Something wrong with this article? Be open to making friends on social media. We already have this email. A terraced house typically costs 387,000 while a detached home will set you back 878,000. Whats to love? 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. If you're already a hipster you'll already know about a lot of these. Kings Parade and Great St Mary's Church, Trinity College, Cambridge. One person wrote: "The town itself is not easy on the eye, it makes Slough comparable to the playboy tax exile haven of Monaco." Peckham is next on my list of hipster London neighborhoods. Another home county packed with commuter-friendly locations isHampshire, which has everything from charming cities to rural villages, although its hotspots tend not to be shoestring budget options. This commercial reputation is married perfectly with Basingstokes proud cultural institutions. Next on my list of the best hipster London neighborhoods is Hackney. From there you can be at St Pancras in 38 minutes. Its how we found our first rental home and theyre usually very active with community news and events. The UK capital of London has long been one of the worlds most booming metropolitan cities. Old village stocks in Aldbury, Kent. St Albans, Hertfordshire 2. Or you could look at the market town of Ringwood, where a four-bedroom house is likely to cost from about 750,000. Luckily, several London neighborhoods offer just that, albeit for a slightly higher price tag. Commuting: Just under an hour to Waterloo. The best commuter towns close to London | The Spectator And things get livelier on the coast, particularly around the yachting town of Lymington. St Albans is an area full of history dating back centuries. Get an Uber Boat all the way to Barking in east London. Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Most beautiful places to visit in England. The 18th-century Huguenot silk weavers houses on the latter are stunning. The town of Reading is well known for its textured history and being one of Berkshires largest towns. Edinburgh's most affordable commuter towns. TheKent coast, while lovely, was just that bit too far for a daily commute. All but one of Winchesters schools are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, which is a lot better odds than youre likely to find in London. 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. Hackney Wick is first on my list of the coolest neighborhoods in London. The fastest train from Horley to London would take 28 minutes. One of the highlights of Redhill is the history and the fact that you can get to the summit of the North Downs within 30 minutes. The Company Shed is a fabulous seafood restaurant, Mersea Barns is the place for a Sunday roast, and there are three pubs. The season ticket prices are 2,708. Make friends at one of the tennis clubs, work out at half a dozen gyms and enjoy plenty of long country walks exploring pretty villages within Saffron Waldens hinterland. Traditionally the forest has been seen as too far away for London commuters but the pandemic has changed that. If you want to stay in this part of London, you can book accommodation in Peckham here. Catherine and Gary Nice pictured in their Folkestone home. Let's talk commuter towns : r/london - Reddit 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. Great pizzas directly across the street. What stands out as Guildfords most favorable aspect is the surrounding countryside and villages. 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.. What is Lyme Regis famous for? 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 IQ Move blog and then, because we cant resist, weigh in with our own thoughts. By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Commuting to London takes 25 minutes and your terminus is Paddington, but house prices there are still close to 550k. The season ticket price is 2,316 and you are also only 6 miles away from Heathrow. The historic Berkshire market town of Windsor is a favorite commuter town for those who look for a little more luxury when it comes to home life. Brixton is another of the coolest places in London. Leave us alone. ea, sand (or pebbles) and occasional sun are all on offer within 90 minutes of London. Woking, Surrey . Bethnal Green Working Mens' Club is a front for some of the hippest happenings in London, including the monthly Double R Club, where Twin Peaks fans eat cherry pie and watch nightmarish burlesque. Buckinghamshire's best commuter towns for London Enter your password to log in. Houses are a total mash up you might find a 12th-century timber-framed cottage, a Victorian terrace or a rather bland estate house. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations with other readers. The commute: it is 10 miles from Mersea Island to Colchester. Clearly, being within touching distance of London isn't a winner for these people. A real hipster bevvy, then, must be especially niche. Factor in the ever-rising property and rental prices in the capital and staying in London for your downtime zzzs may not even be an option. 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. Reene recommends looking east, around the Harbour Arm, which has become trendier as the area has been regenerated with bars and restaurants. 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. 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. The best up and coming places to live in the UK. Hipster Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster St Albans is one of Englands most historic settlements, dating back to the 1st century when it was only second to the city of London. Ideally situated by the beautiful Henley-on-Thames as well as being well-connected for those looking to visit Reading. The historic town of Windsor is arguably most famous for being the home of Windsor Castle, a royal residency for nearly a thousand years. One for lovers of the random-stuff aisle. That's right, we said eats. 7 Hipster London Neighborhoods - Most Hipster Areas of London The charming streets, historical spots, and affluent homes all make St Albans one of the best commuter towns near London, and no list of commuter towns would be complete without a mention of St Albans. