Moving south - have questions about Hants please
Discussion
Hi
Am about to make the big move south! My wife and I wish to move south to be closer to family as we have two very young children. Some of you might remember I posted a similar thread about 8 months ago relating to Portsmouth but the job I went for didn't come off.
My house is sold and I expect to complete in November. I am working my notice and finish Nov 2nd.
I have Southampton, Eastleigh, Winchester and Basingstoke on the radar and was hoping to get some insight into these areas comparative to oneanother.
So far, I have been looking on Rightmove.
Winchester appears to be expensive so I presume a popular town/good schools etc?
Basingstoke appears to be very reasonable given its proximity to London? Is it 'cheap for a reason' as they say? (no offence intended, I have never been there).
Southampton and Eastleigh I've not really looked at in great detail as yet. It would be north Southampton were we to look at the city.
So, first of all is there anyone on here who lives in these towns or knows them well and wouldn't mind giving me their opinions on the best and worst districts within each?
Many many thanks in advance!
Am about to make the big move south! My wife and I wish to move south to be closer to family as we have two very young children. Some of you might remember I posted a similar thread about 8 months ago relating to Portsmouth but the job I went for didn't come off.
My house is sold and I expect to complete in November. I am working my notice and finish Nov 2nd.
I have Southampton, Eastleigh, Winchester and Basingstoke on the radar and was hoping to get some insight into these areas comparative to oneanother.
So far, I have been looking on Rightmove.
Winchester appears to be expensive so I presume a popular town/good schools etc?
Basingstoke appears to be very reasonable given its proximity to London? Is it 'cheap for a reason' as they say? (no offence intended, I have never been there).
Southampton and Eastleigh I've not really looked at in great detail as yet. It would be north Southampton were we to look at the city.
So, first of all is there anyone on here who lives in these towns or knows them well and wouldn't mind giving me their opinions on the best and worst districts within each?
Many many thanks in advance!
Hi John, I havent had first hand experience of all the areas you listed but I'll try and give you a bit of an overview until someone more helpful turns up! :P.
-Winchester: I've worked there for a little over 5 years, its a really nice sought after area but as you say definitely on the expensive side! so really depends on your budget for a new place, I read a little while ago that its the 4th most expensive area to buy a house in the country based on £ per m2 of floor area! (Whether this is still true I don't know). The Secondary Schools are all pretty good off the top of my head Kings/ Henry Beaufort/ Westgate all score well in the league tables.
-Eastleigh: Generally good area as a whole, I've always thought of Chandlers Ford as a fairly safe bet but likewise there are other areas nearby like Chilworth that are nice along with pretty much any of the surrounding villages but really without knowing your pricepoint its a bit hard to gauge. If you go for Chandlers Ford I believe you'll be in the Thornden Secondary School catchment, Thornden is regarded as a good School and one of the best performing in the County.
-Basingstoke- I'll leave someone with a greater knowledge of the area to comment on this one.
-Southampton- There are good parts and bad parts but I'll leave someone with a greater knowledge of the area to comment on this one.
P.S. It might be worth you posting up links to places on rightmove that you are looking at and I'm sure someone will know the area/ road in question and will be able to give you a specific answer
-Winchester: I've worked there for a little over 5 years, its a really nice sought after area but as you say definitely on the expensive side! so really depends on your budget for a new place, I read a little while ago that its the 4th most expensive area to buy a house in the country based on £ per m2 of floor area! (Whether this is still true I don't know). The Secondary Schools are all pretty good off the top of my head Kings/ Henry Beaufort/ Westgate all score well in the league tables.
-Eastleigh: Generally good area as a whole, I've always thought of Chandlers Ford as a fairly safe bet but likewise there are other areas nearby like Chilworth that are nice along with pretty much any of the surrounding villages but really without knowing your pricepoint its a bit hard to gauge. If you go for Chandlers Ford I believe you'll be in the Thornden Secondary School catchment, Thornden is regarded as a good School and one of the best performing in the County.
-Basingstoke- I'll leave someone with a greater knowledge of the area to comment on this one.
-Southampton- There are good parts and bad parts but I'll leave someone with a greater knowledge of the area to comment on this one.
P.S. It might be worth you posting up links to places on rightmove that you are looking at and I'm sure someone will know the area/ road in question and will be able to give you a specific answer
That's a great starting point, many thanks.
We don't want to live in a small town or village as my wife doesn't drive hence I have stuck to the larger areas. I am a little familiar with Chandlers Ford as I stopped in to look at a car on the way to Portsdown Technology Park (great views over the Solent from there) for a meeting. The seller gave me a heads up and said it's a bit quiet but a nice safe area. With a toddler and a baby we aren't really in a position to be pubbing and clubbing all weekend so a lack of massive nightlife choices is of no concern at all!
