Average property price: . St Albans, Hertfordshire - 21 mins Hatfield, Hertfordshire - 23 mins Reading, Berkshire - 23 mins Borehamwood, Hertfordshire - 22 mins Iver, Buckinghamshire - 23 mins Stevenage, Hertfordshire - 22 mins High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire - 43 mins Horley, Surrey - 34 mins That is why thanks to MoveIQ expert and TV property legend, Phil Spencer, who ranked the best commuter towns for London and Ilivehere which ranked the worst places to livein 2022, MyLondon has compiled a list of the best and worst to live. 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. Falkirk in Scotland is also one of the top commuter towns. If you're already a hipster you'll already know about a lot of these. A picture postcard sort of town, all beach huts and fishermans cottages, and with some particularly good ice cream parlours. 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. A commuter at Vauxhall station, London, in May. This collision of contemporary and crumbling is what gives the village its unique charm. Theyre generally 20th century creations either as purpose built new towns or having undergone massive expansion in a short period of time to cater for the growing population in the south east. Whatever your personal style, budget, taste, or commute (if you even have one), theres a hipster London neighborhood for you. The commute: Trains to Victoria take around 90 minutes. 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. Tottenham is next on my list of hipster London neighborhoods. A more practical option is Lydd, set on the edge of Romney Marsh, four miles from Dungeness. As promised, heres a map of the hipster London neighborhoods on my list. Whether you want somewhere more central or more up-and-coming, theres a place for you. Hipsters are going to start frequenting actual working mens' clubs, like Penge & District Trade Union & Social Club. Average season ticket prices come in at 3,964 but all that money saved on a house might make this price seem more manageable. Weve siphoned out some of the most sought-after commuter towns out there, shining a light on their best qualities, from their proximity to London and cost of living to their unique characteristics and local attractions. Brixton is another of the coolest places in London. Puma Court and Princelet Street are two of my favorites. Famed for its airport, Luton cracked the top 3 of worst places to live. property and rental prices in the capital. First on my list of hipster London neighborhoods is Deptford. Only 17 miles west of central London, Staines-upon-Thames is a town that often gets overlooked when it comes to the best commuter towns near London. The beer is cheap, fresh, and if you take a phone call, your iPhone might end up nailed to the wall. However, this still didn't stop people from voting it as the worst place to live. Despite Ashford being the main railway station in east Kent, it has been ranked 107th on the list.. Iver is situated within the beautiful countryside while still being only 25 minutes away from London Paddington. We moved to Ramsgate because we could afford to buy here, she says. At number one worst place to live came Aylesbury. Whitbread Trophy Bitter will go up to 6 a pint, just you wait and see. In addition. Old village stocks in Aldbury, Kent. 7.50 adults, 5 Lambeth Palace Rd, London SE1 (+4420 7401 8865; www.gardenmuseum.org.uk) BEST FOR: River walkers. The famous Pryzm nightclub is one of the locals favorites, offering five rooms of varying music and atmospheres. You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Whats to love? 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. The first homes at Brent Cross Town are already on sale, with guide prices starting at 400,000 for a studio, 430,000 for a one bedroom flat, and 585,000 for a two-bedroom flat . Only 17 miles west of central London, Staines-upon-Thames is a town that often gets overlooked when it comes to the best commuter towns near London. More Copyright A Lady in London 2007 - 2023. From Colchester you can get to Liverpool Street in just under an hour. Last on my list of the most hipster London neighborhoods is Spitalfields. Coastal commuter towns: five hipster-friendly seaside spots for London leavers looking for work-life balance Spend weekends paddleboarding without sacrificing on London comforts in these. Be ahead of the game: isn't it obvious? The underrated commuter town just 30 minutes from London named one of If you click on the pins, you can find my relevant blog posts about each one. By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. Hipster definition, a usually young person who is trendy, stylish, or progressive in an unconventional way; someone who is hip. Agreat spot to rent if yourein say the next James Bond film. Sign up for exclusive newsletters, comment on stories, enter competitions and attend events. Stevenage consists of great transport links as well as great house prices, making it a worthy entrant onto the list. There are many commuter towns to choose from, just a stone's throw from the capital, with all the benefits of green spaces and good schools. It is perfect for walking, running or letting a horse do the hard work. Not only is it possible to take the train straight into London, but Watford is connected to the city by both the underground and overground transport networks. The variation in properties and neighborhoods mean that Stevenage is somewhere that attracts commuters with many different incomes. The rise of commuter towns in the past few years can't be ignored. has a number of outline villages that provide a far more secluded lifestyle ideal for truly escaping the day-to-day hustle of inner city London. Hackney Wick is one of the most hipster areas of London for 20-somethings and young professionals. Essexhas long been a good port of call for those looking for a seaside location but who dont want to compromise on local amenties. 