blonde poker forum

My friend is looking to move to London with his Polish girlfriend.

He plays poker full time and she will be looking to get s job, she has a lot of experience in marketing and working in some big companies etc.

They are looking to live somewhere a little more "green" than Central London  as they have 2 dogs and a Son.

Im from the North so can't really help, any advice on desirable, safe places that are cool to live for a mid twenties couple.

Any advice?

I lived in Twickenham for a few years and the surrounding areas there were pretty nice. So Twickenham, Richmond, St. Margaret's, Strawberry Hill, Teddington etc. Won't be cheap mind you.....

The Kingston upon Thames & Hampton Court areas would ft the bill nicely.

Good, fast, frequent & direct rail service to Central London via South West Trains.

Plenty of the most spectacular "green" you could ever wish to see - Bushy Park, Richmond Park & Hampton Court are all within 2 miles, & Windsor Great Park is just down the road. Hard to imagine 3 or 4 more beautiful parks in the entire world.  

The Thames is at it's most fabulous here, & there is a towpath both sides for walking.

Plenty of local employment in Twickenham, Osterley, Kingston, Walton, Wimbledon & Richmond. Sky (TV) are in Osterley & are always on the lookout for Marketing people.

The coup de grace is that just a few miles west sits Heathrow Airport, & there are a number of good places there for plane-spotting. Has to be the clincher, that.

Kingston sits under the flight path for inbound flights approaching from the east, so you can see A380's & 747's all day every day.

Beat that.  

Crikey, not often you & I would be so on-Message.......

Hampstead is very nice and relatively central and would be suitable but is also expensive.

Putney/Barnes

Ealing

again, neither cheap but both very pleasant

--

now Bethnal Green, Bow, Walthamstow and to the north a bit Hackney/Hoxton etc have gentrified a lot of the previously cheaper places are more expensive now too

My niece lives in hackney, it's still going through the gentrification process so buying a house there would be a good investment as the area gets more and more liveable as the years go by, house prices will rise faster there than other areas.

An idea of his budget is essential before giving any advice. Kent might end up being a better option, it's where lots of young kids are ending up now.

Yeah, any discussion is pointless without an idea of their budget.

As a pro poker player (I'm guessing online player), London is surely the nut worst place to live as your income is location-independent but your cost of living will be as high as it could be.

Grew up in Teddington, went to school in Hampton. Huge plus 1 to the Teddington, Twickenham, Hampton Wick, Strawberry Hill, Kingston suggestions. Fantastic place to raise children.

hey, budget is 2-4.5k/month

thanks so far for amazing repsonses!!

Looking at house prices in that area now to buy, was gonna buy a house there 20 years ago.

Fucking hell, not buying might be the worst financial decision I ever made  :'(

is 2-4.5 on the lower/higher or normal side would you say?

I lived in Putney for a while, not sure I would again.  I loved near Northcote Road, and used to love it strolling down there.  Full of young people.  Loads of cafes, restaurants and shops near by.  Clapham Junctiom is nearby, and it is easier to get on a train there than Wandsworth, Battersea etc.   Loads of places to walk a dog as you are between 2 commons.  There is a most excellent butchers too.  There used to be queues out the door, so guess it is still there.  Chez Bruce is just right up there with the best places to eat in London, or used to be.  Hope it is still there too.

Used to love the area around Hamstead Heath too, but it is ferociously expensive.  Richmond and Wimbledon are good for walks too, with good trains in to town. 

4.5 is going to get you a very nice flat in the places I mentioned.  Maybe not Hampstead?  We used to pay a third of that near Northcote Road and in Putney, but those times are long gone.  Guess you'd be paying 2.5/3 for a nice 2 bed flat these days.

Edit.  Just checked, there are some nice places for 2kish in wandsworth/putney.  4.5k probably get you a riverside penthouse in some developments

No idea depends what size of joint they are looking for, but here's an idea what you can get....

