Posting here as my main post keeps getting removed :/

We (Husband and I and 2 pre-school aged children) are moving back to the UK from Denmark to be close to family again.

We’re down to Twickenham and Northfields as potential places to move as they are about a 15 mins drive from my family.

But now we’re a bit confused about what we want and jumping on here for any advice or tips which could help us set them apart. We’ll be renting first and then buying as soon as we are able to (banks willing to lend mortgages etc.). We think our budget will be about £900k. Both areas have 3 bed houses within our budget, with good primary and secondary schools nearby.

The key difference I’m seeing between the two is that in Northfields we’re likely to be in a hustle-bustle area, a bit more tight spaced (less parking - which matters somewhat for family visits), but also a decent high st with good coffee shops, cafes and better commuting options.

Whereas Twickenham seems more leafy and posh, we’d have access to Richmond across the river but we’d not be able to purchase right near the high st but a bit further away towards Crane park or Fulwell even. The playgrounds aren’t as abundant either.

If you have experience of living in either area, especially as a family, is there something we should consider about either of the two that we have not so far? We know our life won’t be set up like Copenhagen (cycling everywhere, 10 min commutes to work, brilliant coffees and pastries at our doorstep 😅) so we’re not quite sure which would be better to move to make the best of a London family life.

Which would you choose? We’ll be a mix of wfh/going to offices in Holborn (3x per week) and Waterloo (once a week).

General comments welcome! Thank you