[Closed] Living in Luton - terrible idea?

Have a mate who lives in Barton Le Clay about 8 miles up the road, seems nice enough. Lots of nice little villages around.

Luton is a toilet with no redeeming features.

full of racists innit?

So i've heard 🙄 .

But it has a population of 200,000 people. There must be a nice bit, surely?

Have you been? Sheffield will look luxurious by comparison............and thats saying something!

This may help [url= http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ghetto ]definition[/url]

Harpenden and St Albans are much nicer places, but you'll pay handsomely for the privilege.
I'd look at the surrounding villages tbh, Luton is pretty bad, IMO.

Have you been? Sheffield will look luxurious by comparison............and thats saying something!

Ah, you see, common misconception - Sheffield is absolutely lovely, as long as you live in the South west.

[quote=finbar said]
Ah, you see, common miscopception - Sheffield is absolutely lovely, as long as you live in the South west.

Penzance ?

This is why I'm wondering if Luton does actually have a nice bit, but people are just being snobby... perhaps?

Ah, south and west Sheffield

It's the nob head teens hanging around the streets and getting drunk and abusing passers by that won it for me.

Guy I used to house share with loved it when they tried to rob him of his take away pizza on the way home. No honestly he really appreciated it.

And the parking was just wonderful.

Oh, and Luton is a toilet. Work there by all means, but don't live there.

This is why I'm wondering if Luton does actually have a nice bit, but people are just being snobby... perhaps?

It probably does have nice bits tbh, but you have to ask yourself why there so hard to see?

To answer your question - Yes. No redeeming features.

What is your problem about commuting - if you lived at (say) Harpenden, it's 8 minutes to Luton and a very regular service. That's not a commute!

Not a fan of luton myself but work there most days,i live in Dunstable which is within spitting distance of luton much nicer . woburn,chicksands,aston hill and chilterns are close by 😀 ,st albans and harpenden very nice but silly money

Commute - the only option. Luton is a dump and Dunstable is it's anus.

Horrible place. No snobbery in that statement either.

St Albans is OK but over priced (went to school there), Harpenden (worked there for a few years) is not so bad either, also spencive' tho.

Look at Wheathampstead, Welwyn / WGC, Kimpton, Knebworth, Codicote. Nicer villages / towns and better riding that way (off the chalk downs to the west of luton).

Thanks, okay, this is quite the consensus - Luton is out!

Peasant and neilforrow, thanks loads for the alternative suggestions. I'll start looking.

Luton is a dump TBH. But is redemed by the area around it being not bad.
Dunstable is better - and there are the outlying villages

Are you at the kids stage? Because Harpenden / St Albans are defn nicer. But eye wateringly expensive

I was born and bred in Luton. Can't think of anything positive to say about the place.

Avoid Harpenden, full of the most miserable people imaginable.

Are you at the kids stage? Because Harpenden / St Albans are defn nicer. But eye wateringly expensive

Nah, as of fairly recently, single 🙁 . So somewhere with a little bit going on would be good.

And i'll be renting rather than buying.

daveatextremistsdotcouk - where would you recommend?

I live 15 miles from Luton (north up the A6). The people we bought our house off told us they were moving to Harpenden but seemed to have stopped when they got as far as Stockwood Park (not too bad an area).

The area around between New Bedford Road (the A6) and Old Bedford Road isn't too bad.

If I was a single bloke I'd move to Luton as it's easier to be part of any work based social scene and I could put up with the downsides. If I was moving a family I'd look at the villages surrounding Luton up the A6 and over to Ampthill or Hitchin in the other direction - some lovely places.

x-post with the single statement.

My OH teaches in Luton, started recently, she was expecting the kids to be an absolute nightmare. But say's they're a delight in comparison to her old school (who mostly seemed to think Mummy and Daddy would look after them for the rest of their lives).

i live in Dunstable which is within spitting distance of luton much nicer

Either they have razed Dunstable to the ground and started again (in the last 6 months) or you have a wide definition of the boundaries. The only good thing I can remember about Dunstable was playing 'spot the crap cladding' when driving through it.
Hitchin was bearable and has access to countryside and a decent train to London.

