How far north outside of London until you hit village life?

Posted by BrianShupe@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 195 comments

Question in title is vague I know. I am planning a 3 day trip to Wimbledon. I have planned two days. On the third day I would like to explore north of London to scout possible places to move to within the next 2 years. Ideally looking for the romantic village setting from Last Of The Summer Wine. However, I would like to balance that by being relatively close to St Pancras to access Eurostar. I know I can't have it both ways, but was wondering if anyone could advise me to forget it and instead spend the day hitting museums or other fun stuff in the city...or say yes you can find something close to that setting but take the Northwestern Railway not the East Midlands. I have no problem spending a day riding the railway through the countryside, but would like to see if I can gather any advice beforehand if it is obvious to people in the know that it would not bear fruit.

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wanglehands@reddit

Yeah, Hertfordshire. Probs not villagey, but snall towns with green areas near St. Albans. Or go further out like Bayford/Brickendon Watton at stone. They have train stations

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giddystratospheres1@reddit

Essendon is pretty cute and tiny also

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

I will research all these places. Already was looking at St.Albans as the right balance of distance and convenience…but on the map it looked more like a city. Haven’t figured out how to translate satellite photos into size and feel of village/town/city yet.

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legalbeaglemr@reddit

I live in St Albans - it’s a small city, quick into London, and a nice balance between city comforts and countryside access. Small enough to bump into people, big enough to be anonymous much of the time. There are some nice little houses near the cathedral if you want pretty, but it is relatively expensive. I think you need to think about what you really expect to be doing in the little village (especially without a car… outside more urban areas it would quickly become very limiting not to drive nowadays). My experiences of living in villages involved a lot of either sitting in or driving somewhere more interesting…

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Mootpoint_691@reddit

Have you looked at Chesham/Ivinghoe area? ‘Big Train Robbery’ country, the canals, Ivinghoe Beacon & Dunstable Downs, Aldbury etc., and more or less near the West Coast line. Not that far North of St Albans so an easy journey if you wanted to be in that area, too.

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wanglehands@reddit

It is a City. But in Hertfordshire

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HoxtonRanger@reddit

Aldbury is in lots of tv shows but might be pricey

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Glen1648@reddit

Come live in Potters Bar. We had a train crash that one time :)

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Rusticocona@reddit

One of the best villages I’ve been too is leek wooton, really tiny place, probably maybe 2000 people tops with a few nice little parks dotted around and a primary school with twenty kids a year and mixed year groups, I know because I went to primary school there, also the place is included in Tachment for kenilworth school for secondary and probably two or three in Warwick, would recommend

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ActTrick3810@reddit

Drive until you see a fellow with a slack jaw standing in the middle of the road with a hoe (no, not that kind).

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mad_king_soup@reddit

"Ideally looking for the romantic village setting from Last Of The Summer Wine" You are aware this was filmed in Yorkshire, right? That's 200 miles north of London, not exactly a short commute

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Yes. Also filmed in a different time. Just a romanticized vision that I know is ridiculous for me. No cell phone no internet no nightlife. I would probably go bananas. My idea is to get a 6 month visa and spend one week in London, one week in Europe, one week in the UK but not London, and one week staying put. So six trips to each. Just a plan right now…..

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mad_king_soup@reddit

\> one week in London, one week in Europe, one week in the UK but not London So one week in a major city, one week in an unspecified part of a continent bigger than the US, one week in an unspecified part of a country that isn't it's capital city and one week somewhere else? You've not completely thought this through have you?

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Well I would say I have given it considerable thought, and am still doing so. To my knowledge I can qualify for a 6 month visa. My plan would be to rent something for 6 months and use it as a base to explore. My rough plan would be to spend one week a month traveling into London and enjoying the metropolitan benefits. World class museums, entertainment, food, etc. One week a month I would spend exploring places other than London, like Liverpool, Cornwall, etc maybe just hit the map with a pin and figure it out as I go. One week a month I would plan trips over to Europe to visit Switzerland, and Scandinavia. Gibraltar and Italy. Then I would figure a week to recoup and drink in my local. Easy to schedule two weeks of anything back to back if I wanted or to shorten or lengthen as needed. It is just a rough plan. 6month sublet and 6 month rail pass and 6 month eurorail pass. Wouldn’t be beholden to anything just using that to make a rough budget of how much it would cost. This is for when I sell my business and retire. I can’t move to England, so I think it best to spend 6 months living a life free of responsibility traveling all over Europe than try to make repeated trips. In a way, yes I haven’t completely thought it through…but that is the way I like it. A skeleton plan that can change to fit spontaneity and or current events. This is all two years from now at least. This upcoming trip is a birthday surprise for my wife to fulfill her dream of attending Wimbledon. I have 3 days. One will be Brighton-Beachy Head-Eastbourne. One day will be Shepard’s Bush-White City-Acton-London. Trying to decide what to do with the third day. Actually seeing locations that might be right would allow me to better plan by narrowing down home base options realistically. Up to now it is all “Maybe this place will work”

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moist-v0n-lipwig@reddit

Personally I wouldn’t restrict yourself to coming back to the same base each time as that’s going to limit what else you can do. Given that sort of time you can see loads, you can spend a while in London, then pick other destinations. The Scottish Highlands are amazing, we did a couple of weeks in three places in Inverness, Skye and Oban, and with the time you have you could do much more. The Lake District is gorgeous. I am addicted to Wales. Plus Yorkshire Dales of course and so on. You can go to local pubs and enjoy the atmosphere but in my opinion if you shackle yourself to one base location you will miss out. By the way, if you can incorporate a couple of weeks in Iceland, would recommend. But whatever you do, have a lovely time, I’m jealous.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

I really like the idea of having a home base so my plans aren’t rigid. If I get sick for instance I wouldn’t be paying high hotel rates, and if I wanted down time to just do nothing I could. Also that participation, however real or imagined in the local community really is inviting. The plan to spend a week each month exploring the UK was really meant to travel by train as far and wide as I could across everything. Iceland is definitely on the plan, probably on the trip over.

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moist-v0n-lipwig@reddit

Even for your short breaks out I’d avoid hotels if you can. There are plenty of short term cottage rentals out there that are cheaper and much cosier. I quite like Sykes Cottages, has a good range and I’ve never had an issue with them.

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xian0@reddit

I think you would get a better community experience in some particularly lively/central small village in a national park area eg. stay at a nice pub, with people to talk to all night and lots of things going on during the day. Your hotel bookings don't have to be rigid. Renting or buying a house to just in case you are sick for a week or so doesn't seem worth it, lets say that ends up costing you £20,000, instead of a hotel which would have cost £500 for a week? Unless you have hundreds of millions, would get the best £3000 a night hotel and just want to live like an average person for a while (that's the only way I can make sense of it).

