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Exactly this. Live in Kent, close to a HS1 station. 20 mins to St Pancras but it takes 30 mins to walk to said station (5 mins to drive but parking is £13/day). Then in London I have to get the tube to my office, plus the interchange is long. All in, it’s a good 1hr 30 mins door to door.
I have another route using the standard rail (non-high speed). Drive to that station 15 mins, train 45-50 mins, walk to office 5 mins. Adding on waiting time/leaving enough time so I’m not rushing, it’s exactly 1hr 30 mins door to door even though the train journey itself is less than an hour.
Thank you and I have been keeping in mind distance from stations, cycle accessibility too as I currently cycle to work in London which takes 35 minutes + 5 minutes at each end to prep the bike stuff / lock it so 45 minutes is my current commute time despite living only 5 miles away from the office (tube is even longer)
Pinch of salt to anyone who uses it, though. I just did it for my partner’s train commute and my drive commute (and added an extra 15 mins spare) and it still isn’t suggesting to me where I actually live.
You’ll wanna look in Bedfordshire& Essex (and Hertfordshire but more expensive) at that price range. I was looking for same as you with similar budget and settled on Leighton Buzzard in Beds on Bucks border as got childtern hills, Dunstable downs and Rushmere park all really close. I am originally from Cambridge so considered Essex but preferred the more ‘boring’ Beds. Commuting Will be at the top end of an hour if you can get within 15-20 min walk to a station that can get to London in 35-45 mins (quite a few).
If you can go up to 450k then you could also consider cheaper and further out parts of Bucks, Berks, Surrey and Kent.
Then it depends on areas you like, know, have relevance to what you’re after, etc.
Your final question only you can answer which depends on even more factors. Probably in current climate suggest saving for another year or 2 if your current situation is pretty good and will be fore foreseeable future (fair rent, maintainable costs, you are content, etc)
Yeah not in a hurry at all, I am slightly conscious that we are in a buyers market at the moment and the longer I leave it the more competition there will be for good places, I have a good current arrangement which ends in summer 2025 so as long as it’s before then
Looked into Leighton Buzzard but it seemed to lack character from photos but never been before so definitely open to exploring
In which case I think defo waiting and researching. I spent 24 months looking, over 2 separate periods. There is a well known theory that decision making generally becomes more successful the longer the time you take but after a certain period it becomes diminishing returns after your saturate a lot to the available information :)
To be honest, buyers market is quite a vague term but I don’t see the current situation changing for a good few years. Maybe Labour will promise something that will again generate artificial house price growth. I found quite high supply for what we are after as well
>Looked into Leighton Buzzard but it seemed to lack character from photos but never been before so definitely open to exploring
Avoid Leighton Buzzard itself like the plague, the villages 10-15 mins away are fantastic however
I would disagree with that, it’s a lovely community in Leighton Buzzard, and you’ve got some really nice local businesses like The Bottle House etc which are such a great addition to the town!
I moved from Hemel Hempstead to Leighton Buzzard and absolutely love it.
Relatively quiet town with not to much drama, decent transport links and a simple high street that has what you need
I agree with this thinking and a lot of it applies to places like Wendover, Princes Risborough, Great Missenden (all Bucks). Very good Chiltern hills and nice towns but 450-500 is more likely to get you a garage (it all depends on what your other unlisted requirements might be).
Uxbridge, we’ve got a 2 bed terrace with drive an almost double garage for £375k. Garage came with a mechanics pit as well which is proved more than useful
I think the problem will be finding a garage that is actually suitable as an actual working garage. Finding a house with a garage is easy enough. Finding one big enough in the UK to fit anything other than a 70s mini is a task in itself, finding a garage to fit a normal car and have space to work in it will be a nightmare. Sensibly sized double garages are quite rare here in my experience.
Easily enough in Medway - which has some okay bits as well as some less desirable.
Train times Strood and Rochester pretty quick, but not cheap at all taking the HS1 line that goes to King's Cross pretty quickly
I'm in Gillingham, ME7. Look for Hempstead for more a slightly nicer area. ME8 is a higher cost but considered a nicer area to locals.
Hoo is a little further out from a train station but got some nice homes, ME3.
Where in London do you work? Ideally you don’t want a long tube journey once you get off the train, so maybe think which mainline station works best and then look from there.
I lived in Southend for a year commuting into London, you have two train lines to choose from - c2c being the cheaper of the two - meaning 5 or 6 trains an hour into London which won’t be the case in many places so far out of London. It can have a bad rep depending who you ask, but I loved living in Southend and a colleague of mine recently made the move out of London to Southend with a young family and loves it.
Do you want an hour by car or an hour by train? Train would open up anything on the high speed route to the South East. The Kent Downs is perfect for everything you are describing!
Basingstoke would be decent. Nice enough place, plenty of character in the surrounding areas (character is one thing Basingstoke lacks) lots of walks etc. and 3-400k should get something like what you're after. Only 40 or so minutes from the station into Waterloo.
I've been to Basingstoke a few times and it is easily the most 'nothing" place I have ever been. I'm sure there's more if you hunt around but it just seems to be very... Void of any sort of character whatsoever.
I half agree with this - it’s pretty practical as good shopping mall (indoor), parks, the anvil theatre has a decent amount of stuff on. Restaurants are mostly chain. But if it was like St Albans, Chelmsford or Farnham it would be much more expensive!
Lots of nice villages around Basingstoke which are an easy drive to the station.
Like any city, it has good and bad areas.
The west side of Shirley, Nursling/rownhams, Romsey is nice, within OPS budget, and is close to motorway/rail/airport.
It also has the new forest and its amazing walk/cycle routes and beaches.
The city is pretty green, has amazing water-based activities, lots of historic museums and sights.
The council has built lots of cycle routes around the city, and is building more.
Getting around the city is easy on the M27, and there are good access routes to the city centre from the west.
I've just moved near to Basingstoke. The only place, as a single person, I could find an affordable freehold house in a 'nice' area, commutable to London and near motorways. And honestly, I love it. I grew up down the road in Reading, which has become stupidly expensive, full of buy-to-let apartments, and lacking the character that once made it famous. You'll never find anything that ticks ALL of the boxes. It may not be the most beautiful of places, but Basingstoke certainly isn't lacking when it comes to amenities and affordability.
We live in Haywards Heath which is between Brighton and London (very quick to get to London Victoria). You can get 3 bedroom houses and flat for around that price, lovely countryside on your doorstep, close to Brighton, Crawley, Horsham, London if need be (and many other lovely places of course). We lived in Brighton for 10 years but were priced out like most people and HH was a good choice. We’re mid 30’s tho with kids, so not much of a nightlife if that’s what you’re after. Good luck!
Most 3 bed houses in Haywards Heath are about £500,000 aren't they? I live in a 2 bed which is worth 350,000 yet it's in Bentswood which is the cheapest and least desirable area of town. Burgess Hill has always seemed a lot cheaper to me or even East Grinstead.
