I lived in St Albans, and the Mrs family is in Harpenden and St Albans. They're "nice", but bloody expensive. And the friendliness level might be a bit of a shock compared to Shef (I've lived there too).
But that's the South in general 😉
Don't think I'd want to live in Luton or Dunstable. Wheathampstead looks OK, don't know if it's that good for single life. BTW I've been stopped from going in to the pubs in Harpenden and St Albans for wearing trainers, they're mostly full of that sort of pub.
The area round the A6 Bedford road and Old Bedford is fine but not a young person type area. lots of big detached houses. I teach in the sixth from college there. I do meet loads of great young people at work
I live in my forum name and I really love it (and I have lived in Sheffield). A younger colleague moved to the area recently and lives in Hitchin. Hitchin is more expensive than Ampthill. But its big enough to have a good range of shops and clubs and bars open until late.
Ampthill is more pubs and Restaurant than clubs. Although its far from dead on A Saturday night
can you say where your working? Might be worth asking where people usually locate to and whether there is much of a social scene
I could imagine living in Luton and I do have colleagues that love it
I grew up in Luton, would recommend you look at the following areas:
- Wigmore is a relatively new development/area (about 15-20 years old), was always pretty ok but I understand there are pockets of pretty pikey bits now, so view both day and night.
- North end of Barton Rd and areas either side were always pretty decent
If you want to go a bit further out and can handle not being "in town", look at Barton, Lilley, Caddington, Sundon Village. Slightly further afield is Hitchin (lived there for a while, nice little market town).
Avoid Dunstable & Houghton Regis. Best thing they could do there is build a big wall around it and fill it with water.
There are worse places than Luton you know.... Not 2 miles away is Houghton Regis. A more wretched hive of scum and villainy you'll not find.
I live in mk and commuted to Luton for the last year and it was ok actually (30mins door to door) though it was Sundon Park which is easy to get to as its on the outskirts. Central Luton can be a swine to get into and park.
If you moved to Dunstable there will be an shiny new guided bus way between the two towns pretty soon which is worth considering but I'm not a fan of Dunstable either or at least the town centre? If you drive a few hundred yards out the back of Dunstable however you are into some really lovely chiltern terrain.
[url= http://www.knowhere.co.uk/Luton/Bedfordshire/South-East-England/info/worstthings ]More about Luton here[/url]
daveatextremistsdotcouk - MemberI was born and bred in Luton. Can't think of anything positive to say about the place.
Avoid Harpenden, full of the most miserable people imaginable.
Hmmm, I live in Harpenden so I concur, I am miserable!
We moved here nearly 20 years ago, yes it can be very snobby, & yes it's stupidly expensive, even renting a flat would make most wince, but it does have some redeeming features as might have been touched upon above 😉
TBF I know a few people who have moved to Luton from Harpenden to get a bigger house at sensible money & they say it's not that bad, but then they seem to live in gated estates with private security & never seem to socialise in any of the local eateries & their kids still seem to go to school in Harpenden.
My brother lives in Hitchin & I go out there occasionally & it seems a little less pretentious & all the better for it.
To finish I would say that if nightlife & young ladies are your main aim then you need to work on the premise that the nearer Luton you are then easier it will be, if you move to some of the more affluent villages then it may cost you a bit more in effort/money to get the same desired result 😉 (joke!)
Cheers.
I have to stand up for Leighton Buzzard.
A great little community and certainly not on the down, far from it.
Though I did move up from London, and my missus from Leeds, and neither of us would ever move back.
It does have a strange way though. When I was renovating my house the plumbers, electricians and few other trades wouldn't take any money for their time! you do each other favours.
Anyway Luton is a dump, I hate it but it generates a lot of work so hey ho.
Where about's in Luton will you be based? as you can probably tell the place is surrounded by great towns and villages. You could just nip in if you base yourself right.
My best mate lives in a very gentrified part of StAlbans, the place has always been on the expensive side. I find the place a bit uptight.
He thinks Leighton is a great little place...
Walk out of my front door and straight onto the Rothchilds stud and farmland.
Couple of Hundred yards to the Grand Union for rides, walks and canoeing.
Short ride to Woburn Sands for loads of XC and play.
Nip the other way and you're up on the Ridgeway.
Loads of other rides nearby.
Road racing twice a week just up the road, great CX over the winter and a few local XC races.
