| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Maxwell Smart |
Market TownsSo following on my thread looking for a place to rent and some of the friendly advice given there we have decided to refine our search to Market Towns (or other towns with character) such within about 2 hours to London.So not knowing that many towns and before we spend our weekends trekking off to see them as the list seems rather extensive can anybody recommend any particularly nice ones? 1) Looking for a decent size that will have good schools 2) Access to good local farmers markets/farm shops 3) Reasonable access Train links to London. Two towns I have found just from trawling the web are Chipping Campden and Sherborne, Dorset. Hey I'm a foreigner with romantic visions of England - what do you expect? |
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| bagpuss |
What about costing, I like Cambridge and it is a more than plausible communte to London (The surrounding towns and villages can also be good) and I think it has good schools but it is an expensive place to live | ||||||||
| Barefoot Andrew |
Have you looked at Bracknell or Stevenage? sorry, that's just not helpful is it? 
A. |
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| tahir |
Loads of decent places around Chelmsford and Colchester | ||||||||
| bagpuss |
Bishops Stortford is nice, again less than a hour outside london | ||||||||
| tahir |
Yup |
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| cab |
Not a fan of Bishops Stortford. Its okay, but the proximity to Stansted Airport would put me off. To be honest, Maxwell pretty much described Cambridge in his post. Character, great market and farmers markets, interesting shops (more of them than you'd think if you explore Mill Road and Burleigh Street), good schools... Only problem is that its almost stupidly expensive to live really close to the station. At the other end of town its only expensive though. Worth costing up Cambridge, Maxwell. |
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| bagpuss |
On a bike even in North Cambridge or Fen Ditton you aren't that far from the station Its also worth looking at Saffron Walden, Royston and Sawston, they don't have quite as good rail links to London but still fairly good and at least Royston is much cheaper than Cambridge |
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| tahir |
Loads of nice places within easy drive of Cambridge | ||||||||
| Behemoth |
and possibly by bike as well. 
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| cab |
Four miles or so from where we live in North Cambridge, about the same from Fen Ditton. Probably a little under that. And as its flat as a pancake its a very easy ride. The ride in from North Cambridge is, in my opinion, far more pleasant than the ride in from Fen Ditton. But for that matter it ain't far from Shelford, Girton or even Histon and Milton. The only downer with that is cycle parking; rack after rack of cycle racks at the station, but try finding a place to lock up if you're running late. If I was a regular cycle-train commuter, I'd get a folding bike.
What would you rekon to Ely? |
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| Mrs Fiddlesticks |
there are some nice villages and places in South and West Oxon with Paddington 40mins from Didcot Parkway. Abingdon isn't bad but the town centre is mixed, some bits nice, but with a concrete 70's shopping centre of charity shops and shoe shops. Village wise, the Hanneys and places around Harwell are pretty.
Witney is nice, and Wantage not a bad market town - Faringdon good as well. Anything within driving distance to Oxford gives you the advantage of Oxford main line trains or the Oxford Tube coach service in to London. Oxford itself is expensive for property rather like Cambridge. |
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| bagpuss |
Ely would also work, again good trainline, slight further out, a nice town though I think I prefer St Neots |
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| Maxwell Smart |
Thanks for all the responses. Cambridge has come up in my mind but not sure if I could tolerate all the tourists/students. Getting old...
Mrs Fiddlesticks - thanks for the suggestions I will investigate especially as we were thinking that the band from Oxford in an arc around to Cambridge might be quite nice. I guess many day trips are due. |
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| bagpuss |
the neither the tourists or students are that bad. The start of the summer tends to be the worst with groups of teenagers here to learn english but it is generally tolerable. It would definitely be a good idea to have a visit and get the feel for the place |
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| Maxwell Smart |
Strangely I have to be there tomorrow for work. Actually I have been up a few times. Perhaps I should take a closer look at schools and places to live. |
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| bagpuss |
Where abouts do you have to be for work? |
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| gnasher |
Have you thought about Dorchester, County Town of Dorset - might be smaller than you want though.
