In message , at 18:27:22 on Tue, 10 Oct
2017, Someone Somewhere remarked:

One thing to consider, is that whilst Oxford isn't particularly great
traffic wise, if your wife was to commute there and you lived in London
(or its outskirts), at least she'd be going against the majority of the
flow of traffic for a lot of the journey.

The killer, however, is the last four or five miles where she won't be.
And where to park??
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 15:53:11 on Tue, 10 Oct
2017, Basil Jet remarked:

When I had to travel regularly from east Oxfordshire to London, the
most sustainable routing was M40/A40 to Ickenham, park, and get the
tube. Next best perhaps transfer at Rickmansworth.

Not Hillingdon?

I hardly ever found a free parking space there, and never failed to at
Ickenham.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 17:30:57 on Tue, 10
Oct 2017, GeorgeK remarked:

When I checked the commute from Didcot to London by train it wasn't
faster (or cheaper) compared to Oxford. You reckon that Didcot would be
more convenient though?

Cheaper housing.
--
Roland Perry

On 11/10/2017 10:36, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 18:27:22 on Tue, 10 Oct
2017, Someone Somewhere remarked:

One thing to consider, is that whilst Oxford isn't particularly great
traffic wise, if your wife was to commute there and you lived in
London (or its outskirts), at least she'd be going against the
majority of the flow of traffic for a lot of the journey.

The killer, however, is the last four or five miles where she won't be.
And where to park??

I was sort of thinking she would catch the bus - live in Hillingdon or
similar, so he could catch the tube into London and she could get the
bus to Oxford.

In message , at 11:21:56 on Wed, 11 Oct
2017, Someone Somewhere remarked:

One thing to consider, is that whilst Oxford isn't particularly
great traffic wise, if your wife was to commute there and you lived
in London (or its outskirts), at least she'd be going against the
majority of the flow of traffic for a lot of the journey.
The killer, however, is the last four or five miles where she won't
be. And where to park??

I was sort of thinking she would catch the bus - live in Hillingdon or
similar, so he could catch the tube into London and she could get the
bus to Oxford.

That would avoid the need for driving, but at the expense(sic) of higher
housing prices.
--
Roland Perry

I hadn't consider Hillington. I will check the house prices and do cost/commuting weighting. Thanks for the advice!

My job is at St Thomas hospital so I have to get to zone 1 (Waterloo or Westminster). I'll check the places along the Chiltern route as well. Would you recommend any of those places over the other for living?

On 11/10/2017 11:32, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 11:21:56 on Wed, 11 Oct
2017, Someone Somewhere remarked:

One thing to consider, is that whilst Oxford isn't particularly
greatÂ* traffic wise, if your wife was to commute there and you lived
inÂ* London (or its outskirts), at least she'd be going against the
majority of the flow of traffic for a lot of the journey.
Â*The killer, however, is the last four or five miles where she won't
be.Â* And where to park??

I was sort of thinking she would catch the bus - live in Hillingdon or
similar, so he could catch the tube into London and she could get the
bus to Oxford.

That would avoid the need for driving, but at the expense(sic) of higher
housing prices.

True - but also a relatively guaranteed commute.

What we don't really know from the OP is quite what his budget is for
things - I realise he commented on the train price, but was that on the
basis of not being able to afford it or he judged it as poor value?

Thank you all for your helpful advise. Hillington is something that I had not considered and it is probably worth looking into it and weight cost/convenience. There are a number of factors that would define my budget. Optimally, I wouldn't like to exceed spending £1300-£1400 for rent + transportation for two people. From your suggestions I am just trying to figure out which idea would provide the best balance between convenience (commuting to our jobs) and staying in a nice house/area.

In message , GeorgeK
writes

My job is at St Thomas hospital so I have to get to zone 1 (Waterloo or
Westminster). I'll check the places along the Chiltern route as well.
Would you recommend any of those places over the other for living?




How does staying at a Travelodge 4 nights a week on the outskirts of
London, travelling by car Monday morning and returning to Oxford Friday
night compare with the cost/time of commuting 5 days a week
--
Bryan Morris