Move to Lewes area or Bath area?

[Daisyroseandhyacinth]

I am trying to decide between moving to one or the other. I know the Bath area to some extent. Thinking of Corsham or Frome possibly, or one of the villages with good transport links to Bath.

I don’t know Lewes but a family member has just moved there and we have family in Hove , Birmingham and London. Important things are being able to get to London within a couple of hours for family reasons, good public transport

Moving with adult son who doesn’t drive and will need to find work, probably in Universities and FE Colleges. Otherwise we aren’t constricted by other considerations. Good public transport, cultural activities, a good community and friendly people very important. We have a budget of up to around £750,000. Which doesn’t go far these days!

Things we want to avoid are heavy traffic, air pollution , noise and crime. Hopefully a house with character and a nice garden , detached preferably. I know that’s a big ask in Lewes area in particular.

Bump

So we moved to Lewes (from Brighton) and two months later we got a full on anonymous letter, the kind with letters cut and pasted from a newspaper, saying “ go back to where you came from, you and your ugly kids”. We were a pretty normal family of five. We emigrated to Australia two years later, the place is seriously nuts.

Oh God, that's awful!

@Flatandhappy thats appalling, I’m so sorry. I hope you have better neighbours now.
I’m considering a move to Bristol/Bath so looking forward to your replies OP

Bath has quite heavy traffic around and can be pretty busy with tourists.

Give Bath a miss if you don't like traffic.

I’ve visited Bath but don’t know what it’s like to live there. I grew up in Brighton and have friends in Lewes.

Lewes comes up quite high on lots of those “best places to live” lists in the Sunday supplements. However, it truly is hellish to drive round and the pavements are absolutely tiny.

I think a lot of people in Lewes are fairly anti new people moving in - presumably because they then get priced out. My Lewes friend said she would always try to sell to a Lewes family - I’m not surprised to hear about the nasty note that a PP received.

Would you consider Worthing? It’s where people I grew up with are moving to (because they can’t afford Brighton).

I don't know Lewes very well but as a former Bath resident I'd recommend it. It's not perfect, nowhere is, but it is incredibly beautiful and there is loads going on. I like the combination of Cotswolds fancypants and Glastonbury woo. The pubs are magnificent too.

The traffic in Lewes at rush hour in the Center and getting out is pretty bad. It’s not somewhere you go to avoid traffic. You would be hard pushed for a detached but there’s lots of semis around the 700k mark.

I don't think I'd want to live in Bath itself, but Corsham or Frome, or the villages around Bath. I like Rode as well.

I wouldn't live in Lewes, lots of social issues hidden under a veneer of snobbery and overpriced 'antique' shops. Air quality in town is terrible due to the narrow streets with heavy traffic and houses are extortionate compared to much nicer places.
It's also a bit... Odd.
I lived there for 5 years. Spotted this in a novel I reading the other day it really resonated (2/3 of the way down the page).

Oh dear!!

There is a wonderful butcher in Corsham. These things are important.

Any positive votes for Lewes? It seems not!

My friends live in Rode and are very happy there.
They have made lots of friends and always seem to be doing some village activity or other.

Yes I have friends in Rode too. It's a lovely village.

Public transport in that part of Sussex and Brighton especially is some of the best outside London. Just cope with November 5th celebrations which are very full on.

Corsham is nice, but there's no train station there, so getting into Bath will always depend on driving. I'd look at places that have a direct train instead.

If you’re relying on trains then Chippenham, Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon (hideous traffic), Westbury, Warminster - none of which are particularly enticing to live in imo.
Obviously plenty of villages but with poor or nonexistent public transport you will need to be a car owner/driver.

I think there are buses though?

I was born and grew up in Bath.. Post divorce now live in Trowbridge, which to be fair I find it ok here.
My son is in Corsham. There are direct buses to Bath, taking around 50 minutes obviously depending on traffic
He goes to Chippenham for shopping, which is fine.
Frome is ok, although prices have risen. Good bus/ train service to Bath, but again traffic can be a headache.
Depending on budget of course Rode is lovely and accessible to Bath, also look at Beckington which has a similar feel
Happy house hunting, it's a lovely part of the world

What about Bradford upon Avon? It’s on the train line to Bath.

Look a bit further down the coast - good transport from Seaford and Newhaven into Lewes, Brighton and Eastbourne. Cheaper than Lewes - Eastbourne is significantly cheaper, you would get a decent detached in parts of Eastbourne for that. I love Lewes, but no, wouldn't live there, the only houses I would want are in the £1million + range!

More community in Seaford than Newhaven - but a big regeneration push in Newhaven ATM. Seaford has a beach and easy access to good walks - very easy to get to Lewes for cinema, nights out etc.

I moved to Seaford from London 30+yrs ago and have never regretted it. Love London, Love Lewes, can afford Seaford and access the good things about the other places while coming back to peace and quiet.

50 minutes? Oh dear. That rules Corsham out I think.