Lower Stondon...Stotfold...
Discussion
So anyone know the area around here..? we're currently in WGC cos it was 'appropriate' as anywhere for my London job and the missus' in Herts. Anyway, we want to move to the Herts/Beds border village type area in the medium term. Cos it's more 'middle England' (for me!) and more 'rural' (for her). we want to really research this over the next 10 months or so cos we want to hopefully find somewhere 'spot-on' to settle for a while.
so..property seems concerningly 'affordable' in these two places and i want to know if they are ok! Pirton sounds cool but is a bit dear... any views on any of these places or any other ideas would be very much appreciated.
ideally train to kings x will be nearer 40 mins than an hour from hitchin (ideally) or letchworth - and hopefully drive would be under 10mins to either of these - basically trying to keep my total commute (inc drive, train, tube) as close to an hour (and no more than 1.5 hrs).
Cheers,
dB
edited to say we like the idea of the stotfold place from the map as it's on the end of the A1(M)!
visited st neots at wknd and liked it around there but decided a bit too far 'north' for what we want.
>> Edited by baskey on Friday 16th December 21:55
so..property seems concerningly 'affordable' in these two places and i want to know if they are ok! Pirton sounds cool but is a bit dear... any views on any of these places or any other ideas would be very much appreciated.
ideally train to kings x will be nearer 40 mins than an hour from hitchin (ideally) or letchworth - and hopefully drive would be under 10mins to either of these - basically trying to keep my total commute (inc drive, train, tube) as close to an hour (and no more than 1.5 hrs).
Cheers,
dB
edited to say we like the idea of the stotfold place from the map as it's on the end of the A1(M)!
visited st neots at wknd and liked it around there but decided a bit too far 'north' for what we want.
>> Edited by baskey on Friday 16th December 21:55
Nice area! I live in Letchworth and am round and about Stotfold and surrounding area quite a bit.
The only problem I can see for you, is parking at Hitchin or Letchworth station for commuting. It's a real pain!
Pirton is a good village as are most around there like Meppershall. Depends on how far from the station you are prepared to travel from? I like Henlow and Shefford area. I'm not sure about Arlesey, although it has changed a fair bit since I lived there!
How about Baldock? That will be a lovely town once the bypass is finished. Let me know what you have in mind.
WGC is'nt much further away though is it? Only 15 mins down the A1 !!
The only problem I can see for you, is parking at Hitchin or Letchworth station for commuting. It's a real pain!
Pirton is a good village as are most around there like Meppershall. Depends on how far from the station you are prepared to travel from? I like Henlow and Shefford area. I'm not sure about Arlesey, although it has changed a fair bit since I lived there!
How about Baldock? That will be a lovely town once the bypass is finished. Let me know what you have in mind.
WGC is'nt much further away though is it? Only 15 mins down the A1 !!
gtr-gaz said:
Nice area! I live in Letchworth and am round and about Stotfold and surrounding area quite a bit.
The only problem I can see for you, is parking at Hitchin or Letchworth station for commuting. It's a real pain!
Pirton is a good village as are most around there like Meppershall. Depends on how far from the station you are prepared to travel from? I like Henlow and Shefford area. I'm not sure about Arlesey, although it has changed a fair bit since I lived there!
How about Baldock? That will be a lovely town once the bypass is finished. Let me know what you have in mind.
WGC is'nt much further away though is it? Only 15 mins down the A1 !!
thanks - more places to look into which is i guess what we are after really.
for completeness - the reson I am more keen on hitchin for the train is because I understand they 'have the option' of peteboghorror or cambridge trains which means if/when things go worng there is more flexibility - but letchworth area is very much in the running. good point about parking - i can walk at the moment but even if i didn't there is a fair number of spaces at wgc.
we have been to baldock a few times and quite like it - the tesco is cool (!) but they have even more limited trains. i know i sound like i am banging on about trains too much for PH but i am moving to a new job which means a bit of tube commuting (boo) and, i suspect, longer working hours (hiss) and so if i can make the mainline commute as easy as poss i think it'll help!
i get the point about it only being 15mins furhter up the A1 - BUT things seem to change by almost as much as they do between ldn and wgc! in a way it's not the time as the ease - by getting on the A1(M) as quickly as possible it'd just make Mrs Bs life not too much worse.
we half like it by watton-at-stone to the east but there seems to be very little for sale and I have heard that the station there is one of the one's most likely to go or at least have least improvements..
thanks and i'll check out those other places too.
anyone else..?