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. Another popular option for those not quite ready to dive into village life is the petite town of Manningtree, which is set on the estuary of the River Stour and is handy for the Suffolk coast. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Time Out checks out the conclusions of Phil Spencer (yes, him off Location Location, Location minus Kirsty Give up coffee, Netflix and EasyJet Allsop) just published on the. One for lovers of the random-stuff aisle. In addition. Rounding out the top 10, Redhill makes the list. The season ticket price is 2,316 and you are also only 6 miles away from Heathrow. Hayling Island in Hampshire is about four miles from coast to coast, its beach a mix of sand and shingle. Whether youre looking to live, play, work, or go out in these places, I know youll have as much fun discovering them as Ive had. It's so hot it's even been rated the most hipster area of London. Families looking for somewhere to settle and commute with younger children will be delighted with the high reputation Guildford has when it comes to its schools. That's right, we said eats. Peckham also has big green swathes like Peckham Rye Park, independent boutiques and restaurants on Bellenden Road, and creative spaces in behemoths like the Bussey Building. Whether you prefer cool places in the East End or trendy areas south of the river, theres a perfect fit for you. Just on the fringes of the South Downs, you wont go short of open country in this historic Hampshire town, which is great for walkers, runners and cyclists. As shopping opportunities go, Watford is the proud owner of the Atria Centre, a huge shopping mall that has everything you could need under one roof. One of the only noted downsides to choosing Reading as your commuter town is the high price of rail season tickets. That is why thanks to MoveIQ expert and TV property legend, Phil Spencer, who ranked the best commuter towns for London and Ilivehere which ranked the worst places to live in 2022, MyLondon has compiled a list of the best and worst to live. Sign up for exclusive newsletters, comment on stories, enter competitions and attend events. My list also has links to my blog posts about specific London neighborhoods. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The garden caf serves lunch and cakes made with ingredients grown within this secret urban oasis. 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. When we first came down there were maybe one or two restaurants. Again, with an average season pass of 2,904, the cost of making this daily commute isnt something that can be taken likely. We've covered London neighborhoods for families in detail here. Let's talk commuter towns : r/london - Reddit Town 28 minutes from London named one of the best places for commuters Nightlife is fairly low key although one thing the New Forest does very well is country pubs. Dedham also has an Ofsted outstanding primary school, as does the village of Lawford. Being 20-minutes from the city certainly makes this an attractive location. Coastal commuter towns: five hipster-friendly seaside spots for London Heres our pick of 16 locations for commuter homebuyers. Brighton is also situated not too far away from Horley, making it an ideal location if you wanted to go for a weekend away. 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Its just 25 minutes from St Pancras, and is weirdly also known for its cinematic heritage, with Elstree Studios, a collection of different studios across various sites of which two still remain. Houses are a total mash up you might find a 12th-century timber-framed cottage, a Victorian terrace or a rather bland estate house. New here? These are the list of the best commuter towns and some of the worst. We've occasionally been told we're hipsters (we're not). 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? For everything else a trip to Sittingbourne, just on the other side of The Swale, or beautiful Faversham, is quick and painless. With vast swathes of green spaces, farmland, and countryside, Guildford stands alone as a satellite of London while keeping the rural feel of its surrounding suburbs. For all your shopping needs, Stevenage is home to a huge shopping center with the privilege of being extremely traffic free. Over the last year demand for houses has shot up in the uber-cool seaside town, which sits just 16 miles north-east of Canterbury, and is less than two hours commute from the capital. A terrace costs about 396,000, and a detached house 761,000. Most of the shops are independents, with lots of little art galleries, and the walking along cliff-top paths is just spectacular. Rated as one of Englands top three growing towns, the largest town in Hampshire, Basingstoke is undoubtedly seen as one of the best commuter towns near London. This area has become an increasingly popular place to live in London in recent years, especially as nearby Shoreditch has gentrified and become more mainstream. 