Living in Redhill?

Anyone here live in/around Redhill?

Looks like London is now and always will be entirely out of my reach to rent or buy so I’m looking at moving out.

Redhill appeals is it looks relatively quick in the morning to get into London for work, looks relatively cheap compared to London for rent/house price and has the obvious bonus of being 30 mins from Peaslake in the car…

Anything about it I should be aware of?

Do you snort coke?

No?

Then you should

I’m nearby in Purley/Riddlesdown area, Redhill seems OK, but to be honest I only drive through it to get to friends in Horley, not as stuffy as Reigate up the road, Merstham is quite nice. Trains are usually great but Southern have been shocking lately, a mixture of bad luck, poor planning and london bridge rebuild. I ride into London a lot of the time, only way to get a seat in the morning 😉

My Gran lives in Redhill and I’m pretty certain she doesn’t snort coke.

Town centre is a bit chavvy and run down, much like a lot of the SE suburbs. It’s an ok place though and the new developments (Park 25) etc seem to be improving things.

Good transport links into London but reliant on Southern network trains which can be a pain. Nice countryside immediately on your doorstep and nice pubs in surrounding areas (Reigate etc).

I’d live there (and probably will be at some point in the future).

@brooess – make sure you add in full commute cost (inc car parking) when making comparisons. I don’t know Redhill but I do miss having the NDW on my doorstep (Guildford) and 20 mins to Peaslake. I don’t miss 3hrs commuting everyday and the £650 a month it used to cost.

If you have kids then Reigate Park is great, as is Tilgate Park up the road near Crawley. Endless off road riding around, bridlepaths, NDW and Surrey Hills and I don’t just mean Dorking area, around Woldingham is good too.

Good riding, great train links some decent pubs.
Town centre is shit but most are.

I live in Redhill but luckily right on the edge in a nice green part 8). I seldom go into Redhill town centre as it is not that pleasant, particularly at night. Reigate, although stuffy :-), has nicer parks, restaurants, pubs and feel. It is full of accountants and city escapists but it still has a bit of the old town vibe left if you make an effort (I grew up in Reigate).
Commuting from Redhill is easier than Reigate but trains have been a bit of a mess lately and it depends where in London you are going to. I go from Earlswood as it is closer but trains tend to be slower.
Doorstep riding is pretty good considering and there is a thriving biking community particularly if you like beer. I generally night ride from home and make trips to Leith/Holmbury/Pitch/Winterfold for day rides (25 mins in car). Boxhill, Headley and various commons and heaths are the local riding focus.

My brother lives in Earlswood (Saaf Red’ill. One does not acknowledge the h) and it’s pleasant enough.
Depending what you’re looking for, it’s got plenty of green spaces, some nice pubs, a few eateries, allotments and schols and a station on the main line, although not all trains stop there. 20-30 minute walk to Red’ill main station.
The wife works in the centre of Red’ill and hates it!
Depending what you like, the pubs are crap, no nice eateries that I’m aware of, a lack of green spaces, and possibly Surrey’s busiest DSS.
We reckon it’s a least 1degree warmer in the centre due to the number of fags lit at any given moment.
Try spending a day and an evening in the area before commiting.
Dorking and Guildford both have direct connection to London. Or Leatherhead, Ashtead, etc.
And all with direct access to trailz.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to drive to Peaslake to ride a mountain bike.

Also look Woking way if you are thinking of commuting – trains are 14 an hour during peak, fast trains are about 30 minutes to Waterloo, and your london terminals train ticket (which is a bit over 3k) covers the link to London Bridge.

20 mins to Swinley, about 30 to SH, and 8 mile cycle to Tunnel Hill. Also possible to make an XC route from Horsell common, or use a CX style bike to make that more interesting.

or Brookwood gets you closer to TH, with less trains but likelihood of getting a seat might be more.

@stany speaks a lot of truth 🙂

Redhill used not to be that bad when I lived near there – now it sounds like an extension of Tonbridge…

*waves*

Redhill resident of 20 ish years – don’t snort coke either 🙂

If this is the same Broess what I am thinking of you and I did a Redhill ride together a while back!