Hello. We have lived in Stotfold for over 20 years now and it is OK. You should be aware though that it is likely to get a great deal larger at some time in the future when the land between the existing village and the bypass gets developed, as it surely will! Schools are good and pubs better!
I used to go into London from time to time. Train services from Letchworth into London are fast especially if you pick those which go non stop to Kings Cross. They also run from Kings Cross straight through to Letchworth the only problem being getting a seat. I used the multi storey in Letchworth for parking. You do get a greater choice of train from Hitchin but parking is a nightmare.
Should you be cruising the area look out for the Grey Alfa GTA and sundry Morris Minors and stop by for a chat
I used to go into London from time to time. Train services from Letchworth into London are fast especially if you pick those which go non stop to Kings Cross. They also run from Kings Cross straight through to Letchworth the only problem being getting a seat. I used the multi storey in Letchworth for parking. You do get a greater choice of train from Hitchin but parking is a nightmare.
Should you be cruising the area look out for the Grey Alfa GTA and sundry Morris Minors and stop by for a chat
Just to add my two penneth.....
I've been living in the 'Lower Stondon' part of Henlow (as opposed to 'Henlow Camp' Henlow or 'Henlow' Henlow, jeez, how big is this village!
) for coming up to a year now but I've been working in Arlesey (the appaling concrete block at the southern end of the village) for coming up to four (lived in Stevenage prior to Henlow).
Whilst my observations my seem a bit harsh, they are based on four years of working in Arlesey...
Downsides :
Many, many, many 40 ton(ne?) trucks full of waste that pass right through the middle of the village on their way to the Shanks McEwan landfill site on t'other side of the railway. Not very pleasant walking through the village & having those pass inches away from you. I've often followed them with debris falling out or even on a few occaisons with bits or rope / cable flailing anything in their path, bizarre as it may seem I'm not making it up!
The train service to London Kings Cross is sporadic at best and the car park isn't that big, which leaves you parking on around the station, again at the mercy of any passing traffic or parking restrictions which seem to come and go.
The shops aren't too good, but then I guess that could be said of Lower Stondon / Henlow too. You really are looking at going to Letchworth / Hitchin or Baldock for a decent supermarket.
The place suffers from wind, bear with me on this! ... Very rarely do you get a day in Arlesey when it's not windy. I know this sounds very odd, but even on the sunniest, warmest, supposedly calmest days, Arlesey appears to have its own weather system which results in a fairly brisk breeze....
The village does suffer from an air of Royston Vasey and a general feeling of bleakness.
So in summary, don't move there!
Not sure if buses are important or not but discovered they too are pretty crap :
Tried to get a bus to Arlesey train station from 'Lower Stondon' Henlow in the summer but it's not possible unless you fancy going to 'Henlow' Henlow, waiting 20 minutes then getting another bus. Buses don't run from Henlow to Letchworth. To get a bus from Henlow or Arlesey to Hitchin train station takes three (I think) changes.....I would hope the situation isn't as ridiculous if you were to catch a bus in Letchworth or Hitchin respectively
Whilst some of the other surrounding villages are very nice, you've always got the hassle of parking at the station. Given a choice I'd move to Hitchin, either within walking distance of the station or at least on a bus route. It's just got the edge over Letchworth for me, plus you get a greater selection of trains...
Hope that little lot has been of some use
I've been living in the 'Lower Stondon' part of Henlow (as opposed to 'Henlow Camp' Henlow or 'Henlow' Henlow, jeez, how big is this village!
) for coming up to a year now but I've been working in Arlesey (the appaling concrete block at the southern end of the village) for coming up to four (lived in Stevenage prior to Henlow). Whilst my observations my seem a bit harsh, they are based on four years of working in Arlesey...