7 Hipster London Neighborhoods - Most Hipster Areas of London Also regularly voted as one of the happiest places to live, the town boasts gorgeous countryside surroundings. Youve got a really beautiful old town with cobbled streets and pubs with seating out on the sea wall so you can sit and have a drink and watch the estuary and the fishing boats, and then you have got a really vibrant, thriving high street, full of bars, boutiques and vegan restaurants, she says. Now you have got The Folkestone Wine Company, which I love, a little tapas place called Pick Up Pintxos, and the Harbour Arm is amazing in summer because it has live music and lots of street food stalls.. The commute: it is 10 miles from Mersea Island to Colchester. Next on my list of the best hipster London neighborhoods is Hackney. Whats to love? The best commuter towns in Hertfordshire. The balance of small-town feel and energy makes Reading a great place to live while still being close to the UK capital. Arcade bars PimpShuei, Meltdown London and The Four Quarters serve up a headily hip cocktail of craft beer and Street Fighter II. Upriver, at Richmond, life on the Thames has a distinctly tranquil, laid-back flavour, as evidenced by the White Cross pub. The Coolest Neighbourhoods in London - Culture Trip Cheers! Given there are so many choices, I want to give you an idea of your options and some good ideas for cool neighborhoods in London. If you want to stay in this part of London, you can book accommodation in Brixton here. Support Time Out directly today and help us champion the people and places which make the city tick. Whether you choose to commute from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Surrey or Kent, these are some of the best towns to live near London; 1. Kings Parade and Great St Mary's Church, Trinity College, Cambridge. Best London commuter towns for 2023 - House Beautiful Although Staines-upon-Thames is close to London, the busy Heathrow Airport, and M25 Motorway, it still retains its small-town feel. Trains currently arrive from Reading to Londons Paddington Station. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. This perfect combination of luxury, vast open spaces, and a direct link to the history of England all make Windsor a highly popular place to live and one of the best commuter towns near London. One person wrote: "As you enter Aylesbury, you find yourself in a traffic jam. The switch to a village from the bright lights of the capital can be a daunting one though. Just over an hour from London and with a choice of charming cities or beautiful villages Hampshires the perfect country escape. Ranked as the best commuter town for those working in London, pretty St Albans sits proudly in Hertfordshire. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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. That may not be the case by the time we've finished writing this paragraph, but hey ho. There is, at present, a three-year waiting list for a permit. You can head over to my guide to south London if you want to discover more. Epsom is a charming commuter town in Surrey. Levels Wine offers wines on tap including local options, theres craft beer at Bottle Grove, small plates at Cru, and hotel Ports restaurant is another top haunt for local produce. My hipster London guide continues in the east. At number three was the iconic Luton. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations with other readers. There are new restaurants, bars, and pop-ups opening here all the time, making Spitalfields one of the hippest neighborhoods in London. St Albans is a beautiful town rich with history and only 20 minutes from London, A train from Reading to Paddington Station would take 25 minutes, From the outset Iver may not look like much but it has loads going on, High Wycombe came in number 7 and is a pretty town consisting of the old and the new, Aylesbury is a mix of old and new, with modern buildings emerging from Tudor-era houses. Can we just say this off the bat: we like hipsters. The number of bus journeys taken in the capital is down by 50%. Average house prices come in at 547,339 making it one of the more expensive commuter towns, but still cheaper than London. 