Thread: Advice on Basingstoke...(non patch)

I know this is a little odd, but it's not about MQ etc.

OH and I are trying to locate somewhere about half way between his and my places of work to see if we can get a small amount of "Normal" life, what ever normal is for us..

The main requirement is I will be living there permanently, while OH would like to, reality is we are aiming for anything more than weekend's only, every day after that is a bonus.

Anyway, Basingstoke has come up as an area that could work for both, now considering I've used to live in Berkshire not all that far away really, I know nothing about the area around Basingstoke.

So canvassing opinions from many sources, but what areas of Basingstoke should be avoided for buying a house/try and find a place in..

Any suggestions gratefully taken

This is weird... I haven't swung by RP in weeks because we've been too busy reccying the area and then buying a house near Basingstoke -for exactly the same reasons as you...spooky! There are some areas to avoid and some which are absolutely gorgeous - I'll PM you!

There's lots of gypsies there!

Old Basing is good.

hate basingstoke with a passion, more horrid places than nice. outside of basingstoke is good but as for the town, wouldn't waste your money.

Thanks for the replies, so far the only places I'd been to see were the villages outside of Basingstoke which all seemed nice places, but obviously there was more choice if I looked in Basingstoke itself, but I'll just concentrate on the villages around there.

I thought my other reply posted, grrrr from mobile grrrr

Old basing, hook, kingsclere and tadley are all nice areas to live in IMO.

Well, also been looking at Whitchurch and Overton which seem nice places, had just started checking out Tadley/Kingsclere and will include Old Basing and Hook.... any suggestions on Oakley as a place to live?

Thanks again - had been looking in other areas until OH decided that he was changing his base port!

I don't have any advice on the area but having done the 'move halfway between the jobs' thing I'd strongly suggest you rent somewhere for 6 months to see how it goes. Mr K had what would have been a reasonable commute until there was a change of boss and his hours changed. He had to move back into the block in the end because he was like the walking dead (even more so than usual).

Oakley is REALLY full of gypsies (sorry about all the gypsies, I work with them so know where they are, and I wouldn't buy near them)

lol don't be sorry, any advice is gladly taken

And Kazzam - I agree, but I'm looking at places that I can travel to easily enough (i.e. that are less than the distance/time I travel currently - 70 mins if no traffic problems), the OH will have about the same time as me, but his job is more physical, he thinks it will ok, but I'm just looking at is if it gives us 4 nights a week together, that's better than we currently have.

Essentially, I need a place to live (staying with family at the moment) and we may end up renting in the short term when he's back, but even if it becomes a weekend place for him, we are better off, as when I visit him at the moment, I then have to set off at 5 - 5.30am from his place to get to work on time (3.5 hour drive time)

Worst case, he'll have a 60 min journey Monday morning.... and Friday afternoon, I'd have a 2 hour one, which is less than the 3 - 3.5 hours in either direction from my old place (regardless of who drove).

i was trying to be kind but now others have mentioned it, Basingstoke is a 'trallers' central docking station

Can you say where about he is based or near enough and we'll be able to possibly throw up some other places?

Well he's a Navy man, so is going to be based in Portsmouth, but my job, well it's in the other direction in Henley - so looking at the villages around Basingstoke at the moment

some ok places in andover

...and some crap places in Andover, as there are everywhere.

THe villages around andover are lovely, I would buy here (and there aren't many gypsies, just new age travellers!)

I've been steering away from Andover as in non rush hour traffic my journey time would start getting to be long and that's without traffic/accidents/weather and I don't have the facility to stay overnight close to work, unless I literally sleep in an office!

But I'm looking at the villages around Basingstoke for the moment, so thanks for the advice so far

I lived in Theale between 1990 and 1994, it is at Junction 12 of the M4 and has brilliant links to Reading, Oxford and Henley. I loved it down there.

I can not help thinking that if you are on your own during the week (and not living on the patch to boot) then you need to be somewhere with lots of facilities, amenities and quite central. Would you consider Reading? Lovely shops, great facilities and great links to everywhere quite frankly.

Lots of property rental and from looking at Rightmove it does not seem to be too pricey to rent there either.

TLC x

I've just moved out of Reading (if you would believe that)

Trying to get somewhere slightly closer to Portsmouth to give us a chance to see each other for more than just weekends, which is why Basingstoke area, was an option, although I was looking more in the surrounding villages as I've had enough of town living (I am a country girl at heart).

Reading is an extra 20 mins and to me, if I was in his position, it would mean I'd be more likely not to make a weekday journey.

We live in Basingstoke and my OH works near Newbury. We are moving into MQ in March, me a town girl going to live in the country! Basingstoke wise Tadley is nice, as is Hook. In the town itself Lychpit is good, as is Old Basing, Chineham is ok too. Good luck