Moving out of London

I suppose so, I guess I just compare it to Chesham / Rickmansworth / Chorleywood where you can still use your Oyster card, though the commute will drive you to an early grave

Yep, have been in Beckenham for the past ten years.

As @Currid says, lots of good cycling opportunities with HHV and Palace, plus you’re in the lanes in 15 mins.

Public transport is great, with lines into Victoria and London Bridge/Charing Cross plus trams to Croydon and the Overground at Penge.

It is very family oriented I think, lots of young families around with all that entails. Is not everyone’s cup of tea.

When we lived in Amersham. Apparently the train was old but always on time and working. More to be said than some places.

Amersham is decent enough. Tory, but the craft beer place is nice and the grocer is brilliant.

Sounds like my kind of place then. Are the stops north/ south on the same train line any good for living?

Missed the bars/restaurant bit - there’s a good choice of chains plus some local independents. A great Italian in an over the top way, plus a hidden gem of an Italian in Penge, a new tapas place that I keep meaning to try and the worst curry house I’ve ever been in.

So some. I was spoilt in Streatham. With bravi Ragazzi and another place on my door step. Food is one of the things I miss most (only) about London. You just struggle for it out here.

Ive entered into negotiations with the boss. I’ll pm you some questions (if ok) when I’ve agreed to the renumarations for moving again.

the cool places are in catford

drops mic
leaves

Yup - been between Beckenham and Shortlands for four years now. Leafy. Great transport links. Nice if you have a young family (loads of green spaces). Easy out to the lanes for cycling. Easy into the trendier parts of London for pretending you're still cool / rich / not old. People quite friendly for London. Fantastic schools.

Beckenham itself is ok - if you like mediocre Italian you're quids in. Pubs very middling. Good sausage shop. Does get a bit rowdy of a Friday and Saturday, or so I'm told. There are good places to eat and drink not too far away though (Penge, Palace, Shortlands etc).

However, quite Kent-ish if you know what I mean. Solidly Tory. Local council are as corrupt as you like if the f-up of re-doing the high street is anything to go by.

If you want to buy an upstairs two bed 60s maisonette with garage and garden and 3 lovely neighbours do let me know.

Thanks @el_presidente and @dbadger

Clearly would be a bit of a sacrifice over current location (N4) especially in terms of nightlife / restaurants etc, but I guess we're considering compromising on that front to be able to afford a house with a garden etc... Not sure we're quite ready for village life though.

Any specific areas of HW that would work well for commuting i.e. cycling to and from the station? I think we'd want to be within 2 miles of the station and I know there are some massive hills around there, gf isn't too keen on hills (obvs hard to avoid in the Chilterns). Is Totteridge area ok?

Do you think the so-called 'darker side' of it is worse than any other town, or areas of London?

Thanks great info. So should look at shortlands too? If there’s good food then then I’m sold.

Renting for now. But a garage would be amazing. I’ll never find a rental with one. 2nd bedroom bike room it is!

@skinny Weird coincidences, I grew up in Chalfont next to Amersham, went to school in Chesham, was a teenager in High Wycombe (lost my youth in Fast Eddies) and two years ago moved from Beckenham to Tring (Herts).
I agree with Wycombe sentiment, just a bit grimey but at least it has some ethnic diversity which is lacking in most of the other towns and villages and something we really miss about London. Are you looking to rent or buy?
Beckenham was nice but pricey, town is quaint and haz cinema. Great cycle commute up College Rd every day and the train options were crazy, we had five or six stations on multiple lines within a mile.
Tring is nice though, move here :)

Chesham Grammar or Chesham Park? I grew up in Chesham

I find Bucks generally quite dry of things to do and of culture. There are no decent major towns or cities when compared to Herts or Berks, though much better than Beds

Just rent for a year. While I work in Croydon. To save time commuting so I can train. Pretty happy in Chelmsford. But Chelmsford to Croydon daily will leave me with no free time to train.
Tring is nice but west doesn’t really work for us.

Grammar although it was called Chesham High in gulp 1991 when I went there...

I hear ya, when we were in Beckenham my wifes head office moved to Watford and her commute became two hours each way, getting across/around/under/over London is jokes. Beckenham really is worth a sniff around.

cough Sydenham cough

Anywhere along the valley (i.e. A40) is flat. Anywhere else (incl. Totteridge) will have you climbing a v steep hill right when you're most knackered at the end of the day.

Re the "dark side" it's not Moss Side or Toxteth, just a slightly grimy, working town. I think perhaps it's the contrast in that all around there is beautiful scenery and pretty villages, Beaconsfield 4 miles down the road which is pretty posh, and Wycombe comes off as then poor relation

Wouldn’t work but East penge would. Needs to be on the Victoria train line. However that’s creeping more and more central.

Shortlands has one good pub (possibly just one pub actually) + chippy / cafe / curry takeaway local store etc. Probably a bit more affordable than Beckenham.

I'm at the Penge end of Beckenham which is more London/less Tory. Crystal Palace 5mins up the road with a few decent places to eat/drink, also a short hop (15mins again) to Herne Hill/Brixton for some decent food and drink.

Once you get the other side of Palace, rent/buying wise gets very spendy.

@Danimal well put. The 'dark side' is certainly no worse than London boroughs but you wouldn't expect it out there hence its more significant

Wycombe station is actually situated in the middle of the longest and steepest hill on earth. If the better half isn't keen on hills then the chilterns might not be the best option

I don't really know Totteridge but if the U16's local football team from 2006 is anything to go by they are a bunch of hard bastards over there

Me and the gf are looking at the area around Guildford. I'll be gutted to not be able to cycle 30 mins to work anymore, but the fact we'll have a house with a garden and not some cramped, 0.5 bed shoe box in london is worth a try. Even with the train cost it's still less than here. We toyed with the idea of Bexley/Sidcup for a while but decided to go for countryside.

Catford / Hither Green is where you want!
You're doing this thread wrong though, moving back into London!

I was living in Chesham at that point but I was still in a pram. I think it always was Chesham High tbf but I am still bitter for not being accepted into grammar schools because I failed my 11+. As if thats still a thing!

What was the misty moon called back then?