Moving from London to kent Village!

[TAG30]

Hello

im new and joined specifically to see if anyone else had posted anything related to what i wanted to know.

I currently live in south east london and have wanted to move for a while but the time hasnt been right. My DH and i both work in central london and have two DD aged 15 and 5. Next year my eldest leaves secondary school and although she intends to go to 6th form i thought that this was the ideal opportunity to make the transition and move in time for her to start college/6th form in the new place.
She obviously has friends here but doesnt seem too against moving considering! However, im worried about how she will adapt and make friends, especially if she starts a 6th form where most of the other girls are likely to already know each other.

The idea is to move to a small village but within a bus ride for her to Tonbridge or Maidstone so that she isnt completely cut off from what she is used to i.e South London!
That way we get the village life but an optional town not too far away. DH and i have free travel so the costs of travelling isnt a problem.
My DH thinks that perhaps the village aspect of it is the sticking point and perhaps we should just move to Tonbridge or Maidstone but i really like the idea of being involved in a small community and living in a safe area for the younger dd.
That said, ive never lived in a village before so who knows how i will feel once there!

Oh the stress of it all!!

My main concern is will my daughter fit in and adapt in a village or would the town be the better option for her.
Also, if anyone already lives in or around any of the villages around Marden and Headcorn would you recommend them as places to live?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this very long first post of mine :)

[ben5]

I grew up in a village and it was great but not so great when you are 16/17/18. The reason being that public transport isn't always that great and my mum and dad had to always drop me off/pick me up from places. it wasn't that i was always out but at weekends with a part time job meant that i had to have lifts.
will you be happy to do this for your older dd. she might also want to start going out and getting taxis can become expensive.

[TAG30]

This is one of my concerns and i wouldnt want her to be solely reliant on us to pick her up etc. The compromise could be a bigger village or one which has a good bus service to the town.
I dont want her to miss out on college places and later job opportunities so ideally dont want to be more than 20 mins away from the town by bus. Probably not what most people call the country i know but having been a Londoner all my life it will definitely feel rural!

[Hullygully]

I moved from London to the coast (town) and now part-time live in a large village. I would say go for a small town, that way you still get amenities and LIFE but it is small enough that you get to know people. Live on the edge and you have easy access to countryside and have the best of both worlds.

[LadyBiscuit]

My sister lives in a village just outside Tonbridge and I know that when my niece was that age it was a bit tricky because they had to ferry her around a lot. In a couple of years, one of her friends will have their driving licence so you'll have to trust her friends to drive her (or get her a car).

Public transport is pretty dreadful in the evenings.

[Hullygully]

Yes, my village is in Kent - public transport is a complete joke.

[linspins]

I live in Tonbridge, and would really recommend that you live in/on the outskirts, for your older daughters sake (and your sanity). Public transport round here is average, but expensive and I think it wouldn't run at times she needed. Tonbridge is a smaller town than Maidstone, so you can get a good sense of community like a village if you look for it.
Tonbridge has loads for your younger daughter - all the dancing, gym, judo, swimming, park, miniature train, canoeing etc that a girl could wish for. In fact, your older daughter might like all this too. Tonbridge is great for wider connections too - Tunbridge wells for better shopping, or Bluewater not too far. Sevenoaks for hanging out with posh people! London an easy train ride, seaside is an easy car ride...
I think there will be a wider scope for school friends (and out of school friends) in Tonbridge itself rather than a village.
The villages round here are lovely - and the Kentish coutryside is beautiful. Some bit of Tonbridge are nearly rural too though!
Any specific questions, fire away...
Good luck!

[TAG30]

i had a drive through Tonbridge yesterday and thought it to be quite large and busy. Sevenoaks looked lovely and seemed slightly smaller but houses prices and being too close to london put me off.

Does anyone have any suggestions of large villages or small towns in mid/west Kent?

[Hullygully]

One last plea on your dds behalf - DO NOT LIVE IN A VILLAGE.

The end.

