Would you recommend where you live?

Dogstar

Dogstar

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I may need to move quite soon; I will be looking for somewhere rural, good outriding with decent land (not heavy clay). Also, within cycling distance to a train line into London. Any suggestions appreciated! Thanks.
 
I like where I live in Hampshire. We are on chalk here, good riding in the area as well as travelling a little to some lovely places. It's 20 minutes by car to the nearest line to London where I am but of course you can live closer. I don't know exactly where you could live that is completely rural and in cycling distance to the train line because that's in the town and it depends where around there you'd want to live.
 
Don't think the last comment was fair, I've lived in both Hampshire and Essex. I believe that home is where you make it and there are nice parts and not so nice parts too. We were only 5 mins from a mainline in Hampshire (Liss/Petersfield) and loved the rolling countryside and it was very horsey, we are now in Essex but about 15 mins from a mainline station, it doesn't have the rolling countryside as its much more flat but there's still some really fantastic riding countryside.

Both area's are horsey, both have some great Tack shops, including Ingatestone and TDS, plus competition venues.

The world, or simply the commute is the real question as in which part do you want to commute to, as this can be the part that adds the time.
 
I live near Maidstone in Kent and its pretty good :) We have mainline services to london pretty regulary and there is plenty going on horse wise as well. We have fab hacking,plenty of shows,clinics etc although we do lack a bit in major comp venues like patchetts etc but there is Cobham for aff BD and BS,Chilham for BE etc if you move a bit out of the towns there are some gorge villages and hamlets - real picture postcard :) The only thing I find we lack is self drive transport - there is nothing in Maidstone really and I have to drive to either Bexley or Northiam to pick boxes up .
 
I live in Chelsfield in Kent we are 2 mins from the train station which is then only a 20 min train ride into london bridge !! really easy commute

Hacking is great still inside M25 with great hacking !! lots of close venues and great transport links x
 
It all depends how much you have to spend on a property as where you could live.

Anywhere within easy reach of a station to London does not come cheap.

I live not far from Yateley in Hampshire, lovely riding and not far from a station either.
 
Dogstar,

It depends how far you need to move! I'm in North Oxfordshire, quite close to Banbury which has good, fast links to London.

Thera are 50 villages within quite a small radius and many have good hacking and turnout at the various yards. Also easy to reach many venues and events.

As I say, it just depends how far you need to move from Bucks!

Good luck...:)
 
Thanks for all the very helpful comments! REALLY want to avoid clay after living all my 40 years on two heavy clay farms and usually losing the will to live by about March! I would think the New Forest would be too expensive, though lovely, so maybe thinking any cheaper areas of Hampshire or Wiltshire.. Looked at Suffolk but there didn't seem to be many bridleways? Chilterns also appeals, but would be unnecessarily expensive. Would be looking for c15-20 acres of nice south sloping land if anyone has any tip offs ;-)
 
I'm also on the lookout for good villages/towns with nice livery yards with a train line into London Bridge, Liverpool Street or King's Cross. Suggestions would be lovely! Ideally I wouldn't need a car...
 
I would recommend cirencester, direct line from kemble (3 miles out of ciren), about 1hr 20 mins into town. The most amazing hacking bar none in ciren park. Is utterly amazing!!!
 
Unfortunately, OH says Leics is too far North as it would be lovely, esp. the hunting... I do like the Banbury area, not sure if that is too far from Londonium too...Cirencester sounds promising, I will check out the map. Hadn't considered Kent before...Anyone from around Andover as the hacking looks good near there? Finally does anyone know any websites with land/yards for sale? Thanks :-)
 
I'm in essex Broxbourne to be exact which can also be considered hertfordshire, not on clay, 20 minuets to on piccadilly line to kings cross which you can change at to any line and be in central london in 35 minutes in total :D
 
I live in Kent, near Edenbridge, its a 45 min peak time train to London bridge, or as I do to Victoria, 50 mins. Sevenoaks is 35 mins on the train to Charing X. Horses are kept in the weald and we do have clay, lots of it. However really depends where you go as yard I used to be at had none and they are less than 5 miles from where I am now. Also places across the Surrey border like Oxted are very nice and quite horsey, but expensive to live.

Grew up in Hampshire near a place called Romsey, no clay!! But expensive - we could not afford like for like property wise when we bought our first house here in Kent (200k). Train from Southampton Central to Waterloo was about an hour I think, however when I have got the train home to parents on a friday night, I have never had a worst train journey than that! SO overcrowded I would end up standing until Basingstoke, even Winchester once. Cost of a season ticket is a lot more than what I pay, so it works out a lot more cost effective living where we do and commuting into London.
 
I live in west sussex on the coast and I dont like it at all, there is no hacking apart from the beach or if you have a box to get to the downs, the village i live in is full of very strange people, I used to live in Surrey and had my horses near Reigate and the hacking was amazing! I moved when my parents did but I plan to go back when I can buy my own place
 
I'm currently in Essex, 40mins to London Liverpool Street by train. Ok clay soil, but around Brentwood/Ingatestone/Margaretting it isn't really all that bad tbh! Great turnout around me, brilliant comp venues (Norton Heath, Towerlands, and others), not to mention Ingatestone saddlery, TDS, Janette Moss. Although depends where in Essex as I find prices vary so much.

I've lived and had my horse in North London, by M25, 20mins to King's Cross by train on piccadilly line, and there is some FAB hacking (and great pub rides too) around by Crews Hill (Enfield), easy drive to loads of competition venues, and tack shops. For a balance, I would recommend somewhere like Epping Forest, Waltham Abbey area. Not stupidly expensive either for London/Herts area.

Personally I prefer Essex, but I do miss the pub rides back in North London, and great wood hacks I used to be able to go on.
 
Thanks for the further tips and place to avoid, all good food for thought! If it was just me I would head for Cornwall or the wilds of Suffolk I think, but having to compromise for OH's budding career... The land would need to be sloped though as looking to build an eco house! So Essex might be a bit flat..
 
East Dorset- 20mins from Bournemouth, Poole and the New Forest- great train connections and all the good bits of the local areas but not as pricey as most :)
 
Hmm that looks delicious riding ther Megan2006! Lucky you. Forests are good for me but I think East Coast too far from train links...are there any permissive forests etc elsewhere in Suffolk/Essex borders do you know? Tinks81 I am still being open minded on area but have been searching under various counties on Rightmove. Unfortunately it doesn't seem the ideal place to look for land, most of it is just little building plots! Thanks again everyone. Really helpful.
 
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