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I feel like my head is going to burst and I'm going round in circles. My gf and I are moving to London for a couple of years from July and I'll be working in St Peters Hospital (near Chertsey) for first year then Epsom or St Helier for the second year. I had earmarked Surbiton (and [url= http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-41215187.html ]this[/url] place looked good) as a good compromise between decent commuting distances for cycling or train and lively/interesting place to live. However, people have started telling me it's dull and boring. My gf works from home, we've spent the last 4 years in Derby and a big draw of moving to London was somewhere with some life. I've also started thinking that commuting by scooter or motorbike would open up far more options than train/pushbike. In fact if commuting by train/pushbike I can't see a better option than Surbiton? Kingston ok by pushbike but crap for train annoyingly.
So I thought I'd go right back to the beginning and ask about where to live in SW London. Somewhere interesting but can get to work in an hour or ideally less door to door. Originally budgeted 1k pcm but looking like may need to adjust upwards.
I should also point out not had a chance to visit any areas but will be doing that at end of May, ta muchly.
I've just moved to Cheam which is a village between Epsom & Sutton. Easy links to London and other towns in Surrey to the south.
I do find it very expensive but then I used to live out in Reading but equally I don't often need to leave the village so I guess that's what you pay for.
Anyhow, I love it and the agent we got our flat through was Lee Chapman if that helps 🙂
Twickenham or Kingston.
No further. There be dragons.
if you dont mind students then Egham or Englefield Green are okay
Dorking? Leatherhead? Reigate?
Surrey hills, and easy for Epsom and trains into London?
I had earmarked Surbiton (and this place looked good) as a good compromise between decent commuting distances for cycling or train and lively/interesting place to live. However, people have started telling me it's dull and boring.
Eh? 😯
What's their definition of boring? That flat is yards away from the Thames, you have Home park, and bushy park across the river and Richmond park within a few miles, Kingston a stones throw away with stuff like the rose theatre, and you're twenty five minutes from Waterloo station and all that London has. Also twenty minutes by train in the other direction plonks you at the foot of the North downs and Surrey hills beyond. Surbiton(I'm fairly local) a pretty good place when compared to Epsom and Egham above.
Gary Banham, all I can say is Lal Akash. The best curry I have ever had.
PS everyone we've ever taken there agrees.
Why are you wanting to commute, just live out near St Peters.
And all the money you save on commuting means you can have a nicer place and/or get out more when you are not working. Then move to Epsom (or wherever you'll be working).
Define "life"? I think a lot of London would have more life and Kingston is certainly lively on a weekend night. Too much so for my tastes. I like Twickenham / Richmond area as having a good mix and the potential to head into Waterloo quickly.
Br, moved to london to be somewhere more exciting, heading out to st peters wouldn't be that. Plus need to move again after a year
By lively I mean pubs, shops, restaurants and stuff actually happening nearby
If you're working at St Peter's try West byfleet, much cheaper rent / hosues than epsom way, very good rail connections to London and the south west, not far from the A3 & M25 if you need to commute by car, reasonable shops and some nice restaurants, 15-20min cycle to the hospital. 20mins drive to the surrey hills or swinley forest.....
from living around this area for 12yrs now i have found it the nicest suburban place to live round here 🙂
I lived in Clapham Junction - huge transport hub with most of the south/south west conurbation within easy reach by train.
I'd guess the more affordable properties around there to rent would be on what seems like a dodgy council estate, quite literally on the wrong side of the tracks. I lived on one such estate for a couple of years - the Winstanley Estate, home to then-newsworthy gangsta garage rappers So Solid Crew. However, I never had a minute's bother from anyone. Two minute's walk to the train station, all the pubs and bars of Northcote Road and Battersea Rise ten minutes walk, and Richmond Park probably 20 mins away by bike if you want to do a bit of offroading.
Might not be exactly what you're looking for but I thought it was a great place to live.
By lively I mean pubs, shops, restaurants and stuff actually happening nearby
If you come out of that road where that flat is and turn left there are a few pubs down on the right and a couple of restaurants like [url= http://www.thefrenchtable.co.uk/ ]this.[/url] Surbiton itself has some decent pubs and restaurants, and then you have Kingston, and of course hop on the train to central London.
[i]Br, moved to london to be somewhere more exciting, heading out to st peters wouldn't be that. Plus need to move again after a year
By lively I mean pubs, shops, restaurants and stuff actually happening nearby
[/i]
Mate, been there, done that - and wasted hours of my life and thousands of pounds commuting.
I worked in/around Weybridge for 5 years. Its nice, plenty happening and loads of places to eat/drink, but you can't afford it, and neither could I...
Surbiton is a good option.
- Lots of bars/pubs/restaurants/cafes
- Good train links
- Close to the river
- OK for biking
I wouldn't move further out in to more of a village suburb. FWIW, I live in Teddington - lovely place, but trains in to London are a bit crap (35 mins to Waterloo).
I'd recommend you book a cheap hotel/travel lodge for the weekend, bring your bike and spend a couple of days exploring.
Nick
BTW - that flat looks good, and you're a stones throw away from loads of places to eat - Jamie's Italian, Wagamamas, Strava, Rose Theatre, French Table, etc etc
I live in East Molesey and previously has a place in Surbiton and prior to that I lived in London.
All of the places you mentioned are quiet in comparison to places in central London.
Kingston is quite lively as it has a university so weekend nights are busy, some decent riverside pubs, lots of restaurants and so on and a big shopping centre. However after midnight it all starts to slow right down.
Richmond, Twickenham, Teddington all similar really, these are the burbs after all.
You could do a lot worse than Surbiton. It's 20 minutes to Waterloo last train back from town is around 12.30, a few good pubs, lots of places to eat, 10 minutes into Kingston, Thameside walks, Richmond and Bushey Parks etc. 35 minutes to the Surrey hills by car, lots of local loops around Oxshott and Esher woods, it's a nice place to live.
Been in SW london for quite a few years now, started out in Clapham Junction, then Earlsfield and have been in Surbiton for the last 5 years and no intention of living anywhere else.
Plenty of pubs, bars, restuarants, etc etc. Yes it's not as lively as Northcote Road in CJ, but on the plus side you can walk into a pub and get served without a 20 minute wait, or get a table out on the river on a sunny day without having to get there at 7am to claim your "spot"!
Fast trains <20 mins into waterloo, slow train <35mins. Last train home from Waterloo (the "vomit express") used to be 1am.
Richmond Park, Bushy Park, Thames path all on the doorstep. I ride the track round Richmond Park once a week and its easy to hook up a 20 miler with Richmond Park, Wimbledon Common and the Thames Path where you barely touch tarmac.
I also night ride on the Surrey Hills once a week, takes me 30 mins to get to Dorking (Box Hill, Ranmore Common), 45 mins to Peaslake, Coldharbour, Holmbury etc.
When you want to get away on the weekends, you're out past the M25 in 20 mins, rather than losing the will to live and spending an hour crawling through the 200m section of the Wandsworth one-way system to get to the A3!
Any specific questions, just ask.