One person wrote: "The town itself is not easy on the eye, it makes Slough comparable to the playboy tax exile haven of Monaco." As for haircuts: men can get a 'Lumberjack', 'Arctic Explorer' or 'Captain Valet Deluxe' at branches of The Valet. Be ahead of the game: Wimbledon car boot sale? Hackney is packed with bars hidden under railway arches, on-the-pulse nightlife, cutting-edge restaurants, delicious bakeries, and cool coffee shops. The best commuter towns close to London | The Spectator TheKent coast, while lovely, was just that bit too far for a daily commute. Taking the longest on our list of best commuter towns, the train journey from Camberley to central London will take you around an hour and fifteen minutes. Journey time: 22 minutes. One of my favorite things about London is that theres a place for everyone. Read our, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}. Shops will often put things on and its a good way to meet people. Whitbread Trophy Bitter will go up to 6 a pint, just you wait and see. A typical terrace sells at 383,000 and a detached house for just over 1 million. The famous shopping center, The Oracle, serves as one of the most popular shopping districts in the entire Thames Valley area and can provide you with everything you need while living in the town. The town of Reading is well known for its textured history and being one of Berkshires largest towns. Notting Hill Put on the map by its namesake film, Notting Hill has retained its fame throughout the years. Trains from either Broadstairs or Ramsgate to St Pancras International take just under an hour and a quarter. For more bang for your buck you could go for New Milton, which also has a station but is more built up and less quaint than Brockenhurst. It holds a fantastic collection of contemporary art, has its own cinema, and stages inspiring exhibitions and workshops. With many of Stevenages modern neighborhoods and commercial districts having been designed on the Radburn principle, this traffic-free environment can be found all over the town. There is a thriving arts scene in the town and an art trail (as well as a folk festival and regatta). We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Twyford in Berkshire is another location worthy of consideration. Best Towns for Commuting to London | South Western Railway The best places to live near London: Hertfordshire Much Hadham, Barley, Ashwell, Harpenden and Aldbury offer a commuter idyll. Located to the far west of London, just under fifty miles, Basingstoke may surprise many with its commuter town label. Get an Uber Boat all the way to Barking in east London. It is one of the longest lines of beach in the country, one just leads on to the next, so it is great for walks, she says. Its handy for the south coast, while trains to Waterloo take just over an hour. Can we just say this off the bat: we like hipsters. These are the list of the best commuter towns and some of the worst. The numerous primary and secondary schools that educate Basingstokes younger residents are highly praised by Ofsted. A few months ago we brought you the best commuter villages around London to live out your bucolic fantasies. A terraced house typically costs 387,000 while a detached home will set you back 878,000. MoveIQ looked at train times as well as affordability, annual season ticket prices and what an area has got going for it to compile their rankings. Hipster - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com Factor in the ever-rising, Thankfully, there are people in the know that do all the delicate weighing up of prices, green space and broadband coverage then release their best-ranked places to live and commute to London, complete with travel times. So, what are the best commuter towns near London, and what do they all have to offer? While it's in vogue, head to The Library Pot in Richmond (yes, Richmond can be hip too) or Draughts in Hackney, where games include Bushwhackin' Varmints and Lords of Waterdeep: Scoundrals of Skullport. St Albans on the edge of London comes in number 1 on the list. Borehamwood is an up and coming area perfectly situated to the north of London and within a great distance. If you want one of the dreamy period townhouses right in the centre of the city or one of its smart satellite villages like Sparsholt or Micheldever, you are looking at asking prices upwards of 1 million yes, London prices. At just eight square miles, Mersea Island is certainly small but it is also rather perfectly formed with beautiful beaches, great sailing and some fabulous seafood restaurants. If youre the type of person that finds it hard to choose whether you want sweet or savoury popcorn, or a hot or cold drink, youre probably not exactly indecisive, just someone who wants the best of both worlds. Ill start my hipster London guide in the south. Property in Dorking ranges from period to brand new, and its town-centre shops are a good balance of useful and