I’ve just been offered a job in Luton. It’s great and I’m definitely going to take it.

But… i’ll be relocating from Sheffield. Practically everyone I’ve asked has said Luton is a terrible place and I should just live in lovely St Albans or Harpenden instead and commute.

Is it really that bad? Things are going to be pretty full-on when i start and i’d like to avoid a daily commute if i can, at least to begin with.
There must be a nice bit of town I can rent in for six months… is there?

Have a mate who lives in Barton Le Clay about 8 miles up the road, seems nice enough. Lots of nice little villages around.

Luton is a toilet with no redeeming features.

full of racists innit?

So i’ve heard 🙄 .

But it has a population of 200,000 people. There must be a nice bit, surely?

Have you been? Sheffield will look luxurious by comparison…………and thats saying something!

This may help definition

Harpenden and St Albans are much nicer places, but you’ll pay handsomely for the privilege.
I’d look at the surrounding villages tbh, Luton is pretty bad, IMO.

Have you been? Sheffield will look luxurious by comparison…………and thats saying something!

Ah, you see, common misconception – Sheffield is absolutely lovely, as long as you live in the South west.

Penzance ?

This is why I’m wondering if Luton does actually have a nice bit, but people are just being snobby… perhaps?

Ah, south and west Sheffield

It’s the nob head teens hanging around the streets and getting drunk and abusing passers by that won it for me.

Guy I used to house share with loved it when they tried to rob him of his take away pizza on the way home. No honestly he really appreciated it.

And the parking was just wonderful.

Oh, and Luton is a toilet. Work there by all means, but don’t live there.

This is why I’m wondering if Luton does actually have a nice bit, but people are just being snobby… perhaps?

It probably does have nice bits tbh, but you have to ask yourself why there so hard to see?

To answer your question – Yes. No redeeming features.

What is your problem about commuting – if you lived at (say) Harpenden, it’s 8 minutes to Luton and a very regular service. That’s not a commute!

Not a fan of luton myself but work there most days,i live in Dunstable which is within spitting distance of luton much nicer . woburn,chicksands,aston hill and chilterns are close by 😀 ,st albans and harpenden very nice but silly money

Commute – the only option. Luton is a dump and Dunstable is it’s anus.

Horrible place. No snobbery in that statement either.

St Albans is OK but over priced (went to school there), Harpenden (worked there for a few years) is not so bad either, also spencive’ tho.

Look at Wheathampstead, Welwyn / WGC, Kimpton, Knebworth, Codicote. Nicer villages / towns and better riding that way (off the chalk downs to the west of luton).

Thanks, okay, this is quite the consensus – Luton is out!

Peasant and neilforrow, thanks loads for the alternative suggestions. I’ll start looking.

Luton is a dump TBH. But is redemed by the area around it being not bad.
Dunstable is better – and there are the outlying villages

Are you at the kids stage? Because Harpenden / St Albans are defn nicer. But eye wateringly expensive

I 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.

Are you at the kids stage? Because Harpenden / St Albans are defn nicer. But eye wateringly expensive

Nah, as of fairly recently, single 🙁 . So somewhere with a little bit going on would be good.

And i’ll be renting rather than buying.

daveatextremistsdotcouk – where would you recommend?

I live 15 miles from Luton (north up the A6). The people we bought our house off told us they were moving to Harpenden but seemed to have stopped when they got as far as Stockwood Park (not too bad an area).

The area around between New Bedford Road (the A6) and Old Bedford Road isn’t too bad.

If I was a single bloke I’d move to Luton as it’s easier to be part of any work based social scene and I could put up with the downsides. If I was moving a family I’d look at the villages surrounding Luton up the A6 and over to Ampthill or Hitchin in the other direction – some lovely places.

x-post with the single statement.

My OH teaches in Luton, started recently, she was expecting the kids to be an absolute nightmare. But say’s they’re a delight in comparison to her old school (who mostly seemed to think Mummy and Daddy would look after them for the rest of their lives).

i live in Dunstable which is within spitting distance of luton much nicer

Either they have razed Dunstable to the ground and started again (in the last 6 months) or you have a wide definition of the boundaries. The only good thing I can remember about Dunstable was playing ‘spot the crap cladding’ when driving through it.
Hitchin was bearable and has access to countryside and a decent train to London.

