Help? - Relocating to the SE

[splosher]

Work is relocating me to Kent area , and wondering where is best.

Looking for a quiet life, 4 bedrooms type house and "good" schools for the kids (8 and 6 year old).

Been based in Scotland and then overseas, so don't know the area at all, and these are first steps.

Quite fancy English country village life (cricket on the green, local pub etc), but not sure if that really exists?

Any thoughts / advice would be brilliant...

Cheers

[sday12]

Avoid North Kent/Medway towns, nasty

[MikeyT]

Tonbridge Wells, Canterbury, Sevenoaks - okay I think

Gravesend, Chatham, Gillingham - nasty

The more south si better - but then I'm from Cambridgeshire ... born in Kent though.

The first few miles the other side of the Dartford Tunnel from here is to me, the worst few miles in the history of the world. cConcrete jungle, cars, noise, pollution, general ugliness. Just horrible.

[Don]

Brace yourself for a humoungous mortgage payment rise...I hope they're giving you relocation assistance..

I'm not local to Kent so can't help with details, sorry. A top tip, though, is to give every suggested area a thorough going over with Google Earth, Maps, Street View, Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D view etc. You should be able to dismiss instantly the places you certainly don't want to move to.

Remember in the South East your commute will be longer for any given distance due to congestion. So don't plan on living fifty miles from where you will be working...

Good luck. It's lovely down here. Sunny, warm. I moved to Hampshire from North Wales and I don't regret it.

[road_rager]

I'm in a village near tunbridge wells, would give you all you ask for... It's not cheap however, detached house start at 500K, semi's cost 400K

[thehawk]

Kent is an absolute dump, Sussex is far nicer.

[Simpo Two]

Time to call... Locationbusters...

[loafer123]

It depends where in Kent you are going to be working.

It's cheaper the further you get from London, and you certainly can get the village green and cricket atmosphere.

This morning, for example, I am organising an Easter Egg hunt for my local village.

East Sussex is also very nice, and wraps around Kent, so could be an option.

If you can be a little more specific on location, and whether you want to rent or buy, I'll do my best to help.

[Blib]

Kent you say? Then, I suggest that you resign forthwith.

[splosher]

Thanks for the comments and advice, likely to be working around Bromley area, and "happy" to commute a bit by train or preferably car.

Went through the Dartford tunnel coming up from Milan to Scotland the other weekend... carnage on every level. Even tunnels in Italy have good traffic flow in comparison!

Have spent a happy couple of hours playing with Google earth and estate agents pages so am now resigned to poverty in a nice area... ho hum !

Like the Kirsty and Phil idea, but don't think I am photogenic, or opinionated enough to make good TV

Cheers

[Dupont666]

if in bromley.... why not look at beckenham as an area to live... quite nice down there.

[sjg]

road_rager said:

I'm in a village near tunbridge wells, would give you all you ask for... It's not cheap however, detached house start at 500K, semi's cost 400K

Indeed. I grew up in Pembury, and my parents still live there - nice primary school, few decent pubs, no cricket on the green but a well-established club there. Fairly big though, Matfield, Brenchley, Capel and the like are more "villagey" if that's what you're after.

[172ff]

Nonsense. You can buy a fairly big 4 bed detached in Pembury for less than £350k. I bet you could get a decent 3 bed for £260-280 nowk.

I love Pembury. Its where all the Daily Express/Mail readers live. There is a disease there called Pemburyitus. Its when you think everyone is out to get you. Steel your car, rape your mrs, moan about the bins getting emptied and everyone with a PC must be a kiddy fiddler. You'll never see someone go out in Pembury and leave there windows open etc.

The Blackhorse in Pembury is great, but get used to paying £4.20 a pint. They have a really good Jazz festival (read 1 night) in the summer.

Another vote for Matlock. Or you could try Horsemonden, Yalding, West Malling, East Peckham, Wrotham, Wateringbury etc. All in 20mins reach of the M20. Docklands from the M20 West Malling junction is circa 50 mins in the rush. Really depends on how long you want your commute.

The best part of Medway is Meopham. Really nice and even closer to London. Dont write Medway off entirely as it has some really nice out laying villages. Just avoid the central bits, but you'll be surprised what you can find i.e. St Mary's Island in Chatham. 98% of Rochester is really nice. So it really depends on what you are used to. As the OP is from Scotland he'll probably enjoy Sheppy. Cheep housing and the savages live there

[Westy Pre-Lit]

sday12 said:

Avoid North Kent/Medway towns, nasty

Says the Essex Boy.

It depends how big your budget is and how far you are up your own arse as well i suppose, like some of the posters on here.

Edited by Westy Pre-Lit on Sunday 12th April 17:04

[williamp]

Generally speaking, avoid anywhere north of the M2. Once it becommes the A2, there are differences (like Whitstable), but they are few and far between.

Whereever you go its expensive, overcrowded with poor links into London (how cna it take over a n hour to go from Maidstone to London?? Its the same journey time from Leicestershire to London).

I moved to the Midlands 4 years ago. The only thing I miss (and I mean the only thing) is the quick day trips to France- go over, load the car up, get back, have lunch at home and be at work in the afternoon.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Dupont666 said:

if in bromley.... why not look at beckenham as an area to live... quite nice down there.

Not really Kent though. I lived there for a while, and it has definitely lost its villagey feel. House prices are high, most converted to flats, and finding anything quiet with space you will be spending a lot of money.

Try the other side of Bromley though - Chislehurst, Bickley, Petts Wood - if you want to live inside the M25.

[ncs]

Im in Bromley (Bickley) & parts of it are lovely but can be expensive, we love it here & the schools are generally very good.

But if you want more rural surroundings it might be worth going for Keston, Knockholt, Otford etc which are all in easy commuting distance of Bromley. Theres some great roads in the area for you to enjoy too

Drop me a pm if I can be of any help.

Nick

[Mekon]

Why Kent? Surrey and Sussex have the Downs. I've lived near the North and South, and both have their pluses. The Downs give scenery equivalent to the best the north has without having to keep pigeons and drink in working mens clubs. Why you would pay to live in the South and forgo them is beyond me.

[theaxe]

Tunbridge Wells and surrounding area is nice... Loads of good schools in the area too.

[davido140]

Simpo Two said:

Time to call... Locationbusters...

are they talking to each other on thier mobiles? seems kind of pointless....