interesting. Not only is it a stones throw away from rural and suburban bliss, but the town itself also has a lot going for it. The benefits of being in Hatfield are endless, and with house prices on average costing 358,761, you could save yourself a pretty penny. Sign up for exclusive newsletters, comment on stories, enter competitions and attend events. Be ahead of the game: the hippest set of stacked boxes right now is The Artworks Elephant, hidden away behind Elephant and Castle station. Other notable aspects that make Watford one of the best commuter towns near London is the fact it is a stand-alone town with its own unique indenture and attributes. Not as smug as Broadstairs, this good-looking town is the perfect place to chill out on the beach, pick up vintage finds at its outstanding collection of antique shops (youll be hard pressed to visit the Petticoat Lane Emporium without finding something you have to buy), or cycle the Viking Coastal Trail. 10 top places to visit along the River Thames | CN Traveller The commute: Trains to St Pancras International take just under an hour. There are also three primary schools on Hayling, all with good Ofsted reports, plus a senior school also considered good. You are also only 16 miles from Cambridge for day trips and nightlife while the journey to London (from Audley End Station) takes less than an hour. Movie buffs might rhapsodise over The Shining or Dr Zhivago, but for our money, its the fact that The Muppet Show was produced here that gives it outstanding kerb appeal. Reene recommends looking east, around the Harbour Arm, which has become trendier as the area has been regenerated with bars and restaurants. Want more property news from MyLondon? Oh, and this hip cauliflower dish: Sweet-toothed hipsters will be found indulging in a Crosstown Doughnut or fighting a losing battle with a vegan freakshake at The Canvas (which also has a adult ball pit, for added hipster kudos). But where should these yuppies with an edge start their search for a home? Oh la la. One sip of this stuff and you'll be a raving hipster. Coming in fifth place in the rankings is Iver in Buckinghamshire. You could pick up a new, detached three-bedroom estate house for around 525,000 to 600,000 or you might find one of the islands weatherboarded cottages for 450,000. Excellent transport links into the city mean that you can make the journey from Guildford to London in around half an hour, perfect for the speedy early morning commute to work. For the readers of Ilivehere, they voted on the worst places to live and these three commuter towns made the list as being some of the worst. Another beachy option for the more occasional commuter are practicalisland towns with all the charm and romance of living by the sea and spending downtime messing around on boats, but where you can still be in the centre of London in a couple of hours. Rambling detached houses in peaceful East Mersea come with big gardens and 1 million-plus price tags. Dont ask where the nice areas are. A four to five-bedroom post-war house a little further out might cost between 500,000 and 700,000. Hayling Island in Hampshire is about four miles from coast to coast, its beach a mix of sand and shingle. Dj vu! This country town passes the kerb-appeal test with flying colours: it is set beside the River Wey, with narrow windy little town-centre streets, pretty, traditional shops and just-so hanging baskets. Its beach is a mix of sand and shingle. Arcade bars PimpShuei, Meltdown London and The Four Quarters serve up a headily hip cocktail of craft beer and Street Fighter II. Like many other towns in Surrey, Horley is a mixture of rural life while still being close enough to get that city fix. Henley-On-Thames is famed for the annual regatta that takes place in the town every July. Beyond the beach, Leigh has good transport links. 10 Best Commuter Towns Near London - Homelike Being situated a decent distance from London clearly isn't the most important thing if the actual area isn't nice. ea, sand (or pebbles) and occasional sun are all on offer within 90 minutes of London. The islands population doubles in summer as tourists arrive en masse, which can lead to big queues to get on or off the island, but locals tend to simply avoid peak times. The average house price for this town is considerably lower than Iver which can make it that much more attractive. It's so hot it's even been rated the most hipster area of London. Do you plump for ease of journey but a tiny flatshare in Kennington, or bags of room in Brentwood but playing dodgeball with transport strikes and engineering works? The commute completely transformed Britain. Is it over for ever? Think of this post as the highlights reel and those posts as places where you can do a deep dive into what each one has to offer. Learn how your comment data is processed. The fastest train from Horley to London would take 28 minutes. Whats to love? Unlike a Breaking Bad cocktail, it's