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E1368&numberOfPropertiesPerPage=24&radius=1.0&sortType=6&index=0&viewType=LIST&areaSizeUnit=sqft&currencyCode=GBP

the couple were looking specifically for a house with a garden.

thanks for your messages doobs, v helpful

Tikay is right, Richmond/ bushy park is lovely,  but very expensive! I live down on Kent, still a pricey part of the world but decent train lines into the city, the fast train from ashford international is 34 mins!
If he's happy for a commute, normal train is an hour from ashford etc into Charing Cross, but obviously much cheaper than the fast train!
Good place to bring up a family too. A friend of mine has just rented a new build in tenterden, which is upmarket, and I think it's 2/3 bed and paying £900 a month plus bills rent.

Just filter my link by house/garden etc you can see what's there....

I did Twickenham +1 mile, you can search each area, or get your friends to do it. Loads of nice places for their budget...

Thanks everybody for the very nice replies.

The thread is actually for me and my gf isn't polish and we have 3 dogs. I just didn't want much bias in the post from those who may know me. Have sent off a lot of emails tonight and hopefully will come visit this month to look.

If there are any other areas an hour max to London like what vern spoke about also very welcome.

Thanks again very much and look forward if anybody else has any last suggestions.

First beer on me in London!

St albans, Berkamstead and a few other leafy chic places in Hertfordshire.  25-30 mins by train to London.  Worth a look imo

Drop us a message if you come down this way, some nice spots! Canterbury/ t wells etc

A matter of opinion but in your shoes specifically I would go ahead and choose West London e.g. Kingston, Wimbledon, Fulham, Putney. Outside of London is still relatively convenient and nice but there's a vibe to living inner city that you just can't put a price on, especially while you are still in your 20's. There will always be loads going on that will never feel too far away.

If you find you're not too bothered about that and mostly just want to stick your head down and grind with the option to venture into London then St. Albans and nearby parts of Kent are good ideas to explore.

Teddington or Hampton Wick are ideal for Bushy Park which the dogs would abso love.

Quite a few of my younger colleagues with young kids live in Clapham and like it. No idea what prices are like.

West London bias for me too as I live here. Add Chiswick and Richmond to the list. Not cheap but great places to live, with lots of parks for the dogs, and easy access to central London. Ben Grundy...I presume is still pokering.... has a lovely house in Chiswick.

Are the dogs more important than being close to tubes/easy transport links?

This house is possibly too big and top of budget?....but has a great garden ....and next to the wonderful Richmond Park!

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-45028038.html

 Qd
Looks nice! Expensive too, but nice! Will look Ty!

Not sure if you are aware of this but since you are not "employed" as such with proof of income you can expect to prepay your rent 6 months in advance for most quality properties as you indicate.

Even paying 12 months rent in advance won't guarantee that someone will accept you as a tenant. Couple that with the fact you have 3 dogs. It could be tricky to get a property.

yeah thats fine i guess.

Sort of made me feel bit sick when saw the rent on that nice house is £54K per year, didn't even pay that much for my house :)

Walton on Thames?

These houses pretty perfect I think.

http://www.leaders.co.uk/properties/10013130/lettings

http://www.leaders.co.uk/properties/9721463/lettings

http://www.leaders.co.uk/properties/9984595/lettings

Sunbary on Thames?

http://www.leaders.co.uk/properties/8710077/lettings

Morning Pads - I live in Walton fwiw. If you'd like to pick my brains give me a shout on PM and I'll send over my mobile #.

Weybridge?

All very nice parts of the world! Think you'll pay for the privilege of living there, but defo nice spots

Most of Weybridge is perfectly lovely. Not far from where The Beatles used to live, where Bruce Forsyth & the late Terry Wogan lived, & just up the road from Wentworth Golf Course & not a million miles from Ascot, Windsor Great Park etc.

Walton on Thames is gorgeous, too. Rolf Harris & Max Clifford both live there, or do when not away on holiday.  Paul Daniels (the late) lived there too.

