Advice from London based grapes pretty please

[jojo2910]

Hi,

After moving to the South West, there is a very good chance we will have to move to London in the new year for work. Not knowing the area I was hoping people could recommend somewhere to live or more importantly somewhere not to live.

We will be renting and our main criteria is to have a total commute to be within 40 mins, preferably 30.

Could people recommend places, so I can start having a look.

Much aprreciated

[zazen999]

Where's your family and friends Jojo - and how do you like to travel - train or car or coach...???

[Jeanied]

I'm half an hour from Paddington. I like my house - and I have my lottie up the road!
What are you looking for?

[Capsid]

Too many variables to answer specifically. Whereabouts in London will you be working? That pretty much dictates where you should live.

[jojo2910]

Thanks all.

Office is Southwark based and we'll travel by tube, train or bus, though we would prefer just the tube.

All my friends are based in Wales (where we have just moved from) and my family are in the midlands.

We want to rent a house ideally or flat, but I can use right move to find properties. Personally I would like to live near a park. We have a big garden now with lots of stuff in pots, but we anticipate having to give up a lot of this, though I could be wrong.

[Pumpy]

Southwark is south of the river where public transport isn't so good.

As a result property is a bit cheaper.
Southwark has a tube station on the Jubilee line, but this line is always breaking down.

I don't know how long you currently spend travelling to and from work, but an hours tube ride each way is considered the norm in London. From experience though, it is tiring and can get really annoiying, not to mention pricey.

Buses are cheap and better now there are bus lanes, but still slow.

That part of town is quite built up, so if you're looking for green space and garden etc, you may want to look a bit further out.
It really is a toss up between spending your money on rent vs travel and time.

[Two_Sheds]

Buses are cheap and better now there are bus lanes, but still slow.

Boris Bike?
Many people use a combination of bike/bus/tube to get into the smoke. On a bike, you know how long your journey will take, unlike any other mode of transport

[Capsid]

I suspect you will need to commute to Southwark. Most people would travel in by train to Waterloo or London Bridge from the suburbs, which will be expensive to live because everyone else commutes. It's going to be a big culture shock. The trains are packed and expensive, and you won't get a seat.

Upside is that London has a lot to offer. You are very close to the centre with lots to see and do including the Tate Modern, the eye, theatres.

[Parsleythelion]

Southwark is south of the river where public transport isn't so good.

As a result property is a bit cheaper.
Southwark has a tube station on the Jubilee line, but this line is always breaking down.

I get the Jubilee Line everyday and although it sometimes breaks down it is just an inconvenience of living in London and one you get used to. It is getting better!!

I get the Jubilee Line into London from North Greenwich (write next to the O2 Arena) every day and they are putting up lots of nice flats etc within walking distance. It may be worth having a look. The Tube takes just over 10 mins from NG to London Bridge and there are some lovely palce around there (but like everywhere in Britain there are some good bits and bad bits), house prices are usually an indiciation to the quality of the area.

If the Tube does break down there are always alternatives to getting home, we sometimes use the Clipper Boat Service on the Thames (which also goes to and from London Bridge and North Greenwich and other destinations).

I would recommend renting somewhere short term and have a good look round as London is a huge and very diverse place.

Good Luck!!

[jojo2910]

Thanks again. Slight error the office is near Liverpool Street on the east side. I was looking at Islington, Greenwich and other areas.

At the moment we commute about an hour each way to our current jobs but would like to reduce this, as it is tiring us out tremendously.

Any more help is much appreciated.

[Pumpy]

Liverpool Street is much easier to get to, depending on where your office actually is, you may also find Fenchurch Street to be useful. But again, its expensive. Many companies offer a season ticket loan.

Its probably the best advice to rent first till you find your way round.

[Jardiniere]

two of my children (age 40 and 30) work near Liverpool Street and commute from south east London - very cheap.....but lots of parks and green spaces.(Hilly Fields in Lewisham for instance with Lewisham station close - train to Cannon Street and Docklands Light Railway to Bank)
mainline train from most stations -DLR from Lewisham, Deptford Bridge, Greenwich .....
South London is much much much nicer than North unless you can afford Hampstead etc....

[Two_Sheds]

Mr TS goes to Liverpool St nearly every week for the footy or work. The train takes 5 hrs from Norfolk

He usually drives (car-share) to Walthamstow or Redbridge, then tubes in

[rana]

The Liverpool St area is around a half hour cycle ride from the leafy inner suburbs of north London (eg Hampstead, Highgate, Muswell Hill etc.) These are all nice places to live and around 40 minutes plus by tube - depending on how near you are to a tube station.

[vicky]

I've lived in most areas between Islington and Epping (the very end of the central line) - but quite a while ago! Islington has very bad and very good bits in it! It has a fantastic nightlife and is a fun place to live.
My fave (inner) area was around Victoria Park, I lived in Hackney, Dalston, Stepney and Bethnal Green (I moved a lot!) the park was nice, big and pretty diverse.
Walthamstow has a good park too and is a bit further out so quite a bit cheaper.
South Woodford is evn further out and is a lot more leafy. Plus within the boundry of Epping Forest which is great. An old royal forest, it still has deer wild in it and many good walks (google it!).