One to the Londoners amongst us- advice please :)

OK, I have a new job based very centrally in London (a minutes walk north of the tower of london).

My initial plans are to commute from my Oxfordshire pad catching a train in and out each morning, being packed like a sardine into a smelly and unreliable train, for which the train company would like me to pay £3996 per year for the pleasure.

So my plan is to "move in" to London in the summer when my rent on my current abode expires.

Where do people recomend looking for a flat/shared house/whatever, I am interested in areas that are within a quick ride to work, close to a tube, NOT AT ALL PIKEY, and preferably some where that my wages will extend to getting me a place big enough to keep my collection of bikes in.

My Sister lives just off Brick lane and it all seems rather funky around there, although looking at the obviously stripped bike components for sale at the weekend markets does make me fear for my fleet!

So any advice on nice areas would be appreciated.

ive been looking into liveaboard canal boats lately , im sure there will be moarings within easy riding distance for you

you could rent and even if you do buy its an asset of course

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/listings.phtml

this one is amazing

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/fea ... l?id=99047

30k is a cheap home

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/fea ... l?id=96937

I've lived on a narrowboat for four years now, and I have to say that although it's many things it isn't a sensible choice for someone who wants a cheap place to live.
Moorings around London are a nightmare to find. Very often it's a dead men's shoes situation, some people wait for years. And as for keeping esoteric bikes on the roof, well, forget it.
And both of those boats sound like a nightmare, particularly the solar powered one. I'd be suprised if you could do 100 yards a day in it in winter. And if you ever moored it anywhere public, remember most of its value is bolted to its roof.
Seriously, if you ever want a chat about buying a boat to live on, feel free to PM me. But don't do it because it's cheap, do it because it's the way you want to live.

I used to live in Forest Hill...OK not that salubrious (spell check) but nice enough...plenty of green spaces around and not too far from Central London.
There is no tube there (but maybe there is now...it was planned), but you can get a train and switch to overground Underground to get you to the City.
House prices were reasonable.
Maybe worth a look?
Cheers
Carl

cool cheers chris , the biggest thing stopping me is a massive fear of drowning

perry":e3nu6g96 said:

cool cheers chris , the biggest thing stopping me is a massive fear of drowning

Click to expand...

Think of falling in as the induction to being a liveaboard. That, and lugging a sh*t suitcase to a pump out station on a rainy day in February.

Leyton = cheapish (rent) and has Tube station or easy commute (Chavy in places)

Leytonstone/ Upper Leytonstone = bit more (rent) also has tube station and easy commute (less chavy)

South Woodford = bit more then LS (rent) has tube station too (Even less chavier)


The best bit is Epping Forest will be on your doorstep for the last two and not far from Leyton too.


A mate use to live in Leytonstone, so been there a few times, the houses on the streets near the hospital are quite nice and big, and a few of the gardens back on to Hollow Ponds, which connects to Epping forest I've been told, there's also a largish Australian, Kiwi and South African community there and in easy reach of the north circular and M25.

try brixton hill, the side closer to clapham , cheap and cheerfull (well most of the time) and the victoria line is not far,you could prob cycle from there to.

Leyton is cheap because its awful as is Walthamstow, born and bred there and stayed living in the area for 38 years until it just got too bad

Only go back now to watch the Orient and its just as crap especially Leyton High Road