Pretty place with direct train line to waterloo - just a thought?! |
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| Maxwell Smart |
Chesterton this time. Not terribly exciting.
I have now! I am not aware of (have never heard of) 99.9% of my options but now have this to add to my list to look at. I think my wife would prefer Dorset.... The big problem I am finding with using the internet to find anything is none of the town websites ever post pictures and if they do they are small/limited so don't give a feel. |
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| bagpuss |
Chesterton is a nice place to live, a bit more pricey than Arbury and Kings Hedges but generally more convenient for the town centre too |
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| gnasher |
We have lived in Dorchester for the last 3 and a half years - about to move away for work reasons but only going along the coast to Bournemouth.
The good thing about Dorch is that it is close to everything - the sea - Weymouth is 7 miles away, shopping if you want it (bournemouth, poole), you are in a town setting but can walk to the countryside easily. It has a monthly farmers market, and so does weymouth, there are some good farm shops in the area, lots of history and great places to visit within easy reach. I couldn't comment on the schools but it does have some excellent pubs and a fabulous beer festival in February! 
Have I sold it to you yet?? 
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| Maxwell Smart |
I'm looking at the town website and visitors websites. Looks pretty. How long is the train to Waterloo? |
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| cab |
Of course people living in Arbury tend to say they live in North Chesterton, and most of what the Council refers to as Kings Hedges really considers itself Arbury... Such is the nature of things I suppose, people will insist that they live in an area that is perceived as being 'better'. But for my money, I'd say that Arbury and Kings Hedges residents are a heck of a lot less up themselves than people in the rest of the city. |
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| Behemoth |
About 100ft? |
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| Barefoot Andrew |
Nice pub(s) and nice beer in Chesterton IIRC. A. |
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| cab |
Green Dragon? |
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| Barefoot Andrew |
That's the one Had food and ale in there a number of times.
A. |
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| gnasher |
about 2 and a half hours 
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| gil |
Going south from London, what about near Lewes (East Sussex) - on the line from Brighton to London ? Harvey's Brewery; places nearby to 'pick your own' fruit in summer; not that far from the coast (e.g. Birling Gap, Cuckmere Haven); must surely have Farmers Markets these days; town centre was quite pleasant when I lived down that way (97-9 . No idea about schools.
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| Rosemary Judy |
Northampton is quite nice and has good rail links and reasonable property prices.... and is on the M1 and A14 so easy to drive anywhere
and the smaller towns of Towcester, Rugby, Daventry and Brackley are even nicer, and they all have a farmers market. it is nice country round about, and while it leaves a bit to be desired in the sustainable food line of things, it is slowly getting better. Loads of allotments to rent on most of the sites in the town - at least the ones you can see as you drive round the ring road...
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| Bebo |
Can confirm that Lewes is nice. It was an area we looked at when we decided to move out of London. Not sure about rental, but for buying it was a bit on the steep side for what we were looking for.
Uckfield is also nice and only a little over an hour on the train from London (think it's Victoria or London Bridge but can't remember). We finally went a bit further east and a smaller town - Battle in East Sussex (or rather a little village about 3 miles away from it). Got better value for money than further to the west. Lovely surrounding countryside, nice local shops, close to the coast, Hastings relatively close for a slightly wider range of shops (although it's still a bit grotty) and less than 1hr 30mins from central London by train (Charing Cross, Waterloo East, Cannon St or London Bridge depending on which train you get). Alternatively, if you aren't looking at a daily commute to London, Rye is a little further east. It's a lovely town and prices are good. Only possible issue is that it is very touristy in the summer. Has a train station, but its a bit of a slow plod into London via Ashford. |
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| Earth Mutha with attitude |
What about Harefield in Middlesex? lovely little village about 6 miles from uxbridge or Ruislip tube or 1 mile from Denham trainline. lovely community, very friendly to "outsiders", small primary school that is excellent, secondary school being remodelled and looks like it will be very very good, New headteacher 2 years ago who has really shaken it up! no farmers market in village when we left 2 years ago, but uxbridge has one. Rental not too bad and usually lots available. If we had to live in the south again, we'd move back like a shot! | ||||||||
| Helen_A |
We've just abandoned Royston... 35 mins to london, but houses are scary scary priced or have those 5 by 7 bed 3's.... and the market is iffy (and the farmers market is not that farmers) and then there is Tescos... (and Somerfield who are OK in the main but!) no green grocers, no butchers etc. although there are some decent farm places around if you want to have to drive for 20 mins. Basically its a communter town and I never met anyone who didn't assume that we were HE'ing because of the schools (the choices are minimal and a *lot* of people fight tooth and nail to get their secondary age children over the border into cambridgeshire, or schol places, or over to Kings thingy at Baldock.
