Henley on Thames vs Godalming

[mia1972]

Hello,

We have recently moved outside London and are on Henley on Thames. We love it here and are just starting to settle and meet a few people. DH however has just been given an out of the blue opportunity to get a dream job in Godalming Surrey. This unfortunately would mean moving again (2 times in 1 year boo) and we are therefore hesitant.

We have a 2 year old son who is in nursery and are looking for somewhere where there are good schools and a good community. I am currently commuting into London still but would be looking for something more local. Does anyone have experience of the two places and can advice? When looking at the property web sites Godalming seems more expensive than Henley with many 'multimillion homes' How easy it is to settle there ?

Thanks in advance,

Mia

[mummytime]

Godalming isn't that expensive, certainly similar to Henley. There are multi-million pound homes but they aren't in Godalming on the whole, but are estates to the south.
If I was you I would probably look at Busbridge (more expensive) or Milford or even Witley. Godalming as a town is quite nice, complete with a Waitrose.
Your commute into London could be more tricky - you could look at Guildford if you want to continue.

[mia1972]

Thanks very much mummytime this is very reassuring. And I will certainly look into the areas you mentioned. One question if you are still there. Do you know if there are any friendly parent type forums / we have one here called henley parents one here and it has been pretty useful in terms of getting to grips with nurseries, and various local activities - even if not so much for getting to know people in the flesh.
I appreciate your time - I am starting to think that having moved once this year we might as well move twice and hopefully be happy and settled by next year...
Thanks again !

[mummytime]

You can try the local forum here (Surrey) and maybe on Netmums. NCT and various parenting mags (often available in the library and Doctors surgeries).
There are a lot of activities around.
I'd probably start with the Mumsnet local pages, they are quiet but lots of people are lurking.

[mia1972]

thanks mummytime I will start with those, we will decide this weekend if Surrey is going to be our home...

[sophiaverloren]

Hi Mia, we moved to Godalming when DS was 2 and are really happy here. I commute to London from here as well. - 45 mins direct into Waterloo. Godalming is packed to the brim with young families so there is loads going on, good local nurseries, and a lot of family activities. What we like is that there is a sense of community - there are numerous town days and festivals with a buzzing high street and loads of things to do, stalls with food etc.
Cost-wise not the cheapest town but you knew that! But we went 3 x bigger compared to London house so were happy. There's a mix of property so I think it's a case of searching online within your budget. Some areas nicer than others, some more convenient for station and town etc. also, with Guildford only a couple of miles away, you can cast your net a bit more widely for a local job if that's your intention ( I failed miserably at that!)
Happy to help further - PM me with any questions!

[mia1972]

Hi Sophiaverloren, I think that Godalming has one key advantage over Henley, a much better train line with no changes and crucially not into Paddignton as I work in westminster so commuting could still be a possibility I think. Thanks again, you message is very reassuring. I will take you up on the offer and send you a PM with questions over the weekend.

[mummytime]

Oh it is far easier into Westminster! You can just walk from Waterloo.