# Best countryside-ish towns around London?



## ChrisFilter (Apr 2, 2007)

I'm not planning on moving to the cuntry just yet, but was curious.. what are the nice, small, affordable country towns around London with easy train access? Or at least, a short cycle to train access?

Will be 3 or 4 years off yet, but for price and countryside reasons it's an option. 

Does such a utopia exist?


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## ChrisFilter (Apr 2, 2007)

Oh, and preferably South of London.. Hertfordshire is not somewhere I'd ever want to be near.. nor Essex, nice enough, but don't want to commute to through the east. Nor West, parents live that way and it's too expensive.

South East is Kent, maybe not.

South West is too expensive I'd guess.

Which leaves directly South. Redhill. Er...


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## zenie (Apr 2, 2007)

for cheapness I'd suggest Kent or west some of the ex-middlesex areas can be cheap.

Pretty villages by Slough and round there bordering on windsor, Most of Surrey would be too pricey, some of Croydon isn't too bad.

You're very vague!!


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## ChrisFilter (Apr 2, 2007)

Slough/Windsor come into West London, not great really.

Would be looking at a 2 bed place for about £200k. Redhill and it's surrounds seems ok for that. Trains to London Bridge AND Victoria AND Farringdon. Seems useful.


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## zenie (Apr 2, 2007)

ChrisFilter said:
			
		

> Slough/Windsor come into West London, not great really.
> 
> Would be looking at a 2 bed place for about £200k. Redhill and it's surrounds seems ok for that. Trains to London Bridge AND Victoria AND Farringdon. Seems useful.



Really?  

Do you think they'll be that in 2-3 years?  

Some of Redhill can be nice


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## Roadkill (Apr 2, 2007)

Gravesend.


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## xes (Apr 2, 2007)

what's wrong with Hertfordshire


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## cesare (Apr 2, 2007)

You could try Tonbridge/Hildenborough

Or West Malling/Aylesford

Maybe Crowborough


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## ChrisFilter (Apr 2, 2007)

Cheers everyone.. this is the sort of thing:

http://www.findaproperty.com/displayprop.aspx?edid=00&salerent=0&pid=289022&agentid=02593


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## ChrisFilter (Apr 2, 2007)

xes said:
			
		

> what's wrong with Hertfordshire



What isn't? 

Just seems very dull, bland countryside, boring towns.. no offence, I'm sure I'm way off the mark!


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## maximilian ping (Apr 2, 2007)

Guildford, Bordeaux, Jerez


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## ChrisFilter (Apr 2, 2007)

Yeah, Jerez is perfect.

Tonbridge seems nice, too far out though, it looks like.


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## xes (Apr 2, 2007)

ChrisFilter said:
			
		

> What isn't?
> 
> Just seems very dull, bland countryside, boring towns.. no offence, I'm sure I'm way off the mark!


naah,you're pretty spot on actually


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## cesare (Apr 2, 2007)

Tonbridge is only 35 mins to L/Bridge and 40 to Charing X

about the same as Redhill


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## ChrisFilter (Apr 2, 2007)

Ah, I stand corrected. Way cheaper as well, some lovely places around the £160k mark, significantly cheaper. Though the cost of travelcard might negate the difference.


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## cesare (Apr 2, 2007)

ChrisFilter said:
			
		

> Ah, I stand corrected. Way cheaper as well, some lovely places around the £160k mark, significantly cheaper. Though the cost of travelcard might negate the difference.



Yep, not sure about the price of the travelcard tbh. Doubt if it would be £40K even over a few years though


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## rutabowa (Apr 2, 2007)

Lewes seems pretty nice, it might be a bit too expensive though. and htey have that mad pagan bonfire every year.


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## Sigmund Fraud (Apr 2, 2007)

Crockenhill near Swanley is lovely, very rural but 1 mile from Swanley station (25 minutes to victoria), couple of good little pubs etc.


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## cesare (Apr 2, 2007)

Sigmund Fraud said:
			
		

> Crockenhill near Swanley is lovely, very rural but 1 mile from Swanley station (25 minutes to victoria), couple of good little pubs etc.