If you're not too bothered about any after work socialising that goes on I'd probably head to Hitchin. It's a pretty nice place and seems to be a real town so has a bit going on.

Thanks hammerite, interesting...

Or there is MK ... which has everything you could need. But it is a 30 min commute

Finbar - Hitchin and Shefford are not too bad, or the villages within that triangle.

At least you've got Chicksands to ride in. Beware the clay soil makes for seriously sticky terrain in winter.

If I had to go back and I had the dosh, I'd live in Ickwell.

leighton buzzard could be a good shout, reasonable house prices, goodish nightlife, 20 mins by car to aston hill, 30 minutes by bike along the canal to pistone where you can jump straight up onto the ridgeway.
probably about 20 minutes into Luton.

At least you've got Chicksands to ride in. Beware the clay soil makes for seriously sticky terrain in winter.

I'm an imposter on singletrack - i'm all about road cycling 😳

Not much to add, except for a top tip from Viz:

Avoid complete misery and possible suicide by moving away from Luton, Bedfordshire.

Mike Page
Luton, Bedfordshire

I would say Hitchin too given what others have said, 10-20 mins into Luton and much nicer! Ps my son is also called Finbar, good name!

Luton is unfortunately a dump, theres no other way to describe it.

however theres nice towns surrounding as mentioned.

Another for Hitchin ... 🙂

Its 10 miles East and a nice town.

Theres some good riding as well between the two on top of the other places mentioned.

The commute between Hitchin and Luton would be nice both off and on road.

Off road would be Icknield way door to door !

Avoid Harpenden, full of the most miserable people imaginable.

That'll be me then.

I'm an imposter on singletrack - i'm all about road cycling

St. Albans has a pretty strong road scene, - two clubs I think. Loads of mamils in Harpenden, as well a fairly large mtb club.

I'd choose St. Albans if I were single, though harpenden can be pretty eye watering in the summer 🙂

I'd choose St. Albans if I were single, though harpenden can be pretty eye watering in the summer

Now this is the kind of information i can work with 😉

As Dave says Shefford is nice, as are Ampthill and (to a lesser extent) Flitwick. However, they're also pretty small (for towns) so don't have a huge amount going on. Hitchin is a bit bigger so has some relatively mainstream shops and more pubs.

Flitwick and Hitchin have the advantage of a train station making it easy to head elsewhere, especially London. Flitwick is on the Midland Mainline (like Luton), would also mean that you could get the train to Luton or Sheffield.

Finbar - I'm mostly an imposter here too. There are quite a few decent road clubs in the area so that's well covered for you.

But it has a population of 200,000 people. There must be a nice bit, surely?

The exit roads are quite nice. Some parts are less dump like than others, but on the whole it's a pretty soul destroying place. As the others have said above if its at all possible try some of the places surrounding it.

I grew up in Harpenden.

Don't live in Luton.

As others have said, avoid Luton. It has no redeeming features. Complete hole.

Harpenden and St. Albans - both nice enough, but ridiculously pricey.
I'd go for Hitchin, I think, although if you're going to be riding in exclusively, there's loads of nice little towns/villages to choose from that aren't too far out.

@ Dunstable being nice...

I've missed it... possibly you could argue on the bit going out to Whipsnade but that's about it...

I go there once or twice a week to ASDA for my mum.... it's a terrible dive.

@ Dunstable being nice...

I've missed it... possibly you could argue on the bit going out to Whipsnade but that's about it...

I go there once or twice a week to ASDA for my mum.... it's a terrible dive.

...compared to Luton ...

Well, the job starts in September so i'll report back where i end up when i move down 😀

...compared to Luton ...

My sister lives in Bramingham about 1/2 mile from the tower blocks...

I rarely go there though so don't know how bad Luton is.

finbar - night life in Dunstable isnt too bad!