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. Youd never believe you are only 10 miles from Colchester. Best places to live outside London for nature: Best places to live around London with top schools: Places to live outside London with easy commute: Where to live outside London near forests. London is only a 30-minute train which makes Redhill an attractive location. There is a thriving arts scene in the town and an art trail (as well as a folk festival and regatta). They have more information about each area. Although its ideally placed for commuting into London, there is a large infrastructure here that means you are not forced to travel outside of the town during your days off, creating a great balance between work and home life. This area is especially popular with 20-somethings and young professionals. How much? A four to five-bedroom post-war house a little further out might cost between 500,000 and 700,000. While there is only a 13 minute difference in journey times from Gravesend and Ashford to London, there's a staggering difference in cost. Woking, Surrey . Top 15 sights in Engelberg, Switzerland (including TITLIS). Be open to making friends on social media. This textured past has given St Albans a rich identity and can be seen as one of Englands most quintessential towns. Vintage Fashion Fair, and another who gets their togs from the charity shops along Streatham High Road. Best Commuter Towns London | 2022 Round-Up | Move iQ Peckham is home to some of the most famous rooftop bars in south London, which is to say nothing of pop-up markets and shops. Stevenage as a town has all the amenities and resources you would expect from a modern town. With its award-winning market, beautiful, timber-framed cottages and great schools, Saffron Walden has long drawn exiting Londoners. Mersea Island is just off the east coast of Essex, linked to the mainland by a Roman causeway over The Strood. All material on this site is the property of Londonist Ltd. 15 Charming Day Trips From London: May 2023, The Top 11 Exhibitions To See In London: May 2023, The Best Places To Find Bluebells In And Near London This Spring. This growth in population and popularity has brought about stiff competition for housing and employment. Still, you're just six miles from Heathrow, it's very green, has some. But the only secondary on the island requires improvement according to the schools watchdog. SueBurtonPhotography // Getty Images. The commute completely transformed Britain. Is it over for ever? The area has a fun nightlife scene as well. Folkestones alpha address has long been its West End, with its streets of lovely Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian houses. The commute: Trains to Fenchurch Street or Liverpool Street take about an hour. Join thousands of others and subscribe to the A Lady in London blog via email. Shoreditch (EC1) was once the coolest place to live in London before encroachment by bankers and other professionals due to its easy commute to the central business. The commute: with a road link to the mainland and its own rail station, Sheppey is easy to get on and off. At which point the hipsters will be queuing out of the doors everywhere from the Putney Rocket to the Barking Dog. This multicultural neighborhood is known for colorful south London markets like Pop Brixton, Brixton Village, and Brixton Market. Set on the river Itchen and beside the South Downs, Winchester has a charming old city centre but it is vibrant and quirky enough to keep Londoners happy. Sea, sand and sun-kissed beaches. For those who wish to live outside of the town itself. The best London commuter towns, according to Phil Spencer and Moveiq 1. Where should you lay your head for zzzs after the daily grind? The area offers a variety of places to choose from. This mini community is home to tattooists, jerk chicken and jiu jitsu classes. From the colorful markets to the street art, record stores, and vintage shops around Brick Lane, this is one of the most exciting parts of London. Being stuck in the traffic allows you to observe the magnificent beauty of all the trashy citizens that live there.". Although seen as a more urban place to commute to London from, Watford is not without its own culture. 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. To balance this out, commuter towns near London have been popping up around the UK, allowing people to live close to the capital while still maintaining an affordable life. But the east side of the island is a whole different story, with pretty seaside towns such as Leysdown-On-Sea and Minster on Sea, beaches and nature reserves. Theres a range of options to choose from in the neighborhood, including hotels and apartment rentals. And things get livelier on the coast, particularly around the yachting town of Lymington. Here are the capitals best commuter isles. Georgie Perkins moved to Leigh-on-Sea in 2004, from Hertfordshire. Buyers on smaller budgets could consider adjacent Westcliff-on-Sea which is attracting more interest thanks to its value for money although it is by no means as hip as Leigh. For every hipster that shops in Hub or Albam there's one that gets kitted out at the Frock Me! 9 commuter towns in Kent ranked from best to worst according to London Thomas Ruschke: Free WiFi, great shops and a cool hipster vibe. The area offers a wide range of places to choose from. Schools within Guildford often appear in the Sunday Times Best Schools List, making it an ideal place to settle for families with children of school-going age. Located around twenty miles north of London, it takes a zipping 14 minutes to get into the capital, arriving at Euston Station. Not only is it a stones throw away from rural and suburban bliss, but the town itself also has a lot going for it. 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. It was one of Kents original Cinque Ports and the walled town centre still possesses plenty of medieval charm.