[TAG30]

sorry linspins just saw your post after i had put that one on. My DH has a friend who lives in Tonbridge so that would provide us with at least one person we know out of London!
Tonbridge does seem to suit us more realistically for commuting to London and although i like the idea of a village community i dont want to make our lives anymore complicated by adding an journey on to our train journey.
What are house prices like in Tonbridge for a 4 bed place? Are there any areas to avoid or better parts to look for?
thanks for your reply

[TAG30]

Hullygully - i think i may think again about the village and maybe look at Tonbridge instead. May not be such a shock to our systems and we can always think again when the kids are older maybe

[TAG30]

Linspins - posh people in sevenoaks is what im tring to avoid. (i know they are not all like that but i dont think we'll fit in)

[MyBoysHaveDogsNames]

I grew up in Maidstone and it has a very small town mentality which I didn't like. Very cliquey, very few people of ethnic origin other than white, very very few gay people. I like bringing up my boys in London which is openly diverse. However, that's just my experience and maybe just the people that I mixed with!

Friends of mine lived in the villages, some of which are very pretty. I remember visiting my friend in Marden though and it is deadly boring! My parents lived in Headcorn for a while and it is fantastic if you are retired and like bowls. Public transport at night though was pretty non-existent.

My sister lives in Tunbridge Wells which is lovely, with good shops and restaurants. I went to college in Tonbridge but can't remember much about it, but as linspins says, it is very near to Tunbridge Wells and some lovely villages so would be a good compromise. Better service for London than Maidstone too.

[grumpypants]

I grew up in Maidstone, and it appears to have changed a lot - however, it is made up of lots of little satellite mini villages, where all the kids attend the same nursery, same school etc so can 'get' what Boys is saying. The centre is now (it seems) much better - good shops, good transport) but still not much scope for getting to know lots of people outside your area.

[lia66]

If your dd is still 15 she'll ba able to get a bus pass for £50 which covers the whole of the area.

[TAG30]

the ratio of pensioners to 30 somethings is something i hadnt considered either!

[Sushiqueen]

I live in between Tonbridge and Maidstone (not in a village although we have lots near by!)

We have buses both to Tonbridge, TW, Maidstone, Chatham etc and they run everyday until pretty late. So the teenage DSS is happy as he can get to where ever he wants to without relying on us. And dd can go out to play with her friends without us worrying.

Some of the local villages are lovely but you will be stuck if you rely on public transport for everything.

House prices will depend on whereabouts you go. We have had quite a few people from Sevenoaks who want to size up look in our area. Some of the villages will be more expensive than the small towns. Look at the schools as well for your 5 year old. Some of the catchments can be really small.

[TAG30]

Thanks Sushiqueen
Do you know much about Paddock Wood? That seems to be reasonable as far as house prices go.
We are going to take a drive around the places between Tonbridge and Maidstone so any recommended places in between would be appreciated so i have half an idea of which ones to consider
Its so hard knowing where to start!
Thanks again

[Sushiqueen]

I must admit I don't know a lot about Paddock Wood. Tend to only go round it on the way to places.

They have had a few issues with the school catchments recently as they now seem to be excluded from the grammar school areas. So if you are thinking of that in the future you will be affected. A lot of the children where I live go to Mascalls there which has a pretty good reputation (secondary - and large with it).

I can't say much though, as I live on a purpose built estate. But hey at least we have buses :)

[linspins]

Paddock Wood had a bad reputation quite a while ago, although I think this is better now...people of paddock wood leap to it's defence now! It is much smaller than Tonbridge, but does have a great 'proper' high street, with a butcher, baker, candlestick maker! (or actually, library, florist, banks, opticians, hardware shop that sells everything you can imagine and some. etc). I don't think there is an awful lot to do after dark there..but am prepared to be corrected. My parents live near by in a village, but they have to drive everywhere, and go further afield to do a weekly shop.
Tonbridge has lots of 4 bed houses, check out 'rightmove' for the latest. I hesitate to say which areas not to live in, as I guess it depends what you are looking for. And whether you need to be near the station. South Tonbridge has more of red brick victorian houses, but less driveways, garden space etc. North Tonbridge is more roomy for families but possibly more suburban.
Will you be looking for particular things in a school, eg grammar, faith school, small classes? Where you end up might be more school-led.
Tunbridge wells, more vibrant and good shops BUT.....(big but) TRAFFIC - it's fairly horrendous to get in to or out of. I love T wells but wouldn't live there.