[url= http://goo.gl/maps/K7pCs ]google maps linky[/url]

It's a sign: http://www.inapub.co.uk/pubs/finbars-white-horse/dunstable/LU61HX/25310.aspx

Moved from Sheffield to Luton just over 5 years ago. So I understand you position/dilemma.

I work near the airport and drive/bike* in through Stopsely (North East Luton) every day and its not the terrible pit that most of Luton seems to be and if I were to live in Luton its one of the few areas I'd think about.

A rule of thumb is that South (i.e. St Albans, Harpendon etc) is going to be more expensive, North (Barton, Flitwick, Amptill, Bedford will be cheaper.

*I live in Hitchen now (previously in the small villages Pirton & Shillington, never Luton) and my commute is around 10 miles and can be done on fairly quiet back roads/lanes.

In reference to Alice Springs, an Aussie coach driver once said to me "Its not the arsehole of the world but if you stand on your tippy toes, you can see it from here"!

Luton is like that, but colder.

In reference to Alice Springs, an Aussie coach driver once said to me "Its not the arsehole of the world but if you stand on your tippy toes, you can see it from here"!

Be aware tha people in the arse hole of the world say " hell, it's not the Luton of the world, but if you stand on your tippy toes, you can see it ...."

Luton is truly awful. I'd go for Hitchen which is a short commute by car, by bike I'm not sure that there are many good back lanes and you don't want to go on the A505 but don't know for sure.

leighton buzzard could be a good shout, reasonable house prices, goodish nightlife

Terrible call. That place earned my description as 'a small town with a smaller town's mentality'. Dying on it's aerse for the last 15 years. Almost no redeeming features.

I have very happy memories of Leighton Buzzard - mainly because of 12 or so months of rutting ...

Saw very little of the town - and what i did was shithole. But live bands at the Wheatsheaf were always entertaining and the curry house opposite was cheap

Some of the women there are really wild 😀
And a tad deranged 😯
And sleeping with most of the town ... 😳

Luton is the Bradford of the south. It really is pap the redeeming feature is the closeness to the Chilterns go east it is more expensive go west its hillier and again expensive. To reiterate Luton is a hole I have never seen a nice part.
If you do move down msg me I am about 30 mins west of there and biking is a regualar occurance

I used to live in St Albans and Harpenden.Both very nice areas but as others have said mightily expensive.

I now live in a village just 2.5 miles from the centre of Luton.

I totally agree Luton itself has no redeeming features, and I rarely ever venture there but it is surprising how much nicer it is if you look at the villages just a little way out.

My current property was about half what it would have been if it were 5miles down the road,in Harpenden, I look out on to open countryside, I am a short distance from road rides out to Whipsnade and the Chilterns, yet I can jump on the train at Luton parkway ,catch the fast train to St Pancras and be in London in 25 minutes.

If you stay within Bedfordshire the prices are much cheaper.

If you need any local info let me know.

For the reasons mentioned by Vinnyeh most of my socialising is still done in Harpenden. 😀

St Albans is a bit of an experience on a Friday night ............

I have never even be tempted to go for a night out in Luton.

I lived in St Albans, and the Mrs family is in Harpenden and St Albans. They're "nice", but bloody expensive. And the friendliness level might be a bit of a shock compared to Shef (I've lived there too).

But that's the South in general 😉

Don't think I'd want to live in Luton or Dunstable. Wheathampstead looks OK, don't know if it's that good for single life. BTW I've been stopped from going in to the pubs in Harpenden and St Albans for wearing trainers, they're mostly full of that sort of pub.

The area round the A6 Bedford road and Old Bedford is fine but not a young person type area. lots of big detached houses. I teach in the sixth from college there. I do meet loads of great young people at work

I live in my forum name and I really love it (and I have lived in Sheffield). A younger colleague moved to the area recently and lives in Hitchin. Hitchin is more expensive than Ampthill. But its big enough to have a good range of shops and clubs and bars open until late.