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account, Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number, I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from Evening Standard. As promised, heres a map of the hipster London neighborhoods on my list. Sheppey has a choice of primaries, the majority rated good by Ofsted. The average house price in Redhill is 479,434, season ticket prices come to 2,908. These notable green spaces include Staines Park, which is home to tennis courts, a bowling green, and a childrens playground, offering an ideal place to escape the busy town center. Away from the seafront prices drop dramatically around 425,000 to 475,000 would buy a Victorian townhouse east of the town centre, while a two-bedroom flat would cost around 200,000. It is located 30 miles (48 km) northeast of . READ MORE: London's Royal parks ranked from best to worst by Google Reviews. So where is the best place to live if looking to leave the capital? Hackney Wick is one of the most hipster areas of London for 20-somethings and young professionals. Can we just say this off the bat: we like hipsters. There are lots of good options in and around the area. The famous Pryzm nightclub is one of the locals favorites, offering five rooms of varying music and atmospheres. Hitting the number two spot is Hatfieldin Hertfordshire, a county where, reassuringly, according to My Fair Lady, hurricanes hardly ever happen. Still, you're just six miles from Heathrow, it's very green, has some. Ranked as the best commuter town for those working in London, pretty St Albans sits proudly in Hertfordshire. A house will set you back about 350k and theres a theatre, a contemporary art gallery, and lots of Tudor and Jacobean history courtesy of Hatfield House. When that extends to big stuff such as where you want to live in relation to where you work, then it gets a bit more tricky. Ramsgates still quiet and its got that community feel.. work life. Horley is an ideal commuter town near London (Image: Ian Capper) The average house price in the county is just over 653,000, according to Zoopla. In addition. 50 best places to live near London - Country Life Thomas Ruschke: Free WiFi, great shops and a cool hipster vibe. This account already exists. Although Staines-upon-Thames is close to London, the busy Heathrow Airport, and M25 Motorway, it still retains its small-town feel. Named Thames Valley Town of the Year in 2017 and boasting a quality of life rating of 96%, Basingstokes popularity is undeniably on the rise. This floods at high tide, so residents need to work around it. Although seen as a more urban place to commute to London from, Watford is not without its own culture. Taking around forty-five minutes to arrive in the capital, Basingstoke commuters may have a longer journey to and from work than most commuter towns, but it is a welcoming trade-off for the quality of life this Hampshire town provides. Commuting to London takes 25 minutes and your terminus is Paddington, but house prices there are still close to 550k. You can head over to my guide to south London if you want to discover more. This account already exists. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account, Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number, I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from Evening Standard. If youre asking yourself where do London hipsters live? youll find the answer here. One of the hippest neighborhoods in the UK capital, it's known for its nightlife scene and bar vibe. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations. 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. Homes in the village, as the small cluster of houses on the shingles are known, rarely come up for sale. Support Time Out directly today and help us champion the people and places which make the city tick. 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. 2023 Londonist, All rights reserved. Dedham Vale is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Staines-upon-Thames is only a half-hour commute by train into London, arriving at the capitals Waterloo Station. Aside from this, Staines-upon-Thames is also home to Staines Moor, over a thousand acres of moorland that is a fantastic place to hike and nature watching. Since most of the houses were built post-Sixties this isnt the place to search for a cutesy thatched cottage. Hackney is packed with bars hidden under railway arches, on-the-pulse nightlife, cutting-edge restaurants, delicious bakeries, and cool coffee shops. The prevalence of street art, gigs, and arthouse films at the famous Ritzy cinema means theres something new to see on every visit, too. A typical flat in the town will cost 229,000, while a house would set you back an average of 424,000. 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. She loves Potters for interiors shopping, Positive Retail for pre-loved luxury fashion and Vinyl Head for records. That may not be the case by the time we've finished writing this paragraph, but hey ho. 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. 