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Topic: Best boroughs in West London  (Read 1601 times)

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Best boroughs in West London
« on: March 16, 2014, 03:21:34 PM »
Hi everyone!

My girlfriend and I will be relocating to London in June of this year due to a good job opportunity with my company. The downside here is that we want to have the London lifestyle, though my company is based in Bracknell. I do not mind a bit of a commute ~35-40 minutes each way, so we have narrowed our search to western London.

Does anyone have any opinions/thoughts on the trendy places/boroughs to live in West/Southwest London, preferably near the M3 and the tube? Ideally we are looking for 'city-type' living, fun places to go out at night, walk to restaurants, etc.

Thanks!!!

Phil


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Re: Best boroughs in West London
« Reply #1 on: March 16, 2014, 04:05:58 PM »
I live in Wokingham, which is the neighbouring town of Bracknell (I'm sure you've heard Bracknell is not a great place to live).

30-40 minute commute to Bracknell would put you in Reading, Maidenhead, maybe Windsor, or Ascot. 

Will you be able to use public transport to your office from Bracknell train station or will you be driving?  A realistic commute from West London near Paddington train station will take you 90 minutes door to door.  You will be going opposite to the flow which means you will get a seat on the train.  Have you budgeted the cost of rail travel?  You'll be paying a huge premium to live in London and a monthly train ticket will set you back £393 before tube travel.

Another option would be to commute from London Waterloo, which is a direct train, but it is a slow line.


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Re: Best boroughs in West London
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2014, 11:31:41 PM »
Another option would be to commute from London Waterloo, which is a direct train, but it is a slow line.

I believe the train from Waterloo also stops in Clapham Junction, and Richmond.  If deciding that paying the premium to live in/commute around London is worth it,  I'd suggest checking out Richmond.  I personally wouldn't describe it as "trendy", as that's more of an East London vibe. 

But Richmond has a very nice feel to it, sort of village-y with nice parks/green spaces, access to the river, a variety of restaurants and highstreet shops, with access to trains, london overground, district line.  It will be relatively expensive compared to some of the places mentioned already (Reading, Ascot)-- I think last time I viewed a 1 bed flat in that area it was hovering around the £1000/month price point.  But it is a lovely bit of London if that's what you're looking for.

Would make the commute longer than your suggested 35-40 minutes, as the train journey alone would be 45 minutes.

One thing I'm becoming more and more aware of is that a "standard" London commute is about an hour.  It's also definitely worth investigating what other options you would have in terms of public transport to/from Bracknell if you will be using public transport, as sometimes it's useful to have more than one way to get from A to B at the end of the day.
2007-Short Term Student;   2010-T4;   2011-T1 PSW;   2013-FLR(M);    2015-ILR;    2016 - Citizenship (approved!)


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Re: Best boroughs in West London
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2014, 10:42:38 PM »
Thanks for the information!

We actually started looking at Richmond the other day and it does seem like an awesome place to be!


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Re: Best boroughs in West London
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2014, 09:36:56 AM »
Richmond is really nice.  Doesn't have the "buzz" of central London, bit more family friendly but definitely a nice place to live.

I would plan on a commute of 75 minutes each way from Richmond, allowing a few minutes on each side for getting to and from the train station.

I still think you should look at Windsor.  You'd need to commute by car but it's a great city and will reduce your commute to within your previous time frame.


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Re: Best boroughs in West London
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2014, 11:25:16 PM »
A few friends have mentioned Windsor before.

Can you share what the positives and negatives are in windsor?

Thanks!


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Re: Best boroughs in West London
« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2014, 05:17:21 AM »
Windsor

Pros:
High class
Working royal castle
Massive park and other outdoor space
Loads of bars, restaurants, and shops
Overall great atmosphere
A younger, hipper crowd
Would be a 30 minute commute leaving you time to enjoy life - England shuts down early at night.
Maybe pro - you would need a car but that would allow you to see and do more on the weekends
More flat for your money than London
Close to Heathrow

Cons:
Directly under the flight path for Heathrow
Train to London
Maybe con - would need a car
Tourists (you'd have this in London too)


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