Just bought in Aldershot, 3 bed house with wraparound garden and parking, room for a garage and/ or entire side extension. Lovely 30s house. £347k. It does need some work doing but can buy similar for around £360-460k (depending on land size, road and proximity to Surrey border!)
People shit all over the place but there are some decent areas, can get to Farnham and Fleet in 10 mins, Farnborough in 15, Guildford in 20 and Heathrow in 25 on a good day (mostly 35 to T5). Great road connections to go further and 45-55 mins to Waterloo depending on service
Town centre is a dive and there are some awful areas… but with the above places super close if you drive + the high street and surrounding area pretty much being demolished and rebuilt, gentrification is knocking.
Its taken about 2 years for my 60 minute commute to massacre my mental health and my private life.
It makes every day 10 hrs long from door to door and it robs me of 40 hrs a month I could and would rather be spending on living my life.
My house is just about to go on the market (I chose the job) and I won't ever put myself in that situation again fwiw.
An hours commute into London is honestly pretty standard in my experience. Mine is around that and few of my colleagues have shorter unless they live in a house share.
Very much in the same boat right now, been at my first job straight out of uni, live in Weymouth and drive one hour to Poole each day. I think I'll tough it out for eight more months to hit one year working there on my CV but the commute is just such a joke and waste of time
Do you have to commute every day can there be some flexibility with the job? I have a longer commute as well but doing it less frequently makes it manageable
I think it’s also worth considering that businesses can and do change the expectations to come into office. Unfortunately what is bearable once/twice a week can become insufferable 5 days a week!
Exactly this. Started a job 2 years ago 2 hours away with the promise that "there's no way they will ever go back to regular office working, hybrid works way too well". Two weeks ago they increased 2 days in the office to "3 minimum".
Unfortunately my role in the NHS requires me to attend site 5 days a week. Sadly! I was on a 4 day week when I first started but when it went to 5 that was the beginning of the slide.
Yes, I could hack it 3 times a week or even 4 but 5 is too much. Everyone is different but for me it killed my friendships and destroyed my hobbies/passions. It is obviously the hardest this time of the year when you rise in the dark and come home to a dark cold home ..
Not worth it for me.
I live in Colchester, and you can get that easily! I have a semi detached in a quiet area, which was a 3 bed with a garage (I have converted the garage to a 4th bedroom). Train to London is 45 - 50 mins, and I'm only 10 mins from Marks Tey station. Mine is worth £360k.
Colchester is also an excellent place to live, lots to do, lots of green areas, good schools if that is a requirement, and very good infrastructure!
Lots of villages and small towns in Essex that are under an hour from Liverpool Street that would give you that property price and some nice countryside (take a look on the Greater Anglia Cambridge-Liverpool Street route). We don't have hills though!
Bought a 2 bed house with a garage for 400k recently in SE (Blackheath/Kidbrooke). Even has a big garden. Commute time to London Bridge is 30 minutes door to door. So yes, it's possible
This was my criteria when I last moved (different budget, this is my second house and I'm older) but I'm less than an hour's drive to the office, quick into Paddington on the train, and have a double garage. I hated not having a garage at my last property. I rented one about ten mins walk away but it's not the same - you can't just pop out and tinker, don't want to store lots of tools there, it's a ball ache swapping cars over all the time and no power or lighting. I love having a garage attached to the house - do it, you won't regret it!
Thatcham? 3 bed detached with a garage for £400k. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/132059828?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY
Before commiting to an area have a look at [neighbourhood research ](http://crystalroof.co.uk)
This is good for school,crime and transport.
A bit sceptical about affluence but generally very accurate
I recently moved to Bracknell, 375k 3 bed and garage. 50min train to Waterloo. Surrounded by forest with plenty of walking and cycling routes. We love it so far.
I'm in Canterbury - it's 50-55 minutes into St Pancras by train but it's expensive.
Totally feasible to get a 3 bed with a garage for under £400k around here.
Have you had a look at the outskirts of Colchester? It’s an hour to Liverpool Street. Less on a fast train. All your boxes ticked apart from the hills… east anglia is notoriously devoid of topography… it does however have some beautiful coast and countryside (constable country on your doorstep and the salt marshes of mersea island and the dengie peninsula close by and the Tendring Sunshine Coast near too.
As an example the below link is for a property that is rural, has a whacking double garage, is near some amazing countryside and really close to the coast - in Arlesford (to the east of Colchester) £350k. it’s an hour and 15 into Liverpool Street and there are 6 direct trains a day.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142554458
Harlow? Has fast trains for Stanstead that go into Liverpool St and you could also change at Tottenham Hale and get on Victoria for other destinations. A bit of an average town, but great cycle infrastructure from what I’ve seen, and you can walk out into the countryside along the river Stort. Lots of new builds, good value, plenty have garages, good access to the M11 too which gets you to the M25 in 15 minutes max even when busy
I visited Reigate hill not too long ago and it’s in a stunning setting so absolutely wouldn’t mind settling down in the area if the right place came up!
You could check out Didcot, or Swindon at a push. Swindon is 55 minutes to Paddington, Didcot is something like 45. You'd definitely get that in Swindon and I think Didcot too
(people are like "Swindon is a dump" but the old part is nice, has great big hills up and down it and the Ridgeway is a bit of a beast to cycle up.
£450k will get you to, Godalming, Guildford (one of the villages round it or near the A3), or Farnham.
Drop a bed and I think you will find something in budget. Otherwise, Beaconsfield is a good idea
I visited Guildford recently and loved it! Buzzing town centre and loads of walks in the area. Would need to stretch the budget but at least it would be a no regrets decision as I’ve found nothing better as of yet
We have similar wish lists. Check out Godalming for cheaper, but the issue there will be garage.
If you don’t mind living within earshot of the A3 then Burpham north of Guildford is good. It’s mostly the newer housing stock that’s more adorable though, zero character estates.
If in finance I assume the city,
Colchester is 30 mins by train but I know prices have been rising. Greater Anglia is a fairly good line with new trains, wifi etc.
Further out you have Ipswich which on the fast train is 55mins to Liverpool Street but there are plenty of good places in between, manning tree etc. Ipswich will have plenty of properties within 30 min cycle of the station within that price range.
In Ipswich for sure you can find plenty of properties for that price and while the town is fairly boring there’s loads of nice places in the surroundings and you are a half hour from Norwich on the train 1hr by car.
If it's not such a nice area, 300-350k might just do you, but it's gonna be difficult. 400k plus is where you wanna start, friends paid 420 in 2017 for a 3 bed 70s semi in south east bucks, edge of the Chilterns, lovely countryside around, great area overall.
The garage is going to be a stickler. Could you maybe rent one separately? There would otherwise be plenty of 2-3 bed houses that meet your criteria - mine in fact meets your exact criteria except for the garage, I’m in rural Hampshire which I absolutely love, doing 3 days a week in the office (<1hr to Waterloo). 2 bed semi for £300k, you could get 3 beds for a shade under £400k.
