How many of you have been to London ?

I guess there are those that go there and just assume that it’s 8 million all crammed in like Soho/Westminster, and black snot. But even somewhere as close to the centre as Putney is in many respects just like a small town. A high street, a tescos round the back, a handful of pubs, and a load of housing. It’s just that the housing on one side merges in to that of Wandsworth on one side and Barnes on the other. And to the South it merges on to more park and common than probably almost every single town in the country.

Oh and the council tax was peanuts. There are places where the monthly bill exceeded the annual bill for Wandsworth, even when Wandsworth has the extra surcharge for the parks.

I still remember the first time I set foot in London more than 20 years ago where I stayed with my mates in Stockwell, I thought the whole place was a bit grim … errmm … so I thought I would escape the grimness by moving north … damn … it’s still very grim. The whole place is grim even at where I am now.

FFS could someone switch on the light and build some warmer houses please. I know we need to preserve the heritage but cummon … it’s freezing my nuts off.

😯

Got to go there tomorrow, hate the place, crowded, busy and it’s worse now they don’t speak English, I shall go have my meeting, lunch and hope to get back in time to be on the water after work. It does at least only take 37 mins on that hi speed train, the best thing to come out of Lunnon.

The real problem with places like London is you don’t have stuff like this a few hundred metres from your back door

And what else is a few hundred meters from your back door? Not a much I expect, which is fine if that’s how you like it, but it would be naive to think that everyone living in a big city craves that desolation and being in the middle of not a lot 345 days a year.
as a city dweller I don’t see not having a desolate empty landscape on my doorstep as a “real problem” if I did I wouldn’t live in a city.

It does at least only take 37 mins on that hi speed train, the best thing to come out of Lunnon.

You willingly choose to live in Ashford?* Well there you go, not everyone thinks the same (I can’t stand that artless shi**hole)

*36min away on the HS service from st pancaras.

When I moved back up north I said ‘wheres the **** flowing singletrack. Its all double track’.

I still say this 80% of the time. Theres no FLOW.

I’ve been as a child and quite a few times more recently. It can be a nice day/weekend out. Have friends who live there, they seem to enjoy it, can’t seem to shake the feeling that they live there because they have to though (jobs wise).

Annoying because there are a fair few IT jobs going down there, which doesn’t particularly make sense, as we tend to be able to work from anywhere :). I know I couldn’t do it because I want to be able to put emphasis on doing what I want with my free time now that I’m free to lead my life post Uni.

I wish more folk hated London; there’d be less **** aound and more room for us Londoners. 😉

I don’t understand the obesession with money though; yes, it’s a n expensive place to live, but if you get the balance right, you can be lauhng. I have a leisurely 25 minute ride in to work, my wife walks in. We are very licky to be mortgage free, and be sitting on a goldmine should we wish to uproot. We both enjoy our jobs, and have what we consider to be a fantastic lifestyle. ‘Touristy’ stuff? Rarely go to the west end, but will catch several exhibitikns/visit the big museums/galeries several ties of year, but also do stuff that’s way off the tourist trail; local venues, small theatres, music gigs in pubs etc. Never short of something to do or invitiations, in fact we end up having to chose between several different things very often. Food; no need to go to overhyped ‘michelon’ places if you know what’s good.

I recently had to suffer oming back in on a train from Luton airport; 6.30 and the train was packed by St Albans with the most boring **** you can imagine, going to work in the city. Probabyl thinking they’re so clever because they earnso much, but forget that they spend a massive, miserable chunk of their lives commuting in at great expense. Dead by 68 because they’ve overworked and overstresed so much, chasing the dream. Idiots. All that and you end up a boing **** in a souless commuter belt town. Well done.

