I've lived on Wood Vale (Lordship Lane end) for about 12 years and come back regularly after dark (and occasionally after midnight). I generally feel pretty safe walking along the road. I did have my bag snatched once (about 7 years ago) - but the good news is that I screamed and 6 sets of neighbours came out to chase the guy down and check I was OK.

Connections are good - it's a 10 minute walk down to Forest Hill. But at the end of the road, you've got 5 different bus routes which can sometimes work out easier (particularly since they all take you to zone 2 stations) - the P4 goes to Brixton (in 20 minutes outside school run time), the 363/176 goes to Elephant & Castle (in 30-40 minutes), 176/185 to Denmark Hill (Victoria/ELL) in 15-20 minutes and 363/197 to Peckham Rye. When I'm out in town, I tend to leave with a pal who lives in Colliers Wood - we generally get home within 5 minutes of each other.

Parks nearby are lovely too - one of the highlights of living here in the summer especially if you don't have a sunny garden.