OT - Best bits of SE london?

londonlivvy

If you're happy with a wreck to do up, always worth trying at auction - there were some dilapidated bargains going when I last looked.

I lived in Crystal Palace for about 10 years and really liked it. I would not recommend West Norwood though - quite a different feel.

Koncordski

Have lived in hampton wick, teddington (loved that) st margaret's, and twickenham. Didn't want to move from teddington but the service charge on the flat had gone north of £3K and it was getting stupid. A hampton wick terrace is possible but they're tiny and mostly have yards not gardens. 35-40mins on the slow train to waterloo for the OH is not really great either.

Koncordski

kieranb wrote:

I haven't seen Forest Hill/Honor Oak Park mentioned, both stations on the overground and trains to London Bridge. A short hop to Herne Hill Velodrome and Crsytal Palace (for the crits or 50m pool). Lots of new coffee places opened up recently so a good indicator. It's council pool has just reopened. A short walk to Dulwich Park without the Dulwich prices. P4 to Brixton for the Ritzy Cinema and clubs. Overground to Decathlon for cheap good bike bits, Vaidas Cycles in HOP and Finches (ski/snowboard/MTB - bit of road) in Forest HIll. Half an hour to the countryside by bike.

Got to be honest i was in forest hill recently and it had a very rundown feel. Honor Oak is better, i'm happy to move further out and get a brompton 8) but the missus wants to stay/get closer to town. It's a delicate negotiation shall we say. :roll:

Coriander

Brockley has some lovely pubs and restaurants - I'd particularly like the Orchard (fab food), the Gantry and Jam Circus. The main road isn't lovely, but it is improving all the time. There is Hilly Fields nearby - a massive open space with a lovely, slightly Bohemian cafe.

The trains from Brockley go via the newly extended Overground with a service every 10 minutes or more, which has a very easy interchange with the Jubilee line at Canada Water. The other branch of trains terminate at London Bridge.

If you lived on or just off Tressilian Road, Brakespears Road or Tyrwhitt Road then you could use St John's station as well and those trains go to Cannon St but with an easy platform change at London Bridge for trains to Charing Cross and Waterloo East.

Lewisham has direct trains to London Bridge, Waterloo East, Charing Cross, Cannon Street and Victoria - it's possible to virtually never have to take a tube becasue you're rarely far from one of those stations. Lewisham also has the DLR.

Oh, and all those trains are in Zone 2. I buy a dedicated train season ticket between Lewisham and the London Terminals which is half what a Zone 1-2 travelcard is and pay with Oyster Pay as You Go on tubes and buses when I use them.

anonymousblackfg

Kieran_Burns wrote:

2 bed terrace for THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS?????

that gets you this:



round here

Try £650k for a 2.5 bed in Southfields, house buying aspirations have dissapeared out the window and will hold fire before pulling the rip cord and moving to Bristol/Edinburgh.

cyclingprop

Yep. Basically along the reopened ELL - looking to buy in the area myself.

okgo

Can get quite close to Surbiton for £350k can't you? Mate of mine bought a 3 bed semi on the border of Surbiton and Tolworth, 5 mins on the k1 and he's at Surbiton Station. The road is actually quite nice too, and it doesn't feel like its packed with scum, which is certainly the feeling you get if you ever walk down the broadway.

I will be buying in Surbiton in the not to distant, its fine if you want a flat, but if you want a prime road house its big bucks (more expensive than it should be IMO).

Headhuunter

okgo wrote:

Can get quite close to Surbiton for £350k can't you? Mate of mine bought a 3 bed semi on the border of Surbiton and Tolworth, 5 mins on the k1 and he's at Surbiton Station. The road is actually quite nice too, and it doesn't feel like its packed with scum, which is certainly the feeling you get if you ever walk down the broadway.

I will be buying in Surbiton in the not to distant, its fine if you want a flat, but if you want a prime road house its big bucks (more expensive than it should be IMO).

