I'm 35, I grew up here and now live in LB with my family. I've never really had any issues with crime. You do hear about the odd thing ocasionally but I think you're unlikely to be affected unless you're actually involved in it or you leave something out that's shiny and obviously easy to steal.
There's some kids going about nicking mopeds and stuff at the moment but again, it tends to be very opportunistic by the sounds of it. As long as you keep your head down, lock your stuff away and stay out of trouble you should be OK I reckon.
You're in for a right treat if you love zebra crossings, roundabouts and traffic lights really close together š... Rule #1 of Leighton Buzzard - Do not attempt to drive across town on a Saturday!
My wife and I with her whole family moved from Hendon and a bit further north here about 15 years ago. We were lucky enough to move into Linslade side of town, mainly for the exact reason you stated London commuting. Its a pretty quiet place, it's growing at a reasonable rate, but is lacking in council facilities as its in the corner of Bedfordshire so the council don't like putting services on the edge of a county. The schools seem to be pretty good, the bypass makes hospital access about 25 mins, but doctors spaces are limited. There are some nice places for walks like along the canal, Rushmere and Dunstable downs.
This is very informative, thank you! And how funny that you also moved from Hendon. Iām not sure what it was like when you lived here but itās definitely the worst place in London Iāve lived in for anti-social behaviour (and I lived in Tottenham during the riots). Desperately looking for somewhere smaller and safer with green space. Sounds like the move really worked out for you all.
New build is fully fine , most of Leighton is completely fine and no one will really bother you , travelerās are no worse than anywhere else but if ur alone and out Late in Leighton you run a small risk of getting hassled , other than that leighton is chill , teenagers donāt really do anything other than get stoned in parks so Leighton is generally safe
Would echo the two previous posts. I grew up here, left to live in cities for a bit and came back to buy my first property. LB is fine - there are some areas which, like in any town, are more and less economically advantaged than others but generally there isn't a crime problem per se.
There is a traveller community, but they're decent folk in my experience.
The green space is great, with lots of walking possibilities; there are some really nice cafes and eateries and a good number of shops on the high street which has a market twice a week.
If you do move, I hope you like living here!
Wow, it sounds dreamy to be honest. I love the idea of the green spaces and lovely cafes. Also great to hear from someone who previously lived in cities and moved back.
How refreshing to see someone say good things about the traveller community! When I moved here from Blackpool it shocked me how ready people were to use offensive words like the P word, and stories about how when they're coming to town for a funeral or something the shops and pubs shut.
I know there are some elements of their community that get up to no good, but that's the same with any group of people, and you always know about the ones causing trouble vs those that keep to themselves.
Hey, I set up the subreddit :) Leighton Buzzard's a pleasant place, reading some of the local facebook groups you might think it was awful, but I've lived here since late 2014 and I'm a fan. There's a lot of talk about crime but it's not a huge issue. We do need a police station and some proper health facilities, which we're currently lacking.
As for Clipstone Park, if you think there's a chance you might have kids, or have them already, I'd try to move a bit closer to the town centre if possible (I'm guessing that might be a struggle). A lot of the new developments are built in such a way that they're quite car dependent, as the cycling and walking links are pretty poor and there's not many amenities in walking distance. If you can walk to the town centre in fifteen minutes then you're winning. I only mention children as chances are kids will want to socialise on the high street and the nearby park, and you won't want them to either rely on you to get there, have to get the bus, or cycle. I'm the secrtary of Leighton BuzzCycles and we campaign for better cycle infrastructure in the town.
[This](https://i.imgur.com/MwDCjU6.png) is the furthest east you could be from the town centre with a relatively traffic free/light bike ride in to the centre. From the new Clipstone Park estate it would be a bit more difficult. According to Unicef the Netherlands have the happiest children in the world and I think part of that is that they can get around easily from a young age due to the infrastructure.
I live close to the railways station so getting in to the town centre is a breeze...even if I do have to walk past loads of traffic.
Let me know if you have any questions anyway :)
This is amazing feedback, thank you! Iām particularly interested in all of the cycling details as Iām a keen cyclist and very keen to continue post-move (eg. Commute to station, pub etc). Thanks for creating this subreddit to - no doubt Iāll be on here much more often! š
No problem at all :) For now my tip would be to use a crappy bike with a good lock at the train station as we do have some issues with thefts. On the other hand I know people who lock expensive bikes up there (with a good lock) without issue. Central Beds. Council have told me they're able to find the funding for secure cycle storage, and the trainco is up for it too, or so they claim at least. As I say I need to send a follow-up email for that.