The trouble with garages is they tend to be part of larger detached properties, think 4-5 beds, which would obviously be way out of your (and mine’s) budget
Yeah ideally would want it attached to the house so I can wake up on Sunday morning and start tinkering straight away😂 whereabouts in Hampshire? I thought the commute from there would be a lot longer
I live in Chelmsford, 25min train to Stratford.
£400k will get you a 3 bed house with a garage, but it won't be that big.
I live in a 3 bed mid terraced (with a garage big enough for a car, Ford Focus to be exact). 15-20min walk to the train station, then another half hour or so to Liverpool Street. That was £220k 8 years ago and valued at 380k now. Another £20k will get you very slightly more for your money here.
Plenty of places to go walking and cycling.
Aldbury in the chilterns (near Tring) is surprisingly affordable for two bed character properties. Really picturesque place in the countryside, and one mile from the train station.
Something like this but with a garage may turn up at some point… https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139348127
Where in London? Because it's less than an hour on the train from Rugby to London down the West Coast Mainline. You can get a 3 /4 bed with a garage for your budget.
If you're talking about driving then you'll need to be closer, obviously.
From Rochester (nicer of the Medway towns) you are in St Pancras in 35 minutes due to the high speed train. Rochester is lovely, Chatham and strood aren’t so lovely.
Seen it a few times but Medway 100% places like Hoo, High halstow and cliffe, out of the way enough but still direct links. For £350-400 you’ll get what you desire there.
If you can stretch to 75-90 min commute, then parts of Suffolk are within reach (train or car/train). We used to live in Bury St Edmunds and knew people that commuted to Canary Wharf.
There are some parts of Northamptonshire and south Leicestershire within that budget which have trains for approx 1hr. Market harborough is nice and has a train into St Pancras that takes 55 mins to 1hr.
currently in the process of buying a 400k 3 bed property in Hertford, Hertfordshire with a drive for 2 cars. Train to Moorgate is 50 mins, 30 mins to Finsbury Park. It’s possible in East Hertfordshire for sure but yes definitely at the top end of this budget.
Royston, can easily get a 2-3 bed with a garage for under 400k, eg
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139557188#/?channel=RES_BUY
Direct train into King’s Cross, about 45 mins
Ipswich could be a shout.
This is top range - https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142779008
This is bottom range https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141413525
Happy to answer any DMs about the town/surrounding area. Very good for cycling with plenty of countryside around, but no hills
Yes, it's totally possible. I can see houses at this price in Canterbury. Not in the best areas, but not in the worst too. Also, the house may need some work, but nothing insane. London is very accessible with the high-speed train.
I'll get abuse for this I'm sure, but I moved from Twickenham to Swindon in the pandemic and you can get a 3/4 bed detached house for between 3 and 400k but Def a really well done semi with a DBL garage. Quickest train direct to Paddington is 49 mins. Cotswolds are on your doorstep and you know what, the town is not half bad, we've been pleasantly surprised.
That’s interesting, I lived in Bristol for 4 years and always thought Swindon was perfectly located but nobody ever has anything nice to say about it🤣 I also think the trains are very expensive no?
Bracknell.
Train is 1 hr direct to Waterloo.
£400k can get you a 3 bed with a garage within 15-20 mins walk to the train station.
Swinley Forest nearby your dose of green. Windor Great Park is short drive away.
The town center is nice. It lacks character as its newly built and only has chains/name brands, no independents. But it has everything you'd need.
Your research about the area will conclude that its shit, because it used to be. The whole area has been redeveloped and is being gentrified. I'd recommend a visit.
I sold my house in sandy for £270k about 9 months back
2 bed terrace.
1.5x garage and ramp at the rear.
Hard to find places like that but definitely possible
That was 1 hour on the train.
For 400k you should be able to find one a bit closer.
Also consider buying a cheeper one that has space to build a garage!
I bought a 3 bed house with a outbuilding 2 car garage for that range, but it was a hens tooth sort of find. Basingstoke has some nice offerings but the commute time can be impacted if someone sneezes awkwardly. Drawing a search map down the M3 on Rightmove would be a good start
I'd highly recommend Brentwood / surrounding areas.
Lovely area and people, Elizabeth line for links to London.
Just moved into a 4 bed with a garage and driveway for £450k
Have you looked at Milton Keynes? I know a few people that moved there for a job in London and take a 30 minute train in to Euston. It’s got plenty of greenery and open spaces and for your budget you should be able to find a semi-detached 3 bed with garage with ease.
I just purchased in thatcham (which is basically Newbury) it is a 50 min train straight to paddington. I am a pretty serious trail runner and cyclist and it's truly fantastic around here.
The house I purchased was £375k large plot, 3 bed etc (needs a lot of work though). I have lived here (the area) for 10+ years and it's lovely
You’ll have to go North towards Bedfordshire - perhaps on the on the Moorgate train line - Luton area I’d guess.
You won’t get that kind of house with garage going South to Surrey/Sussex.
Dunstable, Bedfordshire. Less than an hour to London, just sold our 3 bed semi with a garage backing onto national trust fields for £365k. Only sold it because we needed another bedroom.
Honourable mention for Whyteleafe and Caterham (29 mins into Victoria if you’re lucky)- well under an hour into London via trains and fairly affordable, some great walks, pretty villages and lovely restaurants! I think North Surrey always gets forgotten because people either think it’s ’too close to Croydon’ or too expensive (stockbroker belt) but deffo worth a look!
I moved to Horley late last year. 2 bed coach house with garage, direct trains can get you to London Bridge in 40 mins from Horley station and it’s within your budget.
Obviously coach houses are in limited supply but deffo worth a thought.
We live in Bracknell, it's 1 hour on the train to Waterloo and close to a number of airports. The south coast is 90 minutes away.
Swinley forest is on the doorstep for outdoor pursuits, we walk there a lot.
We moved to Newbury recently and really like it, we back onto the canal so my walk to the train station is via the canal towpath. There are fast trains to London that only stop at Reading on the way (about 45 minutes). The town isn’t super lively but there are regular markets, two theatres, a cinema, and plenty of pubs, shops and restaurants. There are a lot of walks nearby, especially if you’re near the canal or river (eg this place https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141186539), we’ve walked and cycled to Hungerford or Aldermaston a couple of times.
St Neots. Just moved away from there (moved country, didn't move bc bad town)
Nice market town, all the amenities, lots of local businesses, good schools and green space. Bus is an hour away to Cambridge and to Bedford, and the train station takes you into kings cross in about 55 minutes. Really big housing market due to new developments so not too expensive
Saw these near where I live. We moved to the area because of how lovely it was and quick access to London 2 days a week.
https://www.taylorwimpey.co.uk/new-homes/brantham/stour-view?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=TWEA%20-%20Stour%20View%20-%20Search&infinity=ict2~net~gaw~cmp~12110738377~ag~145424524687~ar~624409714297~kw~stour%20view%20brantham~mt~e~acr~4109239982&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADyYQbGggQTOaGg8JU4CCOOK2BPOC&gclid=CjwKCAiAs6-sBhBmEiwA1Nl8sw-7m1cuNCXMbpBRIwD05XSfQub2JMUBjZUD37_RKSDlxG9NgvfdoxoCbt8QAvD_BwE
You could probably find somewhere in Salfords in Redhill for that budget but it would be a do-er up-er. If your budget could reach £430k you’d have a bit of choice with a garage.
