moving near Wye, Kent with a teenager.......

[year8dad]

Hi. We are leaving London and thinking of buying a house in the sticks near Wye. We have a 13 year old girl and an 8 year old boy. We are worried 13 year old will hate us forever having moved her from central London in search of a better quality of life. She will maybe go to St Ed's Canterbury. Any advice on St Ed's? Is it good?! We've looked around but one never really knows after these tours. Are there other schools nearby to recommend? She is an arty type. King's is too pricey (not that St. Ed's isn't!), Kent felt too stiff and Grammars are full in her year. Getting v late in the day but schooling is so vital to the move. Any tips appreciated......

[lookoveryourshouldernow]

... have you checked the bus services from Wye ??? Otherwise I think that you may spend your life driving your kids into/out of Canterbury/Ashford ....

[year8dad]

schools all seem to have buses from Wye which is great. Just wondering what life in that area is like for children? Esp. teenagers?!

[tallulah]

St Eds was great when mine were at KC 10 years ago. In answer to your q tho yes your 13 yo will hate you. Have you BEEN to Wye? It will be a huge culture shock after London. My DC were thrilled to get away from Ashford. There are no big venues, very little going on and there is nothing actually in Wye. Be prepared to spend a lot of time driving them around.

[lookoveryourshouldernow]

If you haven't bought already why don't you consider renting somewhere so you can get a feel for the villages etc etc in this part of Kent....

Some of the villages are much better served for transport and amenities than "near Wye".

Having spent the last 6 years ferrying our children backwards and forwards to Canterbury (from a village not a million miles away from Wye) - you will find that it is very difficult for the teens as everything has to be planned carefully. Our bus service finishes at 6.00 pm and nothing on a Sunday... so even sleepovers necessitated a car drive for a pick up - then multiply that by two teens with differing social needs and you will find that you may in fact spend more time in your car than your house !!

[year8dad]

mmmm, thanks for the above. We've been to Wye and explored the area quite a lot but of course the reality of living there is different from the fantasy. Was hoping to find local help maybe for some of the ferrying? Funny isn't it - one thinks of all the positives of life in the country and forgets the practicalities. I wonder if the pros outweigh the cons? Or if life in fact becomes more complicated? Oh, god!

[NaturalBlondeYeahRight]

Actually I think Wye is pretty good for transport links. Plenty of buses and trains in walking distance, pavements (better than my village) Don't know about Canterbury schools, shame about the grammars.
They can have fun when they go to uni

[NormanTheForeman]

Have never lived in Wye, but relatives have, I know it well, and still spend time there regularly. There are more young people there than there used to be. It's close to Canterbury which has quite a lot going on. Also very good train services from Wye (better than the bus I think).

Don't know much about schools, althought the Wye primary school is supposed to be good (my 1st cousin's son goes there).

I think it's a good place, relatively rural, but near Canterbury, and also withing easy striking distance of London, especially now the high speed train link is there.

[year8dad]

Yes, that high speed train does make London v close. We would be 2 miles from Wye. Anyone have any thoughts on private schools in the area apart from St Ed's, KC and King's? And how easy is it to get an au pair who's prepared to live rurally i wonder? Or to get someone to do drop offs and pick ups maybe? Really appreciating all this feedback - thank you.....

[lookoveryourshouldernow]

There is the Ashford School - fee paying - I have had a couple of friends who have sent their children there.

I guess it depends on whether you would prefer Canterbury / Ashford to base your childrens social lives on.

Canterbury schools seem to take children from all over the east of Kent (I think) - so your daughter's friends could live anywhere between Canterbury and the coast...

If you sent her to Ashford then I am guessing that her friend base would be between Ashford and Tenterden and beyond .

I am not sure about Au Pairs - I did have a live out Nanny when I was working - but it would have been impossible for her to do the job without a car. Can many au pairs afford to run a car ? Could you provide her/him with a car ? Would you trust them driving your children around - some of the roads around here are fairly rural/remote..

It is a shame re the Schools - as the Simon Langton Girls seems to have a great textile/design course.

Don't forget that if your son goes to School locally and your Daughter in Canterbury then they will basically be travelling in different directions at the same time of day for schools ..

Have you looked at other villages/places around Canterbury but dismissed them ??

[year8dad]

well it's all a bit complicated. We have found a house we love and we are trying to make it work - but struggling! We prefer Canterbury to Ashford generally but missed out on S Langton - maybe we could get in another year. I guess we're trying to see if we can fit a round peg into a square hole. We are both freelance and are often at home a lot with random periods of travel so life can be quite hard to plan, hence au pair thoughts. Getting a bit despondent now!

[lookoveryourshouldernow]

So sorry to rain on your parade - as it is lovely in this part of the world... we have lived her for around 20 years having moved down from London but pre-kids...

We have adapted slowly - although I would still love to have a pub within walking distance, a corner shop, a Post Office that didn't need a 12 mile round journey and a company that would deliver a take-away.. and the promise of high speed internet !!!

I am sure if you are determined to make the move you can make it work ..

[year8dad]

Well, thank you for the tips. I'll keep thinking of solutions to all the potential problems!

[NormanTheForeman]

If you lived In Wye itself, you would have 3 pubs, a Chinese takeaway, an Indian, a Post Office, bank, butchers, bakers, Co-op store, chemist, hairdresser, Italian cafe etc, etc, etc. Wye is choc full of shops/services. The outlying villages less so, but Wye is in easy reach.

[catellington]

How have you got on? It's thread a bit old but I thought I'd add my thoughts as I lived in Wye from age 11 until uni. It was pretty quiet as a teen but the village has changed a lot. It is a really well served village with several great pubs, shops, etc. it depends what your kids like to do whether they will enjoy it, but there is plenty to do if they like sport, walking, running etc. there will be a new watersports facility not too far away near Kennington. My friends were mainly in Maidstone area as that's where I went to school but I had some friends in the villages between Ashford and Maidstone too. Train is the best, I used to get around pretty independently using the train and Mums to pick up from stations which are generally not far away ( or friends once we all got to car age ). Depends on exactly where you are living but not be as good in bad weather.
It is totally different from London but in terms of convenience it is I think one of the best villages you will find. Lots of families moving in lately too and a great atmosphere? This bank holiday weekend there was so much going on. Oh and the bakery is phenomenal.

[ocelot41]

I am curious to know too - I have my eye on Wye as a possible move for us. We are in SE London at the moment and I am from Northumberland originally and am pining for space and green things in a big way. But equally, I want our son to have freedom to pop in and out of Canterbury when he is a teenager. That said, that's miles off right now - he's only 3! Any Wye mums out there can shed light on the pros and cons?

[Talkinpeace]

And on a Sunday morning, Six Mile Garage is the height of sophistication.
Racing up and down Stone street ....
Hmmm
I'd not choose to live there with kids
My mum has a house not a million miles from Wye. I get psychotically bored when I have to go back.

[michaelrB]

If you are still considering I suggest you look seriously at Ashford School. We moved from London when DDs were aged 10 & 12. Yes, it's takes a while to get used to things but they have made good friends, kept busy and are now both off at university having done extremely well at a great school which is much less expensive than any of the Canterbury schools and much more successful in terms of exam results etc.

[BodieCI5]

For those still interested, moving to 'the country' is always going to be a shock for city folk. 1/2 a mile makes a huge difference out here - between having to get in a car for EVERYTHING and having everything on your doorstep. Wye is incredible, one of the best VILLAGES in the country. Want a village and can afford a place in the centre? Do it. Want rural life away from everything? Do it. Want a London compromise? It's not for you.