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plopperupper@reddit

You do realize that there is nothing to see in shepherds bush, white city and Acton, they are just suburbs of greater London.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Someone else asked me why. I answered in depth, so you can scroll for that but the quick answer is I am a big fan of The Who and that area is where they grew up and went to school. There are a bunch of sites in that area that wouldn't mean anything to someone who isn't a Who fan but will mean something to me.

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george_____t@reddit

Can I ask why Shepherd's Bush etc.? I'm not sure there's a worse area to visit within Zone 2. Nothing to see except a big shopping centre.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Well…the first band I ever discovered and loved was The Who. They grew up in and around that area. Shepards Bush was the site of their first gigs at the Social Club. Acton was the site of their primary and Ealing was the Art School Pete attended. White City was the title of one of his best solo albums. This started when I went west to San Francisco to see an off shoot band from The Grateful Dead. Instead of going to the tourist spots like Fisherman’s Wharf and Nob Hill I planned a trip to see the sites of all the old ballrooms and venues that were instrumental in the Psychedelic Movement. Now they are car dealerships and restaurants, but still. The thing is criss crossing San Francisco to see these sites that mean nothing to anyone now, in doing so, when we passed Lombard Street by surprise it meant something more since it caught us by surprise! My last trip to London, I planned to see as many important Who sites as possible. I ended up sacrificing a lot of them to see Grateful Dead sites because my wife was with me. She loves the Dead but might not appreciate seeing the parking lot that was once the bar where Pete first smashed his guitar into the roof by accident starting the whole Who destroys the stage gimmick. We criss crossed seeing Bag O’ Nails club, Grosvenor’s Square, Hendrix’s House, Pete’s boathouse home/studio and home at the time in Richmond. But in Doing so we fell upon many famous tourist sites in our travels as well, by accident. This time, since she is going to be occupied and I am on my own…I am going to spend one day chasing Quadrophenia landmarks and one day chasing West London Who sites that I passed up for her last trip. I am a huge fan of English …culture I guess. I am not a fanboy. I have to do something so why not pick these destinations rather than tourist traps. Live at Leeds, a live recording of a Who concert, was released on this date. It is considered one of the greatest live albums of all time. For the 25 years I have been listening to it, based on the power of the performance, I always thought it was an outdoor show on a campus quad or something for 10,000 people. Today….TODAY…I saw a photo of the room. It was indoors, in the campus refectory or cafeteria. Maybe 400 people if lucky. I own a music venue of 300 capacity. So it would be like having the greatest live performance ever captured in a venue the size of mine. I want to stand in that room. Just for 5 minutes. I stood outside the Bag O’ Nails club last trip, where Hendrix played Sgt Peppers back to two of The Beatles in the audience 3 days after it was released. I stood out side Pete’s boathouse where arguably his best solo work was recorded. Will visiting Shepard’s Bush mean anything now. To me? Absolutely. Is it a huge deal. Nope. But I only have so much time. If I can retire for 6 months there, I can chase other things like Camelot, Churchill, Tony Robinson’s Time Team, etc. It’s just a way to criss cross and try to see real life and not blue plaque velvet rope museum quality things. Sorry… wife and I went out to celebrate Valentine’s Day so the romantic side is showing.

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george_____t@reddit

Wow! Fair enough then! While you're in the area, maybe head down to Hammersmith for the Apollo, formerly the Odeon. Pretty sure they played a famous gig there too. They're also at the Royal Albert Hall at some point this year.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Already in the plan! :)

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Rob_Haggis@reddit

Can highly recommend the seaside resort of Jaywick for a weeklong break. You could even push it to 10 days if you are feeling adventurous

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Dayglo777@reddit

More romantically known as jaywick sands

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RimDogs@reddit

Maybe move further north but near an airport so you can do trips to Europe. More likely to get that village life and get into a city more quickly. Somewhere outside Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester. If you want the Last of the Summer Wine feel somewhere near Leeds.

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Jurassic_tsaoC@reddit

Yeah, a lot of people saying villages start right outside the M25, physically maybe, but from what I have seen those sort of commuter land villages are pretty soulless, you have to get a *lot* further out of London orbit before the real village community lifestyle kicks in, rather than it just being cosmopolitan sorts who happen to live in a village setting. Not trying to start any arguments with this, but I think anyone who has experienced a 'proper' rural village in the North or Wales or far South West would say the same about the verisimilar equivalents in Herts or Surrey. They're more leafy dormitory towns than the sort of thing OP is looking for with his LotSW example.

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RimDogs@reddit

I think there are places outside of London, maybe more south but I think they would all be very expensive. By my standards any within 30 minutes of a big city would be expensive but all the places have direct lines to London King's Cross and villages that are more like the thing he is looking for at a lower price.

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Bethlizardbreath@reddit

I hope your pin lands on Corby.

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1029edjas@reddit

No need to be a dick, we don’t even know when this trip is planned for

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SilasMarner77@reddit

He must have drank the last of the wine.

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bariau@reddit

I live in Last of the Summer Wine country (very near Holmfirth, where it was filmed), and pretty much every village around here is like that. Bus/train routes to Leeds are not bad, and then it's straight down to Euston. It's about 3 and a half hours if you catch the right one. You might be pleasantly surprised to learn that we do, in fact, have mobile coverage (although I'll admit that I can't get a signal inside my stone cottage!) and fast broadband... And even a bit of nightlife, especially in Holmfirth or Huddersfield, and a bit further out in Leeds, Sheffield or Manchester. ;o) It's not impossible, but it might be expensive - being near a train station is a premium around here!

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

I am sure I am painting a picture that might be insulting, and I apologize. I can assure you that it is done in a romantic ideal and not in a condescending way. Sometimes electronic text doesn’t convey emotional context. Since you are actually from that area and say it IS very much like what is on the screen…is there any hope an outsider would be tolerated in the local pub on a regular basis? Or am I barking up the wrong tree? I know it is a loaded question…

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bariau@reddit

LOL! I'm not offended, us Brits make jokes like this all the time, especially south vs north or city vs country. We moved to the area from Manchester about two years ago, and everyone has been remarkably friendly and welcoming. We don't socialise much, but it's the kind of place where everyone says hello - I'm sure that locals would be more than just tolerant of new people. :)

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Yeah I have to believe that people are people everywhere and as long as you aren’t a complete …bell end…I believe is the term… then you will find some measure of acceptance in the community. I refuse to be that obnoxious guy from abroad.