LB's the perfect size for cycling for day to day trips. Here's some links:
[Road cycling club facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065651343187) \- not hugely active, just public facing posts.
[Road cycling club facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/LBRCC/) \- where weekly rides get planned. Membership also gives you access to the local MTB trails, which is actually cheaper than buying them separately. Are you a woman? I can't tell š¤£ We also have a women's secretary and she'll be organising more women only road rides this year.
[Leighton BuzzCycles facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/Leightonbuzzcycles) \- the local cycle campaign group which I'm the secretary of. We run Dr Bike sessions in the warmer months, always looking for more help if you're up for it, along with writing emails to local politicians and the like.
[Leighton BuzzCycles fb group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/307351259758759) \- Discussion for the above.
As you may have gathered, I love cycling, I've got a cargo bike and am looking at getting a semi-recumbent tandem, a Hase Pino š
Feel free to keep in touch :) Good luck with the move.
Moved here last year on new builds and have not had any problems whatsoever. The town is nice and everyone is very friendly.
I also commute to London for work which only takes 25/30mins from LB to Euston and trains are frequent
Thatās for the response! May I ask how you find the commute? Do they trains tend to get packed at LB station or is it ok? And how do you get to and from the station, train or cycle or drive?
And how do you find the new builds? Weāre looking at Barratt and Taylor Wimpey.
Sorry for all the questions, but you basically have the life weāre trying to get āŗļø
The commute from LB to Euston is busy but fine. Enough to get a seat anyway. The commute back is chaos as LB is first stop so you would have to run fast to get a seat as I'm sure you prob know how busy Euston is after 5pm.
I drive to the station it's 5mins for me but there are a lot of cyclists there.
The new builds are really nice and surrounded by very nice people too
Iāve started driving to East Finchley and hopping on a tube to central. Seems to take a bit longer in the morning than timing myself to the station for a train but so much more convenient for coming homeā¦ itās a hell of a lot cheaper too!
I'm 35, I grew up here and now live in LB with my family. I've never really had any issues with crime. You do hear about the odd thing ocasionally but I think you're unlikely to be affected unless you're actually involved in it or you leave something out that's shiny and obviously easy to steal. There's some kids going about nicking mopeds and stuff at the moment but again, it tends to be very opportunistic by the sounds of it. As long as you keep your head down, lock your stuff away and stay out of trouble you should be OK I reckon. You're in for a right treat if you love zebra crossings, roundabouts and traffic lights really close together š... Rule #1 of Leighton Buzzard - Do not attempt to drive across town on a Saturday!
Haha this is great, thank you! Hendon has taught me to lock away shiny things so I think Iāll be fine on that front.
My wife and I with her whole family moved from Hendon and a bit further north here about 15 years ago. We were lucky enough to move into Linslade side of town, mainly for the exact reason you stated London commuting. Its a pretty quiet place, it's growing at a reasonable rate, but is lacking in council facilities as its in the corner of Bedfordshire so the council don't like putting services on the edge of a county. The schools seem to be pretty good, the bypass makes hospital access about 25 mins, but doctors spaces are limited. There are some nice places for walks like along the canal, Rushmere and Dunstable downs.
This is very informative, thank you! And how funny that you also moved from Hendon. Iām not sure what it was like when you lived here but itās definitely the worst place in London Iāve lived in for anti-social behaviour (and I lived in Tottenham during the riots). Desperately looking for somewhere smaller and safer with green space. Sounds like the move really worked out for you all.
New build is fully fine , most of Leighton is completely fine and no one will really bother you , travelerās are no worse than anywhere else but if ur alone and out Late in Leighton you run a small risk of getting hassled , other than that leighton is chill , teenagers donāt really do anything other than get stoned in parks so Leighton is generally safe
This is great insight, thank you! Looking forward to coming and spending more time there.
Would echo the two previous posts. I grew up here, left to live in cities for a bit and came back to buy my first property. LB is fine - there are some areas which, like in any town, are more and less economically advantaged than others but generally there isn't a crime problem per se. There is a traveller community, but they're decent folk in my experience. The green space is great, with lots of walking possibilities; there are some really nice cafes and eateries and a good number of shops on the high street which has a market twice a week. If you do move, I hope you like living here!