We will be renting initially of course. Following are all in Basingstoke:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...
We don't want to live in a small town or village as my wife doesn't drive hence I have stuck to the larger areas. I am a little familiar with Chandlers Ford as I stopped in to look at a car on the way to Portsdown Technology Park (great views over the Solent from there) for a meeting. The seller gave me a heads up and said it's a bit quiet but a nice safe area. With a toddler and a baby we aren't really in a position to be pubbing and clubbing all weekend so a lack of massive nightlife choices is of no concern at all!
We will be renting initially of course. Following are all in Basingstoke:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...
Edited by texasjohn on Thursday 18th October 22:08
Edited by texasjohn on Thursday 18th October 22:09
Where, if anywhere is your new job? Lets just say the morning commute 'darn sarf' can be rather hectic and should most definately be a major consideration.
As said, there are good and bad in & around most towns. Hedge End & West End area is nice with both Wildern and Wyvern schools scoring well. I moved away from B'stoke about 12 years ago as we found better value/£ by moving that bit further away from London.
Where does the 'family' live?
As said, there are good and bad in & around most towns. Hedge End & West End area is nice with both Wildern and Wyvern schools scoring well. I moved away from B'stoke about 12 years ago as we found better value/£ by moving that bit further away from London.
Where does the 'family' live?
I have a 3 bed townhouse for sale in Hedge End, Hibberd Rise, SO30 2LD (unofficially). It fronts right on to a lovely park, 30 seconds to a large play area and also has a lake with ducks n stuff, 1 minute walk to a brand new primary school, easy walking distance to a huge M&S and Sainsburys and close to the motorway, J7, M27. Another 15 mins in either direction finds you at Hamble or in the Meon Valley. Portsmouth is 20 mins away for all the ferries etc. PM if interested.
Paul.B said:
Where, if anywhere is your new job? Lets just say the morning commute 'darn sarf' can be rather hectic and should most definately be a major consideration.
As said, there are good and bad in & around most towns. Hedge End & West End area is nice with both Wildern and Wyvern schools scoring well. I moved away from B'stoke about 12 years ago as we found better value/£ by moving that bit further away from London.
Where does the 'family' live?
Hi Paul,As said, there are good and bad in & around most towns. Hedge End & West End area is nice with both Wildern and Wyvern schools scoring well. I moved away from B'stoke about 12 years ago as we found better value/£ by moving that bit further away from London.
Where does the 'family' live?
I have a job offer in Sunbury on Thames and presently I commute from Ashby (near Derby) to the other side of Birmingham and back each day.
Family located in (in order of who we wish to be closest to)
IoW
East Somerset
Oxford
Christchurch
Bristol
Hence Portsmouth too far south east for work and family.
Basingstoke is surely the best location given where you work? Then it's not far either way for family.
But chandlers ford would be top of my list given thornden, decent area that has lots of space, trees etc. Then you have decent links to transport.
Southampton isn't ideal if you're misses can't drive. The nicer areas are probably only served by buses so you may as well live out of town.
Winchester would be better as it isn't so big, but it is more expensive. Pretty much mini London.
But chandlers ford would be top of my list given thornden, decent area that has lots of space, trees etc. Then you have decent links to transport.
Southampton isn't ideal if you're misses can't drive. The nicer areas are probably only served by buses so you may as well live out of town.
Winchester would be better as it isn't so big, but it is more expensive. Pretty much mini London.
Northern bit of Chandlers Ford is ok and would be in the Thornden catchment area and Eastleigh is a pretty safe place to live on the whole. Buses do exist so I'm told plus there's a fairly good system of cycle lanes.
Winchester great place to live, fairly compact and with good shops and market but as has been said, it's expensive. Some good pubs as well and a decent bus service.
The main problem wherever you move to is traffic and lots of it (too much development for the existing road system, especially in the A27 corridor).
Bearing in mind where you work that counts out Southampton unless you like sitting stationary in your car on the M3 three or four days a week the queues are that bad. If you choose Winchester then you'll miss most of this unless there's a pile up on the M3 on the London side of Basingstoke in which case........and that'll affect you if you choose Basinstoke.
Mrs Timbo used to commute by car from Eastleigh to Woking via the M3 every day. In the end it became too much and there was a lot less traffic in the early 90s plus no mobile phones (but she did have a nice Lancia Dedra to do it in).
Winchester great place to live, fairly compact and with good shops and market but as has been said, it's expensive. Some good pubs as well and a decent bus service.
The main problem wherever you move to is traffic and lots of it (too much development for the existing road system, especially in the A27 corridor).