Actually - if you want a market town then I'd suggest Baldock or Letchworth before Royston, lol. Prices are more sensible and they both have, um, real shops... Used to be just outside Hastings (Westfield to be precise) and would say that if you can afford it the area around there is pretty good for commuting, we left because we needed a shorter commute and more space for our money) Helen_A (who has fled to Milton Keynes, where it is actually more rural than royston was and is only number 28 on the allotment waiting list for one of 200 plots, as oposed to number 75 on the list for one of 45....) |
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| Jb |
Uckfield's OK as a commuter town but isn't really a "market town", has some excellent schools but is again expensive and most of the housing is on blandly anonymous housing estates (what's your budget?). For commuting it's about 75 minutes to London Bridge but the car park at the station has about 6 parking spaces (for a town of about 15000 population!). If you're considering things other than market towns then heading north along the same rail line there are a few village options and a couple of larger towns (Crowborough - good schools, 60 minutes to london, plenty of parking at the rail station, not much of a town centre, next to Ashdown forest), (Edenbridge - nothing much to recommend it but nearer to London) |
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| Barefoot Andrew |
...on a bright clear day with no molecules on the line
From Harlow - on the same train to which you refer - would take 25 mins and Royston is more than ten mins of West Anglia Great Northern tedium away! 
A. |
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| Helen_A |
Nooooo Royston train goes no where near Harlow - you're thinking of from Cambridge via Duxford surely?
Royston one goes into Kings Cross via letchworth, stevenage, finsbury park ... Helen_A |
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| bagpuss |
indeed, the line which goes to liverpool st goes through harlow and bishops stortford, a far nicer town than harlow |
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| Maxwell Smart |
Thanks everyone - keep it coming!
I've ruled Royston out yesterday after driving through it... Have since decided we want to be in a small village/hamlet but close to a big town. It would have to have a post office, school and farm shop. A friend warned me away from Market towns saying that they tend to get quite loutish on the weekends and night... Fen Diton had one or two interesting buildings in it but not much else from what I could see. There were some interesting looking possibilities for an office but they looked all occupied. I think what I have come down to and now its a matter of lifestyle really is Dorset or Cambridgeshire. I think we will drive down to Dorset this weekend and then maybe look around Cambridgeshire up to Ely next weekend. Problem is finding a small place with character that I like in Cambridge area and Peak District is a little too far. |
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| pricey |
my god what way does your train go? |
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| Helen_A |
We seriously looked around Ely for a while - but it is a) very flat and b) a bit prone to flooding if you get somewhere that has a local farmer lax at paying his pumping charges....
Ely to kings cross is abut 65 mins atm, but again any flood issues and you get cut off.... sigh. However houses around there are lots cheaper (when we looked last year we found one place with 5 beds, 3 receptions 3 acres and a go cart track for 180K, but it was in the middle of a fen, lol. We have friends in and near Soham who love that little town to bits, lol, and there is a *lot* of cheap ag. land around to rent as well, and no shortage of allotments if you want one. Out the other side of Ely you find a couple of nice villages with OK prices and the elusive post-6pm buses as well! Stetton is worth a look, certainly. Helen_A |
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| Vic |
I really wouldn't automatically rule out market towns, especially if you want a few facilities (finding a small village with everything you mention might be tricky, or hideously expensive). I'd highly recommend staying overnight anywhere you might fancy, especially on a saturday night - that way you can see if the atmosphere is 'loutish' and intimidating, or just lively. And which would you rather have, lively or completely dead after 5pm? Pricey - trains from Dorchester go via Poole and Southampton (I think) so yup, they're going to take that long. Can't think of anywhere in Dorset which would be much faster - Sherborne is 2 hours 20 mins to London as well. |
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| Barefoot Andrew |
Oh, oops.. sorry
A. |
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| pricey |
[quote="Vic"]
So they do Sorry, I was thinking straight from B'mth to London, is 1hr 15.