Downsides :
Many, many, many 40 ton(ne?) trucks full of waste that pass right through the middle of the village on their way to the Shanks McEwan landfill site on t'other side of the railway. Not very pleasant walking through the village & having those pass inches away from you. I've often followed them with debris falling out or even on a few occaisons with bits or rope / cable flailing anything in their path, bizarre as it may seem I'm not making it up!
The train service to London Kings Cross is sporadic at best and the car park isn't that big, which leaves you parking on around the station, again at the mercy of any passing traffic or parking restrictions which seem to come and go.
The shops aren't too good, but then I guess that could be said of Lower Stondon / Henlow too. You really are looking at going to Letchworth / Hitchin or Baldock for a decent supermarket.
The place suffers from wind, bear with me on this! ... Very rarely do you get a day in Arlesey when it's not windy. I know this sounds very odd, but even on the sunniest, warmest, supposedly calmest days, Arlesey appears to have its own weather system which results in a fairly brisk breeze....
The village does suffer from an air of Royston Vasey and a general feeling of bleakness.
So in summary, don't move there!
Not sure if buses are important or not but discovered they too are pretty crap :
Tried to get a bus to Arlesey train station from 'Lower Stondon' Henlow in the summer but it's not possible unless you fancy going to 'Henlow' Henlow, waiting 20 minutes then getting another bus. Buses don't run from Henlow to Letchworth. To get a bus from Henlow or Arlesey to Hitchin train station takes three (I think) changes.....I would hope the situation isn't as ridiculous if you were to catch a bus in Letchworth or Hitchin respectively
Whilst some of the other surrounding villages are very nice, you've always got the hassle of parking at the station. Given a choice I'd move to Hitchin, either within walking distance of the station or at least on a bus route. It's just got the edge over Letchworth for me, plus you get a greater selection of trains...
Hope that little lot has been of some use
I don't think Arlesey is that bad these days (I lived in the Old Methodist church on the High Street for 12 years!)
It has doubled in size since I moved away 8 years ago. I still know several people who commute to London from there. You will need to be at the station end though, otherwise you could end up with a long walk in the mornings! Arlesey was not called the longest village in the country for nothing you know!
What sort of price range are you thinking off? Fairfield Park is being developed at the moment. There are some nice properties there. Also Chase Hill Road estate would be convienient for the station.
On the plus side, the landfill site in Arlesey has almost reached it's capacity and will not be open for many more years. A new one was opened a few years ago outside Hitchin on the Bedford Road.
Evosticks, I presume you work in the old Biggs Wall building? I must say, it's probably the worst looking building in the village!
It has doubled in size since I moved away 8 years ago. I still know several people who commute to London from there. You will need to be at the station end though, otherwise you could end up with a long walk in the mornings! Arlesey was not called the longest village in the country for nothing you know!
What sort of price range are you thinking off? Fairfield Park is being developed at the moment. There are some nice properties there. Also Chase Hill Road estate would be convienient for the station.
On the plus side, the landfill site in Arlesey has almost reached it's capacity and will not be open for many more years. A new one was opened a few years ago outside Hitchin on the Bedford Road.
Evosticks, I presume you work in the old Biggs Wall building? I must say, it's probably the worst looking building in the village!
Evosticks, I presume you work in the old Biggs Wall building? I must say, it's probably the worst looking building in the village![/quote]
Afraid so
It really is an eyesore and I've yet to see anything locally that is worse (well, maybe the BT exchange or the empty office block near the fire station in Stevenage). I pity the poor sods living opposite who saw that monstrosity being built infront of their houses back in the 50's / 60's...
Thankfully I work on the ground floor which is relatively 'modern', but going up to the other floors is like going back in time
If any building suffers from 'sick building syndrome' then that surely does Concrete 'corrosion' (guess there is probably a proper term for it) is that bad that they're finally doing something about it. Quite ironic that the building is in such a state considering a construction company owns it...
However I digress, I'd forgotten about the Fairfield Park development. Popped up there last year and had a look at both the houses and the apartments in the old 'mentalist home' itself. Very nice indeed, particuarly the houses, and it's only about 10 minutes at most from Letchworth station, well worth a look.
