Good places to live in S.E England?

[JonB]

Morning all!

Quite close to getting a job in London and so i'm having to start thinking about relocating to the area.

I don't want to live in London and was thinking of commuting in instead. However my knowledge of that area of the country is very poor. The Reading area is ideal as my fiancée would have a good chance of securing a job at Reading hospital, however it is not a pre-requiste.

The only requirements I have really are that it is pretty close to a trains station to get into London, isn't in the middle of nowhere, is on the Western side of London, making trips to visit family in SW of England easy.

I've thought about Basingstoke, Guildford and places like that, but I don't know what they are like to live in! Money won't be that tight, so would ideally want to live in a low-crime area.

Any nominations for towns or villages?

Cheers.
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[JAMSXR]

I live in Guildford and I would recommend it! It's 35 min train journey from London, and 3 minutes drive/ride away from beautiful countryside, the town itself is very nice with a huge selection of shops, and some great pubs and restaurants combined with some nice green parks, river, cobbled high street, and castle ruins! To be honest most areas in SW England are pretty nice, and as with most places have their good and bad bits. If money is not a big problem for you take a look at Weybridge, it is in a great position and has a station with fast trains to London.

Oh and I forgot to mention Guildford also has its very own bearded lady, and surely it’s worth the move just for that!

https://www.myspace.com/bearded_lady_of_guildford
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[.....]

Another Guildford person here, it's OK, good links to London, good pubs, some decent enough restaurants etc.

The Surrey County Hospital is in Guildford as well and is pretty massive if your woman is looking for hospital based work.

There's some good riding to be had on and off road. Houses are expensive although like everywhere have come down a lot recently so be prepared for that. As for low crime, Guildford I think has the lowest burgalary rate in the UK, although I have been done twice and live in a nice area. As for other crime, it's perfectly safe to walk around at night compared to inner city London, in fact I've never had a problem really.

It's a nice place really, especially in the summer, with pubs by the river etc.

[JonB]

Thanks for that. What are the nice areas in Guildford then?
____________________
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[JAMSXR]

Well the closer you are to the town centre the better, Burpham, Merrow, and Chillworth are all villages just outside Guildford, very nice and about 3 minutes drive from the town. Try to avoid the areas around the hospital (Royal Surrey) it's not so nice around there, especially a place called Park Barn.
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[Barry_M2]

You seem to have a preference for the West side of London.

Why not look north too. I live in a nice little town, quiet, but also near the M1, M25, A1(m) and rail links into London as I used to commute every day.
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[SlimRick]

I used to live in a village called Kintbury, nr Hungerford. There's some lovely places round there, and ideal commuter areas for W. London. There's a train station there and it's a stones throw from the M4

Edit: It's where Jeremy Paxman lives - used to see him in the pub quite often acting like a complete cock.

[.....]

[mistergixer]

[Barry_M2]

[JonB]

Sods law, I start thinking about relocation and then the very same day I get a letter through informing me I have not got the job. So close, but yet so far.
____________________
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[JAMSXR]

Sorry to hear that. Good luck
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[WildGoose]

[OssY]

Great there is me thinking i am the only one from Guildford now i find that JAMSXR and Joe are from here. RUINED MY DAY.

[JAMSXR]

[Barry_M2]

[OssY]

[MarJay]

[OssY]

You gotta read the whole post MarJay. He did not get the job.

[m0l0t0v]

Shame about the job, but I was gonna recommend Amersham. Tis a nice little village/town. (more of a village).

Easily get into London as it's just outside the underground (cheap tickets). I think price difference for a return with unlimited tube journeys is 18 from High Wycombe (near where I live) to 8 from Amersham(20 minutes away!)

Amersham is relatively low I think anyways. About 50 minutes away from Reading though. (Close to Stoke Mandeville Hospital though )
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**\Tarmacsurfer/** said: It's that immaculately manly coiffure of yours isn't it. One glimpse of your virile locks and the punters can't wait to buy whatever it is you suggest, as it might let them be just a little bit like the Adonis that is our very own Molly Doovydoo said: Its not my fault I can't get it up properly, I just wasn't blessed

[MarJay]

[instigator]

Unlucky about the job Jon, don't beat yourself up over it. If you do get a job in London, my opinion is as follows - If not, don't read it....

Commuting from outside London costing an absolute bomb and you share a carriage with god knows how many others. I always find it amusing to be in Paddington or Victoria at rush hour where one trains platform is announced and this huge number of people start rushing off in it's general direction. People in suits with briefcases running. I commuted from Reading - London and back for a month and despised it. What I 'saved' in rent by living in Reading, I lost by forking out for train fares. That combined with the fact I was spending approx. 2+hours a day commuting, it really made me quite down.

Now I spend just as much as I did in Reading, live in a cracking house in zone 2 NW London and commute by bike so I dodge the rush hour antics on the tube.

[OssY]

[Andy C]

Sorry to hear about the job Jon. Its hard to stay positive I found when looking but think of each as excellent practise for the next

[dodsi]

Living in the S.E sucks, it's full of southerners.