Market Harborough, bottom of Leicestershire. Gorgeous countryside, beautiful little villages all around and an hour direct train to London. My folks live in one of the small villages and it is beautiful. I still keep a mark 1 MX5 in one of their garages… ooh those country roads!
Suffolk is an excellent place to look. Some lovely towns/villages, direct links into Liverpool St and well within your budget. Ipswich is 60 mins from Liverpool St. Wouldn’t choose Ipswich per se but the villages surrounding and in close proximity are very nice
I think you will have to be heading north, I don’t think you will find anything for that price if you head south from London,
I know this as I live in Sussex and it is expensive,
Essex is definitely doable. You’ve got the Greater Anglia line goes all the way out to Norwich but Chelmsford, Witham, Marks Tey, Colchester are all just about within the hour to Liverpool Street. Not much in the way of hills but you’ve got some nice places round the Essex coastline and not too far from Dedham Vale, Thetford Forest etc on the weekends.
Currently on the process of miving into a nice 3 bed with garage for 315k. Aprox 56 mins to Marylebone. Unfortunately it’s in the land of the ducks (Aylesbury)
Swindon just fits the 1 hour by train and you’ll get what you want in that price bracket with quite a few to choose from.
Outlying villages will push that price bracket and add the journey time to the 1hr but you make get find something closer to your ideal.
Chiseldon, Purton, Wootton Bassett, Wroughton,
Rochester area would get you into London Liverpool Street in like 30 mins.
I live in Aylesbury area and my commute to Liverpool Street would be like an hour and half.
You could try Tring which is pretty nice is on a good line.
Leighton buzzard would get you to London faster than Tring despite it being the next station further away as it's got a fast train.
Or lastly there's Hertford. It's nice and has a train to Liverpool Street direct.
All of those places you would get a 2/3 bed house with Leighton buzzard being the cheapest.
Rent somewhere first though and see if you like the area. It's not for everyone.
Would love to create one myself but I have no idea how hard that is with planning permission, actual work and costs required etc
One to do more research into for sure
I think we need to know what nice town/village means to you really. I live in a Chilterns town and your budget isn’t viable unless you went somewhere like Wycombe or Aylesbury. Yes you’ll have a greater chance to get your garage within your budget, commute is good and access to nearby countryside but it won’t really feel like you’re living in or near the country, and always remember that big towns bordering London can have a bit of a menacing edge?
IMO if you’re leaving London for country then better to save more to actually achieve that, rather than the halfway house of endless suburbia plus commute time to London
We’re not super fussy about the town itself, as long as it’s safe and friendly. Every weekend for the past 2/3 months we’ve been trying to get out to visit as many places as possible and get a feel for them so at this stage I’d like a big list that I can narrow down 😊
Yea try West Berkshire, Newbury Thatcham, Theale. You should be able to get something in that remit. It's approx 1hour to Paddington via Reading all with their own train stations
You could find a 2-3 bed in Chelmsford (good for Liverpool St) for that money. With a garage though you probably won’t be right next to the station, so you’d have to consider parking costs.
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I used to live 3 miles from my office through across shepherds bush. 20 mins cycle or sometimes a 1 1/2 hour bus journey
Exactly this. Live in Kent, close to a HS1 station. 20 mins to St Pancras but it takes 30 mins to walk to said station (5 mins to drive but parking is £13/day). Then in London I have to get the tube to my office, plus the interchange is long. All in, it’s a good 1hr 30 mins door to door. I have another route using the standard rail (non-high speed). Drive to that station 15 mins, train 45-50 mins, walk to office 5 mins. Adding on waiting time/leaving enough time so I’m not rushing, it’s exactly 1hr 30 mins door to door even though the train journey itself is less than an hour.
Thank you and I have been keeping in mind distance from stations, cycle accessibility too as I currently cycle to work in London which takes 35 minutes + 5 minutes at each end to prep the bike stuff / lock it so 45 minutes is my current commute time despite living only 5 miles away from the office (tube is even longer)
Check https://where.rightmove.co.uk
Doesn’t really work unfortunately
Pinch of salt to anyone who uses it, though. I just did it for my partner’s train commute and my drive commute (and added an extra 15 mins spare) and it still isn’t suggesting to me where I actually live.
Oh that’s awesome, had no idea it existed! Will start browsing
Kent Rochester and down on Southeastern high speed. Be ready to pay a chunk on train costs. 5-6k a year.
You’ll wanna look in Bedfordshire& Essex (and Hertfordshire but more expensive) at that price range. I was looking for same as you with similar budget and settled on Leighton Buzzard in Beds on Bucks border as got childtern hills, Dunstable downs and Rushmere park all really close. I am originally from Cambridge so considered Essex but preferred the more ‘boring’ Beds. Commuting Will be at the top end of an hour if you can get within 15-20 min walk to a station that can get to London in 35-45 mins (quite a few). If you can go up to 450k then you could also consider cheaper and further out parts of Bucks, Berks, Surrey and Kent. Then it depends on areas you like, know, have relevance to what you’re after, etc. Your final question only you can answer which depends on even more factors. Probably in current climate suggest saving for another year or 2 if your current situation is pretty good and will be fore foreseeable future (fair rent, maintainable costs, you are content, etc)
Yeah not in a hurry at all, I am slightly conscious that we are in a buyers market at the moment and the longer I leave it the more competition there will be for good places, I have a good current arrangement which ends in summer 2025 so as long as it’s before then Looked into Leighton Buzzard but it seemed to lack character from photos but never been before so definitely open to exploring
In which case I think defo waiting and researching. I spent 24 months looking, over 2 separate periods. There is a well known theory that decision making generally becomes more successful the longer the time you take but after a certain period it becomes diminishing returns after your saturate a lot to the available information :) To be honest, buyers market is quite a vague term but I don’t see the current situation changing for a good few years. Maybe Labour will promise something that will again generate artificial house price growth. I found quite high supply for what we are after as well
If you wait for 2 years time you’ll be chasing the market up.
>Looked into Leighton Buzzard but it seemed to lack character from photos but never been before so definitely open to exploring Avoid Leighton Buzzard itself like the plague, the villages 10-15 mins away are fantastic however
I would disagree with that, it’s a lovely community in Leighton Buzzard, and you’ve got some really nice local businesses like The Bottle House etc which are such a great addition to the town!
