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Guildford

place to discuss doing things round and about the UK or to ask advice about other locations
MrCake
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Guildford

#200962

Postby MrCake » February 12th, 2019, 11:02 pm

I'm thinking of moving to Guildford for various reasons. I worked there for two years some time ago so know it quite well. I'm attracted by the housing, shops, surrounding countryside and ease of road, rail and air connections. But I've never lived there. My wife and kids (7 & 11) have visited there a couple of times and are ok with the idea. I would commute into central London (Waterloo then one tube stop) but can also do some working from home.

We currently live in London, but I think it will be healthier, safer and nicer in Guildford.

I'm wondering if anyone can share their experiences of living in Guildford?

UncleIan
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Re: Guildford

#201055

Postby UncleIan » February 13th, 2019, 11:52 am

Caveat: I've never actually lived in Guildford, but I've lived nearby.

It may be worth, I don't know how, trying the commute a few times. Though I guess if you're used to tube trains it may not seem bad. Sometimes the problem with the commuter trains is you're not very close to the start, so the trains could be already fairly crowded by the time you get on them. Paying £6k a year or whatever it is now and not getting a seat may grate after a while. You might also want to look into what the traffic is like if you need to drive into town to get to the station to park, and how much that is.

Guildford is the local "big town", so you basically should be able to get everything you need in town. It always used to be the place we went to get clothes and shoes and stuff from the larger retailers that we didn't have in our small town. In a way it's a little London. House prices are steep, traffic can be bad. I'd expect crime is not as bad.

Yes, you can get out to the countryside very quickly. The roads to the south are full of cyclists at the weekend, but the countryside round there I find very pleasing, lots of rounded wooded hills and it just looks "nice" to me.

Other people escaping from London to near Guildford have also tried smaller places like Godalming, Haslemere, and Farnham amongst others.

No comment on the schools, I only know there's some of private ones in the centre.

GoSeigen
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Re: Guildford

#201070

Postby GoSeigen » February 13th, 2019, 12:52 pm

MrCake wrote:I'm thinking of moving to Guildford for various reasons. I worked there for two years some time ago so know it quite well. I'm attracted by the housing, shops, surrounding countryside and ease of road, rail and air connections. But I've never lived there. My wife and kids (7 & 11) have visited there a couple of times and are ok with the idea. I would commute into central London (Waterloo then one tube stop) but can also do some working from home.

We currently live in London, but I think it will be healthier, safer and nicer in Guildford.

I'm wondering if anyone can share their experiences of living in Guildford?


If it's a daily commute consider Woking or nearby: it's slightly closer than Guildford and has far superior train services in to Waterloo, 25 minutes and trains every 5 minutes at peak times. Good variety of property like Guildford and nice, if flatter, countryside.

Guildford itself is pleasant and convenient for travel. Amazingly it only had (I think) two large supermarkets until recently but has acquired a Waitrose and Aldi. Schools are good in both Woking and Guildford. Plenty of decent pubs, shops and restaurants.

GS

MrCake
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Re: Guildford

#202358

Postby MrCake » February 19th, 2019, 3:04 pm

Thanks both. As I said, I have worked in Guildford some years ago, and as I didn't say, I have lived close-ish before, in Cobham and Haslemere. I'm pretty sure I will prefer it to where I am now, and that the family will too. Decision time very soon as school offers have to be accepted or declined in the next 2 weeks.

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Re: Guildford

#203559

Postby BobbyD » February 24th, 2019, 1:25 pm

Mostly Harmless, as you'd expect from the claimed home of Ford Prefect. Pleasant, very green, good for restaurants, clothes boutiques and mobile phone shops. It probably is pretty much what you experienced working there, it's not big on hidden depths. After hours life isn't what it used to be. Probably just the right amount of boring to take some of the anxiety out of bringing up two kids.

GoSeigen wrote:If it's a daily commute consider Woking or nearby: it's slightly closer than Guildford and has far superior train services in to Waterloo, 25 minutes and trains every 5 minutes at peak times. Good variety of property like Guildford and nice, if flatter, countryside.


The train from Guildford takes 10 minutes longer, and means you don't have to live in Woking...

I would look at the front door to station leg of the journey though.


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