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| marigold |
Lewes is horribly up itself (in my opinion), and incredibly expensive. You have to be very much a certain kind of person to enjoy living there (wealthy, to start with). Nice to visit though.
Cambridgeshire is lovely (home to me, originally), but Dorset (where my parents come from) is better in my opinion - it's by the sea! Friends moved to Downton in Wiltshire a few years ago (a large village, close to Salisbury) and love it. Some of their other friends from Brighton have followed them there. |
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| natty |
I don't recommend soham at all, I grew up there and its not as quaint as it looks, it has a really very good school but also kids hanging about drinking and causing trouble in the town, pubs can be a bit anti 'outsiders' too - and I certainly would'nt bringing up kids there, but some of the outer villages are very nice (wicken, wilburtun, haddenham, earith they all have lots of little community events, beer festivals art events. . Friends recommend heading out towards Huntingdon-cambridge side more. -lovely villages that way - they live in St Ives and and commute to london by train (possibly from huntingdon though)
to be honest though i have lived cambridge side, hastings side and brighton side of london and from the garpe vine the place to go is dorset- so many people have moved there and love it- they seem to find more community and an easier pace of life. in the camb villages and places like lewes people can just be a little too snobby- if you garden isn't nice then you are blight on the community!- or maybe thats just because I am!
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| Bebo |
Helen_A, what a small world it is. We are just down the road from Westfield, on the edge of Sedlescombe. |
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| Helen_A |
Its odd really - I've come accross so many more people in that area since we left it, lol...
OK - so are you someone I have already come accross in the past or a new resident? I reckon that that location makes you either Moat Lane way (or nearish vicaridge road) or off School Lane way... Or are you over near the Pestailotzi?
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| Rosemary Judy |
I am a bit shocked at the 'Loutish' description of market towns.....
I'd avoid any town or city centre at a weekend in the evening, but, I am sure you don't want to live in the town centre so you should be fine in the town itself.... villages are in general more expensive than their local town I also wonder if you need to rent somewhere to see if you like it before you buy, as you seem to have quite specific requirements.... |
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| Maxwell Smart |
I would of thought towns being bigger would be more expensive than villages? Yup we are going to rent for a bit first. Heading down to Dorset this weekend to check it out. Might try and do some camping while we're at it. |
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| Bebo |
Only moved in January. Other end of the village on Church Hill almost opposite the village hall. | ||||||||
| Vic |
Sadly, round here villages are much more expensive because of the second home and holiday cottage market  - it seems that every single london banker (I did say banker, didn't I?) has to have a nice country residence for the weekends. If you're OK with an ex-council house (and sorry if that sounds snobby, its not meant to be) you might find somewhere in a village but otherwise prices are ridiculous...
Pick up a copy of the Western Gazzette or Blackmore Vale (local free magazine) as they have lots of house ads: it'll also give you some idea of the kind of things that are going on and the social life/arts/culture you can expect. have fun! |
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| Jb |
Nothing wrong with ex council houses, particularly if you can get an older one. Older council houses (particularly from the interwar years) are generally much more solidly built and will come with a decent garden. |
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| Maxwell Smart |
Vic - I hear you about the banker thing - hence why I hope a little further out....
Noticed you're in Sherborne - What can you can you tell me about it? That is up on our list. Thanks |
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| Vic |
I've sent you a pm. | ||||||||
| wellington womble |
Thame, Princes Risborough and Wendover are all lovely, but maybe a bit close to London (prices certainly reckon so) I think it's about an hour, on the mainline. | ||||||||
| Nick |
Has anyone suggested Swindon yet? Close to London, with great road and rail links, and it has many super markets.
