Considering moving to Greystones..need advice!

Blingy

We are a married couple in our 30's and considering moving to Greystones. We have always said it would be a lovely place to settle down, buy a house and raise children. So we are thinking to try before we buy and see if we like it.
I am concerned about the commute though. I work in the city centre and OH works in Blackrock. The 84X would suit me the most I think but exactly how reliable is this bus and how long does it take to get from Greystones to St Stephens Green (really, not just as per the timetable)?
What is Greystones like during the week, weekend in winter?? We have been there a few times over the summer and its a thriving town.
We are currently living within 20 mins walk to Dublin city centre so this is the main reason we are concerned about commuting distances.
Is it a friendly village?
Which are the nicer estates within walking distance of the town?
Would love some opinions from people that live in Greystones...thank you..

audreyp

I totally understand your reservations but greystones is great!! I lived in town for 7 years and I have lived here 3 years and couldn't imagine living anywhere else! It is such a friendly place, and has great facilities. Joining classes or the many running clubs are a great way to meet people.

It has 2 amazing restaurants ( in my opinion) Jaipur and 3Qs and lots of other amenities.

Commute-wise you are in a very similar situation to us. I work in sandyford which I find a very easy commute. My OH works in town, he gets the dart as the 84 can be unpredictable with traffic.

The only worry is winter. Last winter I had 4 stressful weeks of driving in horrible snow. I got snowed in twice! Besides that I can't recommend it enough.

Good luck with your decision!

dudmis

I totally agree with audreyp.

Myself and family moved to Greystones a year ago and we absolutely love it. It has every facility you could ask for for a family and retains a village friendliness about it despite being within commuting distance of Dublin.

grouser

Some interesting discussion and info in this earlier thread -
www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=71121304

luapenak

In relation to the commute, the 84x is a very good service once the timing of it suites you. However I prefer the drive to Kilmacud Luas stop and to get the Luas in to town. It's a solid 50 +/- 5min journey door to door and it allows the flexibility to stay late in work as the last 84x is at 6.30.
The draw back is the cost is quite a bit more 3 (parking) + 4.30 (luas)+ ~5 (petrol) = 12.30euro per day

Jammyc

The DART also runs every half hour to the city centre and beyond, with additional commuter trains through the day too. It takes just under 50 minutes to Pearse Station and weekly tickets make it work out cheap enough.

irlirishkev

Greystones is a lovely town. I haven't lived there in nearly 8 years, but I grew up and lived there til my mid 20s. I live in town now, but my family are still in Greystones and I'm back out there every few weeks.

The town has grown/expanded a hell of a lot in the last 10 years or so. More shops, restaurants, amenities etc.. fewer pubs actually since La Touche closed, but the ones that remain seem to be getting their act together, with music/entertainment etc..

The whole harbour fiasco is quite upsetting, but it's done now and you can't turn back the clock.

I have to say, commuting was one of the main reasons I moved away. It depends how you can handle commuting, but I hated it. I used to dread getting out of bed in the morning, cos the first thing I had to look forward to was an hour on a dart. Most people are probably a bit more tolerant of public transport than I am however.

If I didn't love city living so much, and didn't loathe commuting, then I'd have no problem settling down in Greystones!

Sparks115

We lived 15 min walk from town 6 years ago, had a busy social life always out in town and then decided we wanted to move and have kids and found Greystones!!
Cant say enough good things about it especially when u have 2 young children growing up. School choice, sports, local amenities, shop, restaurants it has everything.
Commuting by car dart or bus my hubby has done them all and all very do-able. It is a long commute into stephens green but worth it. I used to commute to the airport daily so I know all about a long commute and did it for 2 years. If you want anymore info please dont hesitate to PM me if you would like more details. The people are lovely, lots of young couples and familys and cant really find anything to complain about bar going out in town sometimes can be a big ordeal trying to get home paying for a taxi by yourself can be expensive so your social life may end up out here but nothing wrong with that either!!:D

jobless

luapenak wrote: »

In relation to the commute, the 84x is a very good service once the timing of it suites you. However I prefer the drive to Kilmacud Luas stop and to get the Luas in to town. It's a solid 50 +/- 5min journey door to door and it allows the flexibility to stay late in work as the last 84x is at 6.30.
The draw back is the cost is quite a bit more 3 (parking) + 4.30 (luas)+ ~5 (petrol) = 12.30euro per day

i often wondered how many people drive to the luas instead of getting the dart... its something i would consider myself as i would find the dart commute quite long and boring...
are there no weekly parking or luas tickets that would make things cheaper?

audreyp

There is plenty of free parking around the luas if you don't mind maybe a 5 minute walk to the luas. Close to the luas its 3/5 euro a day depending on the car parks.

It can be traffic-y around the luas between 5 and 7 so traffic delays should be factored especially on a Friday.

Thankfully I have flexi-time so I leave at 4!

mikedragon32

jobless wrote: »

i often wondered how many people drive to the luas instead of getting the dart... its something i would consider myself as i would find the dart commute quite long and boring...
are there no weekly parking or luas tickets that would make things cheaper?

