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AIBU?

Eastbourne Eastbourne Eastbourne.....

40 replies

Sunnybunniesbees · 02/06/2020 20:35

Just found out today that DH has been offered a promotion which means a move for us. We will be settling along the SE coast and have always liked Eastbourne. We have 4 children- 6 months- 8 years and therefore need a decent sized home and a big garden as we have dogs too and the kids are very outdoorsy. We love Brighton but a rightmove browse shows that anything in budget is just too small or the garden is too small. Can I ask if we are mad to consider Eastbourne? Criteria is -

Large house
Large garden
Safe / nice area
Good schools
Lots to do for little ones
Ideally access to countryside
A nice liberal/ artsy atmosphere I.e. tolerant and happy place (We are moving from Totnes)
Budget of 725 - 750k

I know this is asking too much but wondered if anyone lives in Eastbourne and could tell me whether it fits the bill. Rightmove shows some gorgeous period homes in price range. Or any other suggestions?! Thanks Smile

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AragornsManlyStubble · 02/06/2020 20:53

Ooh, people never seem to mention anywhere near me. I’m 20 mins away from Eastbourne but go there regularly. I’d say it would definitely fit most of your criteria. The only thing I hate about Eastbourne is their hospital!

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VivienScott · 02/06/2020 20:56

I’m near there, just along the coast. It’s a lovely area, huge amount of very attractive countryside, area of outstanding natural beauty, good train connections to Brighton, London and Lewes, think schools are pretty good there, new cinema in improving shopping centre, by the sea, some lovely properties.
Not as artsy as Brighton, but has art gallery, Towner, that’s very popular.
If you want somewhere a little less urban, the Meads Village area is lovely and by sea, next to open countryside. pretty villages around there too.

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CallSignCharlie · 02/06/2020 21:04

I grew up in that area and still visit regularly to see DM and DF .
1 would say that Eastbourne ticks just about all those boxes - countryside , nice safe area lots to do for kids ( I love Druscilla‘s Zoo) BUT I’m not sure I’d describe it as liberal and artsy ( it’s no Brighton ) but I stand to be corrected if others have different experiences
What about some of the Brighton suburbs - would they fit your budget - or Lewes?
Good luck - you’ll love East Sussex

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Sunnybunniesbees · 02/06/2020 21:04

Thank you! Sounds positive. I was put off by claims it is all elderly people (not a bad thing just worried not suited to a family with young kids!). But it certainly has some beautiful properties and streets. Is it hugely different from Brighton? We don't need night life or tons of shops but we like a happy / easy going liberal vibe as that's similar to where we are coming from.

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Sunnybunniesbees · 02/06/2020 21:07

Thank you! Love Lewes but no suitable gardens. Don't need it to be lively, just an accepting and welcoming place for kids. I say I love Brighton but I worry about the drug and alcohol problems. I wondered if Eastbourne is a bit like the better behaved more sensible relation to Brighton Grin

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madcatladyforever · 02/06/2020 21:10

Eastbourne is a horrific dump. I did NHS home visits there for years. There are huge drug problems and gangs and alcoholics wandering the streets. I lived in Seaford which is much nicer, also East Dean, Alfriston, Bexhill, Rye. There are parts of Eastbourne I won't go to alone on a visit as they are too rough. If you must live there try Old Town. Lewes is much nicer too. I moved to the west Country last year. Havery a really good look before moving. The south coast can be quite rough in places.

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JeanSlatersSausageSurprise · 02/06/2020 21:16

My nan used to take us there, we used to visit the leisure centre. I think it had a wage machine. We are talking a good thirty years ago but I used to enjoy it there, the playgrounds and everything. I'm still hoping there's a chance I'll be able to move down that general direction one day.

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6demandingchildren · 02/06/2020 21:51

I live in eastbourne and I adore it, Willingdon area is very nice and some big gardens. Like every town it has drugs and alcohol abuse but generally people are friendly.

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LakieLady · 02/06/2020 22:05

I live and work in that area of East Sussex. I think Seaford or Lewes would suit you better. Eastbourne has been getting crappier for years, run down, lots of crime, drugs and homelessness. (This isn't just anecdotal, I worked in homelessness and now work solely with clients who have MH issues and are vulnerable. I see the underbelly of East Sussex!).

Lewes has a lot of arty/cultural /alternative stuff going on (DP describes Totnes as the Lewes of the South West) and Seaford is catching it up. People who like the Lewes vibe but can't afford the prices are moving to Seaford instead, and Seaford has some nice cafes and independent shops, and a beach!

It'll never be as pretty as Lewes though. And the bonfire night celebrations in Lewes are just awesome!

It's a shame you're too far away to come for a day and just stroll around both towns, and Eastbourne, and get a feel for them all.

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Grandmi · 02/06/2020 22:11

I would recommend Lewes or Seaford . Eastbourne is rather dreary in comparison .

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AragornsManlyStubble · 02/06/2020 22:18

Seaford is lovely and my kids do have a lot of activities and opportunities there. Just don’t be tempted by anything in Newhaven!