Friend of mine bought a house in surbiton about a year or so ago but he's already sick of being there. basically if you haven't got kids etc it's isolated. He says he feels stuck in the middle odd suburbia and doesn't know anyone for 10 miles. He's moving typo SE London, somewhere around herne hill....

clarkey cat

Forest Hill is a good option. Good travel links. Not too dear and a short bus ride from all the bars and restaurants of Lordship Lane. I think East Dulwich is a bit expensive.
Also, only 30 minutes to West Wickham and some nice cycling in the North Downs.

kieranb

Koncordski wrote:

kieranb wrote:

I haven't seen Forest Hill/Honor Oak Park mentioned, both stations on the overground and trains to London Bridge. A short hop to Herne Hill Velodrome and Crsytal Palace (for the crits or 50m pool). Lots of new coffee places opened up recently so a good indicator. It's council pool has just reopened. A short walk to Dulwich Park without the Dulwich prices. P4 to Brixton for the Ritzy Cinema and clubs. Overground to Decathlon for cheap good bike bits, Vaidas Cycles in HOP and Finches (ski/snowboard/MTB - bit of road) in Forest HIll. Half an hour to the countryside by bike.

Got to be honest i was in forest hill recently and it had a very rundown feel. Honor Oak is better, i'm happy to move further out and get a brompton 8) but the missus wants to stay/get closer to town. It's a delicate negotiation shall we say. :roll:

I would say the worst bit of Forest Hill is the High Street, thanks to the south circular going through it, but it is a nice area -a few artists studios and galleries off the main street. Apparently the closed downshop by WH Smiths on the main street will be a crepiere! Cafes in the centre - The Teapot, Canvas and cream (also artists gallery), St Davids, From the Forest, a new deli just opened etc. Also got funds from the Mary Portas fund to improve the area.

okgo

Headhuunter wrote:

okgo wrote:

Can get quite close to Surbiton for £350k can't you? Mate of mine bought a 3 bed semi on the border of Surbiton and Tolworth, 5 mins on the k1 and he's at Surbiton Station. The road is actually quite nice too, and it doesn't feel like its packed with scum, which is certainly the feeling you get if you ever walk down the broadway.

I will be buying in Surbiton in the not to distant, its fine if you want a flat, but if you want a prime road house its big bucks (more expensive than it should be IMO).

Friend of mine bought a house in surbiton about a year or so ago but he's already sick of being there. basically if you haven't got kids etc it's isolated. He says he feels stuck in the middle odd suburbia and doesn't know anyone for 10 miles. He's moving typo SE London, somewhere around herne hill....

Depends what you're into I suppose, I wouldn't call 8 mins to Clapham, 15-20 to Waterloo isolated, much fuss is made of the zone systems, but aside from a cheap cab home after a night out, I really don't see the difference between zones 3-6 on the whole. Rows of houses with a few local amenities (and actually Surbiton has a lot, and is next to Kingston for shopping etc - which although full of mouth breathers, is a good shopping place). Granted you can live in parts of Zone 2 and it feel like you're actually among it all, but a lot of it is just the stigma attached to thinking you live in Central London, and lets face it, Herne Hill is hardly a buzzing metropolis (if you want that kind of thing).

I've considered moving into central a few times, and would only consider zone 1, ideally within a walk of work, and I just can't find enough reasons to do it over living somewhere like I do that offers all of London in a few minutes, the best parks in London within a few minutes, and I can be out in the middle of relative nowhere in 30 mins ride. Also close to the main roads, and both airports etc, River, blah blah blah.

Headhuunter

okgo wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

okgo wrote:

Can get quite close to Surbiton for £350k can't you? Mate of mine bought a 3 bed semi on the border of Surbiton and Tolworth, 5 mins on the k1 and he's at Surbiton Station. The road is actually quite nice too, and it doesn't feel like its packed with scum, which is certainly the feeling you get if you ever walk down the broadway.

I will be buying in Surbiton in the not to distant, its fine if you want a flat, but if you want a prime road house its big bucks (more expensive than it should be IMO).

Friend of mine bought a house in surbiton about a year or so ago but he's already sick of being there. basically if you haven't got kids etc it's isolated. He says he feels stuck in the middle odd suburbia and doesn't know anyone for 10 miles. He's moving typo SE London, somewhere around herne hill....

