Opinions of Rickmansworth, Chertsey...

So we are about 10 days out from flying over. We have up to six weeks in a services apartment to find housing. My husband will be working very near Hayes & Harlington. We had originally considered Ealing for housing, but a coworker mentioned they had just moved to Rickmansworth. I rode the train out while visiting in Nov and liked it. I didn't get to see a whole lot since I was on foot.

What do you guys think of that area? I read an old thread where someone likened it's centre to a prison?? I thought it seemed like a nice area, still on the train & tube lines for travel into London. We would need a car, but we are okay with that.

I also was curious about Chertsey. Same distance from work, just south. Any other suggestions for areas to look? We went to Maidenhead and it was nice, but it seemed like the cost to commute in would make it less attractive. 165 GBP for a season pass. For the same amount of money (ish) we could have a car in to travel around the UK with...

My wife and I used to live in Sarratt, which is not far from Rickmansworth.  We thought it was a nice town with a nice high street (meaning there was a variety of shops along the street).  The surrounding area was pretty, with a lot of hilly walks in the countryside, and there's a big recreation area in town with a small lake.

Getting into London would be a piece of cake on the Metropolitan line.  It was about £10 from Chorleywood to Farringdon, but there are monthly and yearly passes available (we both work freelance, so we didn't go in every day).  There are fast Met line trains that skip most of the stops between Finchley Road and Moor Park, which makes the journey home a little quicker.

In short, I'd say it's worth a look.  Hope that helps.

So we are about 10 days out from flying over. We have up to six weeks in a services apartment to find housing. My husband will be working very near Hayes & Harlington. We had originally considered Ealing for housing, but a coworker mentioned they had just moved to Rickmansworth. I rode the train out while visiting in Nov and liked it. I didn't get to see a whole lot since I was on foot.

What do you guys think of that area? I read an old thread where someone likened it's centre to a prison?? I thought it seemed like a nice area, still on the train & tube lines for travel into London. We would need a car, but we are okay with that.

I also was curious about Chertsey. Same distance from work, just south. Any other suggestions for areas to look? We went to Maidenhead and it was nice, but it seemed like the cost to commute in would make it less attractive. 165 GBP for a season pass. For the same amount of money (ish) we could have a car in to travel around the UK with...

I remember it as a super place. You should be so lucky!

I say it depends on what you are looking for.  I lived a similar distance out when I first moved to the UK and found the commute into London a real bear.  It meant that I often did not go into London to do things - which I really regret in hindsight.  If you aren't interested in frequently going into London, then maybe this won't be a big deal for you.

Thanks for the input guys! We have 3 boys, so we definitely want to be in London for all the museums and such, but we also want to see a lot of the UK in general as well as Europe... Thinking a car would come in handy for seeing England, Wales, Scotland... We haven't made it down to Chertsey yet. Is it nice? Thanks!!