London to Margate - has anyone moved recently?

[Spells]

Hi there, we are thinking about relocating to Margate (from London). We're looking at houses in the Cliftonville area (as a starting point).

My 7yr old is in Year 3, she loves her school and I am very nervous about moving her. I know nothing about primary schools in Margate so any advice would be gratefully received!

Thank you!

[akpounce]

I live in Ramsgate. Cliftonville does NOT have a good reputation at all. Nice big houses but a big crime problem and really run down.

I don't know much about individual schools in Margate but Broadstairs or Ramsgate are pretty good. If you can, Upton Junior is one of the best schools in the country so personally I would move to Broadstairs and try to get her in there.

Thanet is really coming up with the high speed train to London and lots of investment is being done in the area. It's a lovely quality of life. We go to the beaches every weekend, so much history nearby and of course, not too bad of a commute into London! There is every supermarket within 15 mins, lots of shopping and Canterbury and Ashford not too far away.

But people are starting to catch on and I have heard of lots of Londoners moving down here recently. So it's a good time to come! Let me know if you have any more questions.

[akpounce]

Just to add, if you are on Facebook there is a group called Thanet Chat. It's a good resource for you to ask questions about schools, housing, things to do, etc. You'll get a wider range of views on there! I have a 7 year old daughter too and agonised over whether staying in Thanet was a good choice for our family. My husband commutes into London and after years of back and forth we decided to stay put. The quality of life we have at the weekend is amazing and London friends who have moved here would never go back. Good luck!

[GazingAtStars]

I just came to echo...Cliftonville is not a good area and doesn't have a good reputation at all

[bumblefeline]

Just wanted to add we used to live in Cliftonville and we moved away just before my dd started school as the local schools were terrible. Ramsgate or Broadstairs would be better

[Spells]

Thank you all SO much for your responses, very much appreciated. I'd kind of fallen in love with a house (from the website!) in Cliftonville so this is great information!

@akpounce, how does your husband find the commute to London?

[akpounce]

Spells,

At first he found it pretty tiring but we decided to pay for the fast train and now it's about an hour and a half door to door. We figured there weren't that many places near London that were faster! The quality of life more than makes up for it in his opinion. We love it here. The sunsets are gorgeous, the many beaches, there are plenty of good schools (not many great but plenty of good). Most weekends we are walking by Viking Bay in Broadstairs and having coffee and cake/ice cream or exploring the surrounding area. Our English Heritage pass goes far and there are so many wildlife parks! We usually have an annual pass to Wingham and in the summer were there almost every weekend.

Have a look in Ramsgate especially near Christchurch Junior school (old ofsted but good school), Chilton Primary, or one of the Catholic schools. Or Broadstairs has Bromstone Primary or Upton Junior. I don't know enough about Margate to give advice there unfortunately.

[Zodlebud]

I recently spent some time in Margate with my daughter whilst she was working on an extra curricular project. We stayed in the old town and whilst I can see why you love the place, I did witness several instances of anti-social behaviour both during the day and night that actually made me feel really uncomfortable. Far worse than anything I ever came across when living in London.

There is a real feeling of resentment by the locals about the London set moving in and gentrifying the town and they are very vocal about it. So much so one bloke told me to "f" off back to London when I said, "Excuse me please" because he was blocking the pavement. My daughter was with me at the time. I also didn't feel safe walking about at night and woke up one morning to see a car in the street had had "f" off keyed on the door.

I guess over time it will become more and more like Brighton and if you get in now then there are some great houses at amazing prices. If Margate is where you want to be then I would recommend trying living there before buying. We stayed in a great Air BnB for four weeks which was extremely reasonable. It has put me off ever living there though, at least with small kids.

Don't know anything about the other areas, but oh the sunsets!!!!!!

[akpounce]

I do agree and wouldn't recommend Margate. If you want already nice, Broadstairs is the place. Up and coming and beautiful but still rough around the edges I would say Ramsgate.

[M1ssVeee]

Hi there. I have lived in Cliftonville and Margate since I was 17. Previously lived with my parents in Ramsgate. I have lived alone for the majority of the time and never had any problems, in fact, I lived very happily for 8 years on a road that people classed to be very bad, at the time. I have nothing but fond memories. I won't lie, but Cliftonville isn't a pretty sight, but Palm Bay is beautiful and almost like another city. Im now 35 and now live just outside of Cliftonville, with my family and my 7 year old son is in year 3 at a school down the road and I think that school is marvelous. My son loves it' there and their education is brilliant I have to say. Please feel free to message me if you would like to know a little bit more. Lisa

[Ahman]

Margate I'd beautiful, cliftonville Is still up n coming. But the houses r awesome. Lived in margate as a child and loved it. Thinking of relocolating with my daughter x good luck n have fun x

[BottleOfJameson]

Like a PP I would choose Broadstairs, Folkestone or Hythe (or Whitstable but that's super pricey) over Margate. Margate might well be up and coming but personally I wouldn't be prepared to wait it out.

[Mummy195]

Hasn't Margate been 'up and coming' for a few decades now?