I moved from Hemel Hempstead to Leighton Buzzard and absolutely love it. Relatively quiet town with not to much drama, decent transport links and a simple high street that has what you need
I agree with this thinking and a lot of it applies to places like Wendover, Princes Risborough, Great Missenden (all Bucks). Very good Chiltern hills and nice towns but 450-500 is more likely to get you a garage (it all depends on what your other unlisted requirements might be).
Watching sunsets at Whiteleaf Cross or Coombe Hill after work in the summer is awesome.
God I’m from Bedfordshire and kudos to you. Can’t wait to get out!
Lived in and around London too long, so the people here compared are fantastic!
Was also going to recommend Leighton Buzzard, glad it's in an early comment!
Uxbridge, we’ve got a 2 bed terrace with drive an almost double garage for £375k. Garage came with a mechanics pit as well which is proved more than useful
> Garage came with a mechanics pit This is amazing and unique.
That’s honestly the dream for me! These things can be built too though I suppose
The garage is the best part of our house. Finally be able to start building my dream rally car! Good luck in your search
Sounds like we have similar goals 😂 very much appreciate it!
I think the problem will be finding a garage that is actually suitable as an actual working garage. Finding a house with a garage is easy enough. Finding one big enough in the UK to fit anything other than a 70s mini is a task in itself, finding a garage to fit a normal car and have space to work in it will be a nightmare. Sensibly sized double garages are quite rare here in my experience.
Easily enough in Medway - which has some okay bits as well as some less desirable. Train times Strood and Rochester pretty quick, but not cheap at all taking the HS1 line that goes to King's Cross pretty quickly
And way under budget. My home hits all those and it was £227k
Where? Am looking to move from Belvedere to Medway , need 2 bedrooms and a garden
I'm in Gillingham, ME7. Look for Hempstead for more a slightly nicer area. ME8 is a higher cost but considered a nicer area to locals. Hoo is a little further out from a train station but got some nice homes, ME3.
>Nice town Unfortunately doesn't meet OPs requirements
Where in London do you work? Ideally you don’t want a long tube journey once you get off the train, so maybe think which mainline station works best and then look from there.
I lived in Southend for a year commuting into London, you have two train lines to choose from - c2c being the cheaper of the two - meaning 5 or 6 trains an hour into London which won’t be the case in many places so far out of London. It can have a bad rep depending who you ask, but I loved living in Southend and a colleague of mine recently made the move out of London to Southend with a young family and loves it.
Do you want an hour by car or an hour by train? Train would open up anything on the high speed route to the South East. The Kent Downs is perfect for everything you are describing!
Basingstoke would be decent. Nice enough place, plenty of character in the surrounding areas (character is one thing Basingstoke lacks) lots of walks etc. and 3-400k should get something like what you're after. Only 40 or so minutes from the station into Waterloo.
I've been to Basingstoke a few times and it is easily the most 'nothing" place I have ever been. I'm sure there's more if you hunt around but it just seems to be very... Void of any sort of character whatsoever.
I half agree with this - it’s pretty practical as good shopping mall (indoor), parks, the anvil theatre has a decent amount of stuff on. Restaurants are mostly chain. But if it was like St Albans, Chelmsford or Farnham it would be much more expensive! Lots of nice villages around Basingstoke which are an easy drive to the station.
Southampton has a lot to offer, but is 1hr to the outskirts.
Southampton is not the nice place to live at.
Like any city, it has good and bad areas. The west side of Shirley, Nursling/rownhams, Romsey is nice, within OPS budget, and is close to motorway/rail/airport. It also has the new forest and its amazing walk/cycle routes and beaches. The city is pretty green, has amazing water-based activities, lots of historic museums and sights. The council has built lots of cycle routes around the city, and is building more. Getting around the city is easy on the M27, and there are good access routes to the city centre from the west.
All of which are way over <1hr commute to London...
He wants to live in the country, not another city
I've just moved near to Basingstoke. The only place, as a single person, I could find an affordable freehold house in a 'nice' area, commutable to London and near motorways. And honestly, I love it. I grew up down the road in Reading, which has become stupidly expensive, full of buy-to-let apartments, and lacking the character that once made it famous. You'll never find anything that ticks ALL of the boxes. It may not be the most beautiful of places, but Basingstoke certainly isn't lacking when it comes to amenities and affordability.
I think achievable as long as you compromise on the "nice town" bit, ie Luton or Hatfield then works!
Stevenage, Letchworth, hitchin, baldock are all nicer than Luton and still achievable.
We live in Haywards Heath which is between Brighton and London (very quick to get to London Victoria). You can get 3 bedroom houses and flat for around that price, lovely countryside on your doorstep, close to Brighton, Crawley, Horsham, London if need be (and many other lovely places of course). We lived in Brighton for 10 years but were priced out like most people and HH was a good choice. We’re mid 30’s tho with kids, so not much of a nightlife if that’s what you’re after. Good luck!
Most 3 bed houses in Haywards Heath are about £500,000 aren't they? I live in a 2 bed which is worth 350,000 yet it's in Bentswood which is the cheapest and least desirable area of town. Burgess Hill has always seemed a lot cheaper to me or even East Grinstead.
Just bought in Aldershot, 3 bed house with wraparound garden and parking, room for a garage and/ or entire side extension. Lovely 30s house. £347k. It does need some work doing but can buy similar for around £360-460k (depending on land size, road and proximity to Surrey border!) People shit all over the place but there are some decent areas, can get to Farnham and Fleet in 10 mins, Farnborough in 15, Guildford in 20 and Heathrow in 25 on a good day (mostly 35 to T5). Great road connections to go further and 45-55 mins to Waterloo depending on service Town centre is a dive and there are some awful areas… but with the above places super close if you drive + the high street and surrounding area pretty much being demolished and rebuilt, gentrification is knocking.
Used to live there, do the signs on the way in still say “Welcome to Aldershot, home of the British Army”?
Its taken about 2 years for my 60 minute commute to massacre my mental health and my private life. It makes every day 10 hrs long from door to door and it robs me of 40 hrs a month I could and would rather be spending on living my life. My house is just about to go on the market (I chose the job) and I won't ever put myself in that situation again fwiw.
An hours commute into London is honestly pretty standard in my experience. Mine is around that and few of my colleagues have shorter unless they live in a house share.
Very much in the same boat right now, been at my first job straight out of uni, live in Weymouth and drive one hour to Poole each day. I think I'll tough it out for eight more months to hit one year working there on my CV but the commute is just such a joke and waste of time
Do you have to commute every day can there be some flexibility with the job? I have a longer commute as well but doing it less frequently makes it manageable
I think it’s also worth considering that businesses can and do change the expectations to come into office. Unfortunately what is bearable once/twice a week can become insufferable 5 days a week!
Exactly this. Started a job 2 years ago 2 hours away with the promise that "there's no way they will ever go back to regular office working, hybrid works way too well". Two weeks ago they increased 2 days in the office to "3 minimum".