Wife does car+luas as she works adjacent to the Luas stop at the Green.

Parking by Stillorgan Luas costs €3 per day, however on the site of the old Atlantic Homecare you can avail of a weekly parking rate of €10. There are some free parking spots nearby if you're there early enough and a few more about 5 mins walk away. If she leaves around 7am, the total journey time is ~45 mins tops and she normally finds a free spot. Leaving much after 7:30 and the journey can take up to an hour as traffic is building up coming off the M50 and into the industrial estate. She uses a tag card at the moment but will move to a monthly ticket soon. No idea how much it costs though, I'm sure all the info is on the Luas website.

I take the 84X and now that the kids are back at school journey times can vary. This morning the bus passing through Charlesland just before 7am got to the Green at 7:45, which is par for that time of the morning. The one passing through at 7:50 yesterday took an hour to get to the Green. Of course there are days you could still be on the bus 75 to 90 mins after boarding!

hoser expat

Great choice on Greystones. We moved here 5 months ago and love it.

I take the 84X every day to Leeson Street. Minimum 45 minutes, max 1 hour. Always get a seat. It's a great service but you can't stay late at work or in town, as the last bus is about 6:30.

cuddlycavies

It´s a great place to live and we generally get milde weather in winter on account of proximty to the sea. Lacks a good pub but restaurants and coffeeshops are good. Only problems are the unfinished harbour and dog owners who let their dogs poo everywhere. In Nerja at present. The dog thing was ahuge problem here only 2 yrs ago but is now fixed due to law changes. We´ll get around to it.

Tiradon

Hi Blingy, I have been commuting from Greystones to Blackrock for a few years now and it's actually quite hassle free. 35 mins on the train so the 8am morning train gets into Blackrock comfortably before 9am. Obviously, heading into the City Centre will take longer but not too much longer and you'll also have the benefit of the being the first stop in the morning, so you can prob get a seat, and the last stop home in the evening so you can fall asleep and you won't miss your stop - unless no-one wakes you that is and the train takes you back into town

Blandpebbles

Greystones as a whole is great to live in. Perhaps the question you should be asking is where in Greystones we would recommend to live.

With the low low price of houses you can take your pick of estates and roads... but they all have pros and cons.

Jammyc

Tiradon wrote: »

the last stop home in the evening so you can fall asleep and you won't miss your stop - unless no-one wakes you that is and the train takes you back into town

Thats happened before, woke up half way to Bray though!

Blingy

Thanks everyone for the replies..they have definitely put our minds at ease a bit!
We are considering the estates close to the village...Hillside, Heathervue, Applewood, anyone have any other recommendations?

Tiradon

Every estate has their merits, including the 3 you mentioned. I wouldn't purposely restrict yourself to whichever is closest to the village. The beauty about Greystones is that despite its actual size (significant population growth in recent years) it has retained its small town feel and from one end to other it's not really that far (okay, on a day when it's pelting down with rain, it may seem like an eternity). There are also little developments here and there to service estates away from the village such as the Lidl development in Blacklion, Tesco up across from Kindlestown and Superquinn in the Charlesland development. Keep your mind open and pick somewhere you really like rather than just making do with somewhere that seems convenient. If you can match both criteria, all the better.

micandre

Hello,
I live with my wife and 2 children in Redford Park and are very happy here. In my close there's a good mixture of families and mature householders.
We're 2 minutes walk to Lidl and Pebbles Cafe
The north beach is a 5 minute walk away and we're very near the cliff walk to Bray.
It's a 20 minute walk to the Dart station.

The Bishop Basher

There are numerous estates close to the village, Burnaby Heights, Rathdown Pk, Oaklands, Kindlestown Pk, Rathdown Ct etc etc. They are all well established and I would be happy to live in any of them.

Hillside and Heatherview would be top of the list though just for sheer proximity to the Main St and everything that has to offer. They are both within a couple of minutes from Tesco too.

You are right to try before you buy though. The commute is a real drag. Having gone to school in Dublin and having worked there for about 6 years, I wouldn't want to do the commute again unless I absolutley had to. It takes up a considerable part of your day and can be a nightmare through the winter months.

Having said that the trade off is getting to live in an amazing seaside town with a great community and plenty to do.

It all depends how much you want that.

artvandelay48

hoser expat wrote: »

Great choice on Greystones. We moved here 5 months ago and love it.

I take the 84X every day to Leeson Street. Minimum 45 minutes, max 1 hour. Always get a seat. It's a great service but you can't stay late at work or in town, as the last bus is about 6:30.

Hoser expat? Are you a fellow canuck living in greystones? I'm a Canuck who's been living in Greystones for 3 years now...

hoser expat

artvandelay48 wrote: »

Hoser expat? Are you a fellow canuck living in greystones? I'm a Canuck who's been living in Greystones for 3 years now...

Well spotted....PM sent.

Vue

It's all about heathervue, easily the best estate in the town

Huntthe

I would an estate with a large green area very close by ( like outside the front door) if you have kids.

MrMickeyMouse

Off to look at renting a property in Greystones, am hoping the house and the estate are everything I've read so far! Fingers crossed! Will keep you all posted!