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bariau@reddit

Bellend is completely the term - clearly, you'll acclimatise in no time.

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ironic3500@reddit

You need proof of income and residency to rent and they don't allow digital nomading in the UK.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Forgive me for asking but what is digital nomading?

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Ok ignore that question. I googled it. I will not be digital nomading. I will be burning my savings the entire time. I am selling my business and using a ⅓ of my share to fund this vacation and it will be my last vacation. After this I will settle down to a meager life style back in US.

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notmynaughtyprofile@reddit

I think based on your plans, one of your biggest issues is going to be finding somewhere that will allow a short term lease. Most tenancies in the UK are a minimum of a year. There’s the odd six months but that’s rare, especially in villages etc. I had to be a killjoy, but there is far more demand than supply right now. Any place you choose will most likely have more than one applicant. And if you only want a six month lease you’ll be put to the bottom of the pile as changing tenants is expensive Additionally, uk properties rarely come furnished. This would prevent you having to buy everything. Plus your bills would be included. For a small flat, you’d be likely looking at £300 per month at least in bills if you were renting. How important is proximity to London? I’d suggest finding an area a little further away that has plenty of air bnbs. That way you can come back to the same area, but not always the same house. Another option would be to find a holiday letting agency and chat to them about your plans. You could pre book several weeks over several months. They’d likely offer you a discount.

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bakeyyy18@reddit

We have a short lease market, if OP goes on Rightmove and checks his budget he will be fine

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Apart_Visual@reddit

Every room I’ve ever seen rented in England has been furnished. He wouldn’t need an entire house, presumably - perhaps a room in a share house would work.

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stevied123meerkatt@reddit

There is most definitely mobile phone signal and internet in Last of the summer Wine country, or Holmfirth as it’s actually known. Don’t know about nightlife but I imagine it has decent pubs and a couple of restaurants, places like that generally do. There are very very few places in this island that don’t have those things.

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C2H5OHNightSwimming@reddit

You're getting downvoted but I don't think this sounds too crazy. The Eurostar is a really short journey and takes you to Paris, Lille, Brussels or Amsterdam. If you decide to visit Belgium I recommend Ghent - Brussels is kinda whatever and Bruges is very touristy (you can get a train from Brussels in like 30 mins. Plus they have cool double decker trains)

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Yeah I don’t get the down votes. I’m just asking questions. Am I coming off like a jerk? I hope not. Last trip to Europe we did a 4 days in Paris then a day Eurostar’ing into London for 4 more days.

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C2H5OHNightSwimming@reddit

The Internet is just weird :/ Good luck with your trip!!

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Drewski811@reddit

One visa won't get you the access to all that

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

I don’t understand. I mean i would need a visa for Europe as well now since Brexit but my understanding was I can travel in europe unfettered for 6 months.

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Drewski811@reddit

So that's 2 visas.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Not staying a week. Staying the full 6 months. Just traveling to Europe as well. My plan is one stay in “London Area”, that includes 6 trips to Europe. I would feel most comfortable having a set home base rather than doing two weeks here, two weeks there, two weeks another place,etc. Part of the plan is the idea of using the incredible train network as part of the mystique. Rail in America is not the same by a long way.

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QBaseX@reddit

St Pancras is also served by Thameslink trains, which run north to Bedford via Luton but also south to Brighton via Gatwick. (I'm Irish, but have family in both Bedford and Brighton, so I'm reasonably familiar with the line.)

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

not sure if everyone gets notifications when I edit the original post so I am also posting the link to my google map with everyone's suggested village. thanks again. [VILLAGE MAP](https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1t7gOeNRqSWoE9JiFxKYc1VxnYPNryZY&usp=sharing)

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SaltireAtheist@reddit

Basically as soon as you're outside of the M25. Hertfordshire is the county immediately North of London and has some lovely villages.

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notacanuckskibum@reddit

Yeah but. Nice villages isn’t quite the same as village life. A lot (most?) villages within 50 miles of London are commuter dormitories, with something more like golf club life than actual village life.

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SaltireAtheist@reddit

What do you count as "village life" though? In (I would imagine) all of those villages between the M25 and maybe Northampton, you'll find people whose families have lived there for generations, who work nearby, who still work the land, who still go up the pub to drink with their friends, who participate in all of the village fêtes and events. What would you say is "village life"?

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lotus49@reddit

Village life means the focus is on the local area, not the nearest big city. That's why having a lot of people dependent on London for work is absolutely an argument against it. It's not village life if moving the village somewhere further away but equally nice would result in a lot of the residents moving out. Villages aren't typically fully self-sufficient as they rarely have good shopping but if everyone is dependent on the same nearby large city, that's not village life and doesn't feel like it.

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SaltireAtheist@reddit

I feel like every village I have ever been to is reliant on a nearby bigger town or city, both for work and day-to-day necessities. That's just the nature of our country nowadays.

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Blewfin@reddit

Yeah, I grew up in a village in Northamptonshire and my experience mirrors yours. In fact, for me, the idea of a village being self-reliant is a bit unusual, since I'm so used to everyone living in a village but working/going to school in one of the nearby towns.

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gilghana@reddit

This. And in the "real" villages you will be forever derided and disliked because you are an incomer and not 5th generation born and bred in this rural paradise.

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SnooMacarons9618@reddit

I grew up in a village in Herts. It wasn't quite picture postcard for the most part, but it very much was village life - some very old buildings along side the new (well, 19th and early 20th century), fields, people knew each other. Not *everyone* because it was a larger village, but you recognised people and if you spoke to them you quickly realised they were Bob's uncle, or Anna's sister in law, that kind of thing.  Me and my friends mostly moved away because nothing happened very much, but I have always known that is where I want to return to when I retire, because nothing happens very much.

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Fit-Obligation4962@reddit

Yes real villages lie further out. Nice but not without poverty and social problems.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

That was something I clued on right away. If there was a golf course in the satellite photo I was probably looking in the wrong place. :)

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811545b2-4ff7-4041@reddit

My (Hertfordshire) village sits within the M25, is surrounded by woodland, is close to the M1 (for driving into London), has it's own train station that can (indirectly) take you to Euston in 40 minutes.

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w1YY@reddit

Park Street?

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crusty__jugglers69@reddit

Bricketwood?

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ALittleNightMusing@reddit

Yes, I used to live near Barnet and driving out of it into Hertfordshire was bizarre. Just full city, terraced houses, shops etc and then at the end of the road there's a hard stop with fields and countryside beyond - because that's where the green belt starts, so that's that. Any villages outside it were their own thing, definitely Not London.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

That feeling of sprawling suburbia is exactly what I dislike about USA. I have had enough of living in a buzzing hive as well.