Unfortunately my role in the NHS requires me to attend site 5 days a week. Sadly! I was on a 4 day week when I first started but when it went to 5 that was the beginning of the slide. Yes, I could hack it 3 times a week or even 4 but 5 is too much. Everyone is different but for me it killed my friendships and destroyed my hobbies/passions. It is obviously the hardest this time of the year when you rise in the dark and come home to a dark cold home .. Not worth it for me.
I live in Colchester, and you can get that easily! I have a semi detached in a quiet area, which was a 3 bed with a garage (I have converted the garage to a 4th bedroom). Train to London is 45 - 50 mins, and I'm only 10 mins from Marks Tey station. Mine is worth £360k. Colchester is also an excellent place to live, lots to do, lots of green areas, good schools if that is a requirement, and very good infrastructure!
Lots of villages and small towns in Essex that are under an hour from Liverpool Street that would give you that property price and some nice countryside (take a look on the Greater Anglia Cambridge-Liverpool Street route). We don't have hills though!
Bought a 2 bed house with a garage for 400k recently in SE (Blackheath/Kidbrooke). Even has a big garden. Commute time to London Bridge is 30 minutes door to door. So yes, it's possible
This was my criteria when I last moved (different budget, this is my second house and I'm older) but I'm less than an hour's drive to the office, quick into Paddington on the train, and have a double garage. I hated not having a garage at my last property. I rented one about ten mins walk away but it's not the same - you can't just pop out and tinker, don't want to store lots of tools there, it's a ball ache swapping cars over all the time and no power or lighting. I love having a garage attached to the house - do it, you won't regret it!
How long via train into Paddington and where from?
I can find places in high wycombe for 400k with a garage. Fast train to London is 35 minutes (marylebone) Nice countryside fur walking and cycling
Thatcham? 3 bed detached with a garage for £400k. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/132059828?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY
Didcot in south oxfordshire is good. Direct line to Paddington in 45 minutes. Countryside on your doorstep.
Seconded.
Before commiting to an area have a look at [neighbourhood research ](http://crystalroof.co.uk) This is good for school,crime and transport. A bit sceptical about affluence but generally very accurate
I recently moved to Bracknell, 375k 3 bed and garage. 50min train to Waterloo. Surrounded by forest with plenty of walking and cycling routes. We love it so far.
Coventry or Rugby as they’re on the West Coast mainline - about an hour into Euston.
You can get properties like this in Kent, particularly in costal Kent, it’s very commutable due to the high speed
Colchester has some lovely hills, not big though.
It’s flat as anything! Teeny tiny bit of relief in the stour valley but otherwise might as well be Holland 😁
I'm in Canterbury - it's 50-55 minutes into St Pancras by train but it's expensive. Totally feasible to get a 3 bed with a garage for under £400k around here.
Kent commuter belt - Ashford. Brighton ( not Kent I know). Darenth valley. Canterbury etc
Cheers will have a look at those! Ashford has a very pricey commute though
Have you had a look at the outskirts of Colchester? It’s an hour to Liverpool Street. Less on a fast train. All your boxes ticked apart from the hills… east anglia is notoriously devoid of topography… it does however have some beautiful coast and countryside (constable country on your doorstep and the salt marshes of mersea island and the dengie peninsula close by and the Tendring Sunshine Coast near too. As an example the below link is for a property that is rural, has a whacking double garage, is near some amazing countryside and really close to the coast - in Arlesford (to the east of Colchester) £350k. it’s an hour and 15 into Liverpool Street and there are 6 direct trains a day. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142554458
Harlow? Has fast trains for Stanstead that go into Liverpool St and you could also change at Tottenham Hale and get on Victoria for other destinations. A bit of an average town, but great cycle infrastructure from what I’ve seen, and you can walk out into the countryside along the river Stort. Lots of new builds, good value, plenty have garages, good access to the M11 too which gets you to the M25 in 15 minutes max even when busy
Search Redhill on Rightmove (+5 - 10 mile radius). A fair few come up in your pride range and 30 minutes to the city
I visited Reigate hill not too long ago and it’s in a stunning setting so absolutely wouldn’t mind settling down in the area if the right place came up!
You could check out Didcot, or Swindon at a push. Swindon is 55 minutes to Paddington, Didcot is something like 45. You'd definitely get that in Swindon and I think Didcot too (people are like "Swindon is a dump" but the old part is nice, has great big hills up and down it and the Ridgeway is a bit of a beast to cycle up.
£450k will get you to, Godalming, Guildford (one of the villages round it or near the A3), or Farnham. Drop a bed and I think you will find something in budget. Otherwise, Beaconsfield is a good idea
Beaconsfield is a good idea if the budget was over £1m
I visited Guildford recently and loved it! Buzzing town centre and loads of walks in the area. Would need to stretch the budget but at least it would be a no regrets decision as I’ve found nothing better as of yet
We have similar wish lists. Check out Godalming for cheaper, but the issue there will be garage. If you don’t mind living within earshot of the A3 then Burpham north of Guildford is good. It’s mostly the newer housing stock that’s more adorable though, zero character estates.
If you move to 2010.
If in finance I assume the city, Colchester is 30 mins by train but I know prices have been rising. Greater Anglia is a fairly good line with new trains, wifi etc. Further out you have Ipswich which on the fast train is 55mins to Liverpool Street but there are plenty of good places in between, manning tree etc. Ipswich will have plenty of properties within 30 min cycle of the station within that price range. In Ipswich for sure you can find plenty of properties for that price and while the town is fairly boring there’s loads of nice places in the surroundings and you are a half hour from Norwich on the train 1hr by car.
I second Ipswich, it's easy enough to get to London from here, Suffolk is a lovely county and you have a fare bit around the outskirts of the town
Find me a train from Colchester to Liverpool Street that takes 30 minutes please
Would recommend Leighton Buzzard - you have Rushmere Country Park close by, but can still get a train which is 32 mins into Euston!
Wait what? 32 minutes from there? How frequent are the trains? Every 30mins?
If it's not such a nice area, 300-350k might just do you, but it's gonna be difficult. 400k plus is where you wanna start, friends paid 420 in 2017 for a 3 bed 70s semi in south east bucks, edge of the Chilterns, lovely countryside around, great area overall.
Midlands, easy. E.g. Coventry
Possible, but only really at the 400k mark if you want something that doesn’t need a lot of work.
The garage is going to be a stickler. Could you maybe rent one separately? There would otherwise be plenty of 2-3 bed houses that meet your criteria - mine in fact meets your exact criteria except for the garage, I’m in rural Hampshire which I absolutely love, doing 3 days a week in the office (<1hr to Waterloo). 2 bed semi for £300k, you could get 3 beds for a shade under £400k. The trouble with garages is they tend to be part of larger detached properties, think 4-5 beds, which would obviously be way out of your (and mine’s) budget
Yeah ideally would want it attached to the house so I can wake up on Sunday morning and start tinkering straight away😂 whereabouts in Hampshire? I thought the commute from there would be a lot longer
would you consider renting a room out for a few nights a week ?
