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!

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 😀 .