for a return inc. tube peak time ticket from Harpenden ?), not mentioning regular "signal problems" ...

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But considering late hours requirement it might be the only option, I wonder if there are any other train lines covering London that run 24x6 (apart from Thameslink (North) ) ..

Chiltern main line (West) tends to be better and cheaper, but less trains and no night service

Also I would suggest Epping (East, Inside M25) / Enfield (North, Inside M25) / Hatfield (North) as budget alternatives to Thameslink stations, these offer fast services to City, relatively safe and houses are not so expensive. Or Apsley (NW) - also cheap (and boring ) but as above, not frequent enough service and no late trains.

Kavanne

I come from Walton on Thames. 30 mins on train into Waterloo, it's a biiiiig commuter town. Walton, Weybridge and Esher (all on the same line) are veeeeery expensive. West Byfleet, Byfleet and New Haw are slightly more reasonable but still within a commutable distance. Woking is OK too, bit a dump IMHO though! lol

I know the areas quite well as I spent a week driving round them eeeeeevery day when I was doing my motorcycle training based in New Haw. So if you have any questions, fire away.

PS Walton, Esher, Woking and Weybridge do have lots of horse type facilities, so you shouldn't have a problem finding stables.

Southwest trains are OK but if there's strike/accident your hubby will be screwed.

Gingernutmeg

I used to live in Surbiton, which was nice but horribly expensive (but does have a good train line into Waterloo). But, if you can afford it and if you go a bit further out, the surrounding areas aren't bad at all- Esher is lovely, and there are lots of small villages around that I *think* are on the same line and are very nice, and there are lots of stables etc. We often used to drive out from Surbiton to Guildford and it's amazing how quickly you can be in the 'country'.

Canucklehead

Gingernutmeg wrote: »

I used to live in Surbiton, which was nice but horribly expensive (but does have a good train line into Waterloo). But, if you can afford it and if you go a bit further out, the surrounding areas aren't bad at all- Esher is lovely, and there are lots of small villages around that I *think* are on the same line and are very nice, and there are lots of stables etc. We often used to drive out from Surbiton to Guildford and it's amazing how quickly you can be in the 'country'.

Good morning: I agree...lovely part of the world and easy to escape to the countryside and coast...Surbiton etc. also close to the A3 though the drive into London in the morning during school time can be hellish:eek:

HTH

Canucklehead

Gingernutmeg

Canucklehead wrote: »

Surbiton etc. also close to the A3 though the drive into London in the morning during school time can be hellish:eek:

Definitely agree with that! The trains are ok, but trying to get along the A3 or through Kingston during rush hour is the stuff of nightmares! I used to go from Surbiton to Roehampton regularly, on a good day it could take nine minutes, on a bad day an hour and a half!

[Deleted User]

I commute in from Borehamwood (zone 6/ Thameslink) and it only takes me 45 minutes to get into Paddington. Managed it in 30mins this morning as I got a fast train and changed at West Hampstead.

Borehamwood is fairly nice if you pick the right bit of it and a hell of a lot cheaper than renting in Radlett/Harpenden. The train is the same as the one to Luton. Costs me £1700ish a year.

silvercar

ringo_24601 wrote: »

I commute in from Borehamwood (zone 6/ Thameslink) and it only takes me 45 minutes to get into Paddington. Managed it in 30mins this morning as I got a fast train and changed at West Hampstead.

Borehamwood is fairly nice if you pick the right bit of it and a hell of a lot cheaper than renting in Radlett/Harpenden. The train is the same as the one to Luton. Costs me £1700ish a year.

Stables nearby in Barnet and Elstree too.

Look at the train fares carefully, staying within the "London" zones will lower your commuter fares and give you access to cheap off-peak travel and London buses.

Elstree & Borehamwood is the last station north on First Capital Connect (formerly Thameslink) that is within the zones; go one station further out to Radlett adds 4 minutes to your journey but the increase in fares is excessive.

Canucklehead

Gingernutmeg wrote: »

Definitely agree with that! The trains are ok, but trying to get along the A3 or through Kingston during rush hour is the stuff of nightmares! I used to go from Surbiton to Roehampton regularly, on a good day it could take nine minutes, on a bad day an hour and a half!

:eek: 45 minutes some days to drive from Surbiton through Kingston during term time to my school near Ham. (I curse College roundabout and the one way system) I don't miss that journey in the least!

Canucklehead

[Deleted User]

I've got a friend who keeps horses on her parents estate in Arkley / Barnet, about 3 miles from my house.

Here's a couple of properties in my area:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-21452075.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=rent
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-21024281.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=rent

We particularly chose borehamwood because it was affordable, within zone 6 (means I can buy an annual card and still get free travel on the bus to the station), quick train to london (25 minutes to get to Kings X), close to the M25 (and my OH's parents house), reasonable schools and had signs of being 'up and coming' (recently opened M&S food store, expanding small shopping complex). It was also close to OH's work in Barnet.

Captain_Mainwaring_2

Up and coming? Live in hope and die in despair.

Actually you can rent nearly for the same price in Radlett.

Whilst house prices are obviously different, rental expectations aren't that much different.