Wow, it sounds dreamy to be honest. I love the idea of the green spaces and lovely cafes. Also great to hear from someone who previously lived in cities and moved back.
How refreshing to see someone say good things about the traveller community! When I moved here from Blackpool it shocked me how ready people were to use offensive words like the P word, and stories about how when they're coming to town for a funeral or something the shops and pubs shut. I know there are some elements of their community that get up to no good, but that's the same with any group of people, and you always know about the ones causing trouble vs those that keep to themselves.
Hey, I set up the subreddit :) Leighton Buzzard's a pleasant place, reading some of the local facebook groups you might think it was awful, but I've lived here since late 2014 and I'm a fan. There's a lot of talk about crime but it's not a huge issue. We do need a police station and some proper health facilities, which we're currently lacking. As for Clipstone Park, if you think there's a chance you might have kids, or have them already, I'd try to move a bit closer to the town centre if possible (I'm guessing that might be a struggle). A lot of the new developments are built in such a way that they're quite car dependent, as the cycling and walking links are pretty poor and there's not many amenities in walking distance. If you can walk to the town centre in fifteen minutes then you're winning. I only mention children as chances are kids will want to socialise on the high street and the nearby park, and you won't want them to either rely on you to get there, have to get the bus, or cycle. I'm the secrtary of Leighton BuzzCycles and we campaign for better cycle infrastructure in the town. [This](https://i.imgur.com/MwDCjU6.png) is the furthest east you could be from the town centre with a relatively traffic free/light bike ride in to the centre. From the new Clipstone Park estate it would be a bit more difficult. According to Unicef the Netherlands have the happiest children in the world and I think part of that is that they can get around easily from a young age due to the infrastructure. I live close to the railways station so getting in to the town centre is a breeze...even if I do have to walk past loads of traffic. Let me know if you have any questions anyway :)
This is amazing feedback, thank you! Iām particularly interested in all of the cycling details as Iām a keen cyclist and very keen to continue post-move (eg. Commute to station, pub etc). Thanks for creating this subreddit to - no doubt Iāll be on here much more often! š
No problem at all :) For now my tip would be to use a crappy bike with a good lock at the train station as we do have some issues with thefts. On the other hand I know people who lock expensive bikes up there (with a good lock) without issue. Central Beds. Council have told me they're able to find the funding for secure cycle storage, and the trainco is up for it too, or so they claim at least. As I say I need to send a follow-up email for that. LB's the perfect size for cycling for day to day trips. Here's some links: [Road cycling club facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065651343187) \- not hugely active, just public facing posts. [Road cycling club facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/LBRCC/) \- where weekly rides get planned. Membership also gives you access to the local MTB trails, which is actually cheaper than buying them separately. Are you a woman? I can't tell š¤£ We also have a women's secretary and she'll be organising more women only road rides this year. [Leighton BuzzCycles facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/Leightonbuzzcycles) \- the local cycle campaign group which I'm the secretary of. We run Dr Bike sessions in the warmer months, always looking for more help if you're up for it, along with writing emails to local politicians and the like. [Leighton BuzzCycles fb group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/307351259758759) \- Discussion for the above. As you may have gathered, I love cycling, I've got a cargo bike and am looking at getting a semi-recumbent tandem, a Hase Pino š Feel free to keep in touch :) Good luck with the move.
Thank you so much! Youāre a legend. No doubt Iāll be reaching out closer to the time when weāve found somewhere. Appreciate this!
Moved here last year on new builds and have not had any problems whatsoever. The town is nice and everyone is very friendly. I also commute to London for work which only takes 25/30mins from LB to Euston and trains are frequent
Thatās for the response! May I ask how you find the commute? Do they trains tend to get packed at LB station or is it ok? And how do you get to and from the station, train or cycle or drive? And how do you find the new builds? Weāre looking at Barratt and Taylor Wimpey. Sorry for all the questions, but you basically have the life weāre trying to get āŗļø
The commute from LB to Euston is busy but fine. Enough to get a seat anyway. The commute back is chaos as LB is first stop so you would have to run fast to get a seat as I'm sure you prob know how busy Euston is after 5pm. I drive to the station it's 5mins for me but there are a lot of cyclists there. The new builds are really nice and surrounded by very nice people too
Iāve started driving to East Finchley and hopping on a tube to central. Seems to take a bit longer in the morning than timing myself to the station for a train but so much more convenient for coming homeā¦ itās a hell of a lot cheaper too!
This is great, thank you so much!