There’s a lot of investment going into Redhill right now – the town centre has been remodelled, Sainsburys is being doubled in size (with a Travelodge and gym on top) and the station is being redeveloped.

Oh and the council have just won a £4.9 million sustainable transport package to improve links between Redhill and Horley. Improvement to cycling routes will play a big part in this.

Its easy to be critical of any town centre – for balance Redhill has:

– a fabulous old fashioned (no TV!) Harveys pub that serves the full range of Harveys (Sussex) beers
– a bustling Wetherspoons offering their ever changing real ales and good value food.
– small indoor shopping mall with familiar names (M and S, Waterstones, Argos)
– National Cycle Route 21 right though the middle of town
– Train links North, South East and West (London 40 mins, Brighton 30 mins, Guildford 40 mins, Tonbridge 30 mins)
– decent leisure centre with pools, gym etc etc
– excellent mtbing trails on the nearby North Downs, lots of other green spaces

TM

I used to live there.

Quick to London on the train, especially if you commute to Victoria. You could even cycle commute on the odd day, and near some nice riding. I used to loops along the NDW either east or west, sometimes coming back on the lowlands to the south of the NDW.

Easy to get to Brighton or South Downs too.

The town centre is a dump, but then if it wasn’t, it would be more expensive. Even just on the outskirts there’s some nice pubs (e.g. Home Cottage).

There’s a chance it’ll get nicer as people move out of London.

Dorking and Guildford both have direct connection to London. Or Leatherhead, Ashtead, etc.

All are significantly more expensive too!

@TM – you are only just about in Redhill now though 😉

am I? 8 mins walk to Redhill station?

TM

Oh and the council have just won a £4.9 million sustainable transport package to improve links between Redhill and Horley. Improvement to cycling routes will play a big part in this.

Only a Redhill resident would want to travel to Horley….and visa versa! 😉

tis called Chavhill for a reason. A friend of mine has been transferred to run a new branch for the company he works for – he hates it. The people that come in are just like those people you see on the “Wall Mart” Facebook pages!

I used to venture into Redhill and go to “the Embassy” nightclub, it was good for getting a disease of some sort through drunken shenanigans. The town is a HOLE, a horrid one at that.

Might be worth looking at Horsahm, i know it’s further from the trails, but as far as commuting is concerned it’s as good as Redhill.

– National Cycle Route 21 right though the middle of town

yeah go slow enough and some little scrote will nick it!

tis called Chavhill for a reason

yeah go slow enough and some little scrote will nick it!

Lol…my brother once lived on the boundary of Redhill & Reigate, but was actually in Redhill. Guess where he said he was from?

Actually Horsham is a good shout….loads of building down there and with new houses you get to use the help to buy scheme. Not far from the South Downs either, so you can get to some great MTB routes in all directions.

Might be worth looking at Horsham, i know it’s further from the trails, but as far as commuting is concerned it’s as good as Redhill.

No, no it’s not – another 30mins commute each way. Have you looked at Haywards Heath?

As a few have mentioned, Redhill town centre isn’t amazing but the planned changes and investments will be a big improvement, and a Waitrose is on the way which is usually a sign that it’s not too bad a place to be.

Reigate is much nicer in terms of going out for a drink/bite to eat, but is a relatively short walk away or a cheap taxi ride.

Haywards Heath as mentioned above is not wildly dissimilar as a town (marginally nicer high street) but local riding around there is poor as you’re in the flatlands, and while trains are fast they’re considerably more expensive – around £21/day return from Redhill and £35/day from HH.

Overall it’s alright and if you’re renting initially then you can at least get a feel for the place. Earlswood is quiet/residential with a couple of nice pubs nearby, some of Merstham is nice, the area between Redhill/Reigate also nice enough.

I used to venture into Redhill and go to “the Embassy” nightclub

youngster – I used to go there when it was Busby’s, and I even went there to see a james bond double bill with my gran when it was an actual cinema.