Afraid so
It really is an eyesore and I've yet to see anything locally that is worse (well, maybe the BT exchange or the empty office block near the fire station in Stevenage). I pity the poor sods living opposite who saw that monstrosity being built infront of their houses back in the 50's / 60's... Thankfully I work on the ground floor which is relatively 'modern', but going up to the other floors is like going back in time
If any building suffers from 'sick building syndrome' then that surely does Concrete 'corrosion' (guess there is probably a proper term for it) is that bad that they're finally doing something about it. Quite ironic that the building is in such a state considering a construction company owns it... However I digress, I'd forgotten about the Fairfield Park development. Popped up there last year and had a look at both the houses and the apartments in the old 'mentalist home' itself. Very nice indeed, particuarly the houses, and it's only about 10 minutes at most from Letchworth station, well worth a look.
baskey said:
OK...what about Arlesey..? seems to be a lot of reasonably priced houses there too..? AND it has it's own train stn (that's fairly quick but only 30 min frequencies..)... so is this place ok..?!
ttfn
Trains to/from London are not the most regular and are also the slow services.
Have you thought about St Neots? 35-40 minutes non-stop into Kings Cross, reasonable house prices, Very good access to the M11 and A1 and IMHO a nice town and where I have lived for the last 6 years.
zippee said:
OK...what about Arlesey..? seems to be a lot of reasonably priced houses there too..? AND it has it's own train stn (that's fairly quick but only 30 min frequencies..)... so is this place ok..?!
ttfn
Trains to/from London are not the most regular and are also the slow services.
Have you thought about St Neots? 35-40 minutes non-stop into Kings Cross, reasonable house prices, Very good access to the M11 and A1 and IMHO a nice town and where I have lived for the last 6 years.
i liked st neots. i liked the 'are you being served' department stores! the wife to be isn't convinced about the extra drive to wgc from st neots though.....and to be fair i can see where she's coming from - it'd definitely mean getting her a diesel supermini too...!
she has a friend with a small place in ashwell and i have seen a cool place in hinxworth (train from baldock i guess) and she says she could be convinced about somewhere like that...
it won't be for a year so actual properties as such don't matter it's more to do with how much places cost (and how much more villagey) relative to wgc and how much worse commuting for us both will be.
this wasn't strictly the original idea - BUT (!) does anyone know what it's like to live in flitwick..? the usual - whats the scally quotient, does it get too much noise from luton airport etc etc.
thanks everyone for your help so far it's really helping and there are still many months to go!
..and i will consider clifton!
>> Edited by baskey on Thursday 2nd February 13:28
thanks everyone for your help so far it's really helping and there are still many months to go!
..and i will consider clifton!
>> Edited by baskey on Thursday 2nd February 13:28
I've lived in Letchworth now for 10 years and it's a nice place on the whole - station is reliable but as others have said parking is a pain. However, you can walk to the station in about 20 minutes from pretty much anywhere in Letchworth (I'm out by the A1 and it takes me 20-25mins. to walk it).
Hitchin is definately bigger and has better shopping but I think it has a higher scally content (according to the wife who worked there for years).
Hope the above helps and if you see a blue TVR Chimaera around in Letchworth... that'd be me 8-)
Hitchin is definately bigger and has better shopping but I think it has a higher scally content (according to the wife who worked there for years).
Hope the above helps and if you see a blue TVR Chimaera around in Letchworth... that'd be me 8-)
I may be biased, but how about Biggleswade? No-one has mentioned this yet. I've lived here for 7 years now and think it's great. Worked in London for 3 years too and intend too again.
Biggleswade is at the first roundabout on the A1 - only 22 minutes from South Mimms. We live about 2 minutes drive from the A1 so is very accessible, but also away enough that we can't hear it. I live 16 minutes walk from the station on a new estate which is very nice and no need to drive.
Regular Peterborough/Kings Cross trains. In the morning, their is s non-stop service at 7:55am arriving at 8:30am. In the evening it's 6:37pm arriving at 7:04pm (less than 30 minutes!). These particular trains are very reliable and fast - used them for years. Other than these, you are looking at 40 minutes for the 'slow' train.