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sultansofswinz@reddit

I feel like in the USA you’re never that far from suburbia but it’s harder to leave. It took absolutely ages to leave LA by car. If I go to London, most of my 90 minute trip is through countryside. It’s maybe 20 minutes travelling through the city itself.

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ayeayefitlike@reddit

I lived in High Barnet for a while and used to cycle out past Brookman’s Park, Colney Heath, Loafing, Welwyn, Letty Green, Little Beckhamsted, Northaw and Potters Bar and back. Lovely countryside route with some cracking views. So many pretty little towns and villages out there.

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C2H5OHNightSwimming@reddit

Hello fellow ex Barnet resident! I grew up just down the road from HB. Loved walking from the high street back to New Barnet down through all the fields and past all the old buildings. And yeah its weird when you drive north and it suddenly goes from more or less city to full countryside in like 3 minutes

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loki_dd@reddit

The south of that county used to be a little town I grew up in. 40 years ago it was very definitely not London. Enfield was only London by association. Now it's all pretty much Tottenham upto about Broxbourne.

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dnnsshly@reddit

Come to Croydon/Sutton/Merton and then tell me again that the concept of sprawling suburbia doesn't exist!

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Albert_Herring@reddit

The Chilterns, generally, from around Luton to north of Reading - basically one continous series of Midsomer Murders filming locations from Great Gaddesden to Stoke Row. They're crossed by multiple rail lines radiating out from London; obviously the eastern end is going to be handier for the Midland line to St Pancras itself, but it's hardly a massive deal to get there from Paddington/Marylebone/Baker Street/Euston. Also places between Potrters Bar and Hertford. This is assuming that "village life" means mostly rich people with large 4x4s living in picturesque cottages built to be rented to agricultural workers whose descendants were priced out of the area long ago. But that isn't unique to the southeast. For reasonable convenience for Eurostar you could also go for the Leicestershire/Notts border Wolds country served by Loughborough station direct to StP in 90 minutes, or around Market Harborough. Cheaper property, more expensive rail fares.

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linuxpaul@reddit

The last village in London is Harefield. I think we're it.

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cheesypotato34@reddit

Are you set on being north of London? There is a direct train from Brighton to St Pancras which doesn’t take long, and there’s lots of little village style places in between Brighton and London

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Pretend_Watch8892@reddit

Last of the Summer Wine was filmed in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire... Bit of a commute from London! I live there myself, it's stunning.

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imfinewithastraw@reddit

Berkhamsted is a lovely little town with a train to Euston in 30 mins. The town itself is great but if you want country village, under ten mins drive away some really cute villages too - little Gaddesdon, Potten end, ashridge etc

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Fabulous-Relative333@reddit

Literally 20 mins from here is Denham village. Lovely place in the Colne valley. You probably can't afford to live there though.

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Friend_Klutzy@reddit

Though not the same Colne Valley where Last of Summer Wine was filmed!

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Fit_Manufacturer4568@reddit

Holme Valley. The Colne Valley was where, Where the Heart is, was filmed.

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Fabulous-Relative333@reddit

No, it's the one dahn sarf. I know both well since I'm from not far away from the town of Colne and now, for my sins live partly in that there London.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

That is what I figured on finding, the first band of countryside around London being very expensive.

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summinspicy@reddit

If it's at pancras you're after, you have the option of Kent due to HS1, Sandwich has a train to StP

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drplokta@reddit

Wye near Ashford is more villagey than Sandwich, and closer to St Pancras.

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teachingisboring@reddit

Have to pay the Wye tax, which is higher than the Sandwich tax. Plus have to change trains, I do want to live in Wye a lot though.

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drplokta@reddit

You don’t have to change trains if you’re an early riser, there’s one direct train a day at 0536.

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ironic3500@reddit

Royston in Herts is 30 minutes to kings cross

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Yes. For some reason my mind feels right to continue in one direction rather than travel north west to Eurostar and then southeast on it. But in reality it doesn’t matter. It just makes the area I need to research impossibly large. Haha

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Fabulous-Relative333@reddit

Yeah, totally. South is probably better. But further out. As long as you follow a train line you ought to be good to get into London.

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k987654321@reddit

South lands you right into the Surrey Hills which is absurdly expensive.

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BishBeesley@reddit

Denham is lovely and would probably be a lot more expensive if it didn’t have the flaw of a very very dodgy looking lane to the station. When we chatted to locals about it when we were thinking of moving there we kept hearing, “I always drive my wife/daughter to and from the station”. There probably is very little crime along the lane but that’s more because people won’t use it alone outside busy commuter times.

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Fabulous-Relative333@reddit

I've walked that lane many, many times often on my way back from the pub in Denham at closing time. Never seen anything even vaguely uncomfortable.

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BishBeesley@reddit

I don’t know whether you are a woman or not, but those we spoke to would not do that in daylight or after dark. With high undergrowth both sides and twists in the lane it looked quaint and lovely to me but very threatening to my wife. Again, the crime stats for the area don’t show it as an issue but it may get very little lone female traffic down it. If it had been straight and well lit then I suspect we’d be living there now.

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Fabulous-Relative333@reddit

Yes I am male and I understand the difference but I've never seen anything down there to be worried about. It is actually well lit but yes the woods alongside and the last bit being a dog leg and under the railway arch are probably the worst parts. It's a bit of a walk round the main road way and not much better in terms of bushes.

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BishBeesley@reddit

We tried the long way round too as we loved the house and the village and the location near relatives made it all work. But the other way has many hidden spots along a main road so fast that if anything happened no car would notice. It’s bad that this is even a factor but there we go.

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Fit_Manufacturer4568@reddit

Random suggestion. Why don't you look at North Kent around the Darenth Valley? Some nice villages around there. Then you have direct trains from Ebsfleet to St Pancreas. Eventually they might even reopen the Eurostar terminal there.

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Apprehensive-Ad7250@reddit

You will see village life right in the centre of London, albeit African village life.

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JohnnySchoolman@reddit

You gotta check out Luton. We call it the jewel of the North. I didn't want to give away to much by telling you all about it, as it would be much better if you arrived not knowing what to expect. Prepare to have your mind blown.