Be careful of Sunbury, parts of it are a bit ugh. Put it this way, it has an Argos.

Transport links aren't great in Walton and Weybridge. Sunbury is a bit of a dump.

+1, +1 & +1.

PS - Walton on Thames Shopping Centre has an Aldi & a Wilko.

Slight North London bias here (you could never tell with the name!). Hampstead/Highgate is ridiculously expensive but just up the road Muswell Hill and Crouch End are lovely places. Great shops/restaurants and near Ali Pali where there always is a concert or sports event going on. The transport links into London are miles better than south of the river. You can get from Alexandra Palace into the city within 20 mins. For the West End it's less than 30 mins. Just up the road is Bounds Green very middle class now and you could get a very nice house for under 2.5k a month. Again great transport links.

I was offered a job in weybridge a few years ago, it has to be the worst served area for public transport, it takes ages to get into central London and that rail company are always on strike.

I'm a big fan of Greenwich. You are closeish to central London but also have the river and lots of green.

Being a long way from the centre could end up being a bit of a nightmare commute for your girlfriend if she gets a job in central London. Clapham although South of the river has the northern Line and also a big greenspace in Clapham Common. I would say there is likely to be more crime than in some of the other areas of London already mentioned, but I haven't lived in South London for 8 years...

Clapham attracts a ton of young preppy douchebags these days though. I've begun to hate hanging out round there in the evenings, the vibe is awful. There's plenty of other options that have better local crowds.

True, but for balance, it is the home of the London Bus Museum.

Walton-on-Thames

Travel

I live in Walton with wifey having bought here around three years ago. We both do the daily commute into town, along with many thousands of others! Whether it's relevant to your gf I'm not sure but if so morning trains are 0647/0656/0716/0727/0746/0757/0806/0815/0827/0836 etc. All take c30mins. Door to door from home to the City I am dead on an hour (cycle, train, W&C)

Through the day there are four an hour. Two of these take 25mins, two take 35mins.

It's nowhere near as accessible as something on the tube or say the Wimbledon 'mainline' which runs every 3-4 mins, but the flipside of this is that you will get a seat getting on at Walton, your commute has a pretty decent quality to it and you can be productive on the train etc. Even just a few miles further in (Raynes Park / Earlsfield etc.) you are struggling to get on like cattle and the overall journey is perhaps only 3-5mins quicker owing to it being a slower train.

Last train home is 0009 I believe (while since I did it, obv!). Uber is around £45 from town centre but a bit of a tiring 55min ride.

South West trains being useless is a bit of a common misconception in my opinion. Nobody loves their train provider as they relieve them of a considerable chunk of change and there are sometimes delays...but I always challenge people by asking how else they would propose to complete the journey and at what cost...

The Area

Being on the River is obviously lovely though it's worth noting that town and the Station are split (this is the same in Esher and Weybridge, too). This probably not an issue if not commuting but it's worth bearing in mind that you would most likely be a bit of a walk to the station. I am one mile and do a quick bike ride.

The food options here are very good Vs. a non-London small British town but naturally relatively weaker than in town itself.

Nice community feel. It's kind of a "nappy valley" once kids are out of nappies, if that makes any sense. You can basically see that people bought somewhere in London, had a child, perhaps had a second child, needed more space, and moved to somewhere leafy to live the suburban dream whilst still working in town.

Pubs are good. Personal highlights would be sitting on the river at The Anglers, The Barley Mow (Shepperton) and The Wheatsheaf on the Green / Marneys in Esher (near Sandown racecourse). Again, however, this demonstrates that not that much here is specifically walking/strolling distance. Unless you are going somewhere expressly for a walk you will often be in the car here. As previous comments suggest beyond the main trainline public transport is basically a non-event.

Quality of Life / Whether it's right for you

When we bought we could basically choose between a small and fairly mediocre two bed flat in, say, Wimbledon....or a three bed semi-detached new build here. We sensed that we would need to move out of the former upon having a family, which we intended to do (now 40 weeks and four days pregnant!), and therefore we would 'skip' that step and come straight here.

