Yes the South Circular does butcher the high street but with better town planning: a foot bridge a green roundabout for example, a maxed up congestion charge it would be much better, but oh no too much common sense for the mayor etc 
Thanks - super helpful. And yes of course fully aware it won’t have all that Lordship Lane has to offer in terms of full on variety and it is a trade-off between than and value for money in terms of what you can get for a bigger space, but trying to gauge exactly as you say wether basics are within easy-ish walking distance of 10min or so, i.e. decent butcher, place to get good bread, perhaps a little deli and most importantly good coffee (pretty essential 
All the treat restaurants and bars of course we don’t expect on the doorstep.
We will be exploring the area, so - where would you head to for a decent coffee and a loaf of good bread if you set off from say the Perry Rise Baptist church? Would you be bound to head towards either Dartmouth Rd or over the SC towards Honour Oak or are there also hidden gems on the east side of the tracks and south of the SC?
We moved here from Balham. We used to live on the first road off of Balham High road. We had everything we could ever need and the station was a 3 min walk from closing the door.
We quickly adjusted to living here and now are glad of the slightly longer walks- we are a lot fitter plus you get so much more for your money. I’ve also benefitted from 2 maternity leaves treading the streets and finding the little gems.
If I lived by Perry Rise Baptist Church I’d walk to Mayow Park for a coffee on a summers day (or even winter- I’m there most days) and Number 41 if not. Both ten mins walk max.
Beetroot and beans is good for veg and other small bits. For Butchers we walk over Blythe Hill and go to The Proud Sow. It always feels like there is an adventure here and like others say we are surrounded by so many different areas to choose from. Catford. Honor oak. Crofton park. Forest Hill. Sydenham. Beckenham.
If you want a decent pub The Honor Oak is great as is The Chandos. On a nice day we walk to Dulwich or Peckham. We are about 3/4 min walk from your location.
Again DM me I’m sure I can help with more.
From Mayow Park you’re just a few minutes walk to Sydenham High Street, where you’ll find all the usual suspects. Boots, Superdrug, LDL, Tesco Express and Sainsbury. Cake Shop, Fresh and Fruity greengrocers, Billings Butcher/Fishmonger, loads of little shops and cafes. Dolphin and Greyhound pubs - one either end of the high street, both of which do nice food and the Dolphin has a lovely garden at the back. Gurkhas Nepalese and Trattoria Rafaelli restaurants (can’t spell sorry). Trat Raff has very good reviews. There is pretty much everything from Turkish and Polish supermarkets to a Chinese Medicine shop. There’s a gym at the Greyhound end next to Mama Dough and Nandos (I’d forgotten them!) And another planned to open at the Dolphin end.
There’s also that rare beast: a Post Office.
Further up the hill at the junction of Kirkdale/Dartmouth Road there’s the excellent Hibagon Sushi and Grill, several cafes, two pubs (hopefully soon to be three!) and little gem 161 Food+Drink.
Tucked away close to the junction, don’t miss Albion Millennium Green - a little hidden oasis.
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You would head towards Dartmouth Road, as there are cafe’s there, and on London Road there’s a good butcher opposite Sainsbury’s. Andthe Horniman museum grounds have a farmer’s market on Saturday or Sunday.
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And this thread demonstrates how there are so many options to choose from. Whilst not something 3 mins away lots just a short walk further.
we live quite near to the Baptist Church. From here I’d agree Mayow Park and its café are fab. Local shopping parade is ok for a pint of milk and newspapers. Very short walk to big shops at Bell Green for Sainsbury/B&Q/Aldi. There’s also a Tesco Metro 5 min walk away. An easy walk to Sydenham High Street across Mayow Park, particularly to go to the quite excellent Billings for fish or meat. Or the local brewery taproom, Ignition.