44. Born and bread. Lived here allmy life. Wouldn’t even dream of moving to any other UK city, save perhaps Bristol . Newcastles’ surprisingly ok too. Leeds, Manchester, Biringham (urrgh)- no thanks. All the negatives with hardly any of the positives. Biking? Fortunately we have a bit mre going on than just riding bikes at the weekend. Nice to get away now and then; we’re thinking of buying a farm in Cumbria actually. We can do things like that you see, as we’re so rich. 😆

As for driving through centrl London from Canary Wharf to Condor; idiot. There’s a very good Evans in CW that specalises in road bikes! Youdeserved to suffer! 😆

Binners has a point about social cleansing I think. Unless you’re a couple and both earning 60k plus you’ll be finding it hard to make the most of all the opportunities and the place becomes unattractive. There’s been a few reports this year of employers saying they can’t afford to get graduates into London any more – rent/mortgage too high to be able to pay them a living wage.

Boris better keep an eye on that – London needs people at every income level to work – it’s a working city with cleaners/waiters/office workers as well as the City boys, oligarchs and chief execs. If it’s too pricey for the mid or lower paid, the whole place will decline. The rich need everyone else to be there too. Bit like the aristocracy need the working class to run their estates and the middle class to manage them…

Interestingly housing prices have been dropping for the last few months. A bust (20-30%) will do the place some good in the long run to keep the new and younger generation moving in…

brooess – Member
There’s been a few reports this year of employers saying they can’t afford to get graduates into London any more – rent/mortgage too high to be able to pay them a living wage.

Shouldn’t they just relocate their office to other part of the country? 😯

Unless you’re a couple and both earning 60k plus you’ll be finding it hard to make the most of all the opportunities and the place becomes unattractive.

Utter bollocks. We’re on nowher enear that, and have as I said a fantastic lifestyle (we think so anyway). WE just don’t have massive finacnial demands on us though mortgage, credit, travel costs etc. The notion that you need to be super-rich to enjoy living in London is rubbish; granted, it’s vvery (increasingly) difficult for the very poor, but if you’ve got a brain in your head, it’s not vastly more difficult than living in any other city.

Unless you’re a couple and both earning 60k plus you’ll be finding it hard to make the most of all the opportunities and the place becomes unattractive.

Absolute twaddle. Even paying high rent/mortgages costs the majority of London’s gets by quite happily on considerably less.

OK for a visit but would never want to live there. Can’t imagine why anyone who loves the outdoors/adventure would do TBH.

Air quality and the tube are absolutely horrific – cattle get treated better.

as a city dweller I don’t see not having a desolate empty landscape on my doorstep as a “real problem” if I did I wouldn’t live in a city.

I have beautiful woodland with river gorges right on my doorstep, then rugged open moorland a slightly further walk away – I also live in a vibrant town with a great gig venue, an independent cinema, and loads of interesting stuff going on all the time. I can be in central Manchester or Leeds in 30-40 minutes where there’s loads more going on.

London isn’t the only place where culture happens.

33
Loads of times

“Best city in the world” – which others have you visited to compare it to?

I’ve been in London for more years than I spent in the north 😯 20+years! I started in the south(Lewisham!!!) and have lived West ,East and been in the North 10 years.It is an amazing city and when I am away from it ,I now miss it.
I love the mix of cultures&haveEnglish,Spanish,Italian,Romanian,Polish,Irish,Somali,Pakistani,South African,Isreli,Chinese,Indian and Iraqi neighbours/friends. Only trouble is with the Cumbrians 😉
It’s easy to slip around town and avoid the congestion if you know where you’re going. We regularly go into town/soho for a mooch around galleries & always Liberty’s!.The improvements to kingsCross area are amazing imo
I enjoy living in the North London Alps,where we are,not far from the O.P.,there is a real comunity spirit – now we have Li’l J, even more so.

I can be in central Manchester or Leeds in 30-40 minutes

Comiserations. 😉

Is this one of those ‘where I live is better than where anyone else lives and i’m better than everyone else cos I’m so clever’ type threads? Just enjoy what you have. Personally, I’m a city boy, and love living here. I can appreciate other people making different choices/enjoying different things. Get on with your own life and don’t worry about others.

No just trying to counter smug nonsense like this from people who think London is the centre of the universe.