Nice place.
All the surrounding villages are great, but the geography changes a lot. Bedford, St Albans and that way are quite agricultural. Leighton, Heath & Reach are on sand and form part of the chilterns.
Whatever, nowhere is far from any of these places.
Berkhamstead'd be quite a nice place to live I reckon
Luton has one redeeming feature... The rip roaring hatters football team! Come on you hatters!!!
andyrm - Member
More about Luton here
😯
Thanks loads for the advice and offers of local knowledge everyone - i'll be revisiting this thread when i move down.
So far Harpenden is top of my list I think. But i'll go and visit beforehand.
If you like the look of Harpenden, the Batford area is marginally cheaper certainly if buying,not sure if that is reflected in rental prices.
Jolly Green Giant - MemberIf you like the look of Harpenden, the Batford area is marginally cheaper certainly if buying,not sure if that is reflected in rental prices.
Isn't Batford just south Luton though? 😉 (Runs for cover)
PS, I once had a customer in Southdown that stared off when giving me directions with, & I quote, "as you drive into Southdown village from Harpenden" 🙂
Edit, because it would look even worse if I put it in a new post, this made me laugh the other day [url= http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38531722.html?utm_content=ealertspropertylink&utm_medium=email&utm_source=emailupdates&utm_campaign=emailupdatesjun11&utm_term=buying&sc_id=6158384&onetime_FromEmail=true ]Example of the stupid prices in Harpenden[/url] 😯 , & no I can't afford it, but chances are it will be demolished & a newer monstrosity put in it's place 🙁
Terrible call. That place earned my description as 'a small town with a smaller town's mentality'. Dying on it's aerse for the last 15 years. Almost no redeeming features.
Hey, back off the Bizzle! When was the last time you came to taste the delights? Trust me it's getting much better and I've been here on and off for the past 35 years.
I have to stand up for Leighton Buzzard.
Thanks oldgit 😀
BTW this thread has certainly thrown up quite a few of us in the area. I'm sure I must have bumped into a fair few before now unknowingly. Probably a bit squiffy in the Wheaty.
Ampthill (the poster above not the place!) - I think you may be a colleague of my OHs - she's at the college too.
St Albans here, not going to go over Luton again but it suffices to say... AVOID AT ALL COSTS! I lived happily in central Birmingham for many a year so that's not an idle statement.
Harpenden and St Albans allow you to get fast trains straight into London so there's all the flange acquisition you could ever want right there. Plenty of posh totty closer to home though.
There's some lovely road riding around the villages (Kimpton, the Ayotts etc), and you can easily loop over to Ashridge for even more greenery and bigger hills. Plenty of bunches go out from St Albans on a regular basis ranging from 'nodder' to '2 hours in the pain cave.'
There's even a 'cyclists refuge' cafe called the Hub in Redbourne just west of Harpenden which would be a good place to start if you want to join a few groups.
Yeah, it's expensive, but it's nice and there's plenty of pubs that don't mind trainers... honest.
Luton... just say no.
BTW this thread has certainly thrown up quite a few of us in the area. I'm sure I must have bumped into a fair few before now unknowingly. Probably a bit squiffy in the Wheaty.
How about a meet up and ride to look for a place for Finbar, it'll be like 'Location, Location, Location'
A Harpenden/St Albans STW meet? Surely that would be the most middle class event this side of a recording of the News Quiz.
I'll pack my fair trade Waitrose houmous.
So long as its the Moroccan style houmous with chick peas, tahini and moroccan style spices 🙂
So long as its the Moroccan style houmous with chick peas, tahini and moroccan style spices
Well of course, what kind of peasant do you take me for?
I do apologise 🙂
Well I would bring some Waitrose Houmus, but I have just found out that M&S have the more expensive version, is it OK to bring that instead?
Can we just bury Luton with sand and pretend it never exist 🙄 ...or put a lot of warehouse over it
Well I would bring some Waitrose Houmus, but I have just found out that M&S have the more expensive version, is it OK to bring that instead?
Just pop it in the Fortnum & Mason hamper so no one sees the packaging 🙂
Bury it with sand? That's racist, what is your problem with Arabs exactly? 😉
I forgot to say that Ampthill has a Waitrose 🙂
and yes I have eaten waitrose humus this evening 🙂
Just pop it in the Fortnum & Mason hamper so no one sees the packaging
Bollocks, just perfected my Harrods labels & you go & take it up a notch, have you any idea how much work went in to them? 😉
To be fair, I've since discovered Fortnum and Mason don't stock Houmous, we'd be fooling no one!