Yes, there are quite a few lovely villages around there - Farningham, Eynsford etc. Swanley's a pit though


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## Roadkill (Apr 2, 2007)

rutabowa said:
			
		

> Lewes seems pretty nice, it might be a bit too expensive though. and htey have that mad pagan bonfire every year.



Lewes is a weird place.  In some ways it's really nice: it's picturesque, it has some great pubs, the shops are good, there's a surprising amount going on for a fairly small place and it's got good road and rail connections.  In other ways, I'm not so sure.  There's an odd atmosphere about it.  It's quite xenophobic and fairly snobbish.  It can get fairly hairy at chucking-out time on a weekend too.


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## rutabowa (Apr 2, 2007)

Roadkill said:
			
		

> Lewes is a weird place.  In some ways it's really nice: it's picturesque, it has some great pubs, the shops are good, there's a surprising amount going on for a fairly small place and it's got good road and rail connections.  In other ways, I'm not so sure.  There's an odd atmosphere about it.  It's quite xenophobic and fairly snobbish.  It can get fairly hairy at chucking-out time on a weekend too.


i haven't spent too much time there but i'd come to the same conclusion. but on the whole i thought it's relative liveliness and Harveys beer made up for the negatives..


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## art of fact (Apr 2, 2007)

i quite like dorking... nice pubs, box hill, nice people


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## ChrisFilter (Apr 2, 2007)

Yeah, Dorking seems ok, into Waterloo as well. Expensive though.


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## ska invita (Apr 2, 2007)

ChrisFilter said:
			
		

> Oh, and preferably South of London.. Hertfordshire is not somewhere I'd ever want to be near.. nor Essex, nice enough, but don't want to commute to through the east. Nor West, parents live that way and it's too expensive.
> 
> South East is Kent, maybe not.
> 
> ...



I follow your thinking, having been through exactly the same train of thought. The thing to do is have a look on the trainline, and see where the stops are:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/print_maps/LondonAndSouthEast.pdf

There are a few that look interesting - basically half way between london and brighton, or there abouts, looks quite cool. Kent isnt actually all that green consdiering its the garden of England - you need to go a bit more west to get a few woods.

littlehaven, ilfield and faygate look promising but ive no idea what they're like...


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## innit (Apr 2, 2007)

rutabowa said:
			
		

> i haven't spent too much time there but i'd come to the same conclusion. but on the whole i thought it's relative liveliness and Harveys beer made up for the negatives..


Leave Lewes alone, Lewes is t5eh  

It is far too good for ChrisFilter.  He may go and live in Uckfield.


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## Fuzzy (Apr 2, 2007)

what about epson or leatherhead? or you could go out aldershot and farnham way or even farnborough.


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## Monkeynuts (Apr 2, 2007)

Fuzzy said:
			
		

> what about epson...?



You get more for your money in Lexmark


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## spanglechick (Apr 2, 2007)

Fuzzy said:
			
		

> what about epson or leatherhead? or you could go out aldershot and farnham way or even farnborough.


i don't know about the others, but epsom is incredibly pricey, and l/head isn't cheap.


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## corporate whore (Apr 3, 2007)

I lived in Farnham for a few years, it's very pricey. Aldershot's a shithole and Farnborough's not much better.

Godalming. Lovely.


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## Errol's son (Apr 3, 2007)

Westerham is nice. I worked there recently, although I think it will become a lot more built up in the coming years.


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## Andy the Don (Apr 3, 2007)

Try Oxted, Limpsfield or Limpsfield Chart in Surrey. Good communications to London (40mins Victoria to Oxted), surronded by National Trust woodland, but a bit pricey. Or a wee bit further out Edenbridge, just over the border in Kent.


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## rutabowa (Apr 3, 2007)

innit said:
			
		

> Leave Lewes alone, Lewes is t5eh
> 
> It is far too good for ChrisFilter.  He may go and live in Uckfield.


hey i was recommending it!


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## ChrisFilter (Apr 3, 2007)

Dorking is winning so far, not half as expensive as I thought (suitable houses around the £180k mark, they're at least £210k in London) and trains to Waterloo, Vic and London Bridge. Lovely town as well.

Go Dorking, it's your birthday.


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## g force (Apr 3, 2007)

Tonbridge is horrible, full of little englander twats.


