Hi All.

I am seriously planning on moving to Crowborough as I used to visit the town regularly with my grandad,
Whilst I know there are many things to do for my young family, I unfortunately have to do the daily commute to London.

Can anyone who uses the early trains ie after 7am and returning after 6pm advise as to the service? By that I mean can you normally get a seat or are there still issues with the lack of carriages etc.

Any advice welcome as this is a big issue and if it is a problem I will sadly and unwillingly have to re consider my move.

Many Thanks in advance.

What time do you need to get to London? The 7:21 is only any good if you have a flexible start time or are very close to London Bridge as it rolls in to London around 08:23 - so if you have to be at your desk for 9am then you'll be on the 06:46, which is OK if you get on at Crowborough as the train is standing room only from Eridge.

Coming home? Well again depends on your finish time 17:08 is usually busy but the 18:08 from London Bridge is *really* busy - you will need to queue at the platform if you want to get a seat.

Of course you don't have to get direct trains but you'll be changing at East Croydon and Oxted...as long as the connections are on time.

It's expensive (though significantly cheaper than Tunbridge Wells), it's over crowded and it's limited but generally reliable - if you can try it before you make a decision then I suggest you give it a go; plenty of us put up with it but only you can make the right decision for you.

There's little to choose between what you consider the mainline and the Uckfield line; at the end of the day it's a value call for the individual - do the benefits of living in Crowborough outweigh the costs of commuting? Quite often there isn't a local employer offering suitable employment.

cheers all for your replies.

I think I may be ok getting in by the sounds of it, was lokking at the 7.46am.

Yes I was planning on the 18.08 but perhaps the one after??

I am wiiling to put up with the extra communte for myself if the quality of life for my family and community feel is there which just does not exist in Orpington (currently live near here) as it is no different than the city/busy high street feeling.

Thanks

I know this discussion was a long time ago, but Its been very informative for me. My wife and I, and baby, are moving to Crowborough from Crystal Palace. Can anyone tell me what an annual ticket from Crowborough to London costs, please? I work in Canary wharf, so its going to be a big old commute.

BTW, your lovely little town will soon be appearing on Channel 4, likely next March 2012. My wife and I are buying a house in Crowborough Gardens and we discovered it after visiting the area with a film crew for a new teatime channel 4 show from the makers of Location, Location, Location. Its called Secret Location and we visited a very nice house on West Beeches that was sold before we could make an offer!

Its the name of the development on Crowborough Hill opposite Sir Henry Fermor primary school.

That's very kind of you SCN, and many thanks for the info. That' s cheaper than I was expecting as I thought it'd be closer to 4k, but maybe thats the TWells line.
You have read my mind too. After years of 20 to 30 minute train journeys with no time to do anything, I'm bizarrely looking forward to having a good hour to actually read and watch portable content. Maybe even have a little catch up snooze if I bag a seat (we have a baby daughter). Its a daunting move to come so far from places we know well, but babies and families require a different lifestyle for fear of my own little one turning into a ne'erdowell that The Captain is so fond of bemoaning! ;o)

Channel 4 gave me a call around 2 weeks ago about your move.

Good luck on your move and if there's anything we could do here (accepting deliveries,holding keys etc..) whilst youre in the process of moving, just let us know.

There's also some good info on which tradesmen (if required), to use or not use..

Regards

Thanks for the offer OCFSC. In fact my wife and I (and daughter) popped into your shop for lunch the other saturday when we made our return visit (without cameras) to look at some other properties.
Captain, conversely, you brighten my day with your endless cynicism. And yes, she is, but they don't present this new show. The phonecall was likely to get permission to use external shots of the area in the show, at a guess.
The reason we came back the other weekend is because the premise of the show is that you are shown properties without seeing the area or the outside of the property, only the interior and the garden. We didn't know where we were when we were here the first time, we only found out later. Its about how well the property fits you and removing the effect of location from your property search, within reason.

I did the same the other week, a man was running down Crowborough Hill in a shirt and tie and I pulled over and gave him a lift to the station. He really appreciated it, little things that are no trouble to you can make a world of difference to someone else. Captn, try coming to our meditation run with values found in modern Buddhism, I'm sure your views will change. Believe it or not, some people do help others for no gain. One day you will depend on a stranger and I hope that someone will assist at that time and I also hope you will hold that favour for someone else in need in the future.

Domwah's post is out of context now because it looks like a previous post was removed.

Captn from my perspective most people don't say where abouts in Crowborough they live, but had they done and were local to me I would happily have offered them a lift. I don't need the publicity anyway because I am a minor Crwoborough celebrity!

Domwah, have you moved to Crowborough Gardens yet? My husband and I moved to the development a few months ago. I too commute to Canary Wharf and can do the walk to the station in 12.5 minutes - my hubby drives me to the station some days if you want a lift!

The Channel 4 show we filmed when looking for our new home (we didnt see Crowborough Gdns though) will be screened next week. Its a daytime TV show, 11am Thursday 26 Jan on Channel 4 called Secret Location and we view 4 houses across the South East of England. One of which is in Crowborough, so they'll likely show shots of the town centre and little bits of info about the area. I've not seen it yet, but did catch myself on TV earlier in the advert for it which was surprising and odd!!


http://tinyurl.com/7tcq7kv

http://tinyurl.com/6obvfwt

it was on c4 today, now on 4od.

the crow house was on west beeches.