Depends what you're into I suppose, I wouldn't call 8 mins to Clapham, 15-20 to Waterloo isolated, much fuss is made of the zone systems, but aside from a cheap cab home after a night out, I really don't see the difference between zones 3-6 on the whole. Rows of houses with a few local amenities (and actually Surbiton has a lot, and is next to Kingston for shopping etc - which although full of mouth breathers, is a good shopping place). Granted you can live in parts of Zone 2 and it feel like you're actually among it all, but a lot of it is just the stigma attached to thinking you live in Central London, and lets face it, Herne Hill is hardly a buzzing metropolis (if you want that kind of thing).

I've considered moving into central a few times, and would only consider zone 1, ideally within a walk of work, and I just can't find enough reasons to do it over living somewhere like I do that offers all of London in a few minutes, the best parks in London within a few minutes, and I can be out in the middle of relative nowhere in 30 mins ride. Also close to the main roads, and both airports etc, River, blah blah blah.

What puts me off is that a zone 6 travelcard is quite a bit more expensive than a zone 2 one and you may as well put that money into your mortgage rather than into South West Trains' bottom line... Also I can happily cycle home after a few jars after work to Brockley, not sure I'd want to cycle all the way out to Surbiton at 11pm+ or so at night. If you're out late as you point out, Brockley is a relatively cheap cab ride or short-ish night bus ride away. Brockley is about 6 miles from my workplace and sometimes I jog into the office, couldn't do that from Surbiton. As for parks, Greenwich Park (World Heritage site) is about a mile down the road and Hilly Fields offers some of the best views of London. I'm not so concerned whether Brockley or anywhere in SE London is "buzzing", I just want something which is accessible to work and Central London as possible as TBH, that's where I end up most of the time.... If I had kids etc I would move further out, out of necessity....

okgo

Fair call, not knocking your reasons at all, they're very valid, the travel thing is true, although the parts of London I would live in would probably swallow the saving on travel as I moved further in.

Applespider

I live between near the Horniman at Forest Hill and it's reasonably priced and relatively easy to get to places. The Overground has made a huge difference transport-wise for the times that you're not cycling although mainly if you're going to the City or East London. Having said that, when I go out further centrally with friends who live on Tube lines at Hammersmith/Wimbledon, we all seem to get home within 10 minutes of each other.

If you really want to shop/eat/drink locally, then your options are limited but it's not hard to cycle/hop on a bus to East Dulwich, over to Herne Hill/Brixton or somewhere along the Overground for more choices.

What I really like about the place is that it's not just concrete as far as the eye can see (I used to live in East London near Bow). There are lots of parks, woods and the Hill part of Forest Hill does mean that you can get a great view across London if you're in a top-floor property.

And just think of all the hill-training on your doorstep - lots of lovely runs up College Road or Sydenham Hill - and it's near the Herne Hill velodrome too.

Koncordski

Applespider wrote:

I live between near the Horniman at Forest Hill and it's reasonably priced and relatively easy to get to places. The Overground has made a huge difference transport-wise for the times that you're not cycling although mainly if you're going to the City or East London. Having said that, when I go out further centrally with friends who live on Tube lines at Hammersmith/Wimbledon, we all seem to get home within 10 minutes of each other.

If you really want to shop/eat/drink locally, then your options are limited but it's not hard to cycle/hop on a bus to East Dulwich, over to Herne Hill/Brixton or somewhere along the Overground for more choices.

What I really like about the place is that it's not just concrete as far as the eye can see (I used to live in East London near Bow). There are lots of parks, woods and the Hill part of Forest Hill does mean that you can get a great view across London if you're in a top-floor property.

And just think of all the hill-training on your doorstep - lots of lovely runs up College Road or Sydenham Hill - and it's near the Herne Hill velodrome too.