Ampthill is more pubs and Restaurant than clubs. Although its far from dead on A Saturday night

can you say where your working? Might be worth asking where people usually locate to and whether there is much of a social scene

I could imagine living in Luton and I do have colleagues that love it

I grew up in Luton, would recommend you look at the following areas:

- Wigmore is a relatively new development/area (about 15-20 years old), was always pretty ok but I understand there are pockets of pretty pikey bits now, so view both day and night.
- North end of Barton Rd and areas either side were always pretty decent

If you want to go a bit further out and can handle not being "in town", look at Barton, Lilley, Caddington, Sundon Village. Slightly further afield is Hitchin (lived there for a while, nice little market town).

Avoid Dunstable & Houghton Regis. Best thing they could do there is build a big wall around it and fill it with water.

There are worse places than Luton you know.... Not 2 miles away is Houghton Regis. A more wretched hive of scum and villainy you'll not find.
I live in mk and commuted to Luton for the last year and it was ok actually (30mins door to door) though it was Sundon Park which is easy to get to as its on the outskirts. Central Luton can be a swine to get into and park.
If you moved to Dunstable there will be an shiny new guided bus way between the two towns pretty soon which is worth considering but I'm not a fan of Dunstable either or at least the town centre? If you drive a few hundred yards out the back of Dunstable however you are into some really lovely chiltern terrain.

[url= http://www.knowhere.co.uk/Luton/Bedfordshire/South-East-England/info/worstthings ]More about Luton here[/url]

daveatextremistsdotcouk - Member

I was born and bred in Luton. Can't think of anything positive to say about the place.

Avoid Harpenden, full of the most miserable people imaginable.

Hmmm, I live in Harpenden so I concur, I am miserable!
We moved here nearly 20 years ago, yes it can be very snobby, & yes it's stupidly expensive, even renting a flat would make most wince, but it does have some redeeming features as might have been touched upon above 😉

TBF I know a few people who have moved to Luton from Harpenden to get a bigger house at sensible money & they say it's not that bad, but then they seem to live in gated estates with private security & never seem to socialise in any of the local eateries & their kids still seem to go to school in Harpenden.

My brother lives in Hitchin & I go out there occasionally & it seems a little less pretentious & all the better for it.

To finish I would say that if nightlife & young ladies are your main aim then you need to work on the premise that the nearer Luton you are then easier it will be, if you move to some of the more affluent villages then it may cost you a bit more in effort/money to get the same desired result 😉 (joke!)

Cheers.

I have to stand up for Leighton Buzzard.
A great little community and certainly not on the down, far from it.
Though I did move up from London, and my missus from Leeds, and neither of us would ever move back.
It does have a strange way though. When I was renovating my house the plumbers, electricians and few other trades wouldn't take any money for their time! you do each other favours.

Anyway Luton is a dump, I hate it but it generates a lot of work so hey ho.
Where about's in Luton will you be based? as you can probably tell the place is surrounded by great towns and villages. You could just nip in if you base yourself right.
My best mate lives in a very gentrified part of StAlbans, the place has always been on the expensive side. I find the place a bit uptight.
He thinks Leighton is a great little place...
Walk out of my front door and straight onto the Rothchilds stud and farmland.
Couple of Hundred yards to the Grand Union for rides, walks and canoeing.
Short ride to Woburn Sands for loads of XC and play.
Nip the other way and you're up on the Ridgeway.
Loads of other rides nearby.
Road racing twice a week just up the road, great CX over the winter and a few local XC races.
Nice place.
All the surrounding villages are great, but the geography changes a lot. Bedford, St Albans and that way are quite agricultural. Leighton, Heath & Reach are on sand and form part of the chilterns.
Whatever, nowhere is far from any of these places.

Berkhamstead'd be quite a nice place to live I reckon

Luton has one redeeming feature... The rip roaring hatters football team! Come on you hatters!!!

andyrm - Member
More about Luton here

😯

Thanks loads for the advice and offers of local knowledge everyone - i'll be revisiting this thread when i move down.

So far Harpenden is top of my list I think. But i'll go and visit beforehand.