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UbermachtRhinehart@reddit

Yeah thus

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ProperAd9832@reddit

Because you are probably not too familiar with London, and you plan to visit Wimbledon and want to be able to go to central London whenever you want, why not consider Wimbledon and the area around like Wimbledon village? From Wimbledon you can go very easily to St Pancras. At least you will already know Wimbledon a bit, so it won't get overwhelming when arriving to "pick your base". You would get very close to places like Richmond park which is lovely. Also make sure to check the areas you want to visit beforehand given this is the last big trip you want to take :) I am not sure Shepherds bush is worth a trip, and except for a big shopping centre/Westfield I am not too sure about White City, there are a lot of more beautiful things to see in West London 😉

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danhalen74@reddit

Unless OP is SERIOUSLY minted, i mean lottery winner with 7 figures in the bank minted, forget living in Wimbledon Village. Its nice up there but ludicrously expensive and the pubs are full of rugger buggers with deck shoes and pullovers draped over their shoulders. (my former brother in law is a tennis coach up there). Some great areas up there and the Common is beautiful but not somewhere to reasonably rent for most people. ( Born and raised in SW19 and currently residing in SW20).

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ProperAd9832@reddit

I actually moved from Stratford area to SW19/Wimbledon because i found cheaper here with more space and safety (had to look obsessively to find though, and I don't have lottery money)😅 I am more of a café person so didn't venture into the pubs so I wouldn't be able to comment but the area looks more suitable for a couple that is probably in their 60s. Also because the plans looked expensive I assumed the person could afford anyway tbh.

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Invanabloom@reddit

Maybe check out Marlowe or Henley.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Setting up my google map and Henley brings up many locations. Can you be more specific?

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Invanabloom@reddit

Henley on Thames

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nimbusgb@reddit

Kent, Ashford Eurostar. Lots of still nice villages but, after sprnding 20 years in the South we moved to North Wales. Speed of life is vastly different, flights out of Manchester or Liverpool are cheap or trains down south are just a couple of hours ride in a booked seat with table, charger and coffee available.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Ok so are you saying there is a Eurostar stop in Ashford? Because when I started thinking of this plan a few years ago I thought there was one there and one in Gravesend. I planned and planned based on Gravesend being located with a London tube station and a stop for Eurostar. Revisited my plans and now find Eurostar only from St Pancras to Paris non-stop. Was I imagining it? Is there a Eurostar stop in Ashford?

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nimbusgb@reddit

There was, and there are rumours that it's coming back.

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sp25049@reddit

It’s not currently operating, but Ashford and Ebbsfleet might get the Eurostar back in the next couple of years, which is about the amount of time you’re wanting to stay in London, so worth keeping an eye on it. https://www.railtech.com/all/2023/10/26/eurostar-passes-up-kent-until-2025/?gdpr=deny

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BlackJackKetchum@reddit

There are many attractive villages in the London commuter belt - I grew up in one. The downside to a lively community vibe is that people expect you to join in.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

I would like to take part in what I could. Figured to be open if approached but not try to force my way in. The last thing I would want to be is “that guy”

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BlackJackKetchum@reddit

Be present and show willing - most organisations are itching to welcome new blood. *Really*.

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lotus49@reddit

This is spot on. Organisations thrive that can attract new members. That's how they keep going. There are often film clubs, book clubs, sports clubs, gardeners' club, dog walking groups, bridge clubs, WI, you name it. All of them are usually delighted that anyone is interested in joining in. That's what makes village life what it is - participation and support.

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lotus49@reddit

In a real village, every community group would almost certainly be delighted to have you join in. One of the things that characterises villages in England is that sense of mutual support and the feeling that the village is in it together. The only thing to be aware of is to join in not dominate. Almost all village groups want new members.

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milly_nz@reddit

Yeah, you’d think so. Lived reality? Everyone knowing all of your shit all of the time, and having to participate socially all the time..It gets really old reaaaaaaally quickly.

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surfhobo@reddit

Watch hot fuzz

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bariau@reddit

For the greater gooooood.

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Sad_daddington@reddit

Yep. Can't imagine anything worse. I don't socialise, it just grinds my gears, and some village communities just don't get that. And it's always busybody retired boomers with nothing left to do in their lives other than annoy people who are trying to enjoy their time off work. No Janet, if you want to fuck about doing a stall at a fete, YOU go and do that, I've been working for the last 6 days trying to get this project finished and written up in time for a deadline, and I want to just spend Sunday sitting on my own in the quiet playing computer games. Oh, you're coming back 10 minutes later with Geoff because you think I'm not being "civic minded" enough for the community? Oh, also? Villages tend to be full of the worst fucking tories and Ukippers. Casual racism, homophobia, transphobia, stupid, bigoted opinions on stuff ("they should bring back national service, a stint in the army will soon cure all this ADHD and autism everybody seems to have nowadays," that sort of thing - being a psychologist who specialises in autism research, I would naturally point out how wrong they were until I realised that arguing with a right wing boomer either gets them on the edge of a breakdown, yelling at you because they're too fragile to accept being wrong about something, or they just patronise you that because you're not 60 or older, you clearly don't have their experience in life. One genuine response to me telling them that autism and ADHD are genetic conditions - "I lived in India for 20 years, I think I know a thing or two about people." Seriously, wtf?) I didn't stay that long, luckily I was only renting but Jesus, the pressure to join in their stupid retirement games or xenophobic rhetoric was fucking unrelenting and exhausting. No understanding at all that not everyone had 100% free time to spend wandering round like a fart in a trance making jam or doing some fucking shitty Am Dram for the 3 other people in the village who weren't involved in it.

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BlackJackKetchum@reddit

That was heartfelt. Proper reply forthcoming.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

You are describing me down to every stitch… at this point in my life. I am hoping retiring from 20 years of crushing responsibility to my employees and shedding all financial burdens for 6 months will change that outlook. I know I will never be that busybody civic cheerleader, but I am most certainly going to be that retired Boomer. I am hoping that I can strike a balance of village insular rejection and polite “oh I would dare to pretend to belong” shy attitude from myself with actually participating a just enough to be tolerated. Imagining regularly sitting at a table with the paper and pint not bothering anyone enough nights until someone says “right, I’ll find out who this tosser is!” And engages. Hopefully the pure truth of my intention to really try to earn the right to get an understanding of what true english life is like will open some doors to friendships.

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ernfio@reddit

I will die on the hill of London being a city of Villages. And that village culture is more alive within London than in the commuter belt. It’s just not always picturesque. Second hill, London is the least British part of the UK on just about every measure. It has a different culture, different economy, different ethnic mix and different politic.

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i_sesh_better@reddit

Chilterns?