not an exact science, OK. To us, all tattoo parlours look hip (told you we aren't hipsters), so yeah go to one of those. You could pick up three-bed house for around 500,000. Where to buy in 2023: commuter towns in Hampshire, Surrey, Kent and If you're already a hipster you'll already know about a lot of these. There are some great restaurants and cafes in town, notably Sorrel. Town 28 minutes from London named one of the best places for commuters Getting to London only takes 29 minutes making Twyford a worthy rival to those on the list. And let's begin with breakfast eats. Sign up to our free newsletters here. With its award-winning market, beautiful, timber-framed cottages and great schools, Saffron Walden has long drawn exiting Londoners. Taking the top spot of green spaces in Watford is its Cassiobury Park. Houses are a total mash up you might find a 12th-century timber-framed cottage, a Victorian terrace or a rather bland estate house. Word of mouth seems to have been behind Leighs resurgence and most who move down seem to have a ready-made support network. If you cant do without the London postcode, your cheapest option is a bedsit in Bexley or Havering but youll have to go without the avo on toast. Something wrong with this article? Another hunch of ours: homing pigeons are going to be a thing. Revealed: The Hertfordshire hotspots named among Phil Spencer's best The UK's best commuter towns - Martin & Co If youre the type of person that finds it hard to choose whether you want sweet or savoury popcorn, or a hot or cold drink, youre probably not exactly, just someone who wants the best of both worlds. Average season ticket prices come in at 3,964 but all that money saved on a house might make this price seem more manageable. Holiday Home' by Richard Woods, part of Folkestones public art scene. This swift journey only adds to the appeal of a town that was once considered too far away to be a commuter town. Brixton is another of the coolest places in London. That's right, we said eats. Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when youre feeling flush). A ramshackle Victorian rail carriage was renovated into the perfect seaside escape by one graphic designer featured in Homes & Property last year but, having relocated her main home from London to Cumbria, travel times have proved too tricky and it was listed for sale for 425,000. Still, youre just six miles from Heathrow, its very green, has some Anglo-Saxon remains and youre right next to movie history in the shape of Pinewood Studios. There are lots of hipster-friendly little cafes, traditional pubs and cocktail and wine bars, so you wont miss your cafe culture too much. Buckinghamshire's best commuter towns for London On looks alone, the two loveliest villages have to be Dedham and Nayland. The only city in the county of Essex, Chelmsford, has a strong identity and proud history that allows it to stand out of the shadow of the nearby European capital. These include the world-class concert hall and endless yearly festivals, making it difficult to leave for the capital on weekends. High Wycombe has made the top 10 London commuter towns (Image: BucksLive - Grahame Larter) The bustling town of High Wycombe ranked 7th in the list of the best towns to commute to London. Coastal commuter towns: five hipster-friendly seaside spots for London For more bang for your buck look east towards Redoubt, where you could pick up a two-bedroom flat for 180,000 to 200,000, or a two-bedroom Victorian cottage for 250,000 to 280,000. You can now use Citymapper to plan your Elizabeth Line journey. According to our food and drink writers, the smell of smoked meat from Berber & Q draws in hipsters from far and wide along with a 'we sometimes do/sometimes don't take reservations' policy. Just over an hour from London and with a choice of charming cities or beautiful villages Hampshires the perfect country escape. Home to three iconic theatres, Watford Palace Theatre, Watford Colosseum, and The Pump House. If you want to learn more about this part of the city, my east London neighborhoods guide has additional areas for you to explore. Camberleys small size hasnt taken anything away from its numerous shopping centers, theatres, and nightlife spots. Sitting so far out of Greater London while still being within a short train journey means that living in St Albans gives the feel of living within the counties of England and not in an overwhelming urban environment. Top 15 sights in Engelberg, Switzerland (including TITLIS). Borehamwood, Hertfordshire 5. Old Leigh is a pretty enclave of weatherboarded cottages, cobbled streets, bars and restaurants. Theres a range of options to choose from in the neighborhood, including hotels and apartment rentals. Top commuter towns across Hampshire, Surrey, Kent and Essex Picturesque country and seaside locations for house-hunters who still want to live within reach of the capital. A commuter at Vauxhall station, London, in May.