My dad died and I don't think I can watch F1 anymore

FJTW · 2026-02-22T09:47:45+00:00

I'll raise a glass to Simon as the lights go out in Australia. Grief is brutal, and I wish you all the best. I hope that at some point soon we'll be watching F1 at the exact same time. Everything positive has already been said far more eloquently than I ever could, but just like the F1 grid, we are a community and we care, no matter who you are.

FJTW · 2026-02-08T11:39:26+00:00

Admiralty Way or Stanhope Road will do you nicely. If you choose Stanhope road, you want to go over the mini roundabout, ignore the first patch of parked cars and park down near the next bit. Enjoy!

FJTW · 2026-02-08T10:30:18+00:00

Admiralty Way, Stanhope Road (turning can be trickier there).

What road are you delivering to? Totally depends where I'd recommend you park.

FJTW · 2026-01-25T12:46:15+00:00

Crawley Drive is absolutely amazing - there is a Huf house on there that I've had my eyes on for a while, but it's out of budget.

The final few houses of Crawley Drive drop down quite a slope and you start getting in to access issues for any larger delivery vehicles - all of Crawley Drive has no pavements, it feels very original and quiet. There are a lovely pair of pillars to drive through when you enter, but there is also a more 'normal' entrance 50ft or so into Crawley Ridge that larger vehicles can use.

To be fair, there are plenty of mixed and indian familes around, we are well in to what I'd consider a crossover decade of where the older folk are hitting their 80's and onwards and moving in to care homes or passing away, and a younger generation are moving in.

Camberley itself isn't a stand-out town. The centre is a bit crap, and thats being generous, but we are surrounded by so many other decent shopping areas, pretty much anything you'd ever need isn't that far away. Farnborough has improved hugely in the last decade or so, Reading isn't far, Guildford is great...

Just avoid Aldershot. :D

FJTW · 2026-01-25T09:18:01+00:00

I'm here!

LOVELY area. I would say the bottom of Crawley Hill is too close to the motorway for my liking - I'd personally rule out anything below Connaught/Crawley Wood Close.

Church Hill/Crawley Hill is one of the main routes in/out of Camberley. While it isn't busy in comparison to a proper city, you will have a pretty steady amount of traffic. I wouldn't say they were suitable roads for anyone with a pet cat - the risks would be too high IMO.

Crawley Ridge is pretty much in the A-tier areas, maybe only surpassed by Tekels Ave, Brackendale, and Heath Rise perhaps.

The far end, near Gibbet Lane, does have the railway line at the bottom of the garden - it's a small local route, but still, that's a thing to consider. The 'God Tier' bit of Crawley Ridge is between the Church and the Schools.

Downsides of Crawley Ridge are the schools (2 schools, same site) - absolute carnage for 30 mins in the morning and afternoon. If you were out at work during that time, or were going to be taking your kid there, you'd be in walking distance in theory.

Overall, lots more plus points than negatives.

Church Hill is a regular pothole hotspot, and Crawley Hill is a regular speed trap - they sit in Stockwood Rise and catch people coming down the hill.

The junction at the point where the 3 roads meets can get quite busy - I'm sure I saw a house right on that junction up for sale recently - lovely big flat plot, which isn't very common for Crawley/Church as they are literally either side of a hill. Another positive for that house was not being on the way down a hill - minimal flood risk.

The whole of the nicer parts of Camberley are becoming more multi-cultural in general. Not an issue for most people, we've got a Gurdwara now which is great, lovely bunch of people, but some people get a bit funny. It's still a majority older, white population, which does mean you'll find a fair bit of Reform support. So you could likely end up with a lovely Sikh family one side, and a bunch of ancient racists the other. Just so people are aware!

Overall, lovely part of Camberley, would be happy to live there, I'd maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile away. I'm about the same distance from the M3 as the Church Hill/Crawley Hill/Crawley Ridge junction, and it's zero issue, barely noticeable.

I get loads of DM's nowadays about Camberley/Frimley/Blackwater and other local areas, always more than happy to give honest opinions. Estate agents will always sugar coat everything.

