Godstone is well connected if you drive, and poorly connected if you don't. Four in ten people work from home. Nearly half drive to work. The train barely features. More than half of households run two or more cars, because life here is organised around them.
Godstone Rail Station is the local option, and Nutfield, Oxted and Redhill stations are all within reach for other routes. At the 2021 Census only 4% of working residents in the Godstone area commuted by train. Buses carried even fewer, about 1%, even though the area has 199 bus stops. The station and the stops are there, but most people get to work another way.
What people actually do comes down to two things. About 47% drove to work at the 2021 Census and 40% worked from home. Walking accounted for about 4% and cycling barely registered. Only 9% of households had no car, while 56% had two or more. That's how people around here live, and the timetable plays little part in it.
The Department for Transport's modelled journey times tell the same story. They cover the area as a whole, not a route from any particular front door. The nearest town centre is about 15 minutes by car, 29 by public transport, 26 by bike and 69 on foot. At over an hour each way, walking into town isn't a realistic option.
Everyday errands follow the same pattern. A GP is about 10 minutes by car, 20 by public transport and 34 on foot. A food store is about 8 minutes by car or 17 on foot, which is walkable if you're only carrying a small shop. A hospital is about 25 minutes by car and 59 by public transport. The nearest cluster of jobs is about 21 minutes by car and 23 by public transport. The public transport times date from 2019, and services may have been cut since, so give the car and walking figures more weight.
The buses have a proper timetable. According to the national public transport access data, the average stop sees about 65 scheduled departures on a weekday and about 3 an hour at peak. About 79% of stops have some weekend service. That's a usable service. It's still a small share of commuters who use it.
Broadband holds back some of the people working from home. Superfast broadband reaches about 87% of premises, but gigabit and ultrafast both reach only about 24%. For most households, calls and email will work, and very large file uploads will test people's patience.
Mobile coverage is not a worry. At least one operator provides 4G or 5G across effectively 100% of the area, and coverage from all operators also rounds to 100%.
Road noise comes with the location. Every postcode in the Godstone area, 100% of them, sits near or above 65 decibels, the level at which official noise mapping treats road noise as significant. The loudest band recorded is 75 decibels or more. That's area-level mapping, and it can't tell you how loud any particular bedroom will be. Visit at rush hour before you make an offer.
Charging an electric car takes some planning. The area has 4 public charge points with 10 connectors between them, and only 2 are rapid units. With so few rapid chargers, most owners will charge at home or schedule a top-up rather than plugging in while they shop.
For a typical commute, the car wins. The motorway and main roads are close, the train suits the few whose office sits on its line, and working from home suits nearly as many people as driving does.
Connectivity is middling overall. Godstone works well for drivers and home workers, and it's awkward and noisy for everyone else.