44. Born and bread. Lived here allmy life. Wouldn’t even dream of moving to any other UK city, save perhaps Bristol . Newcastles’ surprisingly ok too. Leeds, Manchester, Biringham (urrgh)- no thanks. All the negatives with hardly any of the positives. Biking? Fortunately we have a bit mre going on than just riding bikes at the weekend. Nice to get away now and then; we’re thinking of buying a farm in Cumbria actually. We can do things like that you see, as we’re so rich.

And ‘oh living a fantastic lifestyle in London is easy when you don’t have a mortgage’. Really? I wonder why more people don’t try that? 🙄

Get on with your own life and don’t worry about others.

Unless you’re a couple and both earning 60k plus you’ll be finding it hard to make the most of all the opportunities and the place becomes unattractive.

Utter bollocks

With 2 bed flats in Sydenham and West Norwood (until recently not very desireable) now going at £350-400k and even renting such a place c £1200/month, how does someone on median wage of £35k have the spare cash to go out?

And ‘oh living a fantastic lifestyle in London is easy when you don’t have a mortgage’. Really? I wonder why more people don’t try that?

Precisely. You’re very lucky/have worked very hard to get there, sure, but it’s hardly the norm for your average Londoner is it?

hora – Member
When I moved back up north I said ‘wheres the **** flowing singletrack. Its all double track’.

I still say this 80% of the time. Theres no FLOW.

Christ on a bendybus. Sometimes the vacuous stupidity of the bilge that spills forth from your keyboard amazes me.

Heres a thought for you…. maybe if you ever turned up for the rides you say you were going to turn up for… instead of sitting on the internet, thwapping on about road bikes, then stripping and rebuilding yet another frame, before going for a ride, on your own, in the Peaks, on a route that everyone and his ****ing uncle knows, because its in MBR every other month, then you’d know where the ‘flow’ was 🙄

Is there a leopard spots jersey for Hora?

Stumbled upon (new to me) another cracking Pub in Old Holborn last night, genteel, tables out front in the sunshine, quiet, beautiful buildings and some rather lovely Ladies in light flowy dresses relaxing after a days work in Lincolns Inn.

I’m going back there.

😀

some rather lovely Ladies in light flowy dresses

Quite. London is visually great for males and lesbians. I’m not sure what the equivalent attraction is for the ladies. Lots of very rich men?

Been there twice first time for a software convention type thing, the 2nd as a tourist.

Ok to visit but would not live there for all the tea in China. Getting off the train from there into Manchester made Manchester feel like a small village. 🙂

I surprised to see this thread still going !

The Government is very far from running the country for London’s benefit. The facts are that the taxes raised in London support the rest of the country, which is normal as it’s the capital and the center of economic activity. The challenge is to spread the economy much more broadly, they’ve tried using government work/departments but it’s private sector employment and business which must be encouraged.

rather lovely Ladies in light flowy dresses

Indeed ’tis that time ! I’m enjoying being based in the West End now after 20 years in the City. Definite upgrade 8)

Lived in Putney straight out of uni. Can tell you that was on £12,500pa before deductions, and rent was a half share of £800pcm. Flat mate was on about the same. He commuted in to the city, whereas I commuted out to Weybridge (which took less time!).

So total b******s do you need 60K each to live there with a 1200pcm rent now. Maybe you do to live in a yuppie ville apartment in Chelsea with mooring space, and reserved underground parking for the Aston. But 99.9% of London isn’t that.

The fact that Wandsworth Council Tax was only like £36 for the year (might have been 36 each?) helped with cash flow for beer in the Green Man outdoor BBQ beer garden.

binners I doubt you’ve ridden the Peaks on anything really good 😉

We (I use the word we), we rode Saturday morning in the Peaks and on cheeky footpaths.

Infact on Saturdays ride we did one one way, pushed back up and rode the other hidden cheeky….we then finished the ride on yet another cheeky* where you have to put your ass onto your rear tyre most of the way down. Although mbr has published a picture of that cheeky in their mag.

Riding Hollingworth/Prestwich is more about socialising-ride than technical isn’t it?