Go down to Crawley and prices even cheaper. I used to live 400 yds from Ifield station, quick and cheap up to Redhill for work, early start could see me parked on the front in Brighton in 30 minutes at the weekend.

Crawley wasn’t great, but it’s surrounded by places that are.

How about Epsom?
Jimmy White is selling.

oh yeah, Epsom on the Longmead.. mmmmm..

As a few have mentioned, Redhill town centre isn’t amazing but the planned changes and investments will be a big improvement, and a Waitrose is on the way which is usually a sign that it’s not too bad a place to be.

Something of an understatement – I thought it was a complete dump!

The surrounding towns and villages are nicer IMO, and there’s good cycling in the area. Try blasting down Lonesome Lane (out of Reigate) in the middle of the night…

If you have kids then Reigate Park is great, as is Tilgate Park up the road near Crawley.

So is this :

http://www.redhillraiders.org/

The town is a HOLE, a horrid one at that

Bit harsh, but 15 years ago (especially when the nightclub was fully operational) I would have agreed. Things have been changing now (nightclub long gone and now becoming new flats). Of course as I live there I am biased, but the place is improving (finally).

TM

Waves at Twiglet_Monster..

I used to live in Reigate, well just south of it in the cheaper bit.

About an 10 minutes ride to Earlswood Station which has load of trains into London (Victoria or London Bridge), about a 15 minute walk into Reigate town center.

Good North Downs riding from the doorstep, there used to be at least three regular night ride groups around the area and plenty of trails.

I think if you need to balance riding/cost/commuting together, it’s a pretty good area.

Haywards heath is really expensive, and at the moment, Southern rail is diabolical. Not much trail riding to be had from the doorstep, but the South Downs are only 15 mins by car.

Are town centres that important to MTB’ers? Surely you’re all off shredding the gnar at the weekend rather than going shopping and enjoying an afternoon tea.

Also waves at Twiglet Monster – yes I do remember that ride – proper old skool XC fun 🙂

Thanks for all the local knowledge. Luckily I have the chance to rent for a while to try it out for myself – my landlord is trying to sell my cold and dark basement flat in SE London for £700k and having declined to make him an offer on the basis I’m not a millionaire I’m going to rent elsewhere for a little while to see what happens with London prices after the election and then take the plunge… I can get a modern 2-bed flat in Redhill for £250k or so vs £350k+ for a small old place in SE London, so it’s looking very attractive…

Lived here 16 years now. Town centre not much fun at night, but it’s an honest enough town. Sure Reigate has the night life, but where do they go to actually buy stuff? I moved here for the cycling really, and it’s pretty spot on. Can be on the North Downs in ten minutes from my house. Lots of cash being splashed in town, and they finally seem to be getting on top of the traffic. Sure it is a bit chavvy, but no worse than Epsom, Leatherhead etc. which also have issues. It’s also miles cheaper to buy here than equivalent properties in Reigate, Oxted etc. Although saying that, it is still Surrey so three beds are knocking on £500k.

Town centre not much fun at night

I saw a good band at The Abbot not long ago. Obviously it helps if you’ve got tattoos on your knuckles and you can handle yourself if someone stares at your pint, but I liked the atmosphere there.

You could buy my Mums 3 bed flat in Caterham for £335K.
Set in 1 acre of grounds , big enough woods for a cheeky DH track or some North Shore . Built in 1880 , converted in 1950.
End of the train line so always a seat in the morning , and a choice of Caterham or Upper Warlingham train home , then walk 2 mins to a taxi or bus.
Ride from the door to NDW in a few mins .
Big private school up the road
Waitrose , Morrisons 10 min walk away .

BUT , Zero nightlife . nothing to do ever , a few pubs and a KFC.

Really, they should never have let Caterham leave Caterham. And as for that school buying up all the Singletrack… criminal, both 🙂

Caterham loss is Crawley’s gain 🙂
A mate has got one of the newer flats in redhill on shared ownership, saved quite a chunk on renting.
Reigate is very nice but very expensive unless you are south of the hill.

waves at Brooess, Phinbob and Singletrackmind

Is it time for a Redhill STW ride again? anyone interested?

TM