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## Roadkill (Apr 3, 2007)

innit said:
			
		

> Leave Lewes alone, Lewes is t5eh
> 
> It is far too good for ChrisFilter.  He may go and live in Uckfield.



I have lived in Uckfield and I wouldn't wish it on my own worst enemy!


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## marty21 (Apr 3, 2007)

hastings? i know a few people who have bought there recently, there's supposed to be a direct train link which will make it more commutable to london, been there a couple of times, seems alright


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## sonik (Apr 3, 2007)

innit said:
			
		

> Leave Lewes alone, Lewes is t5eh


Ha ha ha   Lewes!!!


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## ChrisFilter (Apr 3, 2007)

marty21 said:
			
		

> hastings? i know a few people who have bought there recently, there's supposed to be a direct train link which will make it more commutable to london, been there a couple of times, seems alright



Couldn't deal with a 2 hour commute!


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## g force (Apr 3, 2007)

Hastimgs itself is okay but it's not commutable at the moment. Don't think trains are getting any faster that route as it goes via Tonbridge


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## Tokyo (Apr 5, 2007)

corporate whore said:
			
		

> I lived in Farnham for a few years, it's very pricey. Aldershot's a shithole and Farnborough's not much better.
> 
> Godalming. Lovely.



Grew up in Godalming.  Pretty, small, reasonable train service but otherwise poor local transport.  Couple of very decent pubs but no other excitement in the town.  Housing pricey.

Not sure how much you have to spend, but Winchester's nice; Woking is pretty horrible but has some nice countryside around and excellent rail connections.


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## Bahnhof Strasse (Apr 5, 2007)

Deffo Dorking, nestling in the Surrey Hills, decent sized town, great countryside all around, lots of it is National Trust and not too expensive.

If you can find an affordable place, the villages outside Dorking are great, Abinger Hammer, Holmbury St. Mary etc. are lush.

And close to Guildford, which is brimming with grade A laydees


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## Iguana (Apr 5, 2007)

It's north but I always figure I'll move to Enfield if we decide to stay in London when we have a family.  I couldn't give up being near the Lee valley, it's what keeps us and the dogs sane.  And it's prettier in Enfield than it is in Tottenham and Hackney.


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## BadlyDrawnGirl (Apr 6, 2007)

Westerham is a nice market town just outside the drone of the M25. Otford is a large village, almost a small town - and Shoreham is a delightful settlement - both of which can be located on the A225, adjacent to aforementioned motorwy, and both well-equipped with William-sanctioned alehouses. So thar you gow.


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## Nigel (Apr 8, 2007)

Try Tilgate Lakes in Crawley West Sussex, 
or St.Leonards near East Grinstead in East Surrey.
East Grinstead apparentely has the largest number of cults in the country.
The most obscure being Socialist Party Of Great Britain!!


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## Gavin Bl (Apr 8, 2007)

niksativa said:
			
		

> littlehaven, ilfield and faygate look promising but ive no idea what they're like...



Littlehaven is the north end of Horsham, pretty dull, Ifield is in Crawley and Faygate is a pretty infrequent stop between the two. I don't know that that connections for these guys are any good, as they will often be missed out by faster trains, doing Crawley, Horsham, and south from there.

Lewes is nice, but fairly infrequent trains into London, good countryside alot of history, arty side and a lairy side.

On the faster brighton line the two main towns between Crawley and Brighton are Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill, they are both pleasant enough, but fairly dull commuter towns. The former has the better connections (its an important stop on a number of routes to the coast), the latter has the better town centre. Both have access to good countryside.

Larger villages on this line are Hassocks and Balcombe, both pretty quiet, have trains but not hugely frequent - Balcombe is nice for the High Weald and Hassocks is good for the South Downs. Of course south of there, and its Brighton.

Crawley is a big town in Sussex, and thats all I have to say about it. I'll list its charms. Err... Three Bridges is a major station in Crawley that gets alot of trains, but you can never get a seat in the morning, most trains filling up in Haywards Heath.

This line due south out of Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton is really good in my view, the region south of Crawley is nice, easy for london, brighton and gatwick, plenty of trains, really nice countryside that is easily accessible with public transport, or of course by car.

cheers
Gav


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## han (Apr 11, 2007)

What about Worthing?


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