Town is pleasant and easy access to Milton Keynes, Stevenage, Hitchin, etc. Proximity to the A1(M) is the best bit - so easy to get anywhere.
There is a lot of new development in the area if that's what floats you boat, it does us. There are plans for more new houses too. Very well laid out an spacious.
Only downside is it is very family oriented - kids everywhere!!!
Any questions, let me know. Cheers
Biggleswade is at the first roundabout on the A1 - only 22 minutes from South Mimms
. We live about 2 minutes drive from the A1 so is very accessible, but also away enough that we can't hear it. I live 16 minutes walk from the station on a new estate which is very nice and no need to drive. Regular Peterborough/Kings Cross trains. In the morning, their is s non-stop service at 7:55am arriving at 8:30am. In the evening it's 6:37pm arriving at 7:04pm (less than 30 minutes!). These particular trains are very reliable and fast - used them for years. Other than these, you are looking at 40 minutes for the 'slow' train.
Town is pleasant and easy access to Milton Keynes, Stevenage, Hitchin, etc. Proximity to the A1(M) is the best bit - so easy to get anywhere.
There is a lot of new development in the area if that's what floats you boat, it does us. There are plans for more new houses too. Very well laid out an spacious.
Only downside is it is very family oriented - kids everywhere!!!
Any questions, let me know. Cheers
I'm a newbie to piston heads as you can see but I have lived around the area you are considering for years.
I live in Gamlingay a medium size village, which is just the other side of Biggleswade. It would still fit within your commuting time. WG takes 30 mins on a good day 45 on the average morning commute. I travelled to Hatfield from here for years. There is one thing that sets it apart from all the other places mentioned. No not the schools, not the people that live here or the buildings/atmosphere although those are great. In a nutshell it's the roads. Population density falls off dramatically this side of Biggleswade. The roads out of my village are pretty much empty especially to the east. Rush hour here gives loading similar to Letchworth / Hitchin on a Sunday. Cambridge is about 15 miles all cross country. Many is the time I have driven back from there at night and seen no more than 2 cars. Even the route to the A1 is quick and entertaining. It is fair to say that the biggest hazard is wildlife rather than other cars. I live on the outside of the village and the road outside our house is fantastic. Words cannot really describe the pleasure I get from driving these roads. Moved up from Hampshire years ago and could never face moving back to a more densely populated area. Not so long as I am in possession of a rapid car and the dexterity to deploy it accurately and quickly.
Best thing is to take a ride out with the other half in the spring. Drive around the small towns and villages and see what you both like the look of. Get a feel for the prices and form a picture of what you want. All the places mentioned are fine. One thing for sure if you look towards the East side of the A1 you will be assured of rewarding driving
I live in Gamlingay a medium size village, which is just the other side of Biggleswade. It would still fit within your commuting time. WG takes 30 mins on a good day 45 on the average morning commute. I travelled to Hatfield from here for years. There is one thing that sets it apart from all the other places mentioned. No not the schools, not the people that live here or the buildings/atmosphere although those are great. In a nutshell it's the roads. Population density falls off dramatically this side of Biggleswade. The roads out of my village are pretty much empty especially to the east. Rush hour here gives loading similar to Letchworth / Hitchin on a Sunday. Cambridge is about 15 miles all cross country. Many is the time I have driven back from there at night and seen no more than 2 cars. Even the route to the A1 is quick and entertaining. It is fair to say that the biggest hazard is wildlife rather than other cars. I live on the outside of the village and the road outside our house is fantastic. Words cannot really describe the pleasure I get from driving these roads. Moved up from Hampshire years ago and could never face moving back to a more densely populated area. Not so long as I am in possession of a rapid car and the dexterity to deploy it accurately and quickly.
Best thing is to take a ride out with the other half in the spring. Drive around the small towns and villages and see what you both like the look of. Get a feel for the prices and form a picture of what you want. All the places mentioned are fine. One thing for sure if you look towards the East side of the A1 you will be assured of rewarding driving
Gassing Station | East Anglia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff