For coffee head to Union, a yoga shop and cafe. These are the list of the best commuter towns and some of the worst. 16 Best Seaside Towns to Visit Near London - Time Out London The season ticket price is 2,316 and you are also only 6 miles away from Heathrow. The commute: You need to go to Colchester, by car or bus, the trains to Liverpool Street are just under an hour. But there are streets of Victorian terraces and semis priced from about 600,000, and a budget of 400,000 to 500,000 would buy a two to three-bedroom terraced cottage in town. The beer is cheap, fresh, and if you take a phone call, your iPhone might end up nailed to the wall. Although Staines-upon-Thames is close to London, the busy Heathrow Airport, and M25 Motorway, it still retains its small-town feel. work life. Hipster - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com For those who wish to live outside of the town itself,Guildfordhas 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. For all your shopping needs, Stevenage is home to a huge shopping center with the privilege of being extremely traffic free. 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. Word of mouth seems to have been behind Leighs resurgence and most who move down seem to have a ready-made support network. The latest town under the spotlight is Redhill. Twyford in Berkshire is another location worthy of consideration. 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What stands out as Guildfords most favorable aspect is the surrounding countryside and villages. This infrastructure is bolstered by Readings huge commercial center, especially for information technology and insurance. 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. Henley-On-Thames Where to live to commute to London? Coming in fifth place in the rankings is Iver in Buckinghamshire. 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. Ill start my hipster London guide in the south. 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. We moved to Ramsgate because we could afford to buy here, she says. For those who wish to live outside of the town itself. Hatfield, Hertfordshire 3. Get London news, inspiration, exclusive offers and more, emailed to you. 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. This growth in population and popularity has brought about stiff competition for housing and employment. Average season ticket prices come in at 3,964 but all that money saved on a house might make this price seem more manageable. 9 commuter towns in Kent ranked from best to worst according to London 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. While quiet in winter, Mersea does get very busy during the summer holidays. The underrated seaside commuter town known as 'Hackney-on-Sea' where work life. Its history has left a legacy of streets of lovely Victorian and Regency townhouses, which to Londoners will seem ridiculously cheap you could pick up an average flat for 152,000 or a house for 251,000. But the second you step across the ancient causeway that separates island from mainland you will feel like you are on a different planet. 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. Hackney also features markets like Chatsworth Road Market, Mare Street Market, Broadway Market, Netil Market, and the Columbia Road Flower Market. Something went wrong, please try again later. 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. This Map Will Show You All Of London's Commuter Towns, Ranked is only set to grow as a commuter town. Read our, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}. Be as snooty as you like; they're obviously doing something right (the combination of uber rare Japanese cereal and old He-Man videos, at a guess). 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. 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. Dj vu! Shaftesbury town in Dorset home of the famous Gold Hill. Borehamwood is an up and coming area perfectly situated to the north of London and within a great distance. The distance from the capital means you are able to escape that London-centric nature that often comes with towns closer to the Big Smoke. The trade-off for a slightly longer commute is the chance to live in a green and pleasant town close to the UKs largest city. Borehamwood, Hertfordshire 5. You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. The two main towns are East and West Mersea. 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.. Clearly, being within touching distance of London isn't a winner for these people. A lot of Londons hottest neighborhoods are located here. here was a time when Londoners lured by the sea would head off to Brighton or perhaps Southend. London Bridge services take an hour and a half. And since the pandemic has given many Londoners the option to work at least some days from home, the stretch of coastline that has long been popular with artists and other creatives has opened up to the office crowd too. One of the coolest areas in the UK capital, this place is known for its great nightlife and trendy bars. Its beach is a mix of sand and shingle. ABQ, meanwhile is a Breaking Bad-themed bar, where you spend two hours in the back of an RV, 'cooking up' cocktails. One major hassle to flag up about life in Haslemere is parking at the station for those who anticipate a return to the office post-pandemic. If you're already a hipster you'll already know about a lot of these. 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. Tam Rzh: Great atmosphere, nice hipster vibe, great bubble tea :) 8. More Copyright A Lady in London 2007 - 2023. Hackney Wick is first on my list of the coolest neighborhoods in London. Just off the Hampshire coast, Hayling is easy to get around its about four miles from coast to coast. Old fashioned in a 1930s detective agency? 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? Homes in the village, as the small cluster of houses on the shingles are known, rarely come up for sale. Luckily, several London neighborhoods offer just that, albeit for a slightly higher price tag. 