This should do nicely...
[img] 
[/img]
Pretty much standard issue for a picnic in Verulamium park eh wot?
The Deli* does sell houmous, I'll have you know.
(Family history.... Fortnum's = The Deli. Harrods = The Corner Shop. Berry Bros = The Offy. Don't ask....!)
Ive always wanted to revisit the Bedfordshire area.
Was born there but we only stayed another 6 months.
Oldgit and Elliott_20 speak the truth - it's all good in the Buzzard! We've lived on and off in the general Luton area (Hitchin, Hemel Hempstead & Leighton Buzzard) for nearly 20 years; and although I'd happily work in Luton - I wouldn't choose to live there.
We ended up in Leighton Buzzard after living abroad for a couple of years - we had no particular ties to anywhere, except for some friends in the Herts/ Beds/ Bucks area; and we needed good transport links to London. So, my wife visited every market town (for us villages are too small, and cities are too big) we could find, and asked people in the street what they thought about their town. Passers-by in Leighton Buzzard were unanimously positive about their town; which they hadn't been anywhere else.
There's some great biking on your doorstep - reasonably priced housing (Bedfordshire and a Luton postcode make a huge difference) - and some great pubs and restaurants.
On a slightly less partisan note - Hitchin is also nice (and an easier commute to Luton); and Harpenden and St Albans are very pleasant - if insanely expensive.
Maybe see you in the Wheaty...
Interesting reading about Luton - where I work.......Its actually pretty much like the poorer parts of London.
I agree with Hitchin being a good call - I actually live in Letchwoth a couple of miles more eastwards. 1st Garden City (before Welwyn & Hamstead) and was the first New Town circa 1901ish 'a town in the country'.
There's some great singletrack riding about (we ride out every Sunday- Check out Bikeradar MTB Rides etc - and google 'sillygrin' and 'MTB OTT' websites who ride in the area.
Ditto the sticky mud too - but shh its dry at the moment....
Oh yeah - Letchworth is good too - and you get black squirrels too!
well im originally from houghton regis and then lived in dunstable for most of my life
until I went to uni and havent been back since! apart from visiting the folks
there are plenty of nice villages in the area and even some parts of luton and dunstable are quite nice
the best thing is that you are in the middle of the chilterns and theres loads of riding to be had, woburn, aston, chicksands are all close by and the downs themselves embrace both towns, just watch out for wet chalk!!
I forgot to say that Ampthill has a Waitrose
So doe's Leighton Buzzard.
oh and dunstable downs have the gliding club too!
[img] 
[/img]
How about a meet up and ride to look for a place for Finbar, it'll be like 'Location, Location, Location'
A Harpenden/St Albans STW meet? Surely that would be the most middle class event this side of a recording of the News Quiz.
I'll pack my fair trade Waitrose houmous.
I'm moving down from Sheffield. I can bring some Henderson's Relish.
*shuffles off worrying about whether I should attend etiquette classes before I arrive*
*shuffles off worrying about whether I should attend etiquette classes before I arrive*
If your worried live in Luton. Trust me it makes Sheffield look like a finishing school
*shuffles off worrying about whether I should attend etiquette classes before I arrive*
If your worried live in Luton. Trust me it makes Sheffield look like a finishing school
Another shooting yesterday, makes 14 this year and three shot dead have you taken that job yet?
🙁
But these things CAN happen in the nicest of places, but it makes better headlines when they happen in less affluent ones.
But to redress the balance 12 gun-related incidents in the town in 2013 tells you all you need to know.
shooting number 15 this morning, robbery
😯
Redbourn is nice, and not as expensive as Harpenden/St Albans there are also some nice villages west of Redbourn; Flamstead, Dagnall, Gaddesden Row, which are all 10-15 minutes from Luton (depending which bit).
another shooting!!
another shooting last night . losing count now need a new police force
Just watching on BBC local news now, it is very scary how the kids don't fear the police or indeed any authority, we need a bigger stick 🙁
Update from the OP: I'm just in the process of renting a lovely flat in St Albans, half a mile from the train station 😀 .