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. Despite all the trappings of urban life, the town of Watford also has its fair share of green spaces. Employee Story Of The Month: Meet Chaythanya, Senior Backend Developer, 8 Home Renovations That Dont Add Value (and What to Do Instead), What The Short-Term Let Licencing Changes Mean For Scottish Landlords, A Landlords Guide To Renovating Your New Property Ready For Tenants To Move In, Expats in Barcelona: Everything You Need to Know About Setting Up a Bank Account, Employee Story Of The Month: Meet Salomi, Senior Product Owner, 13 of the Best Neighborhoods to Live in Barcelona, London neighborhoods: 15 Best Places/ Areas to Live in London. Coastal commuter towns: five hipster-friendly seaside spots for London This friendly little market town is right on the border of the Surrey Hills and the South Downs, so you get access to two areas of outstanding natural beauty for the price of one. Sign up to our free newsletters here. An annual season . Whats to love? One of the only noted downsides to choosing Reading as your commuter town is the high price of rail season tickets. Just to the south of the town is one of the most famous green spaces in all of England, Windsor Great Park. This swift journey only adds to the appeal of a town that was once considered too far away to be a commuter town. The garden caf serves lunch and cakes made with ingredients grown within this secret urban oasis. 40 Best commuter towns near London - TOP hotspots 2023 Folkestones alpha address has long been its West End, with its streets of lovely Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian houses. More than 100,000 readers on Ilivehere voted for the worst place to live. Its celeb-strewn too: Dele Alli and Gino DAcampo both live here. The ability to be within a reasonable distance of the capital without crazy high prices became too appealing for many to ignore. Being 20-minutes from the city certainly makes this an attractive location. 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. Average house prices come in at 547,339 making it one of the more expensive commuter towns, but still cheaper than London. The demand for commuter towns has risen ever since the pandemic made working from home a thing, Share your email to get the latest property news. Lying directly north of the capital, out of the hustle and bustle of Greater London, is the small city of St Albans. The commute: with a road link to the mainland and its own rail station, Sheppey is easy to get on and off. The commute: take your choice from Charing Cross, Cannon Street or London Bridge stations, all less than 40 minutes' train ride away. Taking the top spot of green spaces in Watford is its Cassiobury Park. Top 20 most affordable places to commute into London And yet, it is this relative isolation from the grips of the capital that make Camberley a popular destination in which to settle. My list also has links to my blog posts about specific London neighborhoods. Best Towns for Commuting to London | South Western Railway Each year, the theatre plays host to a free outdoor festival featuring theatre, music, art, and dance performances, known as Imagine Watford. Shaftesbury town in Dorset home of the famous Gold Hill. Located around forty miles directly west of London, the town of Reading has been a popular commuter town for decades. Essex has some delightful options that are finding increased favour with priced-out Londoners. 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. House prices are around 370k but a season ticket is a tough ask at nearly five grand a year. The best places to live near London: Warwickshire We adore Dunchurch. All in all, Basingstoke ticks many boxes if you are looking for an overall better quality of life outside of the often chocking life inside the UK capital. Its a good choice for outdoorsy types: you could relax at the lovely beaches at Leysdown-On-Sea or Minster, explore the Elmley Marshes, and its tourist trade means there is a good choice of pubs and cafes. Or you can always go axe-hurling in Whitechapel. 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. The underrated commuter town just 30 minutes from London named one of Its main town is Sheerness, once used by the Royal Navy as a dockyard and now a slightly dispirited commercial port. Be ahead of the game: at some point, someone's going to figure out you can essentially have bottomless brunch at Wetherspoons for 20 a head. Essexhas long been a good port of call for those looking for a seaside location but who dont want to compromise on local amenties. This 285 square miles of ancient forest sits right on the south coast and is heaven for outdoorsy types. Heres our pick of 16 locations for commuter homebuyers. As the vastness of Londons expansion seems to grow in size, affordable and promising commuter towns seem to get further and further out from the capital, and Stevenage is one such place. People move on a whim after a fun weekend of beach parties in the summer. A couple of miles down the coast from Broadstairs, Ramsgate was once a fashionable Victorian seaside resort, and although todays holidaymakers have set their sights on more exotic climes, there is still a lot to recommend in this busy town, with its street cafes, charming marina, clifftop walks and blue flag sandy beaches. Brighton is also situated not too far away from Horley, making it an ideal location if you wanted to go for a weekend away. 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. Trains currently arrive from Reading to Londons Paddington Station. The medieval town centre is gorgeous to look at: packed with cute cafes, restaurants and independent boutiques. 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. And let's begin with breakfast eats. Trowbridge, near Bath. With an average house price of half a million, Windsor isnt the easiest place to secure a home, but it does come with the elegance and opulence of one of Englands most popular postcodes.