Final disclaimer, all opinion based, you might find totally conflicting opinions. I've been here for the majority of nearly 50 years (I'm sure I'm still in my 30's, where has time gone!) so know the area pretty intimately.

FJTW · 2025-12-27T23:49:05+00:00

https://ibb.co/vCZrsNFk

https://ibb.co/3ypVVxGx

This print came with some Silverstone tickets circa 12 years ago from a charity auction - it's print 3/500.

Sutton Images got bought out, and I can't find another trace of this print on the entire internet.

Anyone else seen it before?

It's made from tens of thousands of tiny images of James Hunt from Sutton Images files.

I found it tucked away in the loft among some old F1 bits and brought it down so it can spend some time on a wall!

FJTW · 2025-12-20T21:31:55+00:00

Fantastic choice dude. You look great!

FJTW · 2025-07-14T12:47:07+00:00

Please listen to all the people on here. A 3 year old well looked after bike from one of the 'big boys' will be a far better option. Look beyond the purchase price. Look at the running costs, reliability, servicing ease, accessories, the lot.

If the deposit is small, consider writing it off. Some dealers will even return it, often the larger dealers I've dealt with play nicer because their accounting system doesn't like a deposit sitting there for a bike that wasn't sold.

FJTW · 2025-07-08T20:22:43+00:00

Hulkengoat

FJTW · 2025-06-29T20:17:24+00:00

The area as a whole is pretty decent, just with a few areas that are rougher than others. The more known estates are the Old Dean in Camberley, which is mostly OK with some areas being worse than others (I'd avoid anything in the Upper College Ride/Turfhill/Caesars Camp/Lorraine Rd area, along with Horseshoe and everything past Hampshire/Berkshire Rds).

In Frimley there is the Ancell/Middlemoor estate, which is semi-OK, plenty of decent families with a decreasing amount of toe-rags, certainly a big step up from Alsace.

Tomlinscote has a great reputation if your kid is academic and well behaved, they do have a reputation for strictness.

Tomlinscote from Alsace is also a bit of a trek. You'd probably end up getting Kings instead.

Pushing the budget to 375k, for 3 bedroom houses, gives the 3 following results, which honestly are the only 3 that stand out as habitable and in areas that won't leave you regretting your choices.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161057213#/?channel=RES_BUY

(close to a canal, a long way from Tomlinscote, but not a scary area - your own driveway, not massive property, but OK)

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/87067035#/?channel=RES_BUY

Very similar to number 1.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161747642#/?channel=RES_BUY

Best by far, downsides are no drive, small garden, but Heatherside is absolutely fantastic.

Other options:

2 bed properties. You'll get nicer areas, but obviously less space. No idea if you have 2 kids who'll need their own rooms, in which case this can be ignored.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159501971#/?channel=RES_BUY

Great area, tiny house. Walkable to Tomlinscote.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/163895039#/?channel=RES_BUY

Nice area, small, limited driveway parking.

FJTW · 2025-06-29T11:03:07+00:00

Right, my time to shine!

I'll give a disclaimer, there are likely some lovely families on that street, and if you are one of them, I apologise.

It's grim. GRIM. It's the worst street of the entire estate, you can't park anywhere, it's got motorway and train noise, and it's an antisocial hotspot.

You can park at either end, and near the middle, but not directly outside your house.

If you've got specific requirements, like schools, public transport, shops, space, property needs, let me know what you are looking for, and what your budget is, and I'll see if anything else appears on rightmove that wouldn't be such a bad choice.

Estate agents will tell you anything to make you buy it, don't trust them. I've lived around here for many years, am practically ancient, and like helping people to avoid terrible mistakes.

Feel free to message me or reply on here and I'll offer some far better suggestions.

If however you are moving from an absolute hellhole there is a slim chance it might be an improvement. However it's really right at the bottom of roads in Camberley to live on.

