If I were to get a contract in West London (Edgeware Road tube apparently), what sort of accommodation would I be best looking for, and where? It’d be 4 months or more, so might nice if I could avoid a 6 month contract, but proper short term lets are usually very expensive.

Just need one or two bedrooms really, or maybe even a studio if it was big enough.

I lived in Ealing Common for a while, it was nice. 2 bed flat was about £1500 a month a while ago though.

I’d head south maybe. District line goes to Wimbledon which may be less costly and is better for leaving London to go riding.

How much time are you prepared to spend commuting?
Can you cycle there? Do you want to live in suburban, leafy, dirty, Hoxton, crackden?
Wimbledon is renowned for being awful in the mornings and evenings on the District Line.

I would prefer to cycle rather than have to take a tube. Dunno about how long I want to spend commuting – however long it takes so I can get something reasonable and flexible for less than £faaarginell!

Don’t really mind where it is as long as it’s not really rough.

Seem to remember places like Acton and Chiswick being ok and reasonably priced when I worked down there…?

If you’re commuting by bike look for somewhere without a tube but on a train line as they’re normally significantly cheaper. Have a look at Barnes, Mortlake, Sheen and Kew. Leafy and very pleasant with some very good pubs but not too expensive compared to Putney, Richmond or Hamersmith. Only 20-25 minutes into Waterloo and with easy links to the Surrey hills and Swinley.

Huws +1 stay away from the tube if possible for cheapness

You’ve not really said what you want or need?
Monday-Friday crash pad? Just you, or will the family visit? Do you want access to afterwork riding i.e. the North Downs? How much do you want to spend? Do you want easy travel to and from central London to go out, or a local nightlife, or will you just sit in a room all night and eat cold baked beans from a can?

I’d probably go for somewhere just south of the river- handy to Clapham for trains to the Downs – Wandsworth/Battersea/Clapham/Balham and a short but worthwhile commute on the bike. Not as expensive as the nicer parts of West London.

Somewhere up the brown line – Willesden Junction?

Willesden Junction?

-1, grim place IMO

Huws +1, unless you want to live centrally.

A friend was working near Edgeware Rd. He lived in Golders green (sp). Nice quick commute by bike, seemed like a niceish area too.

chiswick is where i chose to live
nice pubs, plenty of parks, good restaraunts even some cultcha

nice place 30 min cycle to edgeware road

close to the m4: can be at cwmcarnr in 2 and a bit hours if im feeling flush with petrol

You’ve not really said what you want or need?
Monday-Friday crash pad? Just you, or will the family visit? Do you want access to afterwork riding i.e. the North Downs? How much do you want to spend? Do you want easy travel to and from central London to go out, or a local nightlife, or will you just sit in a room all night and eat cold baked beans from a can?

Sorry.

Monday to friday crash pad, for me and probably the family for some/all of it.

Riding not an issue, I’ll get some rollers or just run or something in the week

Nightlife not a factor, see point #1 🙂 Although some amiable family eateries would go down well, as would a park or swings or somewhere to walk a bit.

Cheers, Huw’s suggestions seem appropriate. Costs are probably eye-watering though.. weighing up renting or just commuting from Cardiff by train which works ONLY IF I get to work on the train and put it on my timesheet.

Sheen, Kew or perhaps Twickenham. Basically the further out you go the cheaper it’ll get (generally) but the further you’ll have to cycle and the less inclined you’ll be to visit the center.

I think my cousin lives in East Sheen.. and I have a mate in Twickenham too.. 🙂

sheen is nice and twickers aint bad either 45min+ cycle in but very doable

Right, well the contract in question is apparently an emergency hiring role – I had a 5 min phone call with the director whilst he was on holiday (and arguing with his wife!), which apparently impressed him, so I’m talking to the techie tomorrow. Could be there tomorrow afternoon.

Dunno how I feel about it tho, would rather have had something local, but I wouldn’t mind a (short) spell in the Big Smoke.

Northfields.

Ealing has some really great parks for the little ones, lots of family friendly pubs and Restaurants, some nice independent shops on the main road.

I’ve been here almost 10 years and for part of that I managed a team in Cardiff, I was down there in just over 2 hours when I needed to be.

Big Smoke

😐

Barnes is very nice, a little village really, and especially so for the wife and children, but unless you like the feeling of everyone looking down on you like a leper then I would look elsewhere.

if you need somewhere at relatively short notice you can rent the halls of residence from imperial college during the summer for a very reasonable price in paddington until you get something more permanent sorted (just a suggestion, i’m living there whilst working in paddington)

Barnes is very nice, a little village really, and especially so for the wife and children, but unless you like the feeling of everyone looking down on you like a leper then I would look elsewhere.

[fitting in]I saw a youth wearing a tracksuit in Barnes the other day! A youth, in a tracksuit, in Barnes. What is the world coming to?[/fitting in]

It’s a very nice place and luckily has no shops that would be of interest to looters unless of course they’re after a wing rib of beef, a bugaboo push chair or some delicious sherry.

apparently tottenham will be pretty cheap soon….

Ealing? 😕

Scrub Ealing it’s now burning 🙁