It's all about finding the good roads in the area you're looking at. To be honest the obsession with zone2 among friends of mine is a bit weird. It takes a mate of mine in wandsworth longer than me to get into the city, Surbiton is 16mins into waterloo and i'm 2 mins from the station. I'm just fed up with living in flats after all these years, this one is better than i've had though, it's share of freehold (pays me a dividend every year from the mobile phone companies that we rent the roof space to) and has a garage. It's just a house has so many more advantages, having spent 6 months doing this place up i'm also getting bored and looking for a new project. Anybody else get itchy to move as soon as you've settled?

okgo

Would you buy a house in Surbiton if you could afford it?

dhope

Koncordski wrote:

Applespider wrote:

I live between near the Horniman at Forest Hill and it's reasonably priced and relatively easy to get to places. The Overground has made a huge difference transport-wise for the times that you're not cycling although mainly if you're going to the City or East London. Having said that, when I go out further centrally with friends who live on Tube lines at Hammersmith/Wimbledon, we all seem to get home within 10 minutes of each other.

If you really want to shop/eat/drink locally, then your options are limited but it's not hard to cycle/hop on a bus to East Dulwich, over to Herne Hill/Brixton or somewhere along the Overground for more choices.

What I really like about the place is that it's not just concrete as far as the eye can see (I used to live in East London near Bow). There are lots of parks, woods and the Hill part of Forest Hill does mean that you can get a great view across London if you're in a top-floor property.

And just think of all the hill-training on your doorstep - lots of lovely runs up College Road or Sydenham Hill - and it's near the Herne Hill velodrome too.

It's all about finding the good roads in the area you're looking at. To be honest the obsession with zone2 among friends of mine is a bit weird. It takes a mate of mine in wandsworth longer than me to get into the city, Surbiton is 16mins into waterloo and i'm 2 mins from the station. I'm just fed up with living in flats after all these years, this one is better than i've had though, it's share of freehold (pays me a dividend every year from the mobile phone companies that we rent the roof space to) and has a garage. It's just a house has so many more advantages, having spent 6 months doing this place up i'm also getting bored and looking for a new project. Anybody else get itchy to move as soon as you've settled?

Want a project?
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for ... 79603.html

Clever Pun

Headhuunter wrote:

What puts me off is that a zone 6 travelcard is quite a bit more expensive than a zone 2 one and you may as well put that money into your mortgage rather than into South West Trains' bottom line... Also I can happily cycle home after a few jars after work to Brockley, not sure I'd want to cycle all the way out to Surbiton at 11pm+ or so at night. If you're out late as you point out, Brockley is a relatively cheap cab ride or short-ish night bus ride away. Brockley is about 6 miles from my workplace and sometimes I jog into the office, couldn't do that from Surbiton. As for parks, Greenwich Park (World Heritage site) is about a mile down the road and Hilly Fields offers some of the best views of London. I'm not so concerned whether Brockley or anywhere in SE London is "buzzing", I just want something which is accessible to work and Central London as possible as TBH, that's where I end up most of the time.... If I had kids etc I would move further out, out of necessity....

you sir lack gumption... and seriously in need of some MTFU

Clever Pun

I'm out near East Croydon, it's a 40-50 minute cycle(although I cycle the long way) and really good transport links. Addiscombe has it's own local high street with butchers and fishmongers etc, got a nice local feel significantly separated from Croydon.

Trains run all the way through the night from victoria which is pretty handy in avoiding the late night taxi fares

Downside is you live in croydon

clarkey cat

Clever Pun wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

not sure I'd want to cycle all the way out to Surbiton at 11pm+ or so at night. .

you sir lack gumption... and seriously in need of some MTFU

just put your bike on the train. you can do this after 7pm.

Headhuunter

Koncordski wrote:

Applespider wrote:

I live between near the Horniman at Forest Hill and it's reasonably priced and relatively easy to get to places. The Overground has made a huge difference transport-wise for the times that you're not cycling although mainly if you're going to the City or East London. Having said that, when I go out further centrally with friends who live on Tube lines at Hammersmith/Wimbledon, we all seem to get home within 10 minutes of each other.

If you really want to shop/eat/drink locally, then your options are limited but it's not hard to cycle/hop on a bus to East Dulwich, over to Herne Hill/Brixton or somewhere along the Overground for more choices.

What I really like about the place is that it's not just concrete as far as the eye can see (I used to live in East London near Bow). There are lots of parks, woods and the Hill part of Forest Hill does mean that you can get a great view across London if you're in a top-floor property.