We both really enjoy living here. We're well settled now and see it very much as home....



.....however, this doesn't necessarily mean it would be right for you. By my understanding you are a little younger than Helen and me and I also think this would be the first time that you have lived in/around London?

I know you like the idea of space, dog walks, river, greenery etc. (which I completely get) but my gut feel is that for a first move to/around London town you should be a bit closer to the action. I think you may get a little frustrated here unless you really are after 'the country life'.

Alternatives


Haha, now this is the tricky bit. Crouch End as someone has touched on is lovely. Again, though, part of the reason it's lovely is that it's a bit of a transport blackspot. You get the tube to Finsbury Park and then the W7. This is sort of fine, but by the time you are doing that then total travel time is probably equivalent to being somewhere further out with more space. If you are happy to cab a lot though this could be a good option.

Wandsworth Common would have you 'closer to the action' and, if you're willing to sacrifice a bit of distance from a specific station (so removing you from the cut throat world of the daily commuter) then you can probably get a three bed with a garden within budget. It won't be as 'nice' and 'country' as something out this way but it will give you more of a London buzz and feel.

Happy to chat whenever!

Best,

Ed

Going back a bit, but a friend use to live in Walton in Thames, and he invited us to a fancy dress party at a pub to celebrate the great New Millennium/New Years Eve.
 8 of us had to pre booked our "fifty quid invitation only" tickets for buffet/dancing/all singing,party promise....and on arrival we were ushered through a" special party side door" into a bar.
 As the evening went on, strangely no one else arrived for this great Millennium party, and we felt we had been sold a dud.
It was only after a while, we tried another door from our bar , only to find out the "other" bar was full of non paying undressed up locals, ready to eat the buffet and dance in the New Year!

I imagine you have already struck Sunbury off the list, but my gf has lived there for the last 18 months and it is absolute sod to get to, close to an hour on a train that stops everywhere. Plus it really isn't that nice unless you go to Lower Sunbury near the Thames but that is even a harder public transport trip.

Thanks for all the help guys, so appreciated.

Agreed for a really nice place in Twickenham and will be moving next month.

Will have a moving in party and everybody itt more than welcome to come down.

in!!

Got the rugby on your doorstep, lucky boy  :)

Got some good memories from living in Twickenham from a few years back...

NFL party at Pads place next October ;D ;D ;D

Imagine he's probably more pleased about having 9000 football clubs < 1hr away.

When were you there Woodsey?

Some good memories from around there, too. I lived in Holland Gardens for a year or so in 2006/7.

Ah nice, the Saffas are good people generally

His new local football club is just 3 miles away.

When they are away, Fulham, Chelsea & QPR are around 6 or 7 miles distant, then there is Arsenal & the other North London lot, also Palace (he is a big Pards fan) West Ham, Charlton, & Millwall.

Just 9 miles away is Wembley Stadium. 

For a lad who grew up thinking Newcastle were big time, he'll realise he has arrived in football Heaven.

You do realise he is going to be round yours all the time, Tikay.  He'll make out he is just coming round for a brew, but in reality he is going to be picking one of the legedendary poker minds.

Hopefully, you'll love London Pads.  So much to see and do.  So many places to eat and drink.  And you'll find friendly people if you look.  I used to love it, great place to be whilst young.

Yea I was thinking herts also

edit: nm saw he's sorted landan

Quite disappointed that I only ever went to Chelsea while I was living there, and Brentford was just around the corner, too.

Over 20 years ago mate, I was at uni there and hung around a couple of years after.

Not surprisingly I go back at least once a year to visit the temple  :)

Probably my biggest regret is not sticking around and buying a house there, I would have been living up north in a big house mortgage free my the time I was 35 if I did  ;tracet; love the whole Twickenham/Richmond area.

Twickenham is a cracking area, enjoy!

Gotcha.

Yeah, I loved it there. all the pubs around Isleworth/Richmond/Twickenham are superb.