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| Nick |
Collective noun for a group of bankers? A wunch. |
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| bernie-woman |
The two market towns near us (Bridgnorth and Newport) both have a poor reputation for loutish/drunken behaviour at the weekends - which is a shame as other than that they are lovely towns
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| Barefoot Andrew |
And many roundabouts - apparently, (is that true?). Any to match that mega roundabout in Hemel Hempstead? A. |
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| Nick |
http://www.swindonweb.com/life/lifemagi1.jpg | ||||||||
| wellington womble |
The magic roundabout works really well, as long as you know where you're going. And don't change lanes - pick one and stick to it! 'Course, no-one else ever does, resulting in much cursing! |
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| Rosemary Judy |
we had to buy in a town, as all the villages near us with a big enough house and a decent garden were £10 - 15,000 more and that was 10 years ago.
the price differential now is more like 40-50K I like living on the edge of a town - we are on a bus route. the schools are walking distance, the local kids all have mates on hand so no endless ferrying to see your mates, like my parents did when I was a teenager we only ran one car for 8 years as we only needed one - Mr RJ recently aquired his dream car after years of, er, dreaming
I can walk to my allotment..... and I feel quite happy in my town centre on a Saturday night on the odd occasion we go there - yes there are hordes of tiddly teenagers, but I remember those days with a fond smile....... |
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| Armchair |
Can I fly the flag for Winchester? Easily the prettiest city in the UK ( ), farmers market every two weeks, great pubs and schools and only 55 minutes to Waterloo. You pay for this in property prices however.
Salisbury is another nice alternative - cheaper property and about 90 minutes into London I think. |
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| BelindaC |
Nobody has yet mentioned Hitchin (north Herts), well worth a look. Pretty market town, (market days are Tuesday/Friday/Saturday), lots of independent shops still including some good food shops (traditional butcher, greengrocer where you can get local produce, really good deli, family owned department store, proper hardware store etc). There are the usual supermarkets but smaller shops still offer competition and the high street seems to be thriving due at least in part to a very able Town Centre Manager. Farmers market too, blended in with main market about once a week, and various farm shops within say 15 - 20 mins drive (we get a sack of potatoes from one occasionally). Lots of family businesses. Local schools are really good at both primary and secondary level. Good community, lots going on. Thriving allotments on several sites (though there's a waiting list at the moment) and a well established Community Garden project which welcomes all comers. On main railway line to Kings Cross - 35 minutes on a fast train, 40 on a slow one. 35 mins from Cambridge by train in the other direction. Houses are fairly pricey at the moment but still worth a look; the next nearest town is Letchworth about 3 miles up the road, where housing is a bit more affordable and Letchworth is another good community with lots to offer (very well established independent bookshop, an indedendent adult education centre, monthly farmers market......). Hitchin serves a big rural hinterland of pretty villages too. | ||||||||
| Maxwell Smart |
So what do people make of the Cotswolds? We're heading there this weekend to look at some property to rent. Seems much cheaper than Dorset and more convenient. Of course no ocean... | ||||||||
| Barefoot Andrew |
There was a few weeks ago. A. |
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| Maxwell Smart |
Well just got off the phone with an agent - there is a decided lack of properties available for let. The reason? All those who were under the "ocean" are letting them while their own places are repaired. The agent mentioned 7-8ft in places. |
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| Nick |
Yep, twas damp. I'm still sitting in a house with no carpets and a pleasant smell of dampness.... | ||||||||
| marigold |
Horsham in Sussex is another lovely market town. Not cheap though, but conveniently betwixt coast and London. Several markets throughout the week, farmer's market every Saturday IIRC, good butcher in the Carfax. No idea about schools, but it's a fairly expensive area so I'd assume they are pretty good. Convenient for Gatwick. | ||||||||
| mochyn |
'Spam, spam, spam, spam, wonderful spaaaaam....'
When that post gets deleted people will be convinced I'm mad. |
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| Rob R |
'Spam, spam, spam, spam, wonderful spaaaaam....'
When that post gets deleted people will be convinced I'm mad. |
I already am
When that post gets deleted people will be convinced I'm mad.