And just think of all the hill-training on your doorstep - lots of lovely runs up College Road or Sydenham Hill - and it's near the Herne Hill velodrome too.

It's all about finding the good roads in the area you're looking at. To be honest the obsession with zone2 among friends of mine is a bit weird. It takes a mate of mine in wandsworth longer than me to get into the city, Surbiton is 16mins into waterloo and i'm 2 mins from the station. I'm just fed up with living in flats after all these years, this one is better than i've had though, it's share of freehold (pays me a dividend every year from the mobile phone companies that we rent the roof space to) and has a garage. It's just a house has so many more advantages, having spent 6 months doing this place up i'm also getting bored and looking for a new project. Anybody else get itchy to move as soon as you've settled?

For me it's more about the cost of transport than the time it takes. I cycle just about everywhere but my other half trains it and needs a travel card. The cost from zone 6 is significantly higher than zone 2....

Headhuunter

clarkey cat wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

not sure I'd want to cycle all the way out to Surbiton at 11pm+ or so at night. .

you sir lack gumption... and seriously in need of some MTFU

just put your bike on the train. you can do this after 7pm.

Yeah maybe I need to mtfu! I sometimes take my bike on the train to brockley but sometimes the last trains are quite busy and getting a bike on can be difficult

Pufftmw

Manor Park, Hither Green both have potentially what you're looking for. Easy access to London Bridge/Charing Cross & Lewisham for DLR.

kieranb

Headhuunter wrote:

clarkey cat wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

not sure I'd want to cycle all the way out to Surbiton at 11pm+ or so at night. .

you sir lack gumption... and seriously in need of some MTFU

just put your bike on the train. you can do this after 7pm.

Yeah maybe I need to mtfu! I sometimes take my bike on the train to brockley but sometimes the last trains are quite busy and getting a bike on can be difficult

Not only difficult but also a bit off putting sometimes - I used to take a normal bike on trains and would often get comments directed at me for doing so - so you need a thick skin. Bring back guards vans!

Headhuunter

kieranb wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

clarkey cat wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

not sure I'd want to cycle all the way out to Surbiton at 11pm+ or so at night. .

you sir lack gumption... and seriously in need of some MTFU

just put your bike on the train. you can do this after 7pm.

Yeah maybe I need to mtfu! I sometimes take my bike on the train to brockley but sometimes the last trains are quite busy and getting a bike on can be difficult

Not only difficult but also a bit off putting sometimes - I used to take a normal bike on trains and would often get comments directed at me for doing so - so you need a thick skin. Bring back guards vans!

One time I got on a late/last train at Charing X, at Waterloo East and again a London Bridge the train filled right up and I and bike were pressed up against the doors with people giving me evils... When we reached New Cross I wanted to get off but my bike was jammed right across the doors and without swinging it back into the carriage it was literally jammed and no one could get out, including me. People were pushing harder and harder from behind and shouting at me to get off, I was trying to axplain that I needed them to back off so I could swing the bike back a bit. Then the beeps started to say that the doors were closing... Finally managed to get the bike out, holding the doors open. That was quite stressful and nowadays I try not to get the last train with the bike if I can avoid it...

ketsbaia

I'd second Honor Oak/Brockley. Moved here a couple of years ago and quite frankly could happily stay here for the foreseeable. Nice vibe, fairly quiet but local socialising an option, 10-15 minutes to London Bridge on Southern Rail, the Hipster Express takes you to Croydon or Highbury & Islington/Dalston, 20 minute cycle to the City, 25 minute cycle to north Kent, parks galore, a growing selection of good boozers, some nice eateries, decent enough bike shop and still reasonable property prices. Plus a few good hills to practice on if you're training for something mountainous.

lms

+1 for Crystal Palace

Moved here 5 years ago from East Dulwich, as needed to upsize and it was significantly more affordable. Also looked in Herne Hil, Forest Hill, Brockley etc but none of those has quite matched up for me. The triangle offers a diverse range of bars, restaurants, cafes and shops, the transport links are good - direct trains to London Bridge and Victoria, plus the Overground to Canada Water (for Canary Wharf) or Shoreditch. Or you can cycle in to town in around 40 mins. Fantastic park, great hills for cycling ... what's not to like?