It would do for a rental for a few months ? No ? If the rent was cheap, I mean. Yeah, cheap rent in Guildford, that was funny eh ?

The people who bought our house in Woking wanted to live near Guildford, so our area of Woking being 4 miles away suited just fine. Horsell seems ok. It's expensive to rent. I once worked with someone who quipped, 'fillet steak crisis in Horsell'.

Horsell high street is ok for a few shops. Woking town centre is within walking distance if you live close enough. The Wheatsheaf pub overlooks Horsell common and is part of the Inn Keepers Lodge chain of b&b's. The Red Lion is a popular Horsell pub. Buttercup Beauty is a good beauty salon in Horsell. My old dentist is Maycroft Dentist in Horsell. You will need to drive to Victoria Way from Horsell to get to the Six Cross Roads roundabout.

Knaphill has a 'villagey' feel. To get to the A320 which leads you to Ottershaw and onto Junction 11 of the M25, you will need to drive to the Six Cross Roads roundabout in Woking from Knaphill, the six cross roads is mega busy during peak traffic periods. The Anchor Pub in Knaphill is unpopular. However, there is also a petrol station, a co-op convenience store and a few other shops too. Sainsburys supermarket is not far. Neither is the back road to Guildford which runs past Sainsburys. Bisley is to far away from Woking town centre for me, nothing wrong with it though.

Mayford isn't to bad, mostly residential with one corner shop and a barbers ! Just as a heads up, 'The Bird in Hand' is better than the 'Mayford Arms' IMO anyway !

BTW, where overseas are you moving from ?

Pirbright looks nice, but it's administered by Guildford Borough Council, so, strictly speaking it's Guildford. So is Jacob's Well. Same deal for Ripley. East and West Clandon look nice but will be expensive. Go to the Queens Head in East Clandon for a drink and a meal anyway. Their New Year's Day brunch was lovely. Send looks nice enough. The parts of Send that border Pyrford look nice, in a quaint sort of way !

Chobham / Ottershaw are ok. Don't know what the rents are like though. I don't know who administers the area. Ottershaw is Runnymede I think. Both are five miles approximately from Woking. Chertsey/Egham are small towns rather than villages. Both have a train station.

Hi,


Moving from San Diego with American wife and two kids. I want to live within walking distance of a town centre. After living in the US where you can't walk anywhere, being able to walk is key. A couple of miles is fine, especially if there's a bus service too. I saw the rents in Horsell and they were OK, a bit pricey but cheaper than Guildford.

i just want somewhere with good state school, walking distance to pubs, shops, etc and safe. Also good connections to London, M25 and M3.

Cheers,
Jon

Can't comment on schools as I don't have kids ! Anything else I've already mentioned. Good luck with the move.

The problem is, that request is not a 'just', that's pretty much what everyone with kids wants in that area. Hence the prices. It's a shame you need to get to London, as there are myriad places that fit the bill outside of the need to access London. Good luck

I live in Horsell. It's a nice area and close to the town centre/train station. I went to Godalming College and would say Godalming is far, far nicer - as is most of Waverley lol. Some of the houses I walked past on the way up the hill Could only dream of living somewhere that affluent. Trains are frequent, loads of shops, close to Guildford, Godalming, Haslemere if you fancy a little trip somewhere else. Portsmouth isn't too far as well

Schools are good, can't say much about primary schools as I only moved here in 2007 and went to secondary and then college, but if you have some money, the private schools are worth a look - the ones round here get some of the best results in the country - although Charterhouse and Cranleigh are £30k a year, there are some cheaper ones. For secondary (although you probably aren't thinking that far ahead yet), Saint John the Baptist is probably the best in Woking, then for 16-18 Godalming is the best close state college, with Farnborough Sixth just a short hop on the train across the border into Hants.

West Byfleet also have some 'cheaper' areas, although there isn't much variation in price along the South West Train corridor coming out of Waterloo - every train is packed with commuters and there's a reason rents are high. Knaphill is worth a look (close to Brookwood station). It's a few miles from Woking town centre, but no doubt it'll be cheaper than Horsell. Although, having said that, if you can afford Horsell, it's probably one of the nicest areas close to town.

Good post We do enjoy living in Godalming and can't imagine uprooting to somewhere else in the area, as Godalming has everything we need. I work in Guildford (not for much longer) so don't need to schlep into London thank goodness, but I know people that do and they say that they like living in Milford/Godalming/Farncombe area because they always get a seat on the train. Once it rolls past Guildford apparently it's a bit of a bun fight.

Lived in Farncombe for 5 years. Really loved the whole area.
Nice to get back there at the end of a long working day. Once you drive over the hill of the A3 going South and take the slip road off the A3 going to Godalming it feels like another world. A much calmer and nicer world.
Guildford is IMO the best 'city' town in the South East.
If I had any money I'd move to Godalming. Having Godalming town centre and Guildford so close I never really felt I needed to go anywhere else.
Fantastic countryside in all directions. I think people have listed Dorking and the Downs as a nice place to go. And they are not wrong.

Then you've had some pretty good advice so far.

Many towns have direct train access, why not just commute, pretty much like everyone else, ,you really cant drive to work into London quickly or cheaply, seriously, its a major commute not to mention expensive with gas(petrol).

I'd really look at the train instead, a lot more relaxing to.

I used to live in Camberley, that was only a few mins drive from J3/4 of the M3 which would be handy for you.

Hi Jon - yes I do - Horsell village is a very nice area - village feel (nice old church, row of shops etc) but still within easy access of Woking town centre and train station - it is very walkable.
With a budget of 1,500 a month you should be able to get a 3 bedroom semi very close to the station. I've lived in Woking for 7 years now and really like it - close to London but with easy access to areas like the South Downs etc.
It's also undergoing some major development in the town centre - a new shopping complex is being built that will house a new M&S. Not as pretty as Guildford but surrounded by beautiful heathland, woods etc.
Also - you're only 25 minutes from Heathrow and London Waterloo.