Flow is hard to get up this way. Alot of double-track and bridleways. Only cheeky helps.

on £12,500pa before deductions, and rent was a half share of £800pcm.

FACK! I started in London on 12k. Rent was £200 each a month and we struggled to pay student loan/just live.

Back to the Peaks – we are riding there again this weekend. I invite you all the time! Plus I invited you to our Nan Bield trip two weeks ago.

*Must admit I absolutely love this trail- one of the best/my top bits ever.

No… you’re right. Despite you never having ridden round our way (despite arranging too on approximately 2,387 occasions, then not turning up), your assessment is entirely correct. Its all doubletrack and bridleway. Christ, its boring! I don’t know why I bother, to be honest. In fact… I think I’ll sell my bikes, get a road bike, and join you riding round those awesome roads in cheshire. That looks great! Challenging stuff, all that ‘flow’. I doubt I’d cope.

Hebden and around there has got some good trails.

Plus don’t forget binners- you meet on a Monday night at 8. I could just straight on my road bike and have an earlier spin.

Be honest- most of it (thats not cheeky) is double-track, bridleways and straight line blasts then a corner.

Most of the riding is exposed across desolate moorland etc. Thats ok but you can’t beat a ride through woods/forest. It just feels better.

With 2 bed flats in Sydenham and West Norwood (until recently not very desireable) now going at £350-400k and even renting such a place c £1200/month, how does someone on median wage of £35k have the spare cash to go out?

Up until recently we spent 5 years paying £1200 p/m rent on a one bed flat on a combined income of considerably less than 2 x £35k. I can confirm that it’s fairly easy to pay rent, save a deposit, run a (shit) car, eat well, party likes its 1999 and fund a bike/girlfriend’s handbag addiction.

We now live in Dulwich (near West Norwood) having paid way, way less than your £350-400k for a lovely little (admittedly one bed) victorian flat with a garden.

It’s not that expensive to live here, it’s just the headline grabbing numbers that look scary.

Hebden and around there has got some good trails.

Weren’t you comparing Hebden to Warrington the other day?

I live in London, can confirm it’s a shithole. At least compared to the far southwest where I’m from.

Londoners get a completely skewed attitude towards rent costs etc compared to the rest of the country, and begin to think that £1200+ /mo for a tiny little shitty flat is ‘great value’. Well, it isn’t. And they try to justify it by saying ‘well you get paid more here’ but the wages aren’t proportionately higher enough to make up for it.
Currently paying £1500/mo for a 1 bed in Ealing with £135/mo council tax. The city in general is crowded, filthy and noisy. I find the most depressing thing is how rude and impatient people are – London nurtures an individualistic attitude in folk where they’re happy to trample on other’s heads to get on.

I can’t wait to get out of here in a year or two, and return to somewhere a bit friendlier – ideally in the west somewhere, for better proximity to mountains and decent countryside/coast. I love the cultural aspect, gigs and museums and galleries etc, but I can easily do them as a visitor.

The Mash nails it!

😆

Weren’t you comparing Hebden to Warrington the other day?

No I said why would you spend a week holidaying in Hebden? Theres not enough to keep you entertain during the week/great for a long weekend IMO. I then said ‘what next, holiday in Warrington’?

Recently I was looking at prices in London- at the top of my old road there was a studio flat (tiny as well) that went for £450,000.

Heres a current BASEMENT flat on the same road for over £600,000..

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-43155190.html

A friend of mine went to Auction for a Basement flat (not developed but with potential) in Earls Court, some of you know parts are nice, parts are really ugly. This Basement was in the ugly bit.

He had £330k to play with, it went for £605k.

He walked away laughing, we had a beer on the fact that he got away lightly.. 😆

I’m sitting in the middle of Mayfair right now and it’s lovely.

You’re sat in the middle of Mayfair?

you may scoff at the price of property, but you can profit from the appreciation.
I pay the same monthly mortgage payments now as I did 7 years ago, but the property I live in now is worth valued at twice as much.