If you like the look of Harpenden, the Batford area is marginally cheaper certainly if buying,not sure if that is reflected in rental prices.

Jolly Green Giant - Member

If you like the look of Harpenden, the Batford area is marginally cheaper certainly if buying,not sure if that is reflected in rental prices.

Isn't Batford just south Luton though? 😉 (Runs for cover)

PS, I once had a customer in Southdown that stared off when giving me directions with, & I quote, "as you drive into Southdown village from Harpenden" 🙂

Edit, because it would look even worse if I put it in a new post, this made me laugh the other day [url= http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38531722.html?utm_content=ealertspropertylink&utm_medium=email&utm_source=emailupdates&utm_campaign=emailupdatesjun11&utm_term=buying&sc_id=6158384&onetime_FromEmail=true ]Example of the stupid prices in Harpenden[/url] 😯 , & no I can't afford it, but chances are it will be demolished & a newer monstrosity put in it's place 🙁

Terrible call. That place earned my description as 'a small town with a smaller town's mentality'. Dying on it's aerse for the last 15 years. Almost no redeeming features.

Hey, back off the Bizzle! When was the last time you came to taste the delights? Trust me it's getting much better and I've been here on and off for the past 35 years.

I have to stand up for Leighton Buzzard.

Thanks oldgit 😀

BTW this thread has certainly thrown up quite a few of us in the area. I'm sure I must have bumped into a fair few before now unknowingly. Probably a bit squiffy in the Wheaty.

Ampthill (the poster above not the place!) - I think you may be a colleague of my OHs - she's at the college too.

St Albans here, not going to go over Luton again but it suffices to say... AVOID AT ALL COSTS! I lived happily in central Birmingham for many a year so that's not an idle statement.

Harpenden and St Albans allow you to get fast trains straight into London so there's all the flange acquisition you could ever want right there. Plenty of posh totty closer to home though.

There's some lovely road riding around the villages (Kimpton, the Ayotts etc), and you can easily loop over to Ashridge for even more greenery and bigger hills. Plenty of bunches go out from St Albans on a regular basis ranging from 'nodder' to '2 hours in the pain cave.'

There's even a 'cyclists refuge' cafe called the Hub in Redbourne just west of Harpenden which would be a good place to start if you want to join a few groups.

Yeah, it's expensive, but it's nice and there's plenty of pubs that don't mind trainers... honest.

Luton... just say no.

BTW this thread has certainly thrown up quite a few of us in the area. I'm sure I must have bumped into a fair few before now unknowingly. Probably a bit squiffy in the Wheaty.

How about a meet up and ride to look for a place for Finbar, it'll be like 'Location, Location, Location'

A Harpenden/St Albans STW meet? Surely that would be the most middle class event this side of a recording of the News Quiz.

I'll pack my fair trade Waitrose houmous.

So long as its the Moroccan style houmous with chick peas, tahini and moroccan style spices 🙂

So long as its the Moroccan style houmous with chick peas, tahini and moroccan style spices

Well of course, what kind of peasant do you take me for?

I do apologise 🙂

Well I would bring some Waitrose Houmus, but I have just found out that M&S have the more expensive version, is it OK to bring that instead?

Can we just bury Luton with sand and pretend it never exist 🙄 ...or put a lot of warehouse over it

Well I would bring some Waitrose Houmus, but I have just found out that M&S have the more expensive version, is it OK to bring that instead?

Just pop it in the Fortnum & Mason hamper so no one sees the packaging 🙂

Bury it with sand? That's racist, what is your problem with Arabs exactly? 😉

I forgot to say that Ampthill has a Waitrose 🙂

and yes I have eaten waitrose humus this evening 🙂

Just pop it in the Fortnum & Mason hamper so no one sees the packaging

Bollocks, just perfected my Harrods labels & you go & take it up a notch, have you any idea how much work went in to them? 😉

To be fair, I've since discovered Fortnum and Mason don't stock Houmous, we'd be fooling no one!

This should do nicely...

[img] [/img]

Pretty much standard issue for a picnic in Verulamium park eh wot?