The Forest Hill Bistro and Café in the local parade has only just extended and reopened before lockdown, has a lot going for it. There is quite a choice of places for breakfast within say 12 min walk. Most people would agree that the local pizza restaurants are excellent - there are 3 I can think of within 15 min walk
Periodically we go to Lordship Lane for cinema etc - 356 bus to the Capitol pub, then change to a bus up Lordship Lane, really quick. Can also get to Peckham quite quickly without using the car.
Local decent pubs with gardens include All Inn One near Forest Hill station, or the Dolphin in Sydenham, opposite Raffaelos Italian restaurant mentioned above. The Sylvan Post in Dartmouth Road also has character, in a good way. Only a short distance to the highly acclaimed Blythe Hill Tavern too.
The local parade (which I am trying to rebrand, without any success at all, Perry Village) also has a very good GP, dentist and pharmacy.
I agree with previous comment, the choice of transport is spectacular, with Forest Hill 10 min), Catford and Catford Bridge (more like 20) all walking distance so if one isn’t working another usually is. Buses run to Forest hill/lordship lane, to Catford/Lewisham, to Sydenham/Croydon from outside the fish and chip shop, which is also good.
It seems from what I have written that I am a fan. But it depends what your priorities are.
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We chose the hills of honor oak. Tough to get up and no shops or restaurants up here but… we get woken up by the sound of birds every morning (not necessarily happy about it at 4 am!) and don’t hear anything when we sit in our garden in the evening. So it’s a small piece of the countryside in the heart of forest hill and we love it! Anything we want is a quick walk or drive away and no one is polluting our air up here.
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One point I would consider is (I think) that south of the South Circular we are not subject to the latest charge (ULEZ?). North of the South Circular there are likely to be either additional charges or possibly an extension of the congestion charge. I think someone said the Mayor would not be happy until the congestion charge was extended up to the South Circular.
Thank you all for the tip about the café in Mayow Park.
I live opposite the Horniman and walk easily to Goose green and back, and if you were tired or had a lot of shopping theres always the 185 or 176 bus.
You dont need to drive.
Personally I find Honor Oak offers less than Forest Hill.
from here you can walk to East Dulwich , Kirkdale, and Dartmouth road all have good independent shops and I also walk to Honor Oak from here, its only 15 mins.
Crystal Palace is nice for a change of scene with its excellent cinema cafes and the park.
Again its walkable or a short drive.
I moved here from Zone 1 in West London and to be frank I’ve not really missed much at all. Its easy to go out for drinks and meals in Peckham and jump on the overground and you’re in Shorditch in 20mins
Since coming to London I’ve lived in Sydenham and Forest Hill. Upper Sydenham and Forest Hill on the Dartmouth and Devonshire road side of the tracks is better in my opinion, but it is indeed hilly. Don’t do what I did and sell your car because for the weekly shop it’s easier with a car on account of how steep some of Forest Hill is.
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Thanks again. After wrecking my brain on how to send a private message just found out (with relief that it is not due to my Tech incompetence) I can’t (yet) because I am not verified. Hopefully can tick that off on my exploration trip to Number 41!
Any feedback on the Kilmorie Primary would be great if you have any experience with it. I have a child in Y2 and one soon in Reception. Looking at their homeschooling resources they seem to be doing a fantastic job!
And your thoughts on adjusting to the change of having everything at your doorstep are reassuring. That for me at this point is one of the biggest concerns.
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I’m afraid mine are at nursery so no personal experience of Kilmorie. However I see the families daily and it looks like the sort of school I’ll be happy my children attend in a couple of years. A number of friend’s kids go and are really happy with it. They also viewed Perrymount and Rathfern which again they regarded highly. I think you can’t really go wrong round here for primary schools.
Definitely PM me after you’ve had a lovely coffee from No41! Had a takeaway panini from there the other day. So good.
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Yes, private messaging is reserved for more established members of the forum, which helps our members avoid getting messaged by spammers.