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lotus49@reddit

Holmfirth (Last of the Summer Wine) is a small town rather than a village but you won't find many prettier villages than in Yorkshire. There are plenty of them that are much nicer than Homfirth (which I know and like). Unfortunately, it's nowhere near St Pancras. I don't like the south east at all. There are a lot of bland dormitory towns. If you want somewhere genuinely rural and pretty but still not that far from London you need to go out to Dorset, Sussex, Suffolk etc. Hertfordshire, Surrey, Kent etc. are really not that appealing. The Cotswolds is lovely as well but if you want to head North, it's quite a long way until you get to genuinely lovely villages.

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JT_3K@reddit

Stupid question, but if your only need is to get at Eurostar “every so often”, Yorkshire is in reach? Wakefield station does a 1h40 fast service to London that only stops at a few places. Anywhere around the outlying areas of Wakefield would give you that sort of place at massively lower costs than ‘outer London’?

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

I didn’t know that. I was thinking 30-40 minutes outside of London would be close enough to still be able to pop into the city on a whim, but may have to sacrifice that convenience. It is all going to be a balance of Time, convenience, and surroundings. And price of course.

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ScreamingEnglishman@reddit

Your other issue is going to be your vision of a last of the summer wine area is going to be nowhere near a main train line into any of the stations. You'll likely need to get a cab to a local station. Lots of little villages in and around bedfordshire (Clophill, Ampthill etc) but its not the greatest county to live in.

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BellendicusMax@reddit

We blame that on Luton...

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

I won’t have a car so would have to rely on public transport. So that is definitely a big factor.

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JT_3K@reddit

I mean, Yorkshire is cheap and as well as that direct run, you’re mostly equidistant between Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester there. I prefer it as a way of life, but know that London has more ‘stuff’

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ayeayefitlike@reddit

I mean, even Edinburgh is only 4.5 hrs from KGX - you can do a run from Berwick or Newcastle or Durham with only the swap onto the Eurostar to worry about. If it’s not a weekly trip then one of these could be much more affordable for a nearby pretty village.

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Engels33@reddit

Picking upon this to point out that both Kings Cross and Euston stations are walking connections to St Pancras - so start on lines going north from there.... but frankly anywhere north or west of London where you can train into the city and then get a decent connection to Sr Pancras are going to be fine and there's plenty of places you imagine - it's not a difficult place to connect to... The big thing is tta those villages exist... But if they also have a rail station to London then they will cost £££ , the compromise will be a nice village that you the have to drive to the rail station

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Yes I am digging through the rail/tube/tram maps every day trying to narrow things down. I won’t have a vehicle so I think ultimately I won’t find a village as much as a town to be near to rail station. Just hoping against hope to find the perfect mix between all the factors does exist and magically there will be a thatched cottage just waiting for me somehow. Ridiculous I know.

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SquirrelParking7006@reddit

Garden city's like Letchworth have a bit of a suburbia feel but in a nice way, as opposed to Steveage or mk

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curry_in_my_beard@reddit

The Thameslink north from King’s cross has a bunch of villagey places - Mill Hill village (not specifically near Mill Hill Broadway station but a walk/bus from there), Radlett, Elstree. Basically most places on that train line from Mill Hill beyond will be a Hertfordshire village within an hour from the eurostar

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Heavy_Dirt_3453@reddit

I know you've said north, but don't discount south. South of London there's places like Eynsford which is nice, and has a Roman villa well worth checking out, that's on Thameslink so you can get there directly from St Pancras. I mean, there are also places inside London where you can experience village life. Downe for example is outside the contiguous sprawl but is in the London Borough of Bromley. No trains but you can get the 146 or R8 bus. Not sure if there are any hotels though, but you can visit Charles Darwin's house. Worth a visit. It really feels like a sleepy remote village - that it's actually in London is mind blowing.

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SausageRollPrincess@reddit

Have you thought about somewhere like Saffron Walden? I only went there once while living in Cambridgeshire but I think it has a train station to Kings Cross?

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DreamyTomato@reddit

Berkhamsted? There's an ancient ruined castle literally next to the train station. I used to go there for picnics. \* Ruined castle (free entry) \* 37 mins from Euston \* Near the Harry Potter film studios which do good tours for when your family visits (book several months in advance though) \* Classic English name that sounds like an insult.

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V-Bomber@reddit

I suggest looking at villages around Leighton Buzzard on the line out of Euston. You could drive to the station, grab one of the Express trains and get to London in <40 mins. Then walk down the road to St Pancras for Eurostar

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Ok_Youth8907@reddit

lived in Enfield the majority of my life, and if you drive down the A10 it's jarring that once past the m25 it's immediately farm lands and country side

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Remarkable_Scene_733@reddit

Jaywick is a nice seaside town not far from London. House prices are quite cheap also I've heard.

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Combatwasp@reddit

Nice wind-up, Dude.

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JuggernautUpbeat@reddit

North Herts and Central Beds have a lot of little villages and towns. There are some very, very rural villages up in the Chilterns east of Luton (eg Tea Green, Offley Hoo, Lilley Bottom, Kings Walden) with some amazing landscapes. Very popular with cyclists, always bikes outside the village pubs! There are some bigger villages in Herts that are super pretty - Codicote is lovely, so is Gosmore. Ashwell in Beds is knock-your-socks off beautiful, loads of listed buildings though!

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Foundation_Wrong@reddit

Wendover in Buckinghamshire. FYI last of the summer wine country is in Yorkshire

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atypicalsian@reddit

Amersham Chesham Wendover Tring

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p1p68@reddit

Farnham is lovely village in Surry with quick rail links to London. If you look at a map of the m25 village life is on the other side near enough.

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TheGamer942@reddit

Honestly, if you go far out on the Met line you’ll find those towns and villages you want. Chorleywood, Chalfont St Giles, Amersham and Chesham don’t feel like London at all, and it’s because they aren’t, they’re leftovers from the nature of the Met in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Chorleywood is the smallest/‘quaintest’ of the lot though - only around 10k people live there

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Murk1e@reddit

It rather depends on what you expect in a village. If you want a “village feel”, there are places in London with that by way of community. If you want isolated thatched houses and people in the pub saying “The usual, Amos?”, then it’s one direction, and if you want cobbled streets and hilly scenery it’s another. What do you wish to see?

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Level_Reach_6069@reddit

There are plenty of villages in the Home Counties that are rural or semi rural. An example would be Taplow on the Elizabeth Line. I’m no expert on villages but from my experience, anywhere beautiful that is commutable to London is more or less a commuter area by now. These villages in the South East that can commute to London are going to be affluent areas with not much happening as opposed to charming village life of the North.