Bearing in mind where you work that counts out Southampton unless you like sitting stationary in your car on the M3 three or four days a week the queues are that bad. If you choose Winchester then you'll miss most of this unless there's a pile up on the M3 on the London side of Basingstoke in which case........and that'll affect you if you choose Basinstoke.
Mrs Timbo used to commute by car from Eastleigh to Woking via the M3 every day. In the end it became too much and there was a lot less traffic in the early 90s plus no mobile phones (but she did have a nice Lancia Dedra to do it in).
If you are looking around the Basingstoke area, Bramley is a quiet village just outside, old basing is also a nice area, Dummer, kingsclere are all smallish villages within 10 minutes of the centre of Basingstoke.
Hatch Warren / beggarwood are reasonable areas within Basingstoke, try and avoid Popley and Brighton hill if possible.
Hatch Warren / beggarwood are reasonable areas within Basingstoke, try and avoid Popley and Brighton hill if possible.
Traveller said:
If you are looking around the Basingstoke area, Bramley is a quiet village just outside, old basing is also a nice area, Dummer, kingsclere are all smallish villages within 10 minutes of the centre of Basingstoke.
Hatch Warren / beggarwood are reasonable areas within Basingstoke, try and avoid Popley and Brighton hill if possible.
My manor! Not as bad as it used to be but not exactly Wilmslow. I live up by the playing feilds though so right on the Hatchwarren border. Buckskin is one to avoid like the plague as well. Basingstoek si great for facilities but th ebest living is the little vllages around the outlying feilds.Hatch Warren / beggarwood are reasonable areas within Basingstoke, try and avoid Popley and Brighton hill if possible.
Nick
texasjohn said:
That's a great starting point, many thanks.
We don't want to live in a small town or village as my wife doesn't drive hence I have stuck to the larger areas. I am a little familiar with Chandlers Ford as I stopped in to look at a car on the way to Portsdown Technology Park (great views over the Solent from there) for a meeting. The seller gave me a heads up and said it's a bit quiet but a nice safe area. With a toddler and a baby we aren't really in a position to be pubbing and clubbing all weekend so a lack of massive nightlife choices is of no concern at all!
We will be renting initially of course. Following are all in Basingstoke:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...
New decent area, newish development so lots of same looking houses.We don't want to live in a small town or village as my wife doesn't drive hence I have stuck to the larger areas. I am a little familiar with Chandlers Ford as I stopped in to look at a car on the way to Portsdown Technology Park (great views over the Solent from there) for a meeting. The seller gave me a heads up and said it's a bit quiet but a nice safe area. With a toddler and a baby we aren't really in a position to be pubbing and clubbing all weekend so a lack of massive nightlife choices is of no concern at all!
We will be renting initially of course. Following are all in Basingstoke:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/proper...
texasjohn said:
Older area, decent, might also want to look at Kempshott lane areatexasjohn said:
Lychpit is a nice middle of the road area, be aware some of it borders Popley and an industrial estate so can be fruity, the sides bordering Old basing and Chineham are preferable. Another option that side of the town is Chineham or Sherfield Park.
Edited by Traveller on Friday 19th October 20:34
I live in Southampton and yes it has good elements and bad elements but it is a city don't forget.
I live in Upper Shirley, so that is near the common and sports centre and don't forget it is about 15 minutes from the New Forest.
Throught the NF and you are down into Bournemouth / Poole and various beaches etc.
Not too far from the M3 / M27 for links to London etc.
I'm southampton born and bred, it hasn't done me any harm and I have thought about uprooting the family to other areas for various reasons and it just didn't feel right.
I live in Upper Shirley, so that is near the common and sports centre and don't forget it is about 15 minutes from the New Forest.
Throught the NF and you are down into Bournemouth / Poole and various beaches etc.
Not too far from the M3 / M27 for links to London etc.
I'm southampton born and bred, it hasn't done me any harm and I have thought about uprooting the family to other areas for various reasons and it just didn't feel right.
HorneyMX5 said:
My manor! Not as bad as it used to be but not exactly Wilmslow. I live up by the playing feilds though so right on the Hatchwarren border. Buckskin is one to avoid like the plague as well. Basingstoek si great for facilities but th ebest living is the little vllages around the outlying feilds.
Nick
just around the corner from you, Hatchwarren, near St Marks.Nick
Traveller said:
HorneyMX5 said:
My manor! Not as bad as it used to be but not exactly Wilmslow. I live up by the playing feilds though so right on the Hatchwarren border. Buckskin is one to avoid like the plague as well. Basingstoek si great for facilities but th ebest living is the little vllages around the outlying feilds.
Nick
just around the corner from you, Hatchwarren, near St Marks.Nick
Nick
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