Where should we live? Kent/Sussex-ish😬

[Charlieandthechocolatecake]

I work in Ashford, Kent, 9-5. DP works in Crawley, 8-5.
We have 2 DC's primary age so would need wraparound childcare.

We are almost ready to buy a house. I don't drive yet but I will do my lessons/test asap. DP drives. We want to live in between work so that we are roughly equal distances and so that the cost of childcare is reduced. Any suggestions?

The moment I go on Rightmove to look at suitable properties I end up getting distracted at beautiful houses we can't afford in areas hundreds of miles away!

We know nothing of the areas in between our workplaces so any advice would be very much appreciated!

Will you need a train line to Ashford then if you don't drive?
I live in Maidstone- don't move here, traffic is horrendous, so many houses being built everywhere there is space, it is very multi cultural- mostly Eastern Europeans. Looking at Google maps looks like places like West malling and surrounding area or Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells would be about half way dependent which driving route you take. Tonbridge is way overpriced, Tunbridge Wells is a nice area but also very expensive. West Malling is nice. Do you have a budget?

Where do you live now? Horley is handy for travel to Crawley/London. Very good investment due to proximity to station/airport. I rent my parking space out for £100 p/m and have done for years.
Massive Waitrose/Tesco at Hookwood. Small town centre, community library, leisure centre, Costa coffee. I'm sure some people will slate it, it's not Reigate, but there are some very large houses around here.

What's your budget OP. I think that is going to make a lot of difference here. I'm in that vicinity, If it helps.

Do you require rail access to Ashford?

We're in Ashford ATM but it's not practical long term. We need to be equal distances from work to accommodate childcare.

I've been looking at Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells. House prices are within our rough budget.

Any ideas on the schools there?

And thank you!

@dontgobaconmyheart budget is roughly £400k. We'd also consider shared ownership. Rail access is preferred to Ashford but not necessarily Crawley.

How easy will it be to get to Ashford/Crawley from Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells? You really need to be very near a motorway. West Malling would fit the bill. I used to commute to Crawley from Maidstone. It was a pretty good commute. It was also convenient for Ashford.