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orangeblossom88@reddit

Might be worth looking at a long term air bnb rather than a rental as 6 month tenancy agreements are rare here and the place will likely be unfurnished! Best of luck with your trip, and like others have said, Bedfordshire or Hertfordshire fits the bill :)

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ffulirrah@reddit

Otford, Shoreham, and Eynsford have trains direct to St Pancras at some times of the day. During the rest of the day, you'll have to change twice, but it's actually faster because you can change to fast services.

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ffulirrah@reddit

Balcombe as well

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shannoouns@reddit

The countryside starts the second the second you leave the m25. It can be pretty countrysidey inside the m25 too. You probably can't afford to live somewhere that idlic that close to a tube station though :')

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

I am sure that is the trade off I will have to face. I am not fixated on “the perfect English village” but if possible I would like to live in a small population.

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Mootpoint_691@reddit

What do you consider a small population? Some small rural towns have under 13,000 people, some villages have 6,000 people. If you’re looking at under 1,000 people, those are very small villages or hamlets…. We’re in the more rural end of Hertfordshire, so as someone else said, you can walk five minutes out of your front door and you’ll be in a very rural area. Be aware though that because of London and its exhorbitant rental prices many people have moved out so the main roads ( and trains ) can be incredibly busy. You’ll find the ‘locals’ on the back roads and the train station will probably be around a 45 minute/1 hour walk from wherever you choose to be …

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RebelScum95@reddit

Pretty much everywhere in the U.K. is available via London on the train in about 9/10 hours. A 20 min layover can fuck your entire day up tho, there’s always buses to help you out if that happens. Meticulous planning is key if you’ve got a deadline, but public transport is pretty good here. What kind of village do you want? You have the heroin-ridden, picturesque ones that have been that way since the miners strike that don’t want you there, or the really insular ones that were there before the miners strike. I’m only sorta joking, coming from a defunct mining village it’s easy to see why people don’t want you around. There’s not a lot there to be seen and people wonder what you’re up to, or who invited you there. Be friendly with anyone and you’re almost instantly accepted anywhere, but villages are usually a tough nut to crack. Like many posts say, just leave Greater London and you’re into a village essentially. There isn’t a lot going on in a lot of villages up north unless you’re part of the community, which you’ll find and unending amount of crazy things happening around you. When I say crazy, I mean batshit crazy 😂 Scottish village life is much the same, such is the Welsh. Not been to Northern Ireland so can’t speak for that, but I imagine it has the same incredible sense of community that all the rest of them do. Sunflowers without fire are boring usually. Speaking as a Geordie who lives on the Isle of Wight, both of which are very similar. TLDR- 10 mins outside the M25. Guys called Keith are really good or really bad.

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obolobolobo@reddit

It took me many years of living in London to realise that the whole place is actually a massive conglomerate of villages. Brixton sounds like one place but it's actually fifteen villages nudged up against eachother. The same is true of Streatham, Peckham, Acton, Hendon, Shadwell, Hampstead etc. However that's not what you asked. I would look at Redbourn. Just outside St Albans, so direct line to Kings Cross. Cricket pitch in the centre which serves for village fetes, outside of the cricket season. There's tea shops which serve an afternoon tea. Scones. A pub on the village green. A cemetery which has ancient moss covered grave stones and a tidy church which bongs on Sunday mornings. It's exactly what you asked for. Now, how much you looking to spend? Rural idylls don't come cheap. However, don't despair. The expensive stuff is hard on the green and cottagy wattagy. Redbourn is bigger than it seems and if you don't want a literal thatched roof then there is plenty of local housing which was added in the fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties. It somehow still all feels villagy. My thiry four year old niece (first time buyer) lives there and just beyond her back garden there's a field with horses.

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Significant_Spare495@reddit

Not an answer - but whilst you're in Wimbledon, check out Wimbledon village. I find it amazing that such "country-vibe" places exist within the confines of London.

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Salty_Preference6628@reddit

You are going to waste quite a lot of money getting in and out of the country if you do that six times. Same with travelling around the UK - if you have one base you are going to be travelling back and fourth repeatly on the same stretch of motorway. That will add to up to a lot of wasted time and travel. I don’t understand why you are not blocking where you go to maximize the time you have. If you are using savings and not working then you could get a camper van and travel around the country for two months up to Scotland. Then back to London for a month before going interrailing for two months. Finish for a month in the town you liked the most eg Bath.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Not going to drive. Idea of learning local laws and signage seems too much. I understand the idea of bouncing from place to place, and ultimately economics might force me to do that. All I can say is at this point, the “idea” of becoming a temporary part of a “village culture” is very much a part of this whole concept. Should I find that getting a flat in London near St Pancras is the most economical then I would have to seriously plan it out the way you are. For now, reserving the option to do nothing and sit on the couch for 2 weeks straight instead of having 6 full months planned out to the day is much more appealing.

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TheOtter91@reddit

So looking at your thread and the comments back and forth I think you're getting a lot of positive and also a lot of reality checks which isn't a bad thing. A 6 month trip with dedicated weeks to smash out each disparate area you want to interact with? And a home base to chill at. I mean it doesn't sound like a bad idea does it. The village culture thing is fair- but we have a wide wide variety of villages so the kind of thing you're after may or may not meet your expectations wherever you go. Holmfirth is gorgeous, my auntie and uncle live there, and there's actually a fair bit to do- if you want to do last of the summer wine country, then why not have the actual shooting location as your base? Two discussion points come to mind that I haven't yet seen come up: 1. Would you be a lodger in someone else's house? Never done it myself, but that could give the homey feel and I'm sure if you did your research you could find like minded people who would be happy to hang out at the nicest village pubs with you. 2. Do you own property in whatever country you are from and would you do one of those home swap things? Not sure people would necessarily go for 6 months, but I've never done it before

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Salty_Preference6628@reddit

Sure I understand that about the driving. All the best with your trip - you will work it out.

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Monkey2371@reddit

They're quite far from London but I'd say maybe Oxenholme in Cumbria, or Morpeth or Lesbury (Alnmouth station) in Northumberland. They're on either (west and east) of the two main lines between London and Scotland so have direct access to both, as well as many other cities, towns and villages. They're 2.5-3 hours from London. They're right in the countryside in the most highlandy part of England. And btw, even with Eurail etc., you still have to pay a €30 reservation fee for the Eurostar (each way), so it can still be cheaper (and obviously much faster) to fly into Europe, and these places have easy access to Manchester or Newcastle and Edinburgh airports. You can fly to France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and others for cheaper than that. Property and renting in the north of England is generally considerably cheaper than the south, though Oxenholme may be a bit of an exception to that because of the Lake District. There's pros and cons to each over the other so I'll give more info if you want.

