On Tue, 22 Mar 2005, philosopher wrote:

I am from North East england and have to move to london in 2 weeks to
start my new job in central london.

I have only been to london half a dozen times and dont have a clue where
to start.

ive been looking on rightmove for flats/studio for a single person to
rent (not sharing) but it has confused me further. I can afford £400 to
£500 per month... There seem to be some affordable flats in Hackney, and
also near Deptford,

Sounds about right.

can anyone tell me how long it would take to walk from these areas to
Monument station (near where i will be working)?, i dont mind walking
upto 40 minutes to save money?

It's quite a way. I'd really not advise walking. I'd really, really not
advise routinely walking home at night to Hackney if you don't know the
area!

What i would advise is getting a bike. I don't know about Deptford, but
cycling from Hackney to the City is an absolute doddle. In fact, on a
bike, getting anywhere in town is pretty easy.

is hackney/deptford nice place?

I don't know Deptford at all. I used to live in Hackney (well, Clapton,
which is the north end of Hackney): it certainly isn't a posh part of
town, in fact it's probably one of the least posh parts of town, but it's
also not a warzone; there are quite a few patches of deprivation, but also
some really nice bits (mostly in the southern half), and there's plenty of
interesting shops, bars, etc. I liked living there. Avoid Dalston, though,
it's an absolute hole.

any other ok areas to live?

Well, lots. One thing you might think about is a living a little further
out (Stratford or Walthamstow, perhaps); you should be able to manage to
save enough on rent to cover the extra travel costs. Personally, i'd go
for somewhere like Hackney, since i like being in the middle of things,
not out in some suburb somewhere.

Have you considered a room in a shared house? It's not the same as having
a place to yourself, but it's a hell of a lot cheaper, and there are a lot
more rooms going. I rented a one-bedroom flat in Clapton, and paid more
than friends who had rooms in West Hampstead, and that *is* a posh part of
town.

i also need to consider transport costs as the underground passess are
quite expensive if i further away from central london.

It's only a little bit more to add zone 3.

any other advice for me (single male, graduate with student loans),
sorry if it is a vague question.

Memorise your night bus route numbers, and the main places you can catch
them from in the centre of town.

Don't hesitate to come back if you've got more questions. You could also
try uk.local.london, which is more about London in general, but is
infested with lunatics. Nice lunatics, for the most part, but still
lunatics.

tom

--
People don't want nice. People want London. -- Al