Watford (Watford)

Member Name: mnp001

Product:	Watford
Date:	17/04/09 (169 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Shopping, Good rail/road infrastructure, Proximity to London

Disadvantages: High property prices

Watford has a lot going for it. Its got good shopping, good leisure facilities, located next to the M1 and M25, has good rail links and is on London's door step.

SHOPPING

For shopping, you have the Harlequin Centre (Indoor) which has many good shops (including Marks and Spencers, John Lewis, BHS, Whsmiths, HMV etc) and is of a good size. Step outside and you're on the High Street, which also has many shops. Situated to one side of the Harlequin is Charter Place, an outdoor section containing a few shops which looks rather dated and is due for redevelopment. Charter Place leads into Watford Market; an indoor market which runs on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. On Watford Market, there is a nice cafe in the middle which serves nice food at a good price and is consequently packed. There are the usual array of fruit/vegetable stalls, butchers, pet stalls and even a pick'n'mix sweet stall which is very competitively priced.

Charter Place and the indoor market are located at one end of the Harlequin. At the other end, you're on the lower high street and this leads to Watford High Street railway station (London Overground) and also the entrance to Waterfields (a retail park) which has stores including Borders and a large Tescos Extra.

One good thing about the shopping in Watford is that most places are within walking distance of each other. You can walk from the Harlequin to the large Tescos - something you can't do in Milton Keynes (the Milton Keynes large Tescos is a few miles away from the city centre in a place called Kingston).

LEISURE

Watford has two brand new public leisure centres (including swimming pools), both of which opened in 2008. One is located on the edge of the town centre, near the duck pond/public library. The other is located just outside Watford in a place called Garston.

The duck pond is located in the restaurant/night club part, about 400 meters from the Harlequin Centre. Here, people young and old can pass time by watching/feeding the ducks at this pond which has been around for two centuries. Because its located near the night clubs, it does acquire more than its fair share of litter - but the council, who are located very nearby, no doubt try their best to stay on top of it.

On the edge of Watford, near to the Underground train station, is Cassiobury Park - what is regarded as the Jewel in Watford's Crown. Cassiobury Park is 100 years old, and is a nice place for people young and old to walk around. For the kids, there is a miniature railway in operation.

Further afield, there is Rickmansworth Aquadrome - located about 6 miles from Watford. Here, there are three lakes which host a fishing, sailing club, and loads of ducks/geese/swans. This is a place where you can get right up close to the Swans and Geese, who will harass you for food.

FOOTBALL

Watford is home to its championship league team, Watford FC, who are also known as the Hornets. The Stadium is located in Vicarage Road, which involves about 800 meters of walking from the Harlequin Centre. During match days, you will see loads of yellow hornets (people wearing yellow shirts) making their way to/from the stadium. The stadium itself is good, looks after the fans well, and also serves nice food at reasonable prices (reasonable, taking into account you're in a football stadium). The club has a fierce rivalry with Luton Town, located 20 miles away.

TRANSPORT

Watford has four railways stations but the main one for travellers from further afield is Watford Junction - located about 800 meters from the shopping area of the High Street. Watford Junction has mainline railways services to/from London and the north west + Scotland. In addition, there are local services covering the immediate area all the way through to London.

The other stations - Watford North and Watford High Street are used for local railway services.

There is an Underground Station (Metropolitan Line) situated further out of the town centre near to Cassiobury Park.

For car users, Watford is next to the M1 and M25 motorways - which makes it ideal for people who use these motorways. In terms of town centre traffic, it can get bad - and the ring road (which runs round the town centre) can be daunting for someone who isn't familiar with it.

Watford has many buses, calling in at Watford Junction Railway station and the town centre.

For Airports, Watford is situated in between Luton and Heathrow Airports (both of which are about 20 miles away).

EATING/DRINKING

Watford has many places to eat/drink. There are places scattered about the Harlequin but most places are located along the High Street leading towards the Duck Pond - which is also the night club area.

There are different places to suit different tastes, and budgets. Even the market has places to eat.

LIVING

House prices in Watford are very high, when compared to its rival Luton. However, the prices are lower than London or St Albans (a nearby city to Watford).

SUMMARY

Watford is a town which once you get to know, you can become very fond of it - and it does grow on you. It has good shopping facilities, some nice parks nearby and good amenities. Its close to London but retains its own feel.

Summary: A town which grows on you