If you’re not too bothered about any after work socialising that goes on I’d probably head to Hitchin. It’s a pretty nice place and seems to be a real town so has a bit going on.

Thanks hammerite, interesting…

Or there is MK … which has everything you could need. But it is a 30 min commute

Finbar – Hitchin and Shefford are not too bad, or the villages within that triangle.

At least you’ve got Chicksands to ride in. Beware the clay soil makes for seriously sticky terrain in winter.

If I had to go back and I had the dosh, I’d live in Ickwell.

leighton buzzard could be a good shout, reasonable house prices, goodish nightlife, 20 mins by car to aston hill, 30 minutes by bike along the canal to pistone where you can jump straight up onto the ridgeway.
probably about 20 minutes into Luton.

At least you’ve got Chicksands to ride in. Beware the clay soil makes for seriously sticky terrain in winter.

I’m an imposter on singletrack – i’m all about road cycling 😳

Not much to add, except for a top tip from Viz:

Avoid complete misery and possible suicide by moving away from Luton, Bedfordshire.

Mike Page
Luton, Bedfordshire

I would say Hitchin too given what others have said, 10-20 mins into Luton and much nicer! Ps my son is also called Finbar, good name!

Luton is unfortunately a dump, theres no other way to describe it.

however theres nice towns surrounding as mentioned.

Another for Hitchin … 🙂

Its 10 miles East and a nice town.

Theres some good riding as well between the two on top of the other places mentioned.

The commute between Hitchin and Luton would be nice both off and on road.

Off road would be Icknield way door to door !

Avoid Harpenden, full of the most miserable people imaginable.

That’ll be me then.

I’m an imposter on singletrack – i’m all about road cycling

St. Albans has a pretty strong road scene, – two clubs I think. Loads of mamils in Harpenden, as well a fairly large mtb club.

I’d choose St. Albans if I were single, though harpenden can be pretty eye watering in the summer 🙂

I’d choose St. Albans if I were single, though harpenden can be pretty eye watering in the summer

Now this is the kind of information i can work with 😉

As Dave says Shefford is nice, as are Ampthill and (to a lesser extent) Flitwick. However, they’re also pretty small (for towns) so don’t have a huge amount going on. Hitchin is a bit bigger so has some relatively mainstream shops and more pubs.

Flitwick and Hitchin have the advantage of a train station making it easy to head elsewhere, especially London. Flitwick is on the Midland Mainline (like Luton), would also mean that you could get the train to Luton or Sheffield.

Finbar – I’m mostly an imposter here too. There are quite a few decent road clubs in the area so that’s well covered for you.

But it has a population of 200,000 people. There must be a nice bit, surely?

The exit roads are quite nice. Some parts are less dump like than others, but on the whole it’s a pretty soul destroying place. As the others have said above if its at all possible try some of the places surrounding it.

I grew up in Harpenden.

Don’t live in Luton.

As others have said, avoid Luton. It has no redeeming features. Complete hole.

Harpenden and St. Albans – both nice enough, but ridiculously pricey.
I’d go for Hitchin, I think, although if you’re going to be riding in exclusively, there’s loads of nice little towns/villages to choose from that aren’t too far out.

@ Dunstable being nice…

I’ve missed it… possibly you could argue on the bit going out to Whipsnade but that’s about it…

I go there once or twice a week to ASDA for my mum…. it’s a terrible dive.

@ Dunstable being nice…

I’ve missed it… possibly you could argue on the bit going out to Whipsnade but that’s about it…

I go there once or twice a week to ASDA for my mum…. it’s a terrible dive.

…compared to Luton …

Well, the job starts in September so i’ll report back where i end up when i move down 😀

…compared to Luton …

My sister lives in Bramingham about 1/2 mile from the tower blocks…

I rarely go there though so don’t know how bad Luton is.