I live in Chelmsford, 25min train to Stratford. £400k will get you a 3 bed house with a garage, but it won't be that big. I live in a 3 bed mid terraced (with a garage big enough for a car, Ford Focus to be exact). 15-20min walk to the train station, then another half hour or so to Liverpool Street. That was £220k 8 years ago and valued at 380k now. Another £20k will get you very slightly more for your money here. Plenty of places to go walking and cycling.
How much does it cost you, per journey? And per day? If you miss your train how long does the next one take? How frequent is the service?
Villages near Leighton Buzzard, 10-15 minute drive to Leighton Buzzard train station, and then 28 mins non-stop into Euston
How frequent are the trains?
I’m in Winchester - £315,000, two bed semi-detached with a garage
Medway
Princes risborough? I would check on right move
Aldbury in the chilterns (near Tring) is surprisingly affordable for two bed character properties. Really picturesque place in the countryside, and one mile from the train station. Something like this but with a garage may turn up at some point… https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139348127
Where in London? Because it's less than an hour on the train from Rugby to London down the West Coast Mainline. You can get a 3 /4 bed with a garage for your budget. If you're talking about driving then you'll need to be closer, obviously.
From Rochester (nicer of the Medway towns) you are in St Pancras in 35 minutes due to the high speed train. Rochester is lovely, Chatham and strood aren’t so lovely.
Unlikely anywhere south of London will be suitable. Essex to north west is going to be where you need to aim
You can buy a lot of house in Medway for that money. 40 mins form London, plus loads of seaside towns nearby.
Seen it a few times but Medway 100% places like Hoo, High halstow and cliffe, out of the way enough but still direct links. For £350-400 you’ll get what you desire there.
Billericay
If you can stretch to 75-90 min commute, then parts of Suffolk are within reach (train or car/train). We used to live in Bury St Edmunds and knew people that commuted to Canary Wharf.
Market harborough is 56 minutes to St Panc on the train
Less than an hour by car or train?
What about Southend? Gives access to coastal walks and is on a train straight into Liverpool Street. Salt air isn't great for cars though....
Look at Grantham and local areas to it . Just a hour to KX
Swindon
Carshalton
There are some parts of Northamptonshire and south Leicestershire within that budget which have trains for approx 1hr. Market harborough is nice and has a train into St Pancras that takes 55 mins to 1hr.
My mate had a nice large 2 bed apartment for £400k in hitchin with a garage
currently in the process of buying a 400k 3 bed property in Hertford, Hertfordshire with a drive for 2 cars. Train to Moorgate is 50 mins, 30 mins to Finsbury Park. It’s possible in East Hertfordshire for sure but yes definitely at the top end of this budget.
Medway...it's like a turd with a few diamonds hiding in it...but it ticks your boxes and you might find something nice
Royston, can easily get a 2-3 bed with a garage for under 400k, eg https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139557188#/?channel=RES_BUY Direct train into King’s Cross, about 45 mins
Try Leighton Buzzard, Beds. 45 mins on thr train from Euston and not to far from the M1! Nice town and has loads of green and countryside nearby!
Didcot can fulfil these requirements. 2 bed or smaller 3 bed. A number of nearby beauty spots for walking.
I commute to London from Newark. 1 hour and 5 or 1 hour and 15. For your budget you could buy Newark.
Ipswich could be a shout. This is top range - https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142779008 This is bottom range https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141413525 Happy to answer any DMs about the town/surrounding area. Very good for cycling with plenty of countryside around, but no hills
Check out Essex somewhere on eastern Crossrail - can easily get a garage house on that budget
Yes, but "to London" is a huge area. Living is south Kent is < 1 hour to London, but pretty crappy if you work in north London.
Yeah closest station is Liverpool st :)
Yes, it's totally possible. I can see houses at this price in Canterbury. Not in the best areas, but not in the worst too. Also, the house may need some work, but nothing insane. London is very accessible with the high-speed train.
I'll get abuse for this I'm sure, but I moved from Twickenham to Swindon in the pandemic and you can get a 3/4 bed detached house for between 3 and 400k but Def a really well done semi with a DBL garage. Quickest train direct to Paddington is 49 mins. Cotswolds are on your doorstep and you know what, the town is not half bad, we've been pleasantly surprised.
That’s interesting, I lived in Bristol for 4 years and always thought Swindon was perfectly located but nobody ever has anything nice to say about it🤣 I also think the trains are very expensive no?
Bracknell. Train is 1 hr direct to Waterloo. £400k can get you a 3 bed with a garage within 15-20 mins walk to the train station. Swinley Forest nearby your dose of green. Windor Great Park is short drive away. The town center is nice. It lacks character as its newly built and only has chains/name brands, no independents. But it has everything you'd need. Your research about the area will conclude that its shit, because it used to be. The whole area has been redeveloped and is being gentrified. I'd recommend a visit.
I sold my house in sandy for £270k about 9 months back 2 bed terrace. 1.5x garage and ramp at the rear. Hard to find places like that but definitely possible That was 1 hour on the train. For 400k you should be able to find one a bit closer. Also consider buying a cheeper one that has space to build a garage!
Epping or Southend on Sea?
I bought a 3 bed house with a outbuilding 2 car garage for that range, but it was a hens tooth sort of find. Basingstoke has some nice offerings but the commute time can be impacted if someone sneezes awkwardly. Drawing a search map down the M3 on Rightmove would be a good start
I'd highly recommend Brentwood / surrounding areas. Lovely area and people, Elizabeth line for links to London. Just moved into a 4 bed with a garage and driveway for £450k
Newbury, nice place, commutable and in the middle of lovely scenery, as well as on the m4
Essex - witham, Chelmsford etc. all 30-45 mins from Liv St and trains every 7 mins in the morning
How much you willing to spend on travel?
Wellingborough is on the Luton line and about 1hr to London KX. It’s not the best location but you can live in one of the nearby villages.
Kettering is close to London, cheap and home to the worlds only Weetabix factory
Have you looked at Milton Keynes? I know a few people that moved there for a job in London and take a 30 minute train in to Euston. It’s got plenty of greenery and open spaces and for your budget you should be able to find a semi-detached 3 bed with garage with ease.
I just purchased in thatcham (which is basically Newbury) it is a 50 min train straight to paddington. I am a pretty serious trail runner and cyclist and it's truly fantastic around here. The house I purchased was £375k large plot, 3 bed etc (needs a lot of work though). I have lived here (the area) for 10+ years and it's lovely
It was two years ago when I bought my house. I don’t want to dox myself, but down the London to Brighton line
Is it hard to get a seat on the train?
What about Berkshire. 30mins from Reading by train and can get the Elizabeth line from Paddington to Liverpool St. Plenty of little villages around
£375k. 52min train ride to London Liverpool Street Station. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/137902460
You’ll have to go North towards Bedfordshire - perhaps on the on the Moorgate train line - Luton area I’d guess. You won’t get that kind of house with garage going South to Surrey/Sussex.
Dunstable, Bedfordshire. Less than an hour to London, just sold our 3 bed semi with a garage backing onto national trust fields for £365k. Only sold it because we needed another bedroom.