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AnotherLexMan@reddit

Just drive up the A3.

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SalamanderOk9896@reddit

St Albans is 20 miles away, loads of villages between Watford and St Albans .

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benjm88@reddit

Northaw and its near Cuffley Station which goes direct to St pancras

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notmynaughtyprofile@reddit

I used to live in exactly what you’re after. A 17th century cottage, not thatched though. It was about a 45 minute walk to the nearest station (King’s Cross in 40 minutes) and surrounded by parkland. Pub five minutes down the road. It cost me £1750 per month to rent and £450 per month in bills as there was no double glazing and it had oil heating. The owners realised the potential this had. Turfed me and my 7 year old daughter out on fictional claims (they were definitely fictional, and they admitted such) and now rent it as a luxury holiday cottage for £300 per night…

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Yeah…that sounds AWESOME …while it lasted.

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Jazzylondonuk@reddit

For a village like That on the outskirts you’re going to be spending a LOT

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Ordinary-Following69@reddit

Ignore the local animals in public collecting rubbish, it's community service, you're also not meant to feed them, enjoy your stay

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Ok_Concentrate3969@reddit

Camden

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clearbrian@reddit

tbh Wapping is deader than my village at home in ireland most days....well except for joggers and the 100 bus :)

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Impressive-Safe-7922@reddit

I studied in East London, and had an exam in Wapping once - walking out of the underground station and along cobbled streets to the exam location was surreal, like my two short train rides from Mile End had somehow taken me to some village far from London.

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KonkeyDongPrime@reddit

Go to Burnham or one of the villages near Maidenhead. Village-like but still commuter belt into London.

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ThatNiceDrShipman@reddit

I've been to Biggin Hill a few times to rent a motor home, and if I didn't know better I would have sworn I was miles outside London inside of still inside the M25.

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ThisDig4978@reddit

Warwickshire is a fair way north but you can be in london in less than an hour and a half. There is a coventry to Euston train so anywhere on that line (though not coventry) would work given how close Euston is to St Pancras

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Longjumping_Funny935@reddit

Barnes

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Bosteroid@reddit

You’re probably better off using Windsor or Oxford as a base. Quainter and easy access to London and the Cotswolds. As a starter, Burford is a typical and nice place.

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jamesianbriggs@reddit

Stevenage is a 19 minute train ride from Kings Cross. It's definitely not a village although not as bad as a lot of people make out and trains are very frequent. Once you're at Stevenage, a 20 minute drive will put you in a lovely village surrounded by open countryside.

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ValidGarry@reddit

Where are you moving from if that's where you are planning on moving to? Do you meet the UK immigration requirements?

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

I believe I can qualify for 6 month tourist visa. I know I can’t emigrate. I am currently in Baltimore Md usa. Working town, 3rd or 4th level down in terms of population, wealth, status. More a big town or small city than a real metropolitan mecca. That is part of the reason why I am looking for a “village.” I really would like to kind of know people by face or at least have everyone around me know everyone else vibe.

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ValidGarry@reddit

I know Baltimore - I'm a Brit who moved to Richmond VA a few years back. What you're asking for is something expensive that would cost a lot to carry out. Lots of London commuters live within an hour of London by train. The really well off live in nice villages with good rail connections to London. So you're punting for a niche expensive market. I don't know what you would plan to do in that village, but if you're planning on doing the tourist thing, you'll spend more time and money traveling than being in the village. If you're in the village, what will you do there? Public transportation is better in the UK as a whole than in the US, but you'll be at the mercy of trains and buses for your time there. I don't know if you have been to the UK before, but I'd suggest getting a cheap flight (BWI to LON is about the cheapest route) and spending a few days in London to get a bit of a feel for it. I'm not sure that what you're asking for would give you what you want.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

This trip will be my third trip to London. So I have some frame of reference as small as it is…I traveled to Salisbury, Milton Keynes, Canterbury and Bilston. No real experience but enough to get a feel. I am figuring that it will probably be too expensive as it is what everyone will be searching for. I am exploring this looking for the perfect situation first and compromising a little at a time as the truth sets in. But if you don’t aim high you will never find it. I am sure I will have to radically change my plan and probably end up in a one room apartment somewhere. I really have to decide if the idea of being part of a relatively small local community when not traveling is worth trading longer commute to Eurostar. I know I will never be part of a village and will always be “the american” but I would like to believe I could at least be tolerated. I would be in the village at least half the month so it wouldn’t be like staying in a hotel.

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Extension_Sun_377@reddit

Harpenden and Wheathampstead - and you can then visit the Roman remains at St Albans.

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JudasFace@reddit

Following the M11 motorway past Harlow, there is Bishops Stortford, Stansted Mountfichet, with an international airport and Saffron Walden, all of which are surrounded by great villages, good quality schools (if that's relevant) and good train links to Cambridge and London

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

Thank you. Schools are not an issue. No kids and only staying for 6 months.

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takemeawayimdone2@reddit

Just don’t stop in Harlow 😂

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adski42@reddit

If you want no phones, no internet and no nightlife (basically the middle of nowhere) you need to go quite far. There are beautiful towns around London, but they’re definitely not remote. I grew up and live in the commuter belt around London and the only time I have felt the way you described is when I’ve been to rural Shropshire and mid-Wales. That’s 3 hours+ from London.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

No I definitely don’t want that. Just figured somewhere like that might not have that kind of infrastructure. Of course given that my references are all picture postcard tv references I am sure they are out dated and untrue.

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Curtains_Trees@reddit

Inverness

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Ethel-The-Aardvark@reddit

Bedfordshire is probably cheaper than Buckinghamshire or Hertfordshire, and trains from Bedford are on the direct line to St Pancras, 40 minutes for a fast train. I live in a really pretty Bedfordshire village, out to the west of Bedford. North Beds is also nice. Check the flood history of any properties you’re interested in though, the Great Ouse in Bedfordshire floods regularly but the at-risk properties tend to be well known as it’s not an uncommon event. We all know which roads/bridges are likely to flood, even down the order they flood.

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BrianShupe@reddit (OP)

That information is very interesting. I will definitely look into it. Thanks

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jesus_mooney@reddit

Just north of aviemore

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Additional-Egg-9062@reddit

Can't remember the names of the villages but if you travel towards Clacton and Walton on the Naze area which is the seaside you got lots of small villages old English style pubs and shops it's about an hour and twenty mins from north London

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ComposerThen6483@reddit

Buckinghamshire has some lovely villages, especially in the Chilterns. Mandeville was where the vicar of dibley was filmed & chitty chitty bang bang.

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