Getting your account verified will fast track this process, but this isn’t a necessity. if you participate positively in the forum for a little while, our software will automatically enable private messaging for you.
In the meantime I have created a PM thread that you and @pea can use
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We bought a flat in Devonshire Road last year, and having previously lived in Edinburgh and Cardiff I can tell you SE23 is absolutely one of my favourite places I’ve ever lived.
Some people will argue between HOP and Forest Hill, but I’m exactly halfway between both so both high streets are exactly a ten minute walk from my front door.
Our flat is on the railway side of Devonshire Road, so in terms of positives: our (shared) garden is really large, and that garden then backs onto the nature reserve. Most days during lockdown I can sit in my garden and hear nothing but the birds and (sometimes ducks). I would imagine most of the buildings on this side of the road are similar given how large the nature reserve is.
The downside is sometimes people use Devonshire as a rat run but to be honest that doesn’t bother me too much, I only tend to use my car once a week to go to Bell Green Sainsbury’s or the cat’s annual vet checkup.
HOP is a nicer high street than FH (personal opinion): it’s more villagey and doesn’t have the south circ running through it and also has regular buses to Surrey Quays, Brixton and Lewisham with the buses to Aldwych at the end of the road. Some really nice little cafes and restaurants.
Forest Hill has more going on (WHSmith, Boots, Superdrug, more bars, bigger Sainsbury’s) but obviously there’s the traffic. And of course, both areas are on the East London line. And if you live in between both of them then you’ve got easy access to all of it.
I can’t speak to schools as I’ve got no children, but there’s a friendly family vibe around the whole area, the Horniman is a 10 minute walk from my front door, there are plenty nearby parks and outdoor spaces, well served for shopping, good transport links.
Honestly, one year in and despite the lockdown I wouldn’t swap SE23 for the world. Sometimes I sit in my garden and listen to the birds and it’s hard to imagine sometimes that I’m in inner London.
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I used to work in schools. My personal opinion is that all the primary schools in our area are at least good. Some are exceptional/outstanding with brilliant dedicated headteachers.
I suggest that you visit the primary schools for a tour when it is possible.
I now have the choice to relocate if I want. My uncle and aunt live in a lovely Crnish village. But I prefer to stay in Forest Hill.
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Hello! Hope you don’t mind me contacting you. I actually have exactly the same query as you did about forest hill - specifically the perry vale area. We’ve seen a lovely property on Farren road but I can’t help but feel it’s about ‘out of it’. What did you decide to do in the end? Cheers!
We thought very hard about the SE23 option, but in the end decided to stay in SE22. The house we were considering was on Allenby Rd and was absolutely beautiful. Something similar in SE22 would be significantly out of our budget, which made this option so attractive, however on balance we decided location and convenience of access by foot to all that SE22 and Dulwich Village have to offer was more important to us. It is a very personal decision and will depend on what you value most, but for us it was the right call. We sometimes happen to drive through Forest Hill/Perry Vale occasionally and there are some lovely streets, but for us not being able to walk out of the house and be within a minute walk to all the shops and cafes etc was not something we could sacrifice for a bigger house and garden. Schools was another consideration. We did the write out pros and cons list and looking at it that way we realised the things we’d miss a nicer house wouldn’t be able to compensate for. But again a very personal choice, so not sure how much this helps. Best of luck with it all!
We live near the junction of Dartmouth Road and Kirkdale, just into SE26, and feel we have the best of both FH and Sydenham. Easy walk to both, and also to several parks. Good schools nearby. Lots of trees and (because it’s on Sydenham Hill) a feeling of fresh air and being above the fray. Nice cluster of shops and cafes in Kirkdale Village and five minutes to all the shops on Dartmouth Road and the FH Sainsbury’s. Good transport (quick walk to FH and Sydenham stations and on bus routes 176, 122, 185, 356). We moved from north London six years ago. Houses much cheaper here than SE22 (and certainly north London) so you get more room for your money.
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