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If you’re the type of person that finds it hard to choose whether you want sweet or savoury popcorn, or a hot or cold drink, you’re probably not exactly indecisive, just someone who wants the best of both worlds. When that extends to big stuff such as where you want to live in relation to where you work, then it gets a bit more tricky. Do you plump for ease of journey but a tiny flatshare in Kennington, or bags of room in Brentwood but playing dodgeball with transport strikes and engineering works? Factor in the ever-rising property and rental prices in the capital and staying in London for your downtime zzzs may not even be an option. It’s peak domestic residence logistics – too arcane a puzzle for us amateurs.
Thankfully, there are people in the know that do all the delicate weighing up of prices, green space and broadband coverage then release their best-ranked places to live and commute to London, complete with travel times. Time Out checks out the conclusions of Phil Spencer (yes, him off ‘Location Location, Location’ minus Kirsty ‘Give up coffee, Netflix and EasyJet’ Allsop) just published on the IQ Move blog and then, because we can’t resist, weigh in with our own thoughts.
Coming in fifth place in the rankings is Iver in Buckinghamshire. Commuting to London takes 25 minutes and your terminus is Paddington, but house prices there are still close to £550k. Still, you’re just six miles from Heathrow, it’s very green, has some Anglo-Saxon remains and you’re right next to movie history in the shape of Pinewood Studios. A great spot to rent if you’re in – say – the next James Bond film.
Number four is occupied by Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. It’s just 25 minutes from St Pancras, and is – weirdly – also known for its cinematic heritage, with Elstree Studios, a collection of different studios across various sites of which two still remain. Movie buffs might rhapsodise over ‘The Shining’ or ‘Dr Zhivago’, but for our money, it’s the fact that ‘The Muppet Show’ was produced here that gives it outstanding kerb appeal. A good choice if you’re an extra in ‘Holby’. It’s celeb-strewn too: Dele Alli and Gino D’Acampo both live here.
Number three is Reading in Berkshire, currently 25 minutes from Paddington, but the stretch of the Elizabeth line that runs there opens in 2023 and it will effortlessly connect residents with Bond Street, Canary Wharf and Stratford, which suddenly makes it a good choice if you commute to the City. House prices are around £370k but a season ticket is a tough ask at nearly five grand a year. Obviously, Reading is known for its annual music festival but recent news that its existing four Lidls will be joined by a further three has caused a right stir in the local press. One for lovers of the random-stuff aisle.
Hitting the number two spot is Hatfield in Hertfordshire, a county where, reassuringly, according to ‘My Fair Lady’, hurricanes hardly ever happen. If they did, it’s only 21 minutes to King’s Cross, plus you’re handily close to Luton Airport for sunny getaways. A house will set you back about £350k and there’s a theatre, a contemporary art gallery, and lots of Tudor and Jacobean history courtesy of Hatfield House. A good option if you need an excuse to parade around in a ruff. Like Danny Dyer.
Finally, top of the list is St Albans, a mere 20 minutes from St Pancras. It’s another hugely historic settlement, in Roman times known as Verulamium. Also in Hertfordshire, so the same rules about hurricanes apply, but house prices here hover perilously close to £600,000. We’ve heard good things about local independents, including bookshop Books on the Hill and the Odyssey cinema and it’s also famous for being the only English town to have ever produced a Pope, so if you’ve got your eye on the Vatican, this could be the one for you.
So there we are, these are your top five dormitory commuting options. If you can’t do without the London postcode, your cheapest option is a bedsit in Bexley or Havering but you’ll have to go without the avo on toast.
You can now use Citymapper to plan your Elizabeth Line journey.
Get an Uber Boat all the way to Barking in east London.