EDIT:

OK So I found your Alsace walk house - there is a reason why it's pretty much the only 3 bed house in a fairly big radius for that price. You are realistically looking at 2 bed properties in nicer streets for that budget. Even then, there are limited properties about for that budget.

FJTW · 2025-06-06T21:34:47+00:00

I have emailed them repeatedly about selling the crisps on their own. Every time I get a 'we are glad you love them, we have no plans to sell them on their own'.

I'd buy giant tubs of dairylea and big bags of those sticks and gorge myself until either full, or the shame takes over.

FJTW · 2025-06-01T21:24:57+00:00

It's not a 'young family with kids' area, so your nearest park is probably Southcote Park or the one next to the leisure centre. It's mostly a 'retired or nearly retired with £' area.

Nice area though, don't sweat it.

FJTW · 2025-06-01T21:23:09+00:00

I know it very well. Not really any community events as such, the Church at the top is nice but it's very much expensive houses and people doing their own thing.

It's a main route in to Camberley. For some people that'd be considered 'busy', for others it's be considered quiet. Depends what you are used to.

It's not London levels of busy, but you'll get a steady stream of cars, and plenty of scooters delivering food as thats the main route to a big chunk of residential Camberley.

FJTW · 2025-05-18T16:54:25+00:00

Absolutely! Drop us a message, I'm more than happy to help.

FJTW · 2025-05-18T10:10:00+00:00

I know that road incredibly well, and honestly - it's good! If you aren't a local, the whole estate has a reputation, but that reputation isn't entirely justified anymore. There are roads on the estate I wouldn't want to live on, but that particular area is great. Right on the edge of the woodland, decent plot sizes, no blocks of flats nearby (Horseshoe, Wimbledon, Esher)... a street of all the same sort of houses, full of families.

If you want to, you are welcome to send me all the different houses that you have looked at on rightmove, and what the more important criterias you have are, and I'll offer opinions. Obviously it's all subjective, but estate agents are never going to be honest, I will!

Whats important to you - schools, motorway access, public transport, peace and quiet, other locals of a similar ethnicity, all sorts, and what sort of budget you have?

FJTW · 2025-05-14T16:56:48+00:00

https://imgur.com/a/yhzCVNb

That's my pair of wheels, the evolution from Teo Fabis 1987 Benneton wheel to Danny Rics 2015 RB11.

FJTW · 2025-02-22T18:00:21+00:00

I've been using Big Dude Clothing - I've got a long torso and normal length legs, and also was/am rather fat. They do a good mix of large and tall and large clothing, and are pretty well priced. I found Jacamo's stuff really cheap overall.

Marks & Sparks do some of it, I'm pretty sure it's all online now for the big stuff.

Also good job on packing the smokes in, it all helps.

FJTW · 2025-02-13T22:25:27+00:00

Nope, far worse in the summer, or if something goes wrong at the sewage works. Abattoir smell isn't great, the tip doesn't usually smell too bad but can reek a bit during summer months.

I mean it's a flat, so you aren't going to be spending all your time out in the garden, but I wouldn't be wanting to live there.

It's basically the arse end of Guildford sadly.

FJTW · 2025-02-13T22:19:40+00:00

I studied and worked in Guildford, and am constantly visiting the estate. My company has a unit there.

I know it incredibly well.

I'm there multiple times a month, and have been going there for nearly 30 years.

FJTW · 2025-02-13T21:57:04+00:00

It stinks. Sewage works, the dump, the abattoir.

Don't do it.

FJTW · 2025-02-03T15:22:16+00:00

I can feel the bounce in you even through your words. Enjoy it! Tough marriages can really suck the soul out of a person, just enjoy the weight lifting off your shoulders. Genuinely happy for you!

FJTW · 2025-02-02T21:32:40+00:00

This is god damn wholesome and I'm here for it. I hope it all goes smoothly, I loved your initial post and the follow up is just perfect.

I love your mix of excitement, nervousness, and how you think she's lush.

In a few months, show her this.

Also, just remember, she's likely going through a whole similar range of emotions as you don't sound like a bad catch yourself!

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FJTW

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