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clareth · 02/06/2020 22:30

I think with any large towns there are problems areas that you want to avoid if possible. Seems a bit unfair to tar the whole of Eastbourne as rundown and crappy! It’s really not. Some lovely areas with beautiful houses that would be in your budget.

There’s a lot of young families with kids here, we moved from Brighton & Hove a few years ago (house prices too high where we would have wanted to be, and actually Brighton for me was becoming very run down) and our lovely neighbours moved from London for similar reasons. We’ve got the South Downs on our doorstep, forests nearby and miles of lovely coastline. In fact we took our kayak out today off the beach - the kids absolutely love it.

Personally, I would avoid Seaford, very small town and nothing going on there at all.

Lewes might be worth a look. Definitely the most artsy of the 3 towns. Very cliquey though.

If you can come down to have a wander around these places sometime that might help you to decide - good luck with it all!

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Sunnybunniesbees · 03/06/2020 10:08

Thank you! We did prefer Eastbourne to Seaford but it's a balance between the space and garden we need and being within budget / location! The areas of Eastbourne we've considered seem really beautiful. Will explore all the suggestions given. Thanks!

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blueroses1 · 03/06/2020 10:14

Having grown up very close to Eastbourne I can tell you the secondary schools are rubbish. In fact most schools are in East Sussex unless you go Lewes way.

There are very few nice areas of Eastbourne too.

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clareth · 04/06/2020 07:33

The secondary schools here are good actually! The 3 in our area of Old Town; Cavendish, Ratton and Gildredge House are all popular with our friends and their kids for different reasons and are all rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.

I think that people that may have grown up in a town will then rubbish it - (I feel the same way about the town that I grew up in!! And I’d also tell you my school was crap but that was a loooong time ago!) but coming here as an adult (and having lived in other places too) I can appreciate and understand the things that it does have going for it.
Large houses with lovely gardens, beautiful countryside and beaches and decent schools - as with anywhere, choose the area carefully, but with a budget of your size, you’re not going to end up in a not nice area. Look at Old Town/ Summerdown/ Willingdon/ Meads - good luck!

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XDownwiththissortofthingX · 04/06/2020 07:44

Always find it bizarre people feel the need to specify 'safe/nice' area in these threads. I would have thought that goes without saying.

I suppose you need to stand out from the "Hey mumsnet, I love crime-ridden shitholes, please recommend some of the UK's roughest and ugliest concrete jungles for me to bring my DC up in!" crowd.

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blahblahblahetcetc · 04/06/2020 07:47

God, don't move to Lewes. Batshit crazy place. A few months after we moved there we got a full on anonymous letter, the kind where people cut letters out of newspapers and stick them down telling us to "go back to where you came from", we had moved from Brighton! My son was also physically assaulted by a teacher at one of the local high schools, the police wouldn't take it seriously until he broke another child's nose in front of witnesses. Couldn't wait to get out of the place after that.

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clareth · 04/06/2020 07:58

Oh my god @blahblahblahetcetc that is terrible - I hope that you’re all ok now.

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LakieLady · 04/06/2020 08:00

@blahblahblahetcetc : A few years ago there was a lot animosity about "Down From Londons" among indigenous Lewesians. They blamed the "DFLs" for rising house prices that made it impossible for young families to buy.

That seems to have stopped happening now.

It was a shit thing to happen to you though, but then all towns have the occasional nutter.

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blahblahblahetcetc · 04/06/2020 08:16

Thank you. We live in Australia now and have never been made anything but welcome 😂

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Aretheystillasleepbob · 04/06/2020 08:17

It’s very rundown and shabby, not much going on.
Have you looked at Saltdean or Peacehaven? - close to Brighton but lots more space for your money. Portslade or Shoreham or even Worhing? Worhing starting to get lots more young families there now.
Or in Brighton up around Hollingbury or Patcham on the edge of the Downs Nat part there are bigger houses with gardens .

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Aretheystillasleepbob · 04/06/2020 08:18

I second Lewes as being a really odd place ! Nice to visit but the people are so insular, would never live there plus it’s very expensive now

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Emma090 · 04/06/2020 08:30

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AJPTaylor · 04/06/2020 08:56

We moved to East Sussex a couple of years ago.
Eastbourne may tick most of your boxes. Artsy and liberal more tricky I suspect.
We chose Battle as a good compromise. Much better schools with well defined catchment area, only 15 minutes or so to the sea, nice community.
I would suggest if you want state schools and don't want to move again you look very hard at the info about primaries/junior And infant schools. When we were looking (Our dd was coming up to the end of year 4), there was a real problem with junior school places despite there being a massive junior school with a 4 class intake. May be a different picture now hopefully.

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AJPTaylor · 04/06/2020 09:01

Sorry, have 're read what I wrote. I do not mean that schools in Battle are much better! They are good,particularly compared to others in the area. The issue we faced, and you will too is overrun good schools and finding in year state places for at least your 8 year old. By choosing where we did, our dd was placed under the fair access protocol mainly because the council would have had to pay for transport. She was child no 33 in her class in year 5. Something to consider.

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