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. These five towns, all within a decent commute of London for the office bound, are where you should be looking for sea with a side order of culture and coffee shops. The rich culture of Chelmsford is bolstered by a number of local attractions. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. Holiday Home' by Richard Woods, part of Folkestones public art scene. Its how we found our first rental home and theyre usually very active with community news and events. 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. Most of the shops are independents, with lots of little art galleries, and the walking along cliff-top paths is just spectacular. Obviously, Reading is known for its annual music festival but recent news thatits existing four Lidls will be joined by a further three has caused a right stir in thelocal press. Regular bus services operate, although they do take around an hour and whether you bus it or go by car you will have to keep an eye on the tides because the Roman causeway that divides Mersea from the mainland floods at high tide. This commercial reputation is married perfectly with Basingstokes proud cultural institutions. 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. Kents coast is not all fish and chips on the sea wall and bucket and spade fun, though. Mark Newman, director of Winkworth estate agents, says buyers after a home in Leigh-on-Sea should budget around 350,000 for a two-bed flat, or 550,000 to 600,000 for a three-bed terrace. Pre-Covid, Hayling Island was one of those places considered just a bit too far for London commuters, but the pandemic has changed all that. There are new restaurants, bars, and pop-ups opening here all the time, making Spitalfields one of the hippest neighborhoods in London. In Little Chelsea you will find record shops, cafes, delis and boutiques. Where to live in London | Homes & Property | Evening Standard Here you can shop for your fave hipster brands such as Comme des Garcons, Jonathan Saunders and JW Anderson, plus plenty of other more or less known designers. Now and then the causeway floods during high tide and you are marooned romantically on the island sadly this splendid isolation only lasts about 90 minutes. Hipsters are integral to London. hipster: 1 n someone who rejects the established culture; advocates extreme liberalism in politics and lifestyle Synonyms: flower child , hippie , hippy Type of: crusader , meliorist , reformer , reformist , social reformer a disputant who advocates reform Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links. Is it worth living outside of London and commuting? 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. Visit in all seasons. Be ahead of the game: the hippest set of stacked boxes right now is The Artworks Elephant, hidden away behind Elephant and Castle station. I hope youve enjoyed this guide to the best hipster neighborhoods in London, and that its made you want to put on your glasses, get a tattoo, go vegan, and explore more of the citys coolest areas. A terrace costs about 396,000, and a detached house 761,000. Revealed: The Hertfordshire hotspots named among Phil Spencer's best A prettyseaside resort in Dorset. The openness of Camberley, interspersed with rivers, inlets, and woodlands, gives the town a far more countryside feel than you would expect, something that has been responsible for its growth in popularity. Living in Iver could open up a realm of possibilities you never thought possible. The fastest train to London only takes 21 minutes to Kings Cross and season ticket prices are considerably cheaper than St Albans, at 2,888. Staines-upon-Thames is only a half-hour commute by train into London, arriving at the capitals Waterloo Station. Before that the couple had rented in Margate, having moved to the coast from London. Despite all the trappings of urban life, the town of Watford also has its fair share of green spaces. Best Places to Live in London as a Young Professional Photo: Magic Pea South of the river, the Bussey Building has fast become a hipster stalwart, thanks to rare groove funk and soul nights,. Whatever your personal style, budget, taste, or commute (if you even have one), theres a hipster London neighborhood for you. Rail journey: St Albans City to St Pancras International. At number one worst place to live came Aylesbury. Essexhas long been a good port of call for those looking for a seaside location but who dont want to compromise on local amenties. Best commuter towns London What towns are 30 minutes from London? There are lots of hipster-friendly. 1. Although the future may be uncertain as more commuters seek new towns to settle, Stevenage remains a fantastic choice. Hipster Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster Crazy golf has found a lot of love among the hipster community; navigate your balls through old washing machines at Junkyard Golf, or go putting on a Peckham rooftop car park. Try another? Brighton is also situated not too far away from Horley, making it an ideal location if you wanted to go for a weekend away. 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. Dorking is one of Surreys gems, with a thriving town centre encircled by gorgeous countryside. Pah. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 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. While there is only a 13 minute difference in journey times from Gravesend and Ashford to London, there's a staggering difference in cost. There are lots of hipster-friendly little cafes, traditional pubs and cocktail and wine bars, so you wont miss your cafe culture too much. Sea, sand and sun-kissed beaches. The commute: with a road link to the mainland and its own rail station, Sheppey is easy to get on and off. By ferry: no regular commuter services but Jetstream Tours does regular day trips to Southend. Regardless of its commuter town reputation, many would hail the city as a great place to live for its own merits. 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.