Planes, Trains & Automobiles

You don’t have to like planes to live in Farnborough, but it helps

- Emma Caulton

Farnborough is busy and built up and given the charms of Hampshire’s picturesque villages, unspoiled market towns and vibrant port cities, it is probably not top of many people’s lists as the most desirable place to live. However, for those moving out of London and/or needing to work in London, but concerned about a lengthy commute, Farnborough provides an excellent halfway house. Positioned in Hampshire’s north-eastern corner, jostling right up against posh Surrey, Farnborough succeeds in achieving a good lifestyle balance with great access to both urban amenities and green space.

London escapees certainly get far more property for their pound. It is possible to swap an apartment in south-west London for a whole family house (possibly detached) in Farnborough. Meanwhile the commute back into the smoke is manageable: around 38-43 minutes from Farnborough Main to London Waterloo in peak times.

Good transport links are one of Farnborough’s assets with easy access to the M3 (at two junctions - 4 and 4a), that mainline station, as well as a second station, Farnborough North, on another line with services taking less than half an hour to Reading and just 17 minutes to Guildford. In addition, Farnborough has its own business dedicated airport, TAG Farnborough, host to the biennial Farnborough International Airshow, held this year from 21-22 July, with exhilarating displays attracting an estimated 100,000 visitors.