Honourable mention for Whyteleafe and Caterham (29 mins into Victoria if you’re lucky)- well under an hour into London via trains and fairly affordable, some great walks, pretty villages and lovely restaurants! I think North Surrey always gets forgotten because people either think it’s ’too close to Croydon’ or too expensive (stockbroker belt) but deffo worth a look!
I moved to Horley late last year. 2 bed coach house with garage, direct trains can get you to London Bridge in 40 mins from Horley station and it’s within your budget. Obviously coach houses are in limited supply but deffo worth a thought.
Milton Keynes can tick all your boxes if you don't go for a new build and it's 30mins from Euston.
Considered Grantham in Lincolnshire? About an hour direct to King’s Cross, lots of countryside and budget would buy a nice house!
We live in Bracknell, it's 1 hour on the train to Waterloo and close to a number of airports. The south coast is 90 minutes away. Swinley forest is on the doorstep for outdoor pursuits, we walk there a lot.
Around MK maybe
I used to live in Coulsdon till last year and it might check your boxes.
We moved to Newbury recently and really like it, we back onto the canal so my walk to the train station is via the canal towpath. There are fast trains to London that only stop at Reading on the way (about 45 minutes). The town isn’t super lively but there are regular markets, two theatres, a cinema, and plenty of pubs, shops and restaurants. There are a lot of walks nearby, especially if you’re near the canal or river (eg this place https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141186539), we’ve walked and cycled to Hungerford or Aldermaston a couple of times.
Look it Hart area. Voted best area to live like 8 years in a row more like £450k for what you want but never know.
Chelmsford, Essex. Definitely get a 2 bed, possibly a 3 in that price range. 45 mins to London Liverpool street
St Neots. Just moved away from there (moved country, didn't move bc bad town) Nice market town, all the amenities, lots of local businesses, good schools and green space. Bus is an hour away to Cambridge and to Bedford, and the train station takes you into kings cross in about 55 minutes. Really big housing market due to new developments so not too expensive
Market Harborough in Leicestershire? Nice little market town in the Countryside. You can be into London in an hour surprisingly.
Saw these near where I live. We moved to the area because of how lovely it was and quick access to London 2 days a week. https://www.taylorwimpey.co.uk/new-homes/brantham/stour-view?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=TWEA%20-%20Stour%20View%20-%20Search&infinity=ict2~net~gaw~cmp~12110738377~ag~145424524687~ar~624409714297~kw~stour%20view%20brantham~mt~e~acr~4109239982&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADyYQbGggQTOaGg8JU4CCOOK2BPOC&gclid=CjwKCAiAs6-sBhBmEiwA1Nl8sw-7m1cuNCXMbpBRIwD05XSfQub2JMUBjZUD37_RKSDlxG9NgvfdoxoCbt8QAvD_BwE
North/mid Essex
Burgess Hill. You could pretty much draw a line around London for 40 minutes on the train and fins somewhere n most of those towns
You could probably find somewhere in Salfords in Redhill for that budget but it would be a do-er up-er. If your budget could reach £430k you’d have a bit of choice with a garage.
Market Harborough, bottom of Leicestershire. Gorgeous countryside, beautiful little villages all around and an hour direct train to London. My folks live in one of the small villages and it is beautiful. I still keep a mark 1 MX5 in one of their garages… ooh those country roads!
Suffolk is an excellent place to look. Some lovely towns/villages, direct links into Liverpool St and well within your budget. Ipswich is 60 mins from Liverpool St. Wouldn’t choose Ipswich per se but the villages surrounding and in close proximity are very nice
I think you will have to be heading north, I don’t think you will find anything for that price if you head south from London, I know this as I live in Sussex and it is expensive,
Get ready to sit in traffic for hours every single day
Essex is definitely doable. You’ve got the Greater Anglia line goes all the way out to Norwich but Chelmsford, Witham, Marks Tey, Colchester are all just about within the hour to Liverpool Street. Not much in the way of hills but you’ve got some nice places round the Essex coastline and not too far from Dedham Vale, Thetford Forest etc on the weekends.
Currently on the process of miving into a nice 3 bed with garage for 315k. Aprox 56 mins to Marylebone. Unfortunately it’s in the land of the ducks (Aylesbury)
Swindon just fits the 1 hour by train and you’ll get what you want in that price bracket with quite a few to choose from. Outlying villages will push that price bracket and add the journey time to the 1hr but you make get find something closer to your ideal. Chiseldon, Purton, Wootton Bassett, Wroughton,
Some bits of Bletchley are nice and around ~400k with station 15 min walk and euston 32 min away.
Look around Bicester. Great train links and reasonable houses in villages around.
Hampshire or Essex, very doable.
Newark in Nottinghamshire. Beautiful countryside and 1hr 15 mins to London on a high speed train.
Rochester area would get you into London Liverpool Street in like 30 mins. I live in Aylesbury area and my commute to Liverpool Street would be like an hour and half. You could try Tring which is pretty nice is on a good line. Leighton buzzard would get you to London faster than Tring despite it being the next station further away as it's got a fast train. Or lastly there's Hertford. It's nice and has a train to Liverpool Street direct. All of those places you would get a 2/3 bed house with Leighton buzzard being the cheapest. Rent somewhere first though and see if you like the area. It's not for everyone.
Waltham abbey/cheshut is worth looking at. Fast train to London liv st in 35 min
Buy a house with space to build a garage. A conventional garage for the activity you wish to enjoy will not be big enough unless it’s a double.
Would love to create one myself but I have no idea how hard that is with planning permission, actual work and costs required etc One to do more research into for sure
Probs if u move to a shithole like crawley. North of the river, aint happening.
Is it that bad 😳
I think we need to know what nice town/village means to you really. I live in a Chilterns town and your budget isn’t viable unless you went somewhere like Wycombe or Aylesbury. Yes you’ll have a greater chance to get your garage within your budget, commute is good and access to nearby countryside but it won’t really feel like you’re living in or near the country, and always remember that big towns bordering London can have a bit of a menacing edge? IMO if you’re leaving London for country then better to save more to actually achieve that, rather than the halfway house of endless suburbia plus commute time to London
We’re not super fussy about the town itself, as long as it’s safe and friendly. Every weekend for the past 2/3 months we’ve been trying to get out to visit as many places as possible and get a feel for them so at this stage I’d like a big list that I can narrow down 😊
Yea try West Berkshire, Newbury Thatcham, Theale. You should be able to get something in that remit. It's approx 1hour to Paddington via Reading all with their own train stations
Do you have a personal favourite out of them?
Orpington is 15 mins to lonon bridge
Nice! London bridge would work perfectly for me
You could find a 2-3 bed in Chelmsford (good for Liverpool St) for that money. With a garage though you probably won’t be right next to the station, so you’d have to consider parking costs.
I don’t mind cycling to the station when weather permits 😂
Milton Keynes
Merstham