Where to live in East Sussex?

[LovePrawnCoctailCrisps]

Looking to move away from London and very keen on East Sussex. I suppose would still need to be within commutable distance to London (hybrid working makes it easier) and just be peaceful place. Ideally detached house and bit more private but appreciate budget might enough

any recommendations / ideas would be extremely welcome!

There are two Hurst Greens. The one near Oxted is in Surrey. The other is near Etchingham which is on the Hastings - CX line.

Some people in Forest Row would like you to think it has a lifestyle which you need to fit into. Many normal people live there too.

Don't go for hastings or St Leonards - full of transients. Did not like Lewes either. My brother and I went to a pub - it was disgusting. Not quite sawdust on the floor but I reckoned it needed a good vacuuming. Did not like the area either. Used to live in St Leonards.

What a load of rubbish !

Had a look at all teh areas and consulted RightMove as well to see prices and what kind of properties that are available. Will be going for a mini break to Horsted soon. Might try to go out and about when there and get the feeling of some of those places then.

Ideally I would like to live somewhere in a country site with no neighbours close by and next to the forest. But I think at this point in life I can only keep on dreaming about it.

@StiffyByngsDogBartholomew - the house you've sent look great. In general it seems you can get a lot of space for your money in Battle. Obviously I have no idea what the place is like in general but it is certainly tempting.

I wouldn't be able to afford but the rural element of it seems ideal to me:
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146461544#/?channel=RES_BUY

Defo need South Eastern train line. Look at Stonegate, Etchingham, Bodiam areas. Stonegate/Etchingham station has good trains to Charing X/London Bridge. Both lovely areas with good schools.
Although none of them have many shops, Stonegate is easy access to both Wadhurst and Ticehurst villages which have stores as well as Hawkhurst which has supermarkets. Hawkhurst is another possibility.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/148365158#/?channel=RES_BUY

this is in budget. Crowhurst is lovely quite rural this house is detached and walking distance to a forest and train station.

@ilovemoney this is really nice house and isn't eye watering expensive also. Good find. Commute into London would be quite a long one though. But still doable given that we don't need to be in the office every day anymore

I have relatives in forest row and sharpthorne,there is no train station in either
The property is expensive, and they are what you would call "the certain type of people". Unconcerned about clothes,yet pay a fortune for them, lots of agas. DD recently moved from Tunbridge Wells,some great quiet properties on the outskirts. Polegate is reasonable,I actually like hailsham,it has a pretty market town vibe. I do actually like battle and nearby areas, DH doesn't, because of the homelessness and some deprived areas.

@Nannyfannybanny I think Tunbridge Wells would be good for commuting. I did look into Forest row but it could be that we simply cannot afford the prices or would only be able to get something very small which is not ideal either.

I think it's certainly worth visiting battle to see what it's like. Haven't heard of polegate. Will have a look into that too x

Polegate by population is called a town. It's tiny.It's about 5 miles from Eastbourne. It has a station!!! There is a modern estate on the outskirts,you'll get a decent house there for your money. They are all named after flowers or Bluebell

What do you mean by transients?

What is your definition of commutable? Do you need to get the tube at the other end?

I commute in 2 x a week and it's c40 mins to London Bridge then I can walk to the office. Station is 2 min walk from my home.

These are important to consider - train is very expensive. For example commuting from Hove or Worthing is c£50-£70 a day. But commute, weirdly, from Brighton is £22. These are excluding tube.

If you go in more than 2 x a week a season ticket may be cheaper. This is approx £3k-£5k a year depending where you live!

The mainline London to Brighton line is possibly cheaper commute wise, Reigate is very nice for example and a short distance from Redhill. Horsham a little further but very nice. Both places have large parks - Horsham Park and Reigate Park. Reigate also has Gatton Hill National Trust, proximity to Surrey Hills. Horsham is flatter, more country lanes around it, good for cycling.

Will you stay working in London? If not a larger town like Horsham or Reigate may be better as more work opportunities locally. They would also be a good start to figure out if smaller towns are for you.

Yes that's a nice location within walking distance from battle, it's just on the outskirts.

Erm there's no homelessness problems in Battle 😂 it's a very well heeled market town ! Your husband is clearly thinking of Hastings, well I live on the outskirts of Hastings and barely ever go into the town proper so it certainly doesn't affect me other than keeping the property prices down 😆

Hassocks is on the London/Brighton line. A large village with useful shops, GP's, a leisure centre easy walks onto the South Downs. Lots of young families and older folk, quiet and kind of old fashioned ( in a good way), good schools.

Stiffy,yes, I did say "area" meaning near Hastings,he wouldn't entertain st. Leonards,whereas I found property I liked.

So decided to visit Hastings and Battle this weekend. Going from South East London. Any advice where to park cheaply at Hastings and where to have nice lunch in Battle would be very welcome. Alao recommendations for any other villages that area would be very welcome

You can park in Battle, there's a fairly inexpensive car park in the town centre. Alternatively I think the English Heritage car park at the abbey is £6 all day. What do you want to do in Hastings, I would actually recommend to go into Bexhill rather than Hastings as it's got a much nicer seafront with the De La Warr Pavilion and it's a lovely walk along the front. You can park pretty easily on the street in Bexhill. If you want to go into Hastings then park at rockanore and walk around the old town which is High Street and George Street. There are plenty of quirky little shops although all rather overpriced 😂. Get an ice cream at Di Polas. We have a beach based fleet here at rockanore which is really interesting with a shipwreck museum and our famous net huts. You can get the funicular up to the top of the east hill for a great view. Don't bother with thr west hill lift, it's not as good. Webbes Rockanore serve fantastic fish and I highly recommend their tapas style starters.

food wise there is a great pizzeria in Battle called Rustico, a lovely tea shop opposite the Abbey called bluebells. Their scones are great. There's a couple of good pubs too. In Bexhill on the seafront there are some great places to eat, my faves being Pebbles by the Sea and Bentleys Smokehouse. Make sure you check out Hearts with Love if you like pretty stuff, my favourite shop.

Or Maggies is the last word in fish and chips but I'm not sure whether they are open on Saturday and it's very busy so you need to book up

hastings does get really busy at the weekend in August especially in the old town so just remember it's not always like that :)

winchelsea and rye are also well worth a visit

How often do you need to commute? If it is fairly infrequent do you drive/have a car? If you are happy to have a drive to a station the towns without stations are much cheaper than those Beeching didn't get his hands on.

I'm from east/West Sussex lived in a few different towns. Shoreham -by-sea is nice although that falls into West Sussex I think 🤔 there's a lot of choice you could live by the sea Brighton/hove/portslade or more rural Lewis/steyning/uckfield/henfield but all just a short drive to the sea!

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/67893973/

If I was looking to move this one would make my list.

We moved from London to Wadhurst about 10 years ago and love it here. It’s about an hour into London Bridge