Where in Kent would you live if...

[ExceptonWednesdays]

• You needed 4 double bedrooms
• Wanted a big garden and parking
• Worked in London
• Had primary-aged children and couldn't consider private schooling
• LOVED the sea, particularly with sandy beaches
• Were a serious trail runner (i.e. too much flat open space gave you the heebie-jeebies)
• LOVED Port Lympne (random, I know)
• LOVED a bouji hangout/café/eatery/arty spot
• Had £1.2m to spend.

Or would you look beyond Kent?! I'm a SE girl (not Kent), just always thought it's absolutely lovely whenever we go!

Folkestone ticks all your boxes
It is a hot, hot pick at the moment
Loads of people moving down from London, and loving it, especially if WFH
And central London is only 50 mins away by train

We had some of that on our list (particularly good schooling for our 4 children) and have been happily in Tunbridge Wells for 15+ years now. All four have been through the grammars, we have amazing countryside a walk from the front door, and the sea is about 45 mins away; we can go to the West End for a play and be home by midnight, or go to one of the two theatres in town. There are some lovely bars and restaurants in town, and we've just been voted one of the friendliest towns in the SE..

Broadstairs.

Not sure Kent is what you are looking for, but sandy beaches you'd like Botany Bay or Margate. However East Kent is quite different from West - Tunbridge Wells is nothing like Margate, no matter how many DFL's there are! There are places along the coast I would avoid - Birchington has issues with seaweed rotting yearly and it oxidises everything metal and stinks for months, anywhere with a sewage outlet (EA have admitted they know water companies are pumping sewage whenever they like and it's a big issue in Kent - rivers etc with ecoli). Personally I like Margate in small doses and I'm not 100% convinced the locals like the DFL's much but it has bought money, even though now you struggle get chips without crab meat or other addition costing £15 on the seafront! Whitstable is a bit done but has a lot of live music, pebbly beach though and also full of DFL so gets hugely busy in the summer with parking issues etc. Botany Bay is planet thanet, so a lot of Nigel Farage ideals float well, which may be your bag?!

I'd personally think you'd be better off in Northumberland - nicer beaches, running space and you'd get a lot for your money. Most seaside areas in Kent aren't great for schools but you'd probably want a grammar if you can't do Private. Whitstable struggled with this IIRC as they aren't quite close enough for easy transport to the Canterbury grammars. Folkestone has a different grammar system to Canterbury and Dover again (although I am not sure you'd like Dover, some of the villages around it might work - maybe someone else can help?).

Seaside tends to be flat and open. Surrey Hills or Chilterns might be better for fell running.

I'd start with looking at schools personally - grammars in Kent are very varied results wise so remember they are not all equal and TOGGS and TWIGS results are very different from SLGG and the rest in East Kent.

I agree. Folkestone/Sandgate/Hythe ticks your boxes. Also super close to Port Lympne.

Used to do lots of walking from Lympne to west Hythe. Lots of hills! Same for folkestone. Hilly but has sandy beaches. The Warren is a lovely beach.

Worked in London

I'd personally think you'd be better off in Northumberland

Bit of a trek eh?

Folkestone would probably suit you there’s two small sandy beaches (Sunny Sands and the Warren), plus dymchurch with its huge sandy beach and tiny amusement park about half an hour away. Seabrook and hythe have pebble beaches. The old high street is full of arty businesses, lots of independent restaurants and cafes. Stick to either one of the villages nearby (hawkinge, Etchinghill, Lympne, Hythe) or the west end of folkestone. That’s a good budget round these parts. I don’t know about schools but there’s loads for kids to do in this area

So helpful, thank you! Cor I love Northumberland, but the London commute is sadly non-negotiable.

We're in the Chilterns now, just miss the sea! But yes, the trails are great and DH is not keen to give them up.

Maybe Sevenoaks, and live with the lack of sea?

Something like this though you'd need to make an offer

Loving these responses, really helpful, thank you.

Lots of hills round Dover and Folkestone to run around but I don’t run so I don’t know the sort of thing that would compare to what you have now!

Ramsgate. Ticks all your boxes. Look around Vale Square (GORGEOUS) or Paragon or Addington Street. Fast train to St P in 1 hr 20.

Do you want to live next to the sea or just be near to it? There isn’t really anywhere commutable that’s on the coast that isn’t a shithole.

If you want to live by the sea then Hythe. If not then Tenterden.

Not many sandy beaches around… Margate is sandy but the commute is hellish and in my opinion it’s not nice… Folkestone has some sand, the town centre is very depressing.

For trail running there are lots of woods and hills around the Canterbury villlages e.g Elham, Bossingham, Petham etc. You are only 25 from the sea in any of those. You’d need to go to Canterbury to commute however…maybe you’d like Chilham? But then you’d start to struggle to get the 4 double beds you want for your budget….

West Kent is too far from the coast. Plus you might max out your budget there.

Ive just moved away from Kent and I lived in Faversham, Ashford and A Canterbury village. I worked all over and have seen it all. Faversham was my favourite place to live.

Good luck!

Also I’ve just seen a PP mention Dover. I’d avoid it at, and the surrounding areas at all costs. The problems with the port make it impossible for locals to leave their houses some days.

I would go for East Kent as the beaches are much nicer than Folkestone. The school system is good for Grammar schools. I think all the cost has issues with sewage. I don’t really like Margate, I think Ramsgate is much nicer. I live in London but would look at Ramsgate if it was me. My husband is from Kent so it is a move I may well do in the future myself.

*coast has issues with seaweed

I mentioned dover because I imagine it’s good to run around - lots of hills and routes around the cliffs. I didn’t mean live there - it’s better than Ramsgate or Margate but still a shithole

I hate Dover 😅 I think it’s comparable to Margate which I also hate. I think Ramsgate is lovely.

I agree. Folkestone/Sandgate/Hythe ticks your boxes. Also super close to Port Lympne.

Used to do lots of walking from Lympne to west Hythe. Lots of hills! Same for folkestone. Hilly but has sandy beaches. The Warren is a lovely beach.

I used to live in Lympne. There's nothing like waking up to the sound of safari animals!

Used to live in sandwich. I loved it.

Yeah I am sadly agreeing with the "shithole" comments. I'd go more inland personally. Faversham/Canterbury might be more doable with the budget that Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells. Really a 20/40min drive to the beach is much nicer than living there, esp with traffic